Page 8 of Taste of Surrender

“Give me a few minutes.”

Once he was ready, I walked next to him, then said low so only he could hear me, “I wouldn’t push you away if you kissed me, either.”

After everyone called it a night,Jesse, Jasper, and I crawled into our tent. Each of us found entertainment on our phones as I lay in the middle of them. The afternoon had taken a turn because once we were back at the campsite, Jasper had gone with his parents to the hospital to get checked out. Luckily, it wasn’t far and they weren’t away but for a few hours. Once they had come back and said everything was going to be okay, I had felt a weight lift from me.

“So, we have to submit a video,” Jesse said out of the blue.

I turned my head to face him. “For what?”

“ForThe Band Showdown,” he replied.

“You guys are trying out for a reality show?” Jasper asked.

“Your brother wants to,” I answered.

“It can’t hurt,” Jesse said.

He was right, but it had never crossed my mind until he had suggested it the day before. Maybe it would be our big break.

I glanced at Jasper. “Will you vote for us?”

“No way! I’ve heard you guys play.” He grinned.

A smile tugged at my lips as I knew he was joking. “Ouch. You know we’re the best band around.”

“I’m teasing. Yes, I’ll vote for you guys.”

“I’m still doing research,” Jesse advised, not batting an eye at what me and Jasper were joking about. “But yeah, we totally should do this.”

After some time, Jesse shut off his phone and curled on his side, turning away from us. Once I thought he was asleep, I rolled onto my side and faced Jasper. Reaching out tentatively, my fingers brushed against his hand where it rested between us. He met my gaze and furrowed his brow.

“Are you still doing okay after what happened earlier?” I whispered.

He nodded, his lips curling into a faint smile. “Yeah.”

“Good. Have to admit, I was pretty freaked out.”

“You were?” He rolled so we were face to face.

“Hell yeah. You mean a lot to me.”

His eyes widened. “I do?”

“Why is that so hard to believe?”

He shrugged the best he could while lying on his side. “I don’t know. You’re my brother’s best friend.”

“What if I wanted to be more?”

He stared at me for a few long seconds. “More?”

I nodded. “Yeah.”

“Are you serious?”

Leaning forward, I closed the distance between us, my lips meeting his in a gentle, light press. Jasper’s hand moved to cup my cheek and deepened the kiss. It was like nothing I had ever experienced before, and the electricity between us sent shivers down my spine.

Once we pulled apart, I asked, “Does that answer your question?”