Page 107 of Your Last First Kiss

“I’d like to tell him that we’re dating,” I blurt in a hushed tone. “I don’t think we should sneak around. He’s old enough to understand, and I don’t want to ruin the fledgling trust we’re building.”

“I know,” she says, but she sounds defeated. “But I should be the one to talk to him first. I’ll need to check in with all of them.”

“Soon, Penny. I’m not trying to rush you, but I’m serious about being here with and for you. I don’t want to start something with him on a rocky foundation.”

She nods and reaches for her coat. “I’ll talk to them this weekend.”

Taking the coat out of her hands, I hold it up so she can slip into it, then I grab mine, and we walk out the front door. I wait on the stairs while she locks the door behind her, and after checking the windows for little eyes, I take her hand.

The innocent touch doesn’t feel so innocent when I’ve spent all day wanting to hold her.

“It’s fucking brutal seeing you all day and not being able to touch you.”

She expels a puff of air with a shaky laugh. “I’m glad it’s not just me.”

Opening her door, I wait for her to sit, then lean in. “It is most definitely not just you. I’ve had a steel rod in my pants all day because of you. I ache to hold you, and that’s not a line. My hands shake when you’re near. My heart beats so rapidly I’m convinced it’s trying to bust free to reach you. Not touching you, kissing you, holding you is the hardest damn thing I’ve ever done.”

“I know,” she whispers.

“Soon, right? We’ll stop hiding soon?”

“Yes,” she agrees. “Soon.”

It’s the best I’m going to get right now, so I round the hood of the SUV and get in. Unless Miller was screwing with me, we’re in for a doozy tonight.

* * *

Three Brother’sBrewing is on the other side of a heart-shaped lake, and there’s a single covered bridge to get to it. It’s such a pain in the ass to get out here that I half expected the place to be empty, but I’m shocked to pull in and find a full parking lot.

“Is this because of the meeting?” I ask, pointing toward all the cars as I creep along toward the back of the lot, searching for a space big enough for the Suburban.

“Maybe a little,” Penny says. Her tone is distracted. “This place always has a crowd, though. The Reid brothers do a good job of community outreach.”

Interesting. I file that away to use later.

“Are you worried about the kids?” I ask after pulling into an open spot far from the building.

“No. I mean, a little, but I do know Kai can handle it.” She picks at the sleeve of her winter coat.

I slide my hand over the console and rest it palm-up on her thigh. Her shoulders drop, but she places her hand in mine.

“Then what’s bothering you?”

“I think I’m nervous about making anything official.”

“Anything, meaning us?” Tension flows through me as I wait for her response.

“Anything meaning anything, but yes, including us. Eddy has burned so many bridges and pissed off too many people. I’ve just laid low, trying to avoid the fallout of every epic disaster, but now with the TAC, and you… I don’t know. I worry people will have a lot of things to say, and most of them won’t be good. I don’t want to put the boys through the gossip mill any more than they’ve already been. This is a small town. Everyone has something to say, and not all of it’s good-natured. Does that make sense?”

Unfortunately, it does.

“It does.” I sigh. “But you can’t live your life running from his shitty choices either. Build your life to fit you and the kids the way you imagine it. Not how you think others expect it. The expectations of strangers should never weigh heavier than your own.”

Her smile is uneven when she looks up at me through thick lashes. “You’re pretty smart, you know that?”

“I have my moments.” Turning my head, I peer out all of the windows. When I’m sure the coast is clear, I lean my face toward hers. “I need to kiss you now. And then I want to watch your eyes darken when I tell you all the ways I imagined defiling you today.”

We move at the same time. Our lips crashing into each other. Teeth, and tongues, and lips meld into a sexual dance of desire and greed.