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“You’re lucky you’re so fucking cute, because you’re also a lot of work.” But he winked, like he didn’t actually mean his words. He also turned around and went to inspect the fridge. “Hey, there’s wine in here. What the hell? Who is coming out to this cabin?”
I got quickly dressed and stood up. “I don’t know. Are you sure you still even own this place?” That was a horrifying thought. “OMG, what if we’re squatting and we don’t even know it?”
He laughed. “Wouldn’t be the most illegal thing I’ve ever done.”
“What?” I couldn’t tell if he was serious or not. I pulled shoes out of my bag, dropped them on the floor, and set the bag down again on the table next to my phone, which was flooded with notifications. My chest tightened. What was I doing?
“I’m kidding. Kidding. The only illegal things I’ve done are speeding and fighting.”
That was a relief. “What if we’re doing it and someone shows up here? I would die. Literally die.”
“Doing it? Is that what the kids are calling it these days?”
I pointed a perfectly manicured finger at him. “Hey. Quit making fun of me.”
“But I’m so good at it.”
That made me laugh. “And I’m good at burping, but that doesn’t mean I should do it.”
“You’re good at burping? You? Lies. Complete lies.”
“No, it’s true. My mother thinks it’s horrifying and it is. But I don’t know. I have a lot of air in my stomach or something. I can burp the alphabet if I really want to.” Never in a million years would I have burped in front of Bradley. I wouldn’t even admit that I burped. Ever. Or had any bodily functions. But Christian was different. It didn’t matter. For all I said that I wanted him to educate me, I wasn’t trying to impress him. He’d already seen me get drunk on wine and jam at least two doughnuts into my mouth.
“Prove it.”
I eyed him. He was smiling at me. I wanted to show him I could be fun. Take a joke. “I need some soda and then I will.”
Christian laughed again. He had a great laugh. It was full and unadulterated. It sounded genuine. A booming, rich exaggeration of his deep voice. Everything about him was so inherently masculine. He had a way of moving that was just a shade off a swagger. He was also confident but not in the entitled arrogant way that Bradley was. It felt easy to be around Christian. He had said he wouldn’t judge me and I believed him.
“I’ll be waiting. I’ve got to hear this, princess.”
“You’re going to love it. I promise.” I had never bantered with a guy like this. Between being a runaway bride and the overall surreal quality of this day I felt light-headed, strange. Like I was having an out-of-body experience. Maybe that was why I hadn’t been ready for sex yet. I wanted to be in my body, in the moment.
“I believe you.” Christian opened the door. “After you.”
The sun was at its full height but the trees blocked a lot of the heat. It was a beautiful day. The air in Maine was crisp and clean and the sun-dappled clearing was the perfect temperature. My sandals weren’t great for the dirt drive, but I liked the freedom of wiggling my toes. I had chosen the sundress for the next day because it would travel well, but it was giving me the same experience now. Loose, relaxed. Much better than that constricting dress. I had left my phone inside. I couldn’t look at it.
“Have you always lived here, in Camden?” I asked Christian. Polite, that was me. But I was also curious about him.
“Yes. I don’t see myself ever leaving. No point.”
“Maybe I should stay here myself,” I said, anxiety pressing in on me again. “I can’t go back. Not now. I gave up my apartment. My job. Geez, that’s not very good.”
“Don’t worry about that right now. Your parents have a house. Two, actually, right? So you’re not going to be homeless. I bet even your sister would take you in.”
I took a deep breath as we walked. He was right. No need to press the panic button. “That’s true. But did you ever just stop all at once and wonder who the heck you are?”
“Princess, that’s just too damn deep for a summer day.”
My wedding day. But I couldn’t expect him to want to talk about that. So I went with a light response. “So you don’t want to go deep today?”
Of course I realized immediately how sexual that sounded. I hadn’t meant to imply anything of the kind, but there it was, hanging out there between us. My cheeks felt warm.
Christian gave me a sly, sexy smile. “Oh, I want to go deep. I want to go deep all damn day.”
“So which is it?” I asked, wanting to call him out just a little. “Deep or not?”
“So I have to get deep to get deep?”
I smiled at me. “Maybe.”
“Whatever you say, princess. Your wish is my command.”
If only fairy tales came true.
