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I scrub my hand down my face. “I really…love your mouth.”
She laughs and turns, taking my hand and looking at me over her shoulder.
“Want to see the amazing tub in this place?” she asks.
“If you’re in it, absolutely.”
CHAPTERTHIRTY-THREE
DATES AND KNEES AND ENERGY
MARLOW
While the massive jacuzzi fills, Wyatt makes a quick trip to his room for his overnight bag, and hopefully condoms.
He yelps when he first steps into the scalding water, but he pipes down when he sees that I think it’s the perfect temp. After almost an hour, we’re still in the tub, adding more hot water when it gets too cool.
I forced him to sit across from me, which felt like torture at first, but he’s massaging my feet and teasing my inner thighs with his roaming feet as we talk.
I don’t remember when I’ve had this much fun talking.
Our conversation has ranged from movie confessions—he wept duringBrother Bearand I never saw it—to stories about the many elderly women in Landmark Mountain chasing Jamison’s grandpa, Pappy.
“Well, heisthe cutest,” I admit. “I get the allure.”
“Oh, so do I. The man is young at heart, has style, is funny and kind, and he still talks fondly about his wife, even though she’s been gone for a few years now. What’s not to love?”
We smile at each other and he lifts my ankle up and kisses it, sliding his hand up my smooth leg. I don’t know if he realizes that he sighs as he does it, and I swoon a little more inside.
“What was your granddad like?” I ask.
“He was great. A bit of a workaholic, but he loved us and he loved Grinny. He had a hard job, filling that parental role when he should’ve been loving life as a grandpa. Grinny made up for wherever he lacked, and to his credit, he did his best with us. Were you close to your grandparents?”
“Yes, I was close to my paternal grandparents. I didn’t really know my mom’s parents—they died when I was little—but I would’ve lived with my dad’s parents if I could’ve.”
“I wish I could’ve met them.”
“Me too,” I say, my voice wistful. “And I wish they could’ve seen Dakota grow up. She’s really missed out on the grandparent scene. My parents haven’t been…great. I feel like Dakota is getting more of an example of what it’s like to be around family in Landmark than she’s ever had before.”
He’s quiet for a moment, and I change the subject so it doesn’t get too heavy.
“What’s the worst date you’ve ever had?” I ask.
“Eighth-grade graduation,” he answers immediately. “Pilar Jenkins threw up all over my suit…while we were dancing.”
“No.” I laugh.
“That’s not the worst part,” he says, cringing. “None of it got on her, only me, which was…okay, but she was so embarrassed about the whole thing that I pretended I’d been the one to throw up. And it probably would’ve died down, except she ran with it and told everyone we walked past on the way out of there what I’d done and was still talking about it a week later as she shot disgusted looks my way across the cafeteria.”
“I hate Pilar Jenkins,” I state emphatically.
“Me too.” He gives me a guilty look. “Iwaskind of rude to her sophomore year though. Can you believe she asked me out after all that?”
“Shedidn’t.”
“Yep, and I said, ‘Sorry, I don’t have another suit for you to ruin.’” It echoes in the bathroom as we both start laughing. “From that day until she left for college, she never spoke to me again.”
I shake my head. “If that’s the only rude thing you ever said to her after the eighth-grade horror date, that’s pretty commendable. Does she still live in Landmark?”
