“Sure. You want me to order your favorite?” CC asked as she came around the front of the car to stand beside me.
“Yeah.” Lana tore across the sidewalk toward the swings, giving the air a small wave without turning to look at us.
“I doubt we’ll see her until it’s time to go home.” CC shook her head.
“Come on.” I took her hand and gave it a tug. “My treat.” As my legal guardian, Mr. Kingston had taken over my father’s meager royalties and had them deposited into my own bank account. It wasn’t much, but more than enough for me since I had no bills.
Her gaze went to our joined hands then lifted to mine. “Okay.”
A line of three people stood waiting their turn at the ice-cream truck’s open window. I browsed the different flavors and cone sizes.
“What’re you getting?”
“Um. Probably just the baby cone.”
I let go of her hand and swiveled to face her. “That thing is barely bigger than a bite.” I pointed to a couple leaving with their order in hand.
She shrugged and smoothed her shirt, dipping her chin. “I’m trying to watch my weight.”
“I love the way you look so fuck that.” I put a finger under her chin and lifted her face to mine. “Order what you truly want and enjoy it. We’re only young once. Screw what everyone thinks.”
She smiled so deeply a tiny dimple appeared in her cheek. Evening sun rays shone over the tops of the trees, bathing the entire area in a glow, the light reflecting from her brown irises. A slight breeze shifted her curly hair, dragging one to slide across her cheek.
I reached up and slid it behind her ear, letting my fingers linger against her skin.
“Fine,” she murmured, her gaze skirting across my eyes to land on my lips. “I’m getting the biggest one they have.”
I laughed and bent my lips closer, desperate to kiss her again.
“Next,” a woman yelled.
CC and I jumped. For a moment, it had felt like only she and I existed.
She gave a shy grin, then slid around me to make her order.
After getting our food, we found an empty bench along the curving pathway on the outer ring of the park and sat.
CC yelled for Lana to come get her ice cream. Her sister waved her hand in a shooing gesture as she and her friend darted amongst trees and pretended to shoot bows and arrows.
“Well, guess one of us is eating hers, too. Looks like she found another zombie-killing friend.”
I sat back against the wooden slats of the bench, inching my free hand to rest along the edge behind Terri.
“Do you ever miss your home, Pax?” CC swirled her tongue around the triple scoops of chocolate and peanut butter ice cream.
With effort, I tore my gaze from the sight and closed my eyes for a few seconds, trying to shove away the images of her mouth wrapped around my dick.
She butted her shoulder into mine.
“I miss the trees the most, I guess.” Staring at the scraggly branches above us, I took a bite of ice cream. “I miss the Spanish moss that hangs from the cypress branches, and how tall they grow. Sometimes, I even miss the smell.”
“What do you mean?” She used the tip of her tongue to scoop more ice-cream into her mouth and I shifted, turning my gaze back to the trees above.
“You don’t usually notice it if you’ve grown up in Louisiana but go away for a few days and come back and it smells like a fart.”
“Eww.” She wrinkled her nose. “Why in the world would you miss that?”
“I have no idea.” I stuffed the last bite into my mouth and chewed, sliding my fingers up to rest lightly on CC’s neck.
