“Okay?” She sought my approval.
“More than okay.” I beamed down at her. I topped her head with a Blue Jays cap. “Now you’re perfect.”
She threw me a grin. I slipped off my shirt to don my own jersey, and I didn’t miss her appreciative look when suddenly my chest and abs were on full display. She even bit her lip.
Yeah, Brooke was into this.
I felt a swell of pride. I worked hard at my job and at surfing, and playing softball and training with Echo had toned my physique nicely. I was proud of it.
The game was a blast. We split a Fenway Frank and each got popcorn and Slush Puppie frozen drinks. By the seventh-inning stretch, we were giddy from the sugar and loudly singing along to “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” with our entire row.
After the game, we walked to the car hand-in-hand. When we found our parking spot, I leaned her back against the car and encroached on her space. I spun my cap around and leaned down, my lips inches from hers.
“I can’t get enough of you, Brooke Meadows,” I told her, my voice raspy as I captured her lips between mine. She eagerly met my lips with hers.
“You’re everything,” I said into her mouth, catching her breathy little moans and swallowing them. I slid my hands into the back pockets of her shorts and squeezed, drawing her into me even tighter. Her fingers twisted in the strands of hair at the nape of my neck, under the brim of my backwards cap.
I wanted her, desperately, but I also wanted to take my time with her. Brooke Meadows wasn’t the kind of girl I could have for just one night, and I planned to show her that this summer.
Reluctantly, I broke our kiss.
“Do you want to come back with me?” she asked, a shy smile on her face.
“I wish I could—you have no idea—but I need to get back for Echo. But I want you to come to Vermont next weekend. Please.”
I locked eyes with hers, seeking to put confidence in her mind when it came to how steadfast I planned to be.
This thing between us was real, and I wasn’t letting her slip from my life again.
22
BROOKE
The weekend had been my chance to show Cade that I was ready to explore something more than a friend-date. I knew I was ready to move on from Brock, and I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t endlessly replayed our kiss and the zing of instant chemistry we’d experienced the previous winter. Not to mention the follow-up kiss on my birthday weekend, which had left me hot and bothered all night.
I’d thought all week about how I’d planned a date tailored to Cade, one that would leave him speechless. Little did I know he’d drop me off at my front door and walk back to the car in his backwards cap (why was thatsucha hot move?), leaving me breathless with need and desperately wanting more. I wanted to drag him inside with me, ignoring the torturously slow pace he was setting for our physical relationship.
My phone rang as I slipped off my shoes at the front door. I saw Cade’s contact photo and felt a flutter of concern. I didn’t know if Ivy was sleeping, so I answered in a hushed tone.
“Cade? Did you forget something?”
“Nope.” I could hear his smile. “Just wanted to listen to your voice while I drive back. That okay?”
“Yeah... it’s okay.” How did he always manage to say just the thing that would split my face into the biggest grin? “Did you have fun tonight?”
“Oh, babe—fun doesn’t cover it. You were amazing. Can’t believe you planned all that for me.”
My heart clenched when he so effortlessly called mebabe. Was it too soon? I hoped not.
“So I did pretty well, then,” I said into the phone, slipping out of my clothes and remembering the feel of his hands roaming my body as he pressed me into the side of his car. “Hey—can I ask you something?”
“Always.”
I paused for just a moment’s hesitation.
“You—like my body, right?”
He barked out a laugh. “Are you kidding, B? Tell me you’re kidding.”
