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“A million reasons.” I gesture to veer right. Meg brushes a strand of her dark brown hair behind her ear exposing the curve of her neck. My nostrils flare as a whiff of her juniper shampoo fills the space between us. “All of this for one. You can’t get nature in the city.”
“Um, Central Park?”
“Not the same.”
“You also can’t get good pizza, bagels, book signings, art house films—”
“I don’t really care about those things.” Meg’s head snaps in my direction, and I raise my hands in the air. “Okay some days I’d kill for a New York bagel, but this is my home. I’m carrying on my father’s work, and starting to believe that this is exactly how it was all supposed to turn out.”
“Starting to?”
“I wanted to be a rich and famous cardiologist, but the stress was absolutely killing me. I was having horrible chest pains. I missed my family. When my dad got sick, it was…I don’t want to say a blessing, that’s not it. But, I came home and nursed him in his final days. It was then I realized that this is where I belong.”
“My parents died, too.” Meg’s pace slows, her eyes cast downward. “That’s why we’re here.”
Up ahead the lake begins taking shape, sparkling like a million tiny diamonds floating on its surface. “So, you understand?” Meg nods, but her face remains blank.
“Oh my God,” she says, finally looking up. “I haven’t been to the lake yet.” She takes off at a mall-walker’s pace, her wavy hair flying behind her. Before she reaches the water’s edge, she turns to me, pushing her hair from her face. “Come on, slow poke.”
My entire body lights up, and I can’t help but smile. Before I know it, I’m running after her. Her eyes light up and a tiny squeal escapes her mouth as I race her to the edge of the dock. I’m so much bigger than her, it only takes a few long strides before I’ve caught up. Without thinking, I wrap my arms around her waist. She playfully bats at my arms as I lift her off her feet.
“Hey! That’s cheating.”
“Says who?” I grunt in her ear.
“Says anyone who’s ever raced.” Her legs kick out beneath her, narrowly missing my shins. When I set her down, it’s close enough that my foot crosses onto the dock’s wooden planks first.
“Now who’s the slow poke?” I say, my heart rate quickened.
Meg takes one step toward me and throws her arms around my neck. She pulls me down until her lips are pressed against mine. I melt into her soft, sweet lips before parting them with my tongue. The water splashes on the side of the dock as I explore her sweet, wet mouth with my tongue. My length presses so hard against my zipper, I’m certain it’ll burst right through my pants.
I press her body as close to me as humanly possible, grinding my hardness against her. Just when I think I can’t get any closer, Meg surprises me by pulling away.
“Oh God.” She says, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. “Oh, I’m sorry.”
“What?” I adjust my stance, unable to hide the desire she’s awakened in me. “No, you don’t have to be sorry—”
“I can’t do this.”
“Okay.” I run my hands through my hair, confused as hell. “Meg, I don’t want you to do anything you don’t want to do.”
“I definitelywantto do this, Davis. But,” she slaps the sides of her thighs. “This will never work.”
“Why?”
“It just won’t.” She steps forward and for a moment I’m certain she’s going to kiss me again. At the last second she retreats and turns on her heels, heading back out of the woods the same way we walked in.
For the longest time I stand there wondering what the hell happened. I’m certain it wasn’t something I said. From the minute I met her I knew Meg Sweet would be a tough nut to crack. Lucky for her, I’m not a man who gives up. Now that she’s walked into my life, there’s no way in hell I’ll ever let her leave. Just like I was meant to come back home and take over my father’s practice, Meg Sweet was meant to be mine. I’ll just have to prove that to her.
5
Meg
“You didwhat?”Emmi’s eyes nearly pop out of her skull. I grab another piece of licorice and snap it with my teeth. I can’t believe I even told my baby sister what happened, but my head’s in one hell of a scrambled mess. “No, I can’t. I cannot!” Emmi folds her leg underneath herself. “You just ran away like some freaking weirdo after he kissed you?”
“I kissed him.” I bury my face in my hands, certain my cheeks are the same shade as this licorice stick. “I feel like a total idiot.”
“Okay.” Emmi wiggles closer to me causing my bed springs to squeak. “But why?”
