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"It was good," Jenna replies, taking a sip of her soda. "Just working on my tan until some growly protective guy insisted I put on a towel." Even though she says it seriously, there is a playful glint in her eyes as she walks up beside me.
I chuckle, feeling relieved that she really doesn't seem to mind my protectiveness. "You know how the sun can be dangerous. I'm just looking out for you."
"I know, and I appreciate it," she smiles and reaches across the table to take my hand.
Immediately, I freeze, feeling a jolt of electricity run through my body as our skin touches. I can't deny the chemistry between us, but I know I can't act on it. Pulling my hand back, I clear my throat.
"Good," I say with a smile, flipping the steaks on the grill. "I've just been working on the farm all day."
Jenna nods, taking the change of topic easily, while her eyes glance around the backyard. "This is a really nice place you have here," she says, admiring the view.
"Thanks," I reply, feeling a sudden pang of sadness. "It's just me, though. It gets pretty lonely out here sometimes."
Jenna gives me a sympathetic smile. "I can imagine," she says softly, her eyes searching mine.
I quickly look away, afraid to let her see the desire in my eyes. Taking the steaks off the grill, I plate them. "Come on, let's head in and eat."
Once inside, I busy myself with the potatoes and she grabs us some water to drink. I'm careful to keep my distance. Though I can feel her eyes on me, I don’t look up. My only hope is that maybe she won't notice the way my heart is beating out of my chest.
Thankfully, our dinner conversation stays on easy topics. She tells me about her book, and like always, fills me in on town gossip she hears at the diner. That seems to be our safe space.
Once dinner is over, we go out to the porch. We sit for a while and enjoy the night sky. Her hand is so close to mine and it's calling to me. I feel as if I need that connection more than my next breath. I don't think, I just do. I reach for her hand, and she puts it in mine.
With our hands intertwined, my mind is churning with all the things I want to share with her. But at the same time, knowing I shouldn't. This small touch of skin on skin reminds me of what we did on the dock, and it becomes almost too much to ignore.
Jenna, as always, picks up on it.
"You are still fighting this, aren't you?" She asks her eyes laser focused on me.
I sit in silence before I let out a deep breath and nod.
"Yes, I am," I say finally. "I think that it's just best for both of us if I do."
She looks at me for a long time before she nods and gives my hand a gentle squeeze.
"Then I should tell you I have no plans on giving up on us."
"Jenna, your dad is my best friend..."
"Yep, we have covered this, and he would want us both to be happy. Try again," she says with a smirk, shutting down my argument before I really even get a chance to argue.
"You are way too young for me." I know that is what people around town will think.
"I'm twenty-three. I'm an adult, I can vote, I can drink, I can go off to war. It's only a fifteen-year difference."
I can't deny her words. She is right. She is an adult. And I was a grown man who didn't want to accept the fact that I was falling for a woman who was fifteen years younger than me.
"Do you have an answer for everything?" I sigh, running out of steam to keep fighting her tonight.
She sits up and rests her elbow on the armrest of my hair. Then she sets her head in her hand, and smiling sexily, she says, "Yep."
There is that playful side that is always drawing me to her. Like right now with her so close and in my space. I'm pulled closer to her like a magnet. I can smell her perfume and feel her breath on my face. Our eyes lock, and when she rests her hand on my arm, all my reasons why we shouldn't do this go out the window.
As I lean in closer to Jenna, my heart beating faster and faster, I know that I am about to do something that could change our relationship forever. But in this moment, I can't bring myself to care. I want her more than anything in the world.
Without another word, I close the distance between us and press my lips to hers. The feeling of her soft, full lips is incredible, and I moan with pleasure as I get a taste of that coconut lips gloss once again.
She responds eagerly, her arms wrapping around my neck as we deepen the kiss. The passion between us is undeniable. How can something that feels like this be wrong?
