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“Get. A. ROOM!” I heard Harrisons’ voice from across the road. I jumped as Elliot spun his head quickly to look at them, almost as if he were nervous that we got caught. My siblings all stood at the sidewalk, waving at us as they began to make their way to their cars.
He waved his hand at them and turned back to me. Pursing my lips, I leaned my forehead on his chest.
“Did you know they were watching?” he asked, his voice hollow.
I swallowed. I could take this one of two ways, and I hated the response I gave him.
“Of course.”
His grip on my waist loosened and he nodded, reaching over me to open the car door.
“Climb in, I’ll get all the snow off, then we can get you back to the cabin.”
I watched as the fire that was there drained from his face. I nodded at him, following his direction and sat down on the driver's seat, kicking my shoes off before crawling over the middle console to the passenger seat. I watched as Elliot removed all the snow from the car, wishing I had said something else instead of“of course.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
-Elliot-
Of course . . .
Of course . . .
Of course . . .
Of course she knew her family was there.
We drove back in silence to our small cabin, taking turns and stopping slowly. The roads were covered in snow, the deep fluff untouched until I guided my tires through it. Everyone else was following me, their headlights hitting my rearview and side view mirrors just right. Even though I should have been one hundred percent focused on the road in front of me, all I could replay in my mind was Jamie.
Singing loudly from the audience, enough to get Pete’s (the owner I found out, not just the man in charge of karaoke) attention to race a mic to her. Her voice matched mine andall I wanted to do was get her on that stage with me. I wanted to see her come loose, just like she did at the tubing park. I wanted to see all the adrenaline pump from her soul. Pete had told me to come back for the next karaoke night, and to bring my girl with me. I wanted so badly to get her on that stage with me. I had no idea she could sing like that. It clouded my mind . . .
But none of that mattered after Jamie kissed me.
She kissed me.Shewas the one who pressed her lips to mine, taking her time to explore what I had to offer. I would have kissed her again if Harrison hadn’t interrupted the moment. And then of course she had to admit she knew they were there. That the kiss was for Daxton, not forme.
Then there were the looming words from Jillian earlier.She hasn’t told you, has she . . .
The hours of the day seemed to mesh into one, making it hard to believe it was all in the past twenty-four hours.
I parked my Jeep in front of our cabin. Leaving Jamie in the car, I ran to the porch to get the shovel to clear a path for her. As much as I wanted to, I didn't think she would appreciate me carrying her into the house. Walking down her path with my boots, I opened her car door.
“You didn’t have to do that.” Jamie smiled as she slipped on her heels once more.
I shrugged.
“Night you two! See you in the morning!” Jillian called. I waved to them as they disappeared into their respective cabins, and instantly put my attention back on the girl in my Jeep.
Jamie quickly ran into the cabin, her heels crunching with each stab in the snow. Setting the shovel back down, and making sure the Jeep was locked, I followed her into the cabin and into the kitchen.
I could handle my emotions one of two ways here. I could ignore them, shaking it off as a part of the game that we were kind of playing. The kiss wasn’t something to read into. The words she said while she was drunk meant nothing. The glances. The touches.All of it was a part of the fake dating game. We hadn't even made it a week into it, and I wasn’t sure I believed the performance anymore. Could I ignore the way she smiled when I came into a room, the way she would lean into my body whenever she could. Her lips against mine?
The second option—the option I liked better—was the one I decided to jump on.
I hung my coat on the rack next to hers and marched my way over to her. Standing at the sink she had poured herself a glass of water, and once the glass was down on the counter, once she let out that small breath of air and turned only to find me right up against her, I pinned her to the counter.
Jamie let out a small gasp, one that I wanted to capture.
“Jamie,” I said, my voice low and heavy. “I doubt you remember this, but I told you all you had to do was ask for me to kiss you and I would. I’m going to take that kiss earlier as you asking.”
