Page 52 of Enticed
The sun was beginning to set as we exited the last ride, and Rory announced she was hungry. A local country band was setting up on the stage when we passed by on our way to the food vendors. We grabbed pulled pork sandwiches and plopped down on a picnic table.
I was halfway through my sandwich when my dad spotted us, and I froze. I hadn’t expected him to still be here since Mom and Rowan's booth of baked goods usually sold out within a few hours, and they headed home early.
“Hey, Spunk, where ya been?” he asked, sinking down next to me.
“We’ve been riding rides,” Rory announced, kicking her feet back and forth as she popped a chip into her mouth.
“Is that right?” Dad inquired, giving her all his attention.
“Mmm-hmm,” Rory responded as she chewed.
“That’s nice. I’m glad you’ve got someone other than this old man to hang out with,” he teased, pointing at Gabe with his thumb. Rory giggled, and Gabe took a drink of his lemonade to hide his wince. He recovered quickly, engaging in his usual banter with my dad.
“If I’m old, what’s that make you?” Gabe’s retort was good natured, but guarded.
“Ancient,” Dad quipped with a chuckle. “I better get back to Sunny,” he announced using the nickname he gave my mom back in college. “She swears she doesn’t need my help packing up, but then she makes me do all the heavy lifting,” he said ashe pushed up from the table. “You kids have fun.” He nodded to us and walked off. Gabe and I shared a look, and I witnessed in real time him shuttering his emotions. My dad hadn’t suspected a thing and where all I felt was relief, Gabe clearly was consumed by guilt.
My grandmother approached, wearing a mischievous grin, one I recognized meant she was up to something. “Are y’all going to watch the concert?” she asked, glancing from Gabe to me.
“I was planning to,” I answered at the same time Gabe said, “I don’t think Rory will want to.”
“Why don’t I take Miss Aurora to get some honeysuckle ice cream and hang out for a bit while you two enjoy the music? It’s about to start,” she added enticingly.
“Yay, ice cream!” Rory chirped.
“How can I say no to that?” he gritted out, and I nearly laughed. My grandma had played him, knowing he couldn’t deny her if she asked in front of his kid without looking like the meanest dad ever.
“You can’t,” Gigi replied triumphantly and led Rory away.
Gabe and I walked toward the town square as the band began their set. It was standing room only with all the chairs on the lawn occupied. We found an open spot at the very back of the crowd.
“So how long do you think we can safely leave Rory with Rose?” Gabe asked.
“At least long enough for us to listen to a few songs. She doesn’t usually let the kids start knocking off convenience stores or robbing banks until they’re at least sixteen. Someone’s gotta drive the getaway car.”
He snorted a laugh. “That’s reassuring.”
The first song bled into the second, and though I was acutely aware of Gabe’s proximity, I was able to relax enough to enjoy the music. Then they played a slow song, one about longing andpassion, lost love and second chances. Gabe had begun to move closer, not close enough to draw attention or raise eyebrows, but close enough that when he uncrossed his arms, his pinky brushed against mine. At first I thought it was an accident, but then he began to gently rub it back and forth. He continued to stare straight ahead as he entwined our pinkies, and it felt like he was extending an olive branch. It felt like an apology for what happened last weekend.
Too soon, he pulled away and my heart sank. Where he’d touched me now felt cold. I scrubbed my hands over my face, fighting back tears. I wanted him so bad, it felt like my heart was being ripped from my chest every time I looked at him, knowing I couldn’t have him.
I quietly slipped away to regain my composure. Ducking behind the senior center, I pressed my back to the wall and let my eyes fall closed, drawing in a deep, cleansing breath. I didn’t know how much more I could take. Being so close to the object of all my desires and not being able to do anything about it was chipping away at my heart piece by piece.
“Jasmine,” Gabe’s voice called from the dark. He stepped out of the shadows and into the dim glow of a nearby streetlamp. “What’s wrong?”
“I can’t keep doing this. I can’t keep having all thesealmostmoments with you. It’s slowly crushing me,” I confessed, and a tear slid down my cheek. He needed to make a decision soon. Either take the risk and go all in or let me go completely. He was like a drug. It would hurt less in the long run to quit him cold turkey than to continue getting micro doses that only fed this addiction.
He was in front of me in an instant, his hand cupping my cheek as his thumb brushed the tear away. “Please don’t cry,” he pleaded. I pressed my hands to his chest, and his heart tappedout a staccato rhythm against my palm. I couldn't decide if I should push him away or bring him closer.
“I wish I could stop wanting you. I wish I could stop dreaming about you. But this craving I have for you will not abate,” I confessed.
He released a shaky breath and dropped his forehead to mine. “Fuck, Jasmine, you’re killing me.” His body leaned closer as he brought his free hand to my hip. Our breaths mingled and became ragged as his body pressed into mine. His restraint was slipping again. I could feel it in the way his hands trembled and his breaths shuddered.
Spearing his fingers into my hair, he tugged until my face was tilted up to his. And then he was kissing me. It was slow and sensual, the kind of kiss you poured your heart and soul into. It was nothing like the frenzied, desperate kiss we shared the first time.
Gabe slid an arm behind my back and pulled me closer. I clung to him, wanting to hold on forever. He slipped his hand beneath my shirt and splayed it across the small of my back. The sensation of his bare skin on mine lit my nerve endings on fire. I snaked my arms around his neck, arching into him so there was no space left between us. His tongue swept inside my mouth, exploring, tasting, claiming. He groaned into the kiss as his hand dropped to my ass and squeezed.
The sound of giggling and stumbling footsteps sounded from the direction of the concert. Gabe abruptly ripped his mouth from mine just as a couple rounded the corner of the building. He shifted to the side to block my body and dipped his head to hide my face, shielding me from the onlookers. His hot breath on my neck and his hard body pressed against mine had a moan spilling unbidden from my lips. Gabe nipped at my ear and slid his hand up my throat to cup my jaw, pressing his thumb to mylips. A pulse of arousal shot to my core, and I fought back the whimper that threatened to escape.
