Page 64 of The Offer

“Player,” she whispered.

Honey’s ear twitched, which made Jess’s heart swoop. Her hearing still wasn’t great, but little things here and there seemed to catch her attention. She wondered if her hearing would fully heal and made a mental note to take her to the vet.

She let out a soft sigh as she slipped out of her sleeping bag. She carefully crawled over Kevin so she wouldn’t wake him, then unzipped the tent and stepped into the warmth of the glowing dawn sun. The lake behind them was breathtaking, the waves shimmering with light. A herd of ducklings followed their mother along the water, dipping in and out of the water and ruffling their feathers. The whole scene felt innocent, almost untouched. It was hard for Jess to fathom that such peace could even exist.

“Morning,” said a gruff voice.

Jess turned toward Kevin. She sniggered at the way his hair stood up straight on one side of his head. His cheeks were covered in a light dusting of stubble. He rubbed his eyes, his sweatshirt lifting in the front. She dared a glance at his tan skin and the dips at his hips.

Honey pattered up to Jess and licked her ankles. She tore her gaze from his golden skin and scooped her up, looking back out at the water.

“Well, there you have it. You camped. Four down, six to go.”

She smiled. “Which one should we tackle next?”

“Don’t worry, I have a plan for the next four. But there are two that I will not touch with a ten-foot pole.”

Her smile shifted into a smirk. “Not gonna help me find a stranger to hook up with, huh?”

“Nah, sweetheart, that’s all on you,” Kevin said, his voice gravelly.

A squirrel ran past them and climbed up a tree. Honey let out one of her hoarse barks, then began squirming in Jess’s arms. She clicked on her long leash and let her down, the pup running for the tree and taking a seat, like she expected the squirrel to come back for her.

“I’ve never kissed anyone else,” Jess admitted, keeping her eyes on Honey as she said it. “It’s only ever been Charlie.”

She saw him shift in her periphery. “Are you nervous?” he asked

“I don’t know. Maybe a little?”

“Do you need to practice?”

She snapped her gaze to his. He licked his lips and smiled at her, his eyes bright with amusement.

Jess glared. “That’s awfully bold of you.”

“Oh come on, just one kiss. I can even give you notes, if you want them.”

The idea isn’t horrible, she thought. If anything, Kevin was the most comfortable she’d felt with a guy (besides Calvin, who was basically her brother). So, kissing him? That didn’t seem so bad.

He wiggled his brow at her. “Come on, you know you’re curious.”

She frowned. “You’re acting way too eager.”

“Can you blame me? Jess, I’m kind of curious.”

She looked down at her clogs and kicked at a rock. “I—I don’t know.”

He took a step closer. She let her gaze trail slowly up his body, thinking it through. She was curious. And after years of having someone to kiss constantly, going over a month without that intimacy felt weird. She would like to be kissed. She wondered what it would be like to kiss someone who wasn’t her ex-boyfriend.

Her eyes landed at the faint freckle near his bottom lip. Her nerves thrummed, her body felt warm.

Just one kiss.

“Okay,” she whispered.

“Holy crap.”

Her breath hitched as strong arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her close.