Remy made a little whimpering sound, and her other hand lifted to my shoulder. I thought she would push me away and maybe remind me that we were in public, but she didn’t. She used her new hold to brace herself, and lifted even farther up on her tippy-toes so she could press her lips more fully against mine.
She started this game, and it seemed like she was determined to be the one to end it.
I felt the nip of her teeth against my lower lip, and the bite of her nails against my skin. Our breath mingled, and our heartbeats synced. Kissing Remy for real was probably the most in tune I’d ever felt with another person. She made my dick hard, and she took my mind off all the other things that had been swirling around, trying to drag me down. All I could focus on was her. All I could think about was when I would get another opportunity to kiss her like this again. Preferably behind a closed door and with a big bed nearby. I used to avoid letting her get this close to me, and now I wondered if I knew all along that once we kissed and meant it, once it wasn’t playtime and harmless flirting, there would be no going back. It was entirely possible I wasn’t going to ever want to kiss anyone else after this.
No one else tasted this good or went to my head so fast.
No one else made me forget where I was and all the reasons I’d ever thought this was a bad idea. It was already a struggle to walk away from her when I had no clue how perfectly she fit in my arms, or how passionately she responded to the barest hint of my hands on her skin and my breath colliding with hers.
I flicked my tongue against the edge of her teeth and dipped even deeper into the warm wetness inside her mouth. All the bitterness that coated my tongue from choking down coffee earlier, when my mind was a million miles away, was washed away and replaced by Remy’s sexiness and sweetness. The sunshine against my back was warm, but it didn’t hold a candle to the way being pressed so intimately against Remy made me burn.
It looked like she still had the ability to make me uncomfortable, but now it was in an entirely different way.
I was well on my way to disregard that we were out in the open, acting just shy of inappropriate, when my phone suddenly started to vibrate in my pocket. It was like having a bucket of cold water dumped over my head. All the anxiety and nerves I’d barely kept at bay came roaring back as I stepped away from Remy so quickly she almost fell. I reached out a hand to help her catch her balance and lifted my phone to my ear.
“Daire. Is everything all right?” I wasn’t expecting her to be the first one to call me. I figured if there was anything to update, Campbell would be the one to reach out. If Daire was calling, it meant she had something to report about the young man I’d entrusted to care for my child. My blood went cold at the thought, and without thinking, I started moving toward where I left my truck parked in front of Wheeler’s garage.
When Remy heard her cousin’s name, she latched her hands around my forearm and tugged on me to get my attention. She was small enough that I practically dragged her across the busy street because I was so determined to reach my destination. I wouldn’t let anything slow me down, not even Remy.
“Everything is fine. I just wanted to let you know things are okay here, so you don’t have to worry. Hollyn even took a little nap earlier. Campbell told me not to bother you. He insisted if I called, you would immediately panic and rush home, but I felt bad not checking in all afternoon.”
I sucked in a sharp breath and closed my eyes for a minute to center myself. There was no way I was going to tell Daire that Campbell was right. As soon as my phone rang, a thousand worst-case scenarios blasted through my mind. What if Hollyn suddenly stopped breathing? What if she’d been kidnapped or had an allergic reaction to something? What if she refused to eat since I wasn’t there or cried the entire day because I was gone? There were so many situations it was overwhelming when I let my mind start to wander. I didn’t want to make Daire feel guilty or let her believe she’d done the wrong thing, so I pulled myself together and told her, “I’m actually on my way home now. You can take off once I get there. I’m glad the two of you had a good day with Hollyn.” I let out the breath I’d just sucked in and dragged a hand down my face. “So, you want me to bring you lunch?”
Daire snorted. “No, thank you. I don’t want to spend any more time with that jerk than I have to.” She paused as if she suddenly had a thought. “Who did you meet for coffee? Was it Remy?”
I looked at the other girl in question. Remy lifted her eyebrows at me and looked pointedly at the phone. If I told Daire she and I were hanging out again, it would spread to the rest of the Archers within minutes. Remy’s expression made it very clear she didn’t want me to tell Daire the truth, but I didn’t want to give her such an easy out. I wanted the people in her life to know I was back and very much planned on taking up her time.
“Yeah. I met with Remy. She told me to tell you to play nice with the new guy.” The last part was totally fabricated, which earned me a kick to the shin. Remy huffed indignantly and crossed her arms over her chest.
Daire let out a little laugh and muttered, “She would never. Remy is the queen of playing dirty. She would never want me to force myself to get along with someone who so obviously despises me. I don’t know what that guy’s problem is, but there is no chance in hell we’re ever going to be friends.”
I told her I would talk to her later and ended the call. Remy gave me a hard look as she tapped her toe against the ground. “Why did you tell Daire we met up today? She’s going to read more into it than there is.”
“There is more.” I reached out a hand and twined one of her curls around my finger. It felt like silk, and I wanted to bury my hands in it all over again. “I’m working on leaving the house in increments. I start my new job in a little under two weeks. I’m going to call you to meet for lunch. Then I’m going to call you and ask you out to dinner. If you agree to either of those, I’m going to call and ask you to dinner and to spend the night with me. I can’t take those steps and leave Hollyn alone for that long unless the person I’m spending time with matters to me as much as she does. It has to be worth it to be away. You are worth it, Remy.”
Her eyes widened, and she fell back a step. She shook her head, pulling the strand of hair I was playing with loose. “What if I don’t answer your calls, Hyde? You still need to figure out how to live your life. I’m not going to be your crutch or your excuse to get out of the house. I’m not planning on being your distraction or experiment while you figure out your new life.” Almost subconsciously, she lifted a hand to her kiss-swollen lips.
“Don’t answer.” I couldn’t force her to see me if she really didn’t want to. But I could make sure she knew I was always there the same way she was when we were growing up. There was no escaping her presence. It was both comforting and unnerving at the same time. Her persistence was legendary, so I couldn’t give up just because she now wanted to be difficult. Didn’t I owe her that much? “If you don’t want to see where this could go, if you don’t want the chance to get to know each other all over again, if you want to stay strangers, then don’t pick up my call. I can’t blame you if that’s what you decide to do. But, if you want to give me a shot to redeem myself, if you want me to have the opportunity to know the woman you are now, answer the call and agree to see me. I wasn’t lying when I said I want you. I do. In many different ways, but most importantly, I want you back in my life in whatever capacity makes you comfortable. You said I needed to find someone else to hold my hand while I figure out parenting, but the only hand I want to hold is yours. It’s always been that way.”