He shot me a dirty look. “Fuck off, asshole. I’m not going to cry. It just got me right here,” he said, hitting his chest with his fist.
The picture was all of us at the comedy club. Charlie and Tucker were in the middle. Terri and Jim were on one side, and Blake and I on the other. We were all pointing to Charlie’s belly. Charlie’s head was tossed back as she laughed, and Tucker was looking at Charlie. A wide smile and a look of pure love on his face.
“The moment I saw it, I knew I needed to get it framed. You can just see the love on Tucker’s face, and with the way you are all pointing to Charlie. It’s precious.”
“It’s perfect,” I whispered, looking at the photo and then over to Kaelynn. Her eyes twinkled, and she looked pleased she had made us happy.
She set a card next it and then let out a breath and said, “Well? Should we head on out and let the happy family get settled in?”
Blake nodded. “Yeah, I need to get out of here, I’ve got a big meeting I need to prepare for for tomorrow.”
Reaching for his hand, I shook it and said, “Thanks so much for helping, Blake.”
“Yeah, no worries. I probably won’t see y’all until we start getting ready for Terri and Jim’s wedding next week. I’m knee deep in two projects.”
I slapped his back. “No worries. I know Tucker appreciates the help today.”
Blake smiled. “There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for y’all.” Turning, he reached out and gave Kaelynn a quick hug and kiss on the cheek. “Thanks, Kaelynn. See ya around.”
Her hand lifted as she replied, “See ya.”
I walked Kaelynn out and stopped in front of her car. She leaned against it, and I swore the woman was looking at me like she wanted to crawl inside of me. The feeling was mutual.
“So? Zilker Park tonight?” I asked with a wink.
She giggled. “Okay, is it crazy I’m super excited about this?”
“Nope. Well, unless you’re excited about the tree and not about going out with me tonight.”
Her cheeks deepened in color while her teeth dug into her lip. She stared down at the ground. Lifting her chin up to meet my gaze, I winked at her. “I like you, Kaelynn, and something inside of me wants to see where this goes.”
When her tongue slid across her lips to dampen then, my knees about buckled. “So, does that mean we’re leaving the friend zone?” she asked.
Leaning down, I placed my mouth inches above hers and replied, “We are most definitely leaving the friend zone.”
Her breathing picked up, and she almost whimpered, “Kiss me, Nash. Please.”
My mouth pressed against hers. It was soft and slow, as if we were both taking our time, just feeling each other out. Kaelynn’s hands went to my chest where she clung to my T-shirt. She opened to me, allowing me to deepen our connection. We both moaned and her hands slid up my body and around my neck.
The heat between us was hard to ignore. I was becoming lost. Nothing else mattered but this moment. The way her fingers slipped into my hair, or the soft moans she let out as I pulled us farther into the kiss. When we both needed air. I broke free, leaning my forehead against hers. Our chests rose and fell as we both fought to gain control of our breathing.
“I’ve been wanting to do that since the moment I first bumped into you.”
Her only reply was my name, whispered softly from her kiss-swollen lips. “Nash.”
Drawing back, I got lost in her eyes. “You’re so beautiful.”
“I’ve been wanting you to do that since you first smiled at me. I sort of have a thing for guys with dimples.”
Laughing, I cupped her face and kissed her again. This time it was soft and sweet and not nearly as long.
“Do you need to change, or should we head straight to grab a bite to eat and then to the park?”
“I want to spend as much time with you as I can, so my vote is let’s go grab food, then go to the park.”
My heart still hadn’t settled
down to a normal rhythm yet. The flush that was still on her cheeks made my knees weak.