Our lives. I was going to get to spend my entire life with this boy.
“Yes.”
“Out of the kitchen now, you!” Cindy shooed him away. “We have lunch and dinner to get done.”
I laughed as she handed him another biscuit. “Be gone with you.”
He left, throwing me a wink and a kiss.
She sighed. “He’s got it bad for you, girl. I remember love like that. Young, passionate, and all- encompassing.” She chortled. “Then real life sets in. Enjoy it while you can.”
I couldn’t respond. I was too busy basking in it. In him.
I didn’t go in for dinner. Instead, I ate in the kitchen and finished my tasks. I couldn’t go into the dining room. It was too loud, with too many people. I was sure anyone looking at me would know what was going to happen later. I couldn’t sit next to Linc and act casual. Every time I saw him today, I felt his stare. His intense gaze locked on me.
So, like a coward, I hid.
When I was done, I slipped out the back and went to my cabin, which was deserted. I had looked forward to sharing it with girls my age but found them standoffish. I was the new girl in their midst—and not welcome. I kept to myself, preferring to spend time with Linc or visit Kim and Lori. My roommates never bothered to ask where I was, and we chose to respect one another’s boundaries.
I grabbed a fast shower, the cool water welcome on the heat of my skin. I shaved and shampooed, the whole time my stomach in knots.
Linc had told me he was a virgin as well. He whispered he’d waited for me the same way I had waited for him and we’d discover it all together.
But what if I was awful at it?
What if it hurt as much as I had heard girls whisper in school? I had seen the size of his cock, and considering how small I was compared to him, I had no idea how I would fit that inside me.
I was still fretting when a soft knock on the cabin door made me look up. Linc was framed in the doorway, leaning on his shoulder, regarding me with a gentle expression.
“Hey.”
“May I come in?”
“Oh, yeah. Ah, sure. Of course.” I babbled.
He stepped in. “I missed you at dinner.”
“Oh, well, ah, I had stuff. You know…I had to get ready, for, ah, later. Yeah, later.”
Wordlessly, he held out his hand. I swallowed the nervous lump in my throat and walked to him, placing my hand in his.
He leaned down, pressing a kiss to my forehead. “Later is whatever we want it to be, Sunny. No pressure. I just want you and me alone.” He pressed another kiss to my skin. “I’ll wait for you. I’ll always wait for you.”
My nerves dissipated with his quiet declaration. I had to laugh at myself. It was Linc. My Linc. He would never do anything to hurt me.
I glanced up, lifting my shoulder. “Sorry, I’m being silly.”
He shook his head. “No. You’re being you.” He smiled. “And I adore everything about you. Silly or not.”
Our gazes held and I relaxed, all my worries gone. He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “How about a walk? We can sit by the fire with everyone if you want after?”
“The walk sounds nice.” I took in a deep breath and picked up the bag I carried with me. It was full this time. “Maybe we could drop this off first?”
He took it from my hand with a nod and a smile. “Yeah, Sunny. We can do that.”
We walked along the shore, hearing the campers around the fire in the distance. The water swirled around our feet. Linc had his hand wrapped around mine, protective and warm. We sat on the rocks, watching the sun begin its descent in the distance, casting burnished rays on the water.
Linc lifted a strand of my hair. “Sunsets remind me of your hair. The muted reds and gold.”