I put my fingers to his lips to stop him. “I’m just messing with you.”
He grins, his look sheepish and adorable. “You’re never going to let me live that down, are you?”
“Probably not.”
“You like messing with me, huh?” His lips part and he takes my finger into his mouth. He licks it lightly, his heat seeping under my skin, and honest to God, he might as well be licking my clit, because that soft sweep of his tongue, the need it triggers, travels to the needy little spot between my legs and reminds me I haven’t been touched in a long time.
“What…what are you doing?”
“You had a little mustard on your finger.”
“Oh. Got it?”
“Yeah?”
I pull my finger out, and try to regulate my breathing. I stare out at the ocean, my thoughts a scattered mess when he clears his throat.
“Breton really hurt me.”
I appreciate his honesty, but I had already figured that much out. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. When I saw her at the Fish Shack, she talked about us hanging out, going for a drink. I’m not sure I could go through that again.”
Ohmigod, he still loves her.
“You two were together most of high school, weren’t you?”
“Yeah, then I got injured playing hockey, and I guess she thought she lost her ticket out of Digby.”
“Wow, you think she was with you just to get out of here?”
“She dumped me, and started dating Sam Gilmore. Do you remember him?”
“Yeah, I know him well, actually. He called me Charlotte when he came into the store. He was always very nice to me.” He gives me an odd look, like he doesn’t quite understand what I’m talking about, and I say, “He’s made quite the name for himself in the NFL.”
“He did, and I always thought he was a nice guy. We always got along until Breton.”
“Sounds like what happened wasn’t his fault, though.”
“No, you’re right. She broke it off with me. It wasn’t like they were cheating on me. She was free and clear when she went after him. He had no idea she was looking for a ticket out of here, and latched onto him because, with my injury, I’d be headed for a lifetime on the farm.” He goes quiet, and it’s easy to tell this trip down memory lane is a painful one. “When Sam left here, he broke up with Breton first. By that time, my knee injury had healed, much better than the doctors had first thought, and I was playing again. As soon as my future looked bright, she wanted to get back together.”
My stomach clenches as I take in the hurt in his eyes. “That’s shitty.”
His throat makes a sound, a half laugh, half snort. “I never knew you were such a wordsmith, Baxter.”
“There’s a lot you don’t know about me, but yeah, I think that’s shitty,” I say, my heart pinches tight. “Such a hurtful thing for her to do.”
“You’re right. That’s why I kissed you.”
“Pretending to be with me was to show her it was really over?”
“Something like that.” I stare at him, and get the sense that he wants to say more about that.
“What?” I ask.
He opens his mouth, then closes it. When he finally speaks, he asks, “How come you’re still single?” I eye him as he moves away from the subject of Breton. Is there another reason he kissed me? One he doesn’t want me to know about. Is there more going on with him and Breton, and he doesn’t want me to know?
“I dated a guy one summer. Thought we were in love, but it turned out we wanted different things.” I shrug. “I haven’t found a guy who wants the same things as I do.” Honestly, I’m pretty sure I never will. Guys get out of Digby faster than our high-speed ferry. Slim pickings, to say the least.