Cam b
roke the kiss, his breathing hard, his mind awhirl. Chloe reared back, her breathing as irregular as his, her lips damp and swollen. “Sorry,” he muttered, feeling like a jackass.
She squinted. “Sorry?”
Now he felt even more like a jackass. “I shouldn’t have done that.”
“Done what? Kiss me?” She withdrew from him completely, his hands falling away from her. “If you say next it was a mistake, I’m going to kick you in the nuts.”
He wanted to laugh. He was also seized by a not too irrational fear of her pointed shoes. “More like an impulse.”
Chloe frowned. “An impulse?”
She asked a lot of questions and expected him to explain. How could he when he had zero explanation for why he’d kissed her? “You just…you know. Looked a little sad. Said you were looking for an adventure.”
“And kissing you was supposed to be some sort of grand adventure? To plain little ol’ me?”
Okay, now she was mad—and maybe embarrassed, considering the pink tinge to her cheeks. But maybe that was better. “I didn’t mean…”
“Or maybe you felt sorry for me. Is that it?” She was fuming now. Her eyes were glassy and her face flushed. Or maybe the flushed face was from the amazing kiss he’d just laid on her, he didn’t know. But damn, she was prettier than ever.
Which meant he was a sick, twisted bastard.
“I—” he started but was interrupted by the DJ’s announcement from inside the reception hall.
“Everyone gather around, we’re about to cut the cake!”
Chloe sent him one last long, withering look before she turned away from him. “I should go.”
“Chloe.” She didn’t acknowledge him. Merely turned on her heel and fled into the darkness.
Leaving him there alone, his breathing ragged, his mouth swollen. Hell, his lips actually tingled and his body was tense, on fire for her, and he could do nothing about it.
Shit.
Chapter Two
“What happened to you last night?”
Chloe tripped over her own feet at her friend Alison’s casual question. They were out for their three times weekly walk around the lake, extra early this morning in order to beat the predicted summer heat wave that was coming. “What do you mean?” she asked carefully.
Alison shrugged. She was a kindergarten teacher, had transferred into the school two years ago when old Mrs. Loggins had retired. Chloe and Ali had become fast friends. They were the same age and had the same issues, living and working in Lone Pine Lake.
As in, they were dateless and bored with it.
“You disappeared during the reception. I saw you dance with Mac and then you took off,” Ali finally said, huffing and puffing as they walked up a short hill. “And then when I saw you again, you seemed shaken. But I couldn’t ask you about it, since we were surrounded by every resident of Lone Pine Lake at the time.”
“And we know how they love gossip,” Chloe said somewhat bitterly. She’d consoled herself with the hugest piece of cake imaginable, stuffing her face with vanilla buttercream and chocolate cake goodness after that spectacular kiss with Cameron had been ruined, what with his feeling sorry for her and cashing in on irrational impulses.
Just thinking about what he said still irritated her. And for all her efforts devouring that luscious piece of cake, she’d still ended up with a terrible stomachache.
“Your tone of voice alone makes me realize you have gossip to share.” Ali smirked. “Spill.”
Despite Alison being such a good friend, Chloe wasn’t sure she wanted to tell her about her crush on Cam. Or about her subsequent and rather intimate conversation with him, which ended with the most delicious kiss she’d ever experienced in her life.
Again, with Cam.
She sighed. Two words she’d never thought she could apply to herself. With Cam. They had a deliciously wonderful ring to them.