The Summer of Us (Mission Cove 1)

I would wait for him for as long as it took.

“Sunny!” Cindy’s voice broke into my thoughts. “The timer’s going off, girl. Get your biscuits out before they burn.”

I shook my head and pulled out the tray of biscuits. They were puffy, golden brown, and smelled delicious. I brushed the tops of them with honey butter, thinking how much Linc would enjoy them. Biscuits with butter and jam were his favorites.

As if he knew, he appeared in the doorway, taking my breath away.

The boy I loved was slowly turning into a man. He was tall, his shoulders beginning to widen. All the work he was doing made his chest broader and his muscles tight. His light-brown hair was golden from his days in the sun, and his blue eyes were bright in his face as he smiled at me. His teeth were straight and white against the brown of his tan. He looked sexy, his T-shirt tighter than before and his shorts hanging low on his hips.

I felt my cheeks grow warm as I thought of the way I had gripped his hips as I sucked his dick.

He had loved it.

Cindy laughed behind me. “How is it you always know when the biscuits are ready?”

He sauntered in, his gait relaxed, his eyes lit with mischief. He had both hands behind his back as he approached, his smile getting bigger.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he denied, pulling his hands out in front of him and holding out two small bunches of wild flowers. “I happened to be walking by with flowers for my two favorite girls.”

Cindy scoffed. “Little rake, you are.” She nudged me. “Go on, then. Get your boy a biscuit and jam.” She accepted the flowers from Linc. “Make it two. He looks hungry.”

I chuckled and slipped two onto a plate, slicing them open and adding butter and jam. I handed Linc the plate, taking my bunch of flowers with a smile.

He winked and came closer forward. “I am hungry. For biscuits—” he glanced to make sure Cindy was out of earshot “—and you.” Then he took the plate and kissed me quickly, leaving me longing for more.

The biscuits disappeared in fast mouthfuls. He sighed. “Promise me you’ll make these for me every weekend for the rest of our lives.”

My heart stuttered at his words.

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 smiled. “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 Emily and Hayley. 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’d promised 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. 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.