When I Fall (Alabama Summer #3)

I wait for the perfect moment, the one I need to confirm she is who I think she is to him. It only takes a few more seconds before her eyes find us, focus on him with that same ‘deer in headlights look,’ and that’s when I do what could possibly be the second dumbest thing I’ve ever done in my entire life.

I grab his face with both hands, turn his head, and form my mouth against his.

I’m expecting fireworks. Stars bursting between our lips. That fuck yes feeling you get when you first kiss someone.

I don’t get that. I don’t get anything close to that.

He’s frozen against me, paralyzed with confusion, or fear. I can’t tell which. He was tense before, but somehow, I’ve escalated his panic. He doesn’t pull away, but he isn’t giving me anything either, and he needs to. For this to look believable, he needs to work with me.

“Kiss me.” I press the words against his lips as my one eye peeks at the woman staring at us. “Kiss me, she’s looking. Come on.”

I force his head to tilt, sealing our mouths together. He gives, leaning against me, dropping his hand to my waist. He understands this game now, and becomes the willing participant I need him to be. His touch becomes firmer, hungry, and desperate. The second my teeth sink into his bottom lip, he opens his mouth with a moan and welcomes my eager tongue.

Now, this is a fucking kiss.

He’s all over me, kissing like a man who isn’t practiced with this. It’s wild and messy, and so unbelievably perfect. He can’t decide whether he wants to suck on my tongue or bite it. His sounds are unreal, low and throaty, vibrating against my lips. I’m practically in his lap, swallowing him alive. I don’t care how inappropriate I look right now. I don’t care if this building goes up in flames. I’m going to continue kissing . . .

My mind draws a blank.

Oh, nice Beth. Way to completely forget to ask the man’s name before you find out if he has any fillings.

He doesn’t. Sweet Mother, even his teeth are perfect.

“Reed?”

We break contact, but only our mouths, as a woman’s voice cuts through the air. I’m still clinging to him like we’re on the Titanic and that bitch is sinking fast, and he’s holding onto me like he wants on that door that we all know would’ve fit more than one person.

Her word echoes in my head, and I smile, tagging my stranger with a name. I let my hands untangle from his hair and slide down his body, flattening against his chest.

We’re both panting, lips wet and swollen, ignoring anyone and anything around us.

“Reed,” the voice repeats, but this time in the form of a command.

To look at her. To give back his attention to her.

He doesn’t do either. He’s staring at me with a lost look weighing on his features. As if he doesn’t know whether to keep kissing me, or whether he should’ve allowed it to happen in the first place.

Clearly, he liked it. He was definitely kissing me back. So that second possibility is really throwing me off.

Before I give him the chance to screw this whole thing up with his odd behavior, I decide to handle the conversation that apparently needs to happen.

He can sit this one out.

Keeping my hands on his chest, I look up at the blonde, greeting her with a genuine smile. “I’m sorry. I didn’t see you standing there. Can I help you with something?”

She looks from me, back to Reed, blowing out a quick breath. “Um, no, I just . . .” She flattens her hand on the table and leans her head down. “Reed, can you at least look at me please?”

He pinches his eyes shut through a swallow, then slowly turns to look at her as his hands fall away from me. “What?” he asks sternly, the hand now in his lap curling into a fist. “I’m looking at you, Molly. What the fuck do you want?”

Her mouth drops open, but she quickly contains herself and rights her jaw. Both hands grip her clutch in front of her, and it’s then I take notice of her designer clothing. She’s head to toe in stuff I couldn’t even dream to afford. Tight pencil skirt, silk blouse. I don’t even bother looking at her shoes as I tuck my Dr. Marten’s further under my seat.

Her mouth, shiny with lip gloss, curls into a smile. “It’s been a really long time. How are you?”

“How am I?” he repeats, angry, livid even, and I decide to cut in before Reed flips the table over.

I hold my hand out to her. “Hi, I’m sorry, I didn’t get to introduce myself. I’m Beth. Reed’s girlfriend.” His eyes are on me before I get that title completely out, boring into my profile. I give him a quick wink, I got this, before I shake her hand. “And you are?”

“Molly.” She drops my hand all too dismissively, as if she’s already bored by my presence. She looks at Reed. “Girlfriend, huh? I heard you didn’t do that anymore.”

“What, are you keeping tabs on me?”

“Would you like to join us?” I ask before she has a chance to answer him.

I’m not sure who hits me with a more startled look, Reed or this woman.

“Um, no, thanks. I’ll pass,” she answers, not bothering to hide the humor she finds at my request. “I’m meeting up with some people.”

“Are you back?” Reed asks. “My sister said she saw you at Costco.”

“For a month. Then I’ll be headed back to Virginia.”

“Why are you here for a month? You’ve been gone for nine years. Why come back now?”

She holds her left hand up, palm facing her, and even if I didn’t notice the blinding sparkly diamond on her ring finger, I know that universal hand gesture.

Oh, shit.

Reed goes perfectly still next to me. Even his breathing ceases. The music overhead grows distant as I absorb his reaction to her.

He hates her. That I’m sure of. He still loves her. That I don’t know.

I do what any loyal girlfriend would do. I protect him.

“Congratulations.” I smile at her as my hand wraps around the fist in his lap, coaxing it to relax. I feel like I’m squeezing a stone. “You’ll have to let us know where to send a gift,” I add.

She grimaces as if my thoughtfulness distastes her. “Yeah, okay.”

“I’m completely serious. Reed and I are very happy. Why shouldn’t we celebrate when others find love the way we did?” I look over at Reed, finding his eyes already on me.

Still lost. Still mildly terrified by my actions.

“Well, in that case.” Molly’s words have me lifting my gaze to her. She opens up her clutch and withdraws a small, light blue envelope. “We’re having an engagement party next Saturday. You two should come. Show off your happiness.” She throws in that last remark with some sass, and I’m suddenly geared up and ready for this fucking engagement party.

I gladly take the envelope, but Reed snatches it out of my hand and tosses it back at her. It falls to the table.

“I’m not interested.”

Molly smirks as if she knows the game, looking between the two of us. “Right. I didn’t think so.” She snaps her clutch closed and looks down at Reed, ignoring me completely. “It was fun running into you, Reed. You look good.”

Her heels click away on the wood floor, and I slump against my seat, letting out a whoosh of air.