Forever After All

I can’t stop the moan that pulls from deep in my chest from escaping, and in turn, Rip produces one of his own. His arms tug me closer, and I go willingly. Rip Callahan has always been my kryptonite. I just never told him. Sure, I confessed to my best friend that I kinda sorta had a thing for her older brother in high school. Laramie begged me to let her set me up with him. She claimed she could see it in his eyes that he had a thing for me as well. However, I knew that I was going off to college and that there was a very strong possibility that if I let myself fall into Rip, I would never leave.

He slows the kiss and presses his forehead against mine. Neither one of us speak while we both try to catch our breath.

“Damn, bro.” Corbin steps next to us and places his hand on Rip’s shoulder. “That’s what I’m talking about.” He cheers before dropping his hand and disappearing.

“You good?” Rip asks quietly.

My hands move to hold him around his waist. Sliding my hand under his T-shirt, I feel the smooth, warm skin of his back. I melt into him, needing to be closer. “Never been better. You?” I ask, pulling back so I can look into his eyes. Rip and I have never shied away from touching one another. I’ve always felt comfortable around him. However, tonight this is more than comfortable. It feels right.

His eyes soften. “Never been better,” he tosses my words back at me. As if he needs to mimic my every move, his fingers slip under the hem of my shirt, just above the waistline of my shorts. I shiver at the contact of his skin against mine.

I don’t know how long we stand here, staring into each other’s eyes, testing the waters, feeling one another, but the spell is somehow broken when Laramie tackles us both in a hug.

“Academy Award, right there.” She chuckles. “That was awesome.”

My eyes are still locked on him, and the corner of his mouth tilts in a smile. “Go love on your fiancé,” he tells his sister with zero malice or heat.

“Oh, I’m going to love on him all right.” Laramie laughs when Rip shakes his head.

“Come here you.” Colby slides his arm around her waist and leads them to a chair, where he proceeds to pull her into his lap.

I stand frozen, my arms motionless around Rip, his arms still around me. Neither one of us willing nor ready to break this connection between us.

“I gotta piss,” Corbin states as he clumsily walks toward the front of his truck.

“You all right, man?” Rip asks him. He’s always been the one taking care of our little group.

Corbin waves him off.

“Don’t worry, I have his keys,” Colby tells us.

“McKenna, come sit. I miss you,” my best friend calls over to us.

Rip smiles at me and moves to stand beside me. His entire hand slides up the back of my shirt as he guides me to the lawn chair that’s next to his sister and Colby. He doesn’t move his hand until he takes the chair, and to my surprise, he tugs me down onto his lap. He wraps his strong arms around me, and just like nothing happened, Laramie starts firing off questions, just like she did when I arrived at her parents’ place yesterday afternoon to surprise her.

“Tell me about this bar exam,” she says, snuggling into Colby’s embrace.

“Lara, you just got engaged. I’m sure you don’t want to talk about my boring summer internship.”

“We could talk about that kiss and this.” She points her finger at me, snuggled in her brother’s lap.

I lean forward to stand, but Rip’s hold is firm. “Stay,” he whispers, his lips next to my ear. A shiver races through me from the feel of his hot breath against my skin. Reaching down beside the chair, he grabs my bottle of Boone’s Farm and hands it to me.

“I take the test in two weeks. I can’t actually practice law until I pass, but I’ll still be helping Gramps out at the firm until then. I can do everything but represent a client,” I explain. “I should really be studying right now,” I confess.

“That’s what I thought.” Laramie grins.

“So, how long does it take to get your test results?” Colby asks.

“It just depends. I’ve heard anywhere from six to twelve weeks. I think it depends on how many are taking it at any given time. Right now, there are a lot of graduates, so my guess is closer to twelve weeks.”

“You know you’re going to nail it, right?” Laramie asks.

My shoulders slump. “I hope so.”

Rip's arms tighten around me, and I turn to look at him. I lose my breath when he leans in and kisses my bare shoulder. “You’ve got this, Kenna,” he says softly. His words are just for me, and they make my insides flutter.