I shook my head. “You drove all day and you’re sleepy. I’m fine…could you hand me some gum though?”
He rifled through my backpack until he found one of the many packs of gum stuffed in there.
I took a piece and shoved it in my mouth. Chewing on the gum would keep me more alert and also it was sugar, and everybody knew I needed something sweet every five minutes.
“You sure you’re okay?” Dean questioned as he put the gum back in the bag.
“Positive. Go back to sleep.”
He yawned. “Wake me if you need me.”
“I will.”
***
My screaming woke him up two hours later.
I swerved off the road and into a ditch, screaming hysterically. My heart was beating so fast I thought it might fall out of my chest. I heard the sound of my blood rushing through my ears and tried to take deep, gulping breaths to help calm myself.
Dean sat straight up and cried, “Whoa!”
His head swiveled from side to side as he tried to figure out what had caused me to scream and veer off the road so suddenly.
I breathed heavily, tears streaming down my face.
“A deer,” I panted. “It was a baby deer. Oh God, Dean. I almost hit it and it was just a baby trying to get to its momma.” I sniffled and wiped at my face. “I didn’t want to hit it, but I didn’t want to hurt us either. I panicked.”
“Willow,” he said in a calming voice, “it’s okay.”
“No, it’s not okay.” I was hysterical. “I almost killed the baby and us. Oh God, this could’ve been so bad. Your car!” I cried suddenly. “Oh no, what if I hurt your car? And where’s the baby?” I looked around blindly. “I should go check on it.”
I started to get out of the car, but he grabbed my arm to halt me.
His hand slid up my arm until it settled on my face. His other hand joined the first and he stared at me with an intense look, like he was trying to figure something out.
“Dean,” I pleaded, my heart racing inside my chest and tears still coursing down my cheeks.
His eyes dipped to my lips and before I could blink or inhale his lips were on mine.
Dean Wentworth was kissing me.
And not a peck on my lips.
Oh, no. Homeboy was going for it.
And me?
I was stiff at first, but at the feel of his tongue pressing against mine I came alive.
All fear over the deer vanished and I grabbed ahold of his shirt, holding on as my mouth opened beneath his. I let out a soft moan that was swallowed by his lips.
I never thought kissing Dean would be like this—and yes, I had thought about it.
But on those occasions when I did, I thought it might be weird. Dean and I had grown up together, seen each other at our worst moments, and I’d always told myself it would be gross. Like kissing my brother or something.
Oh, how wrong I’d been.
No kiss I’d had in the past could hold a candle to this one.