Small Town Boy: A Small Town, Opposites Attract Romance (Hickory Hills Book 3) by Claire Hastings

Author:Claire Hastings [Hastings, Claire]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-01-11T00:00:00+00:00

16

BRONWYN

“I should get you out of these wet clothes.”

Noel steps into me, running his hand along my side, my soaking wet clothes clinging to me like a second skin. A very stiff, uncomfortable one at that. Gripping my hip, he places a chaste kiss right at my hairline, looking borderline guilty.

Hitting the water had been a shock all on its own. The temperature upped the ante. But it had also provided just the tension breaker—and laugh—that we needed. It gave us a moment to recover from the cloud that was hanging over us, making way for the sunshine to revel in the newness of us. Because after tonight, we are definitely an “us.”

He’d made quick work of getting us out of the water—only after fetching the fishing pole that had tumbled in after us—scooping me up as soon as we hit dry land and taking me back to the truck. His boots made a loud, weird squishing sound, like two full gallon jugs stomping on the wood, water sloshing out of them with each step, making me giggle the whole way. Especially since halfway there he realized he left a pole and the blanket, dropping me only long enough to dash to retrieve them.

“Might be a good idea.”

“Might? You’re shivering.”

Not because of water…

Noel shifts his weight, my body following his movements. Eyes locked with mine, I can see the emotion flowing behind them, his mind cranking even though he’s quiet as a church mouse. I wish I could read those thoughts, have some insight into what he’s thinking. If his mind is winding down the same roads mine is. If all this means as much to him as it does me.

He rocks back on one foot, leaving a hand on my hip, cool air seeping between us. Goose bumps crawl up my exposed skin, and I fight back a physical reaction. So, maybe I’m colder than I thought. Now that the sun is all the way down, all the heat of the day disappeared quickly.

Reaching behind me, Noel pulls a towel from an old, threadbare duffle that had been shoved under the bench seat of his truck. I expect him to hand it to me, but instead, he shakes it out and runs it over my hair, squeezing the long, wet strands. His touch feels good—even through a towel—making me crave more. More that doesn’t involve any kind of fabric.

Taking the towel from him, I pick up where he left off, watching as he puts the fishing gear in the bed of his truck. His normally well-fit jeans are molded to him even more than usual thanks to being soaked, and I’m unable to take my eyes off him. I swear, you could bounce a quarter off his ass.

“Like what you see?” he asks, not bothering to turn and look at me. I can hear the smirk in his voice, making me want to challenge him. He might think he knows me after this last week, but I’m not going to let him off that easy.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.