Read Online Old Enough to Love... (Just One of the Guys) by Kristi Pelton - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Kristi Pelton
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The view was perfect with the setting sun slicing through the enormous trees. We got out.
“Go stand over there. Oh. By the way, now we’re in the Redwoods,” I joked.
He nodded slowly and deliberately. “OK. All right. I see. They are a wee bit bigger. But I’m not in the picture alone. Here.” He took my camera from me.
“Ma’am. Would you mind?” he asked an elderly lady who smiled at us.
“Just point and shoot,” I explained and he grabbed my hand as he walked past.
He stood with his arm wrapped around my shoulder. The sudden closeness sent shockwaves through my body. I forced a smile and the flash went off. I quickly moved away from him afraid of what was happening between us. I’d never felt what I felt with him. I walked unsteadily toward the lady.
“Thank you,” I said. I was scared to look back at him—afraid of what he might see in my eyes. I was afraid that I was already madly in love with him. I studied the picture on the screen.
“Emma!” Zach shouted but was nowhere to be seen.
He obviously ducked behind a tree. I stood staring at the overwhelming height of lumber that surrounded me. “Marco?” I yelled and held my breath.
“Polo,” he hollered with a chuckle.
I busted up laughing, not because it was funny, but because he got me and this thrilled me to the bone.
Crescent City wasn’t a particularly pretty town but the ocean it rested against was breathtakingly beautiful. I was glad Zach knew where he was going because the car wound around so much I would have been undoubtedly lost. Dusk was settling in the east and the sun was melting into the water above the ocean in the west. We parked next to about fifteen cars. My stomach twisted when I saw Ryan and Grant’s truck.
Zach carried everything except the blanket, which he handed to me. I saw no one around so I imagined we had a bit of a jaunt ahead of us. My flip-flops slid in the sand, and as coordinated as I was, walking in them down the hill was a challenge. I took them off and held them between my fingers.
“Here, get on.” Zach hunched down insinuating a piggyback.
“No! You already have the cooler and the jackets.” I walked past him.
He grabbed my arm and jerked me back behind him. “Emma. Get on. You’re not gonna walk barefoot through here. There could be glass and the grass is sharp.”
“Fine.” I gave in. “But only until we get to the good sand. Once we are out of this grassy, dirty stuff, I am so down.” I hopped on his back wrapping my arms around his neck. God he smelled good.
“UGH!” He groaned. “Baby, you are heavy,” he teased. “I’m not sure I can manage this.”
“Shut up!” I tried to knee him in the back but he held tight to my legs.
“What do you weigh? Like seventy-five?”
The ride was rough and I bumped up and down on his back. I couldn’t stop thinking about him calling me baby. “Eighty-four—thank you very much.” I was relieved I’d chewed gum because though I was behind him, our faces were close. The feelings my body was experiencing were becoming more and more frequent and foreign.
“Hold on. We’re goin’ downhill.” He leaned forward and my body tilted with him. It felt like I was going to go head first off his back. But, I didn’t budge. I closed my eyes and could hear the underbrush as he kicked through it. Then, his feet thudded a few times in the sand and we were on even ground again. I opened my eyes and saw the fire maybe a hundred yards in front of us and lots of people sitting around.
I felt nervous. “Put me down, please.” I flapped my legs to break free, fearful he might not oblige. He did.
“Hey, Owens!” Brett yelled and threw a football toward us.
Zach dropped the cooler and the jackets and caught the ball with a thump to his chest. I loved watching him. Ryan, Grant and Connor all turned after Brett pointed in our direction. I offered a smile and Ryan spun back to the fire without so much as a nod. Jackass. Grant stood and
“Go stand over there. Oh. By the way, now we’re in the Redwoods,” I joked.
He nodded slowly and deliberately. “OK. All right. I see. They are a wee bit bigger. But I’m not in the picture alone. Here.” He took my camera from me.
“Ma’am. Would you mind?” he asked an elderly lady who smiled at us.
“Just point and shoot,” I explained and he grabbed my hand as he walked past.
He stood with his arm wrapped around my shoulder. The sudden closeness sent shockwaves through my body. I forced a smile and the flash went off. I quickly moved away from him afraid of what was happening between us. I’d never felt what I felt with him. I walked unsteadily toward the lady.
“Thank you,” I said. I was scared to look back at him—afraid of what he might see in my eyes. I was afraid that I was already madly in love with him. I studied the picture on the screen.
“Emma!” Zach shouted but was nowhere to be seen.
He obviously ducked behind a tree. I stood staring at the overwhelming height of lumber that surrounded me. “Marco?” I yelled and held my breath.
“Polo,” he hollered with a chuckle.
I busted up laughing, not because it was funny, but because he got me and this thrilled me to the bone.
Crescent City wasn’t a particularly pretty town but the ocean it rested against was breathtakingly beautiful. I was glad Zach knew where he was going because the car wound around so much I would have been undoubtedly lost. Dusk was settling in the east and the sun was melting into the water above the ocean in the west. We parked next to about fifteen cars. My stomach twisted when I saw Ryan and Grant’s truck.
Zach carried everything except the blanket, which he handed to me. I saw no one around so I imagined we had a bit of a jaunt ahead of us. My flip-flops slid in the sand, and as coordinated as I was, walking in them down the hill was a challenge. I took them off and held them between my fingers.
“Here, get on.” Zach hunched down insinuating a piggyback.
“No! You already have the cooler and the jackets.” I walked past him.
He grabbed my arm and jerked me back behind him. “Emma. Get on. You’re not gonna walk barefoot through here. There could be glass and the grass is sharp.”
“Fine.” I gave in. “But only until we get to the good sand. Once we are out of this grassy, dirty stuff, I am so down.” I hopped on his back wrapping my arms around his neck. God he smelled good.
“UGH!” He groaned. “Baby, you are heavy,” he teased. “I’m not sure I can manage this.”
“Shut up!” I tried to knee him in the back but he held tight to my legs.
“What do you weigh? Like seventy-five?”
The ride was rough and I bumped up and down on his back. I couldn’t stop thinking about him calling me baby. “Eighty-four—thank you very much.” I was relieved I’d chewed gum because though I was behind him, our faces were close. The feelings my body was experiencing were becoming more and more frequent and foreign.
“Hold on. We’re goin’ downhill.” He leaned forward and my body tilted with him. It felt like I was going to go head first off his back. But, I didn’t budge. I closed my eyes and could hear the underbrush as he kicked through it. Then, his feet thudded a few times in the sand and we were on even ground again. I opened my eyes and saw the fire maybe a hundred yards in front of us and lots of people sitting around.
I felt nervous. “Put me down, please.” I flapped my legs to break free, fearful he might not oblige. He did.
“Hey, Owens!” Brett yelled and threw a football toward us.
Zach dropped the cooler and the jackets and caught the ball with a thump to his chest. I loved watching him. Ryan, Grant and Connor all turned after Brett pointed in our direction. I offered a smile and Ryan spun back to the fire without so much as a nod. Jackass. Grant stood and
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