this?”
Colton placed his arm over the back of the bench and her shoulders as he crossed his ankles.
“No, it’s a lot nicer now. Our mom didn’t always have the energy,” Evan began to say when Colton cut him off.
“It doesn’t matter. That was over twenty years ago. This is nice though. Again, Ava, I’m sorry for my attitude before. Believe it or not, I’ve never even gone out on a date. It feels like I’ve been in the service forever,” Colton admitted. She looked up at him. His firm jaw was tilted up toward the sun. She noticed the shadow of whiskers along his neck and the slight wrinkles by the corners of his eyes. The sun was bright, and he was handsome as could be.
“Jonathan and I knew one another since elementary school. We hadn’t actually started dating until high school and even then, we were always together, so there was never a first date. We did go to senior prom together, so I guess that counts as a date. He enlisted the summer before his third year in state college. He wanted to go. He wanted to serve in the war and was compelled to do it.”
“That must have been tough, him leaving you like that?” Evan asked as he caressed her thigh. She felt the tiny sensations moving along her skin. God, he was so good-looking, and his green eyes held hers a moment as she stared at him.
“I guess it was, but we were best friends.” She smiled.
“Is that why you said friends first, back there in the diner?” Evan asked, and when she lowered her head and clasped her hands on her lap, she felt Colton caressing her shoulder.
“I suppose.”
Evan turned to her and placed his fingers under her chin to tilt her face up toward his. His eyes sparkled, his lips looked firm and masculine, and she wondered how they would feel against her lips, her skin? Oh God.
“When I think of friends, I think of hanging out casually, having some fun, and maybe stealing a touch or a hug at the end of the night. None of that comes to mind when I look at you. I want intimacy, Ava, and I want to explore these powerful feelings running rampant through me right now. Tell me you feel it, too. Tell me this is the start of something amazing.”
Before she could respond, he brushed his lips against hers, ever so softly. It was sensual, stimulating. His lips brushed against hers again and again, before he kissed her fully and deeply on the mouth. She laid her hand against his cheek, confirming how firm and muscular his jaw was, and then he slid his tongue deeper, exploring her mouth and kissing her with gusto.
So she did some exploring of her own. She caressed her fingers through his wavy, shoulder-length hair. She had imagined doing that and wondered how it might feel. It was soft, yet thick and masculine, like Evan. When she felt Colton’s mouth against her shoulder, she tightened up, surprised at his public display of affection. Evan released her lips then brushed his finger down her cheek as he smiled at her. “So good, Ava. You taste incredible.”
She leaned back against the bench as Evan and Colton told her about their ranch and their plans for riding next weekend.
“You should come with us. You ride, don’t you?” Colton asked her. Reality was beginning to set in. As nice as this was, she needed to slow things down. She couldn’t make plans for a future she wasn’t sure she had. The thought froze the moment in her mind. She needed the results and the confirmation of the doctor to say she was free and clear of cancer before she moved on and explored this part of her life.
“I have a busy schedule next week. I’ll let you know, though. Perhaps the following week might work better for me.” As she said the words, she couldn’t help the pessimistic thoughts running rampant through her mind. Thursday, she would know how much of a future she had left. She swallowed the emotions she felt and focused on the sounds of Colton’s and Evan’s voices and the feel of their hands caressing her.
She was content and
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