How could I ever be mad at him? Especially for kissing me likethat?
“Do it again?” I ask softly, still not quite certain this is real.
I'm more prepared for it, and I kiss him back properly this time. He tastes like roast and mashed potatoes and sweet tea.
I've never tasted something so perfect.
This kiss is a little longer than the last one, but Bo still pulls away before I can melt into a puddle in his arms. My heart pounds in my chest as he beams down at me, his lips red and shining slightly under the starlight. He looks like something out of a dream.
“I’ll see you again soon, right? You promised,” he says.
Those words hold so much more weight now.
“I promise.”
He beams at me, his eyes flicking down to my lips one last time before he takes a deep breath and steps back. It looks like it takes a lot of effort for him to let me go, his hand lingering on my arm for as long as he can before he finally drops it to his side.
“Goodnight, Kenzie,” he says. “Let me know when you get home safe?”
“Yeah,” I agree. “Goodnight. Bo.”
I’m fuckingfloatingas Bo steps away and heads back toward the house. I unlock my car before slowly sliding into the seat.
There are several moments where a single thought doesn’t form in my brain, and then pure joy slams into me so hard I can hardly breathe through it. There’s no way that just happened. I lift a trembling hand to my lips, still warm from Bo’s mouth, and laugh in baffled excitement. The whole world feels like it’s lit up with fireworks, and I have no clue how to even process any of this.
God, what the hell?
Chapter Four
BO
Hard to believelast night wasn’t a dream.
I would say I haven’t stopped thinking about Kenzie since I kissed her, but that would imply that she’s nevernoton my mind. Even when she was off at college and it was months between phone calls, I thought of her.
Since we met in school, I’ve had a crush on her. Our moms are best friends. We grew up together, and I’ve harbored silent feelings for her for most of my life. She was always so serious and studious, always had her nose in a book. I figured she just wasn’t into me, or maybe that she wasn’t into anyone at all. If she fell for someone, I assumed it would be some smart scholarship kid, not me—rough and tumble and constantly covered in dirt.
Funnily enough, it took Mom poking at me to get me to see past my own assumptions.
She pointed out the fact that Kenzie cleared her schedule for this the first night she got back, and that she hasn’t left my side since she got here. I thought nothing of it at first. We’ve been best friends forever, and we always hung off each other like glue. Mom seemed to be under the impression that Katie’s been headover heels for me for as long as I’ve had a crush on her, but I didn’t believe her until I saw the way she looked at me when I walked her out to her car. Those pretty green eyes that I missed so much twinkled under the stars. Her lips were soft and pink and parted in a smile that I needed desperately to taste.
I couldn’t stop myself from kissing her. It was the most magical thing I’ve ever felt. No one else has made me feel that way, like the whole world shifted into alignment as soon as I touched her. Maybe it’s corny, but it feels like we were made for each other, like we’ve both been waiting for the other to say something this whole time.
I’m thinking about her as I go through my day, smiling to myself while I unload the new shipment of chicken feed.
If I can get through all my work early enough, I might be able to see her tonight. Maybe we could go to dinner, or out for ice cream. Something casual, but enough to let her know she’s on my mind.
“Bo!”
I straighten up at the call of my name, my smile faltering and falling from my face when I see who’s walking toward me.
Fucking Savannah Ward.
The last person I want to see right now. Hell, the last person I want to see,ever.
“What the fuck are you doing on my property?” I ask, my brows furrowing. “How the hell did you get in here?”
She looks affronted, like she expected a warm welcome. I scowl as she steps closer, a bitter smile on her face.
