Chapter 6: First Kiss

The swimming lessons went well. By the end of the afternoon, I could float on my back and dog paddle across the shallow end of the pool.

It was fun to spend time with Lily. She filled me in on the local gossip as we bobbed around the pool. I didn’t know the people she mentioned, but Lily had an amusing way of interpreting the questionable details of people’s lives.

I choked on pool water when she brought up a girl named Nikki.

“You should see her chase after Grey,” Lily said with an eye roll. “Like he would want to be with anyone so evil.”

Lily paddled through the water to my side. “I heard she slashed Jenny Baker's tires because Grey bought her a milkshake. And I know she started a nasty rumor about Kiera Hanlon because another guy she likes asked Kiera out.”

It was hard for me to comprehend anyone being that nasty and petty. “She can’t be that bad, Lily.”

“Just wait till you meet her,” Lily said. “She’s a troublemaker, and she’s definitely going to hate you.”

“Why would she hate me?” I didn’t understand. “I haven’t done anything to her.”

“You don’t have to do anything to her,” Lily said and began floating on her back. “You’re gorgeous, you have this estate and money, and Grey lives in your backyard.”

I was a little sunburned by the time I went inside to shower. But the little bit of color on my skin looked fantastic with the sundress Aunt Addie bought me before I left Philadelphia.

She had claimed all my clothes were horrible and insisted I get a new wardrobe and makeup. At the time I thought it was unnecessary to buy me bags full of things at the different stores she dragged me through. Now I was glad she did.

The green sundress matched my eyes, which inspired me to apply mascara to my lashes for the first time in my life. Remembering the tutorial on applying makeup the store associate had given me, I managed to poke myself in the eye just once with the mascara wand.

Then I added a little powder with the big brush, applied gloss to my lips, and thought I looked pretty good. It was almost six o’clock when I went downstairs. I hoped Grey was in a better mood than this morning. But if he ignored me again, I would do the same to him.

He was in the kitchen. A big box of groceries sat on the counter as he cubed potatoes nearby. “I’ve got the grill lit,” he said. “The chicken has been in the marinade all afternoon. I’ll start cooking it as soon as I’m done here.”

I was glad he wasn’t angry anymore, but I wondered why he had been in the first place. Was he just going to ignore how he acted that morning?

Still, I should try to get along.

“Can I help?” I asked.

“Nope.” He gave me a smile. “This is my apology meal for being a jerk to you this morning. Besides, I don’t want you to get that pretty dress stained. You look beautiful.”

I blushed and smoothed the front of the dress. “This old thing? I’ve had it for years.” Uggh, I couldn’t believe I said that. It sounded like a bad line from a movie.

“It looks great on you,” he insisted. “It matches those gorgeous eyes of yours.”

I was no expert, but Grey seemed to be flirting with me! Maybe I had another chance at my first kiss. Were we alone? “Where’s Lily? We had fun today in the pool. I can dog paddle now.”

“She left, but she said she’d be back by midnight,” he replied, adding ingredients to the cubed potatoes. “Lily’s dating a friend of mine.”

I got glasses from the cupboard and placed them on the counter. “Have you known her very long?”

“Lily’s my cousin.” Grey began gently mixing the ingredients in the bowl. “I’m glad you like her. She’s a good person.”

Grey put the potato salad into the fridge and retrieved the chicken. I poured us glasses of tea, and we went out into the warm summer evening.

Grey and I talked while the chicken cooked over the glowing charcoal.

“When I was forbidden to come to Denhurst, I really missed it,” Grey told me. “Dad and I lived in a cabin a few miles north of here, and I used to sneak over just to look at the house from a distance.”

I swallowed a bite of chicken and wiped my mouth with a napkin. “Why were you forbidden to come here?”

Grey looked lost in thought for a minute. “Our fathers had a falling out.”

“Over what?” I asked.

He shrugged. “Nothing they wanted to share with a child.”

“When did you come back?”

“My dad died when I was seventeen. Your dad heard I was alone and offered me the caretaker job and the cabin.”

“It sounds like my dad was kind.” If only I could have known him.

“Yes, he was very kind,” Grey replied. “We spent a lot of time together before he died. He was a wonderful man.” Grey forked another piece of chicken onto his plate. “Tell me about your mother.”

“I think she was a good person, too.” I sipped my iced tea. “But life dealt her a horrible blow. I think if she didn’t have me, she would have given up on life right after her face was ruined. She tried her best to make things as normal as she could while I was still little.”

Grey gave me a reassuring smile. “Then she was a good mother.”

I nodded. “Sometimes, when she refused to let me go anywhere, I had the feeling she was afraid something would hurt me, like she’d been hurt.”

Talking about my past was still hard, but it was getting easier, especially with Grey.

Grey nodded. “So, insisting you live a solitary life was for your protection too.”

"I’d never thought of it that way." It was nice to remember her in such a positive light. “Yes, I think it was her way of keeping me safe."

“One incident caused several people a lot of pain,” Grey said. “How different things would have been if only …” He stopped talking abruptly and stood. “The chicken should be done.”

“Good, I’m starved.” I didn’t ask, yet I wondered what he was about to say.

After we ate, I told Grey the meal was delicious. It was, but I would have eaten sawdust just to sit across from him. The way my feelings for him grew every day was a little scary.

I didn’t think it was normal to crave someone’s presence like I craved being with Grey. Right now, he seemed to enjoy being with me too. His flirting was making me bolder.

We cleared the table and tucked our dirty dishes inside the dishwasher before going back outside to sit on the porch swing and watch the still burning coals in the barbecue pit glow in the twilight. I almost sighed with pleasure when he put his arm around my shoulders.

Snuggling against his hard body, I could feel his muscular chest expand with every breath he took. We sat in silence, enjoying each other’s warmth until the backyard grew completely dark.

“I hate to say this, but you should go to bed now,” Grey said. “Swimming makes you tired. And I’ve got to be up early in the morning.”

I buried my face in his shoulder. I didn’t have the strength of will to separate my body from his. But Grey stood and pulled me to my feet. Then he led me to the kitchen door and gently turned me around to face him.

My legs shook as his mouth slowly descended upon mine. When our lips met, I heard a low moan and realized it came from my throat.

Kissing Grey was better than I could have imagined. His lips were warm and firm, and they moved slowly over mine. I gasped at the jolt of pleasure that ran through my entire body when his tongue touched mine.

I eagerly returned his kiss, not caring about anything else except for this moment and the man in my arms.

We kissed until my head spun and he had to hold me upright. I wanted more, but I wasn't sure what more was or how to ask for it.

Before I could try, he broke off the kiss.

“Good night, Emma. I’ll see you in the morning.” He opened the door for me and squeezed my hand. “Sleep well, sweetheart.”

Unable to speak, I nodded. It was worth waiting twenty-two years for that kiss. It had been far better than any of my daydreams.

With his promise of seeing me in the morning echoing through my mind, I went inside. We exchanged one last burning look before I closed the door and went upstairs.

I threw myself onto my bed and allowed myself a laugh/scream that I muffled with a pillow. I was ecstatic. Grey had to feel the same way about me. But I was still a little frightened.

Should I let the pace of our physical relationship up to him? I had zero experience in that area. I only knew what I’d read in books and seen on TV.

Panic fluttered in my stomach. Should I tell him I was a virgin? But I couldn’t imagine saying those words to him and decided to just let things play out. Grabbing a short summer nightgown, I went to the bathroom to take a shower.

A little while later I lay in bed, reliving the evening with Grey when I heard the first howl. Within a second, the first animal was joined by several others in serenading the darkness.

No dog or coyote could make such a sound. It was immense and seemed to come from all around me. I held my breath as the howling faded away and then started again, louder and punctuated with vicious growls.

I sat up and climbed from the bed, my feet sinking into the softness of the rug as I followed a beam of silvery moonlight to the window.

After pulling back the curtain, I peered outside. The yard, lit by the full moon, was full of shadows. But the area was lighter than the woods just beyond the garden and the caretaker’s cottage.

The howling stopped again, but my eyes continued to scan the area for the source of the sound. I spotted a blue shirt slung over the garden fence. It looked like the same shirt Grey had been wearing.

My gaze shifted to his cottage. The door was hanging open, the interior hidden in total darkness. Grey must have the lights off and the shutters closed.

But why was the door hanging open at this time of night? Had he gone after the howling things? I hoped not. Whatever they were, they sounded big and dangerous.

My heart racing, I headed for the hallway. The thought of Grey being hurt or in pain made my stomach do flips. I had to know if he was safe.

After hurrying downstairs, I ran through the house to the kitchen patio door. Without hesitation, I opened the door and stepped outside into the night.