by Taylor Hart
“Three!”
They jumped. Their hands stayed together until right before they hit the water; then they clapped their hands to their side—as he had instructed.
Completely immersed, she expelled water from her nose and then held her breath. The water was warmer than she thought it would be. She waited to touch the bottom of the lake but never got there. Her body began floating to the surface, and she thrashed her arms and legs to expedite the process. She pushed and kicked, growing worried that she wouldn’t get to the top before she would need to gulp for air. Her head began to get light. Then she burst through the surface and sucked in some precious air.
“’Bout time,” Shay said, with the same stupid, lovable grin on his face. His wet hair reflected the moon’s rays. “What do you think?” He lifted his eyebrows.
A giggle bubbled up and out of her. She splashed him. “Let’s do it again.”
He let out a whoop. “That’s right!”
When they made it to the side of the beach, she called out. “Wait.”
He turned and took her hand.
More butterflies filled her and she wanted to reach up and kiss him, but she didn’t.
“What are you thinking, psychic girl? Did you have another vision?” He wasn’t saying it in a taunting way, but it was still weird to hear.
“I’ve never told anyone about that. Did you know that?”
He frowned, stroking her hair. “About your visions?”
“Well, Mother knew. But no one else. And … never mind.” She didn’t want to think about everything with her mother right now.
He didn’t speak for a long moment. “That must have been hard to lose her,” he eventually said.
The fact was that Shay didn’t know the half of what had happened with her mother, no one did. Her father had carefully kept the truth well hidden. She nodded, then searched his face. “How come it feels like I’ve known you a long time?”
His face turned studious. “I don’t know, but I feel the same about you.”
Unable to stop herself she asked, “Can I kiss you?” she murmured, her eyes settling on his mouth.
The side of his lip turned up. “You’re asking now?”
She leaned in, pressing her lips to his. “You said you didn’t like it when I treated you like a servant boy.”
He chuckled, but didn’t say yes or no, he trailed a hand down her arm.
Chills set off through her.
“I want to kiss you, I just … kinda want to take things slow with you.”
This surprised her. “What do you mean?”
He grunted and held her hand. “I mean, I really like you and I don’t want to just rush things.”
She thought about the fact that Shay Summerville was a good-looking guy. Plus, he was a lead singer in a band. His twin brother was lead, too. The twin brother that didn’t look like him at all, but … she was getting off track. She focused on the amazingly, gorgeous guy in front of her and decided to tell him another of her secrets. “I made up my mind a long time ago to save myself until marriage.”
He froze, his eyebrows shot up. “Did you?”
She nodded. “My…” her mother’s face flashed into her mind. “It was important to my mom and it became important to me.” She shrugged. “Not that I ever found anyone I wanted to …” she trailed, feeling kind of stupid.
The side of Shay’s lip tugged up and he leaned into her, gently kissing her cheek, then whispering, “I’ve waited too, Jaycee. It’s been important to me.”
This took her by surprise. She didn’t know why, it was just he was Duke’s age, so twenty-three. “Really?” She challenged.
He laughed and grabbed her hand, moving back to the trail that lead up the side of the cliff. “Let’s jump again.”
She laughed, moving to his side. “But we can kiss, right?”
He grunted. “Could I stop you from kissing me?” Abruptly, he stopped walking and pulled her into him.
His bare chest was so…intoxicating.
He leaned in and kissed her cheek, again, then kissed down her neck.
“You’re going to kiss my lips too, right?” she asked, her heart racing.
He grunted and pulled back, a huge smile on his face. “Easy now.”
“I guess you could give me Liam’s number if kissing me is too much work for you,” she teased.
His face contorted to disbelief. “You’re tough, girl.”
She let out a giggle. “Kidding.”
“Not funny.” He trailed his hand down her face and her arm. “I’ve never felt like this.”
He moved to almost kissing her lips, then paused.
She thought her chest would explode. “Shay,” she whispered,” kiss me.” She put her hands on his face.
He waited, then slowly lowered his lips to hers.
Fire, light, passion washed through her and she moved her hands to his back, pulling him closer.
He pulled back, a smile on his lips. “I like kissing you.”
She laughed, feeling overwhelmed by this amazing guy. So different than any of the fraternity guys she’d dated at Harvard who could only seem to talk to her about partying or what job they wanted or who her father was. “I like kissing you too.”
He searched her eyes and the whole world seemed to stop.
Was she already falling for him? She’d never felt like this before.
He kissed her again, more fully and deeply this time. She ran her hands up his back and then to his hair.
He let her go but held her close. “It’s different with us, Jaycee, can you feel it?”
She let out a light laugh. “Yeah, I can feel it.”
“I’m not just…going crazy?” He let her go and ran a hand through his hair, sucking in a breath.
“No,” she said, taking his hand. “You’re not going crazy.”
He looked worried. “I’ve never felt this … intensity and it scares me.”
She liked the fact he was scared too. “Then we’re both scared.”
“It appears so.”
She squeezed his hand and thought about a question she’d been wanting to ask him. “Do you really try to call Texas Waters every day?”
He lifted and lowered one shoulder. “Gotta keep trying if you want to get your dream. Never stop, right?”
THE NEXT DAY, after Shay was done working, he showed up at Jaycee’s house, asking if she wanted to go for a picnic.
“It’s four o’clock,” she whispered between kisses on the front porch. She hadn’t been able to stop herself from kissing him when she had flung the door open.
He laughed. “Are you hungry?”
They went back to the cliffs, but they didn’t dive in; they only ate the picnic lunch he packed, an assortment of sandwiches, cookies, waters, chips, and apple slices.
She finished her sandwich, intensely aware that their shoulders were touching. “So you’re a mechanic?” It felt odd to ask, because she knew that, but it made for some conversation.
He took another bite of his second sandwich. “Yep.”
“And a rock star.”
He paused and then lifted his shoulders. “Is this the way you do small talk?”
“What should we talk about? You told me not to kiss you when I want.”
“No, I believe I told you to quit kissing me when you were acting like it was to get back at your brother or your father, but … now you can kiss me when you want.”
“Oh yeah.” She reached up and swiped a quick kiss. “Then I’ll start doing that.”
“How come the look on your face makes me feel afraid?” he teased.
She laced her fingers with his. “I haven’t had many boyfriends. I guess I’m not good at it.”
“Oh, I’m your boyfriend?”
Her phone buzzed and she looked at it. Kurt was trying to call her. She silenced the call and focused on Shay, feeling teenager-ish. “Never mind.” She knew her cheeks would be burning red. “I’m such an idiot.”
He kissed he
r cheek. “I’ll take the boyfriend title.”
She got a whiff of the cool mint cologne and felt like she would melt into him.
He frowned. “ First I think we should talk about the guy your father mentioned he was bringing to the charity event for you. The one who just tried to call you.”
Annoyance rippled through her. “Kurt? No, I mean, I’ve dated him the past year but he’s not my type. He’s just trying to impress my father.”
“Hmm…” he sounded uncertain.
“What?” She met his eyes. “
“But he keeps trying to call?”
She sighed. How could she explain Kurt? “He has pressure to be something to me that Daddy wants.”
Shay’s face darkened and he stood, pushing his hands into his pockets and staring out over the water.
She stood, moving to his side. Part of her was offended. “You think I wouldn’t tell you if I liked Kurt?” She reached for his hand, pulling it from his pocket. “I don’t.”
He stared down at their hands. “I just … I don’t think your father would want you dating a guy like me.”
Her heart raced and she knew it was true. “You afraid of that?”
His eyes narrowed and he finally gripped her hand harder. “No.”
She saw the determination in his eyes and she felt soothed by it. “Good, neither am I.” And she meant it. “I’ll block Kurt from my phone right now.” She whipped out her phone and ceremoniously blocked his number. “That better?”
For a few moments neither of them spoke, then she nodded to him. “Now it’s your turn to talk about any of your exs.
He tightened his grip on her hand. “I haven’t had many girlfriends, either, but I did have one I almost asked to marry me.”
It was stupid, but hearing him say that made her heart a little heavy. “Did you love her?”
He swallowed. “I thought I did, but Kristie didn’t like the music. She thought I needed to do something more with my life.”
She was glad to hear him confess this, and the connection between them strengthened. “I don’t like her.”
Shay laughed. “Yeah, neither do my siblings, especially since she’s taken to leaving random baked goods around.”
This was weird. “O-kay. Slightly stalkerish behavior.”
He sighed. “She’s just hurt.” He looked sad.
Now she was feeling uncertain. “Do you love her still?”
He shook his head and focused on her, gently leaning in and kissing her lips. “I don’t think I ever loved her.”
Jaycee wasn’t interested in worrying about Kristie because she inherently knew that somehow—she and Shay were meant for each other.
From the moment she’d kissed him after he’d wrecked into her car, she’d felt this connection to him.
Like he grounded her.
He was her truth. All other truths paled in comparison. She knew he was hers like she knew the sun would rise in the east. She knew it like she knew that if she jumped from a building, she would fall. What they had—was gravity.
“What are you thinking?”
“Nothing,” she said, denying even to herself what she knew was true. “I’m thinking your ex-girlfriend can’t see visions like I can. I can see the vision of your future right now.”
The side of his lip turned up. “Oh yeah.”
She put her hand out. “Shay Summerville, ladies and gentlemen. Rock star.”
The center of his forehead creased. “That’s the plan, but you should probably introduce the whole family.” He flashed his white teeth. “They’ll all be there, too. They’re all good.”
She searched his face, loving every part of it. “I heard you sing. You’re amazing. You’re going to get your dream—I can feel it.”
“Stop.”
She pointed at him. “Are you blushing? Is the great Shay Summerville blushing?”
He laughed and then kissed the back of her hand.
She liked it. It felt … intimate the way he kissed it slowly, appreciatively.
“Did I mention that you’re pretty amazing, too? I heard you sing!”
“Don’t change the subject.”
He laughed, again. “Fine, you know I am a mechanic who wants to be a rock star, but … I know you’re at Harvard, what do you want to be?”
She thought of Tauni, still finishing things up for the school paper. “A journalist, even though my father say’s it’s a dying art.” She shrugged. “He thinks I should just focus on public relations, then of course, work for him.”
Shay lifted his eyebrows. “Is that what you want?”
Unrest filled her. “No, but my father doesn’t usually take into account what anyone else wants.” Again, she thought of her mother, then the mistress.
“You okay?”
She nodded, not wanting to talk about that right now. “Fine.”
“Okay.” He pulled her in, holding her. “It’s pretty, right?”
All she knew was that being in Shay Summerville’s arms was the most heavenly place she’d ever been. The strength that oozed from the muscles beneath his shirt was impressive, but … it was so much more than that.
She watched the sun just beginning to set. The sky glowed with oranges and pinks and blues. “I don’t think I’ve ever thought Rutherford was this beautiful before.”
“Really? Never before? You even live in the lake manor.” He said the words all prissily. “You have amazing views.”
She laughed and met his gaze. “I guess I haven’t really been looking at all the pretty scenery here. I’ve always been feeling …”
“Tragic,” he said, filling in for her.
She pushed him. “Lately, I guess, but I was sadder before I came here.”
He reached up and brushed her hair out of her eyes. “The first day I saw you, when I was about to hit you, it was tragic and I was furious.”
“It was a hard day,” she said quietly.
He nodded, pulling her hand back and using his other one to trace circles into her palm with his finger. “I have gathered you’ve been kinda going through some hard stuff.”
Her pulse quickened.
“Then, when I heard you singing, I was just … kind of hooked on how tragic and angry you were.”
Warmth filled her, mixed with embarrassment. “You mean when you snooped.”
He chuckled. “I guess you can call it that.”
She sighed. “I don’t sing for people. Well, except my mom. I would sing for her. It comforted her.”
“You have a beautiful voice.”
Now, she was the one blushing. For the first time in a long time, she thought of lyrics. “Tragic,” she sang out. “She was just so tragic, furious. A mess of a girl.”
Shay smiled and joined in. “Tragic, furious. Like the man I see in the mirror.”
She continued. “Tragic, furious….” she played with the melody.
“Tragic, furious,” he harmonized with her.
She sang. “I wanna go, I want to be the woman I need to be.”
He sang,“I wanna go, I want to believe I’m the man she just might need.”
“The man I might need.”
“The fierce way she looked at me, as she stood in the road …”
She laughed and sang. “The crazy way he came at me, and I thought I’d face my death.”
They sang the next part together. “Tragic, furious, the kind of love they thought they might need. Tragic, furious.”
“The kind that will always be,” he sang.
She felt a chill as the words settled into her soul. “The kind of love that’s a first love.”
“And a last love,” he sang, finishing the number.
Her heart raced. This moment was like lemonade, fireworks, the smell of cotton candy in the air, and her mother’s laughter all rolled into one.
He put his hand behind her neck, and she was already leaning in. When their lips met this time, for whatever reason, she didn’t feel the heat licking at her feet. She felt fre
e, soaring like a bird.
He jerked back. “I felt that.”
Her heart skipped a beat. “What?”
“Like, not cliff jumping, but flying.” He pulled her close. “Is that what your psychic visions feel like?”
She was kinda freaking out. “I told you I didn’t know if they’re psychic visions or … just dreams.”
“But they’re real. They’re real.” His eyes widened, and he raked a hand through his hair. “Wow.”
She laughed and couldn’t believe that he’d actually felt it. She fell even deeper in love than she’d ever thought she could fall.
CHAPTER 9
O ver the next three days, Shay had to work at the ranch and the auto shop pretty intensely, leaving little time for anything else. Even as his hands were kept busy, his mind dwelled on the memory of flashing green eyes and strawberry jam.
One evening, Jaycee stopped by his father’s shop, asking about him. He was grateful that the only other person here was Liam.
“Someone here for you, lover boy,” Liam said, leading her to where Shay was fixing a car.
“Hey.” Shay headed over, a bit embarrassed by Liam’s comment and all of the grease covering him. Still, it didn’t matter that he looked like a grease monkey right now, and Jaycee was an Ivy League kind of girl. He just wanted to be with her.
She gave him an up-and-down look and then studied the shop. “This place is cool.”
“It pays some bills at the moment,” Shay said. The shop wasn’t very cool, but he appreciated her politeness.
Liam looked between them, then cocked an eyebrow. “Dad asked me to go to the hardware store and pick up these tools for a special souped-up car we have coming in. Do you want to take Jaycee and go do that?’
Shay was grateful that his brother was giving him a chance to be with her. “On it.”
Liam pulled out a wrinkled paper and held it up. “You might check in real quick on the little bro. Kira told me this morning that she saw him a couple of days ago and he was skinny—too skinny.”
“Got it.” Shay took the list and gestured to the door. “You up for errands, my lady?”
She laughed. “Sure.”
They headed to the parking lot, and he led her to a work truck. He opened the passenger door for her, but she paused before getting in, slipping her hands to his shoulders. “Can I kiss you?”