They were smart to take that time because once they emerged, life moved fast.
Hal and Bev had turned Camp Woolwich over to them, but he’d made damn sure that Natalie was the sole owner. Not because he didn’t trust himself, but because he did. He trusted that the life he was going to build with her was the kind of life that could weather any storm.
He didn’t need property or millions of his own. He’d gained the security and love he’d craved when he gave his heart to his kiss keeper.
And as far as the Kiss Keeper Curse, they’d decided to preserve Otis and Muriel’s secret and keep the Camp Woolwich legend intact. Sister Evangeline had shared Muriel’s letters with them. Crinkled and worn, the old ink spelled out how Muriel and Otis did have their first kiss at the well before heading out west to make a life together. A life that in Muriel’s words spoke of a fair share of hardships, but also great love and an abundance of joy. And the lesson that, whatever fate brings, always hold tight to the ones you love.
A lesson they’d already put into practice.
A year had blown by in the blink of an eye, and tonight was the last night of summer camp. In the morning, the campers’ families would arrive to load up the trunks and box away the memories of a summer spent on Woolwich Cove.
With his business knowledge and Natalie’s organizational skills and artistic eye, the summer had gone off without a hitch, and life was good. Damn good.
“Jake, I want to feel you,” she whispered on a tight breath, teetering on the edge.
Music to his ears.
He positioned himself at her entrance, then kissed his way up her neck to her lips. He captured her mouth, and their tongues met in a sensual kiss as he drove inside her. He palmed her ass with one hand while the other wrapped around her wrists, making love to her in deep, wantonness thrusts. Their mingled breaths grew ragged as the friction between them ignited into an inferno of desire.
All summer, their mornings, afternoons, and evenings had belonged to the camp. But once lights-out hit, Natalie was his, and he’d savored every moment.
She wrapped her legs around him and pressed her perfect heels into his ass, allowing him to go deeper and harder—just the way his wife liked it.
“Jake, I’m so close,” she breathed, meeting him blow for blow as their bodies came together.
Heat and sweat building between them, they soared higher and higher until, with a primal cry, he drove them over ecstasy’s edge. True to his promise, he kept her kisses, devouring them, one after another, after another as they greedily drew pleasure from the slap and grind of their bodies.
Natalie hummed a sweet sigh beneath him, slowly coming back from the bliss of release. He pressed up onto his elbows, then brushed a lock of hair from her face and frowned.
“What is it?” she asked lazily.
“You’ve still got a little green face paint on your cheek,” he said, staring down at her beautiful face.
She pursed her lips. “That’s your fault.”
“My fault?” he asked with a cheeky grin.
She traced the shell of his ear with her fingertip. “You were the one with the idea for Alien Night.”
He slid his hand to her shoulder and brushed his thumb back and forth, across her collarbone. “Okay, maybe the face paint turned out to be a fiasco, but the laser light show was worth it.”
While they weren’t about to start spending the money he’d donated recklessly, Natalie had allowed him to purchase a planetarium-grade laser light show machine, which was freaking awesome.
She traced her fingertips across the scruff on his cheek. “Yes, the kids loved it.”
He pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth. “What are your thoughts on getting one of those ninja warrior giant rectangle things?”
“For the kids or for you?” she asked with a sly smile when her phone began to chime.
“What’s that for?” he asked.
“Oh, I forgot to tell you. I told the counselors scheduled for tonight’s night patrol that you and I would take it, being that it’s the last night of camp,” she answered, playing with the hair at the nape of his neck.
“Are you telling me that we have to leave this bed?” he asked, pinning her with his gaze.
She gave him a naughty little smile. “I’m telling you that we get to take a night stroll around the camp and then over to the—”
“Kiss Keeper’s well,” he finished, meeting her naughty little grin with one of his own.
“Yes, and maybe for a late-night skinny-dip over by the abandoned lighthouse,” she added.
He kissed her neck and inhaled her sweet scent. “You’ve really thought about this, Mrs. Teller.”
“It is the last night of camp,” she tossed back.
“And the anniversary of our first kiss,” he answered, remembering the blindfolded mystery girl, standing in the moonlight.
They dressed quickly, and he pulled on his cap as they left the main house. It was easier living there, in the center of camp, than staying in their little cottage. And thank God, they had the place to themselves. Hal’s health had improved, and he and Bev had left for a cruise around the world right before camp started. But to be on the safe side, he and Natalie had hired an architect to draw up plans for a cozy one-story bungalow right on the water, which would allow the Woolwich camp founders to relax, but also be close enough to enjoy camp life—when they wanted.
He grabbed the flashlight next to the door and took Natalie’s hand as they fell into step and started the loop. He didn’t mind night patrol. With his wife by his side and the ocean’s quiet, rhythmic lullaby woven in with the buzz of the woods at night, it was hard to think of anyplace he loved more.
They rounded the curve and headed toward the well when Natalie stopped and squeezed his hand.
“Jake, look. I think it’s Finn,” she whispered as two blindfolded forms awkwardly approached the well.
He led her behind a wall of spruce pines, and Natalie leaned into him as they peeked out through the needles, watching the nervous teens. He rested his hand on her shoulder, and, like he’d done that first night and probably a hundred times since they’d reconnected, he brushed his thumb across her collarbone.
“Looks like the Kiss Keeper legend lives on,” she said, staring up at him with no blindfold between them.
“And it always will,” he replied, then leaned in and pressed his lips to hers, offering up another kiss.
I hope you enjoyed The Kiss Keeper. While this is a standalone story, I’d love to invite you to start reading my rom-com Man Fast. It’s the first book in the Bergen Brothers Series, featuring three billionaire brothers and three feisty heroines ready to bring these handsome men to their knees. If you enjoyed The Kiss Keeper, you’ll love the Bergen Brothers. Get ready to laugh, sigh, and swoon!
The Inside Scoop
The Kiss Keeper
The time spent at a summer camp on the East Coast are my favorite teenage memories. I always wanted to write a story that wove this time of my life into a work of fiction, and when I created Natalie and Jake, I knew that they were the right couple to send to camp.
I love all the firsts I experienced at camp. First kiss. First time out on sailboat. First time sneaking out to meet boys. First time away from home for weeks on end.
If you can’t tell, I adored everything about it. Almost thirty years later, all I have to do is close my eyes, and I can feel the ocean air coming off the water and kissing my cheeks.
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BONUS: A Love Letter from Jake to Natalie
Dear Heels,
Yeah, I’m going to call you Heels instead of Natalie.
You know why.
We need to get a few things straight.
I’m not the Jake for you.
And let’s address the elephant, I mean, Jake-a-phant in the room.
Six Jakes? You’ve dated six Jakes—in a row?
You’d think that after four or five let you down, you’d migrate to a couple Steves or even a Gary or two.
I’ve got news for you.
I won’t be number seven—at least, that’s what I’m telling myself.
I’m a lone wolf, but you gave me no choice when you barreled into my life, wearing that sexy as hell trench coat and, yes, those damned red high heels.
Sweet Jesus!
Here’s the thing.
I don’t get involved with women. I’m not the one to call when a freight train is on a collision course with some damsel in distress tied to the tracks.
I’m a ruthless businessman.
I’m in it for the kill.
The win.
The cold hard cash.
I’ve got the body of a Greek god. I don’t need to chase women.
Well, I didn’t…
Until you.
It was as if the universe had put a plan in motion—an elaborate meet-cute that wasn’t exactly our first meet-cute.
From the first time I met your gaze, I was a goner.
Those sea-green eyes, harkening back to the ebb and flow of the ocean, the twist of rope in my hand as I sailed with the wind at my back and a future of unlimited possibilities ahead of me.
That’s how life would have worked out if life were a fairy tale.
But you and I know that life can throw one hell of a sucker punch and tangle you in its web.
That’s where we are, Heels. You and me. Tangled together.
You don’t even realize the extent of our web.
I should do what I have to do and get out.
My life is transactional.
Money. Sex. Power. Once the deal is done, I’m gone.
Except with you.
I keep finding reasons to stay…with you.
And why can’t I keep my damned hands off you?
My icy demeanor melts at your touch.
This thing between us isn’t supposed to be real.
We agreed to play our parts and keep up our little scheme.
And this con you’re trying to run—this attempt to convince your family that you’ve got your shit together?
I don’t get it.
Your family is nuts!
I shouldn’t say that your entire family is a few fries short of a happy meal. Your grandparents are great, and those tree-climbing nieces and nephews of yours are pretty cute—if cute kids were my thing.
They’re not.
Nope, not even when I’m rescuing them from a high tree branch or fishing with them or watching them shovel oatmeal into their adorable mouths.
Nope, kids are totally not my thing.
But I digress. When I said your family was fucking nuts, I meant the Dix Foot Freaks.
Sorry! It’s only that their last name is Dixtown, and I couldn’t help myself.
Try saying Dixtown three times fast without laughing your ass off.
Here’s a hint…it’s not going to happen.
Those cousins of yours and their podiatrist foot-obsessed husbands could give a screenwriter enough material to craft the creepiest of low budget, B level horror flicks.
But here we are, surrounded by those foot-loving freaks, at your grandparents’ summer camp on the coast of Maine, playing the happy couple.
Moment of truth.
I’m not playing.
The minute your idiot cousins roped us into a game of truth or dare, I wanted them to dare us to kiss.
And when they did, the damn earth rocked off its axis.
Heels, those petal-soft lips of yours could bring a man to his knees.
Scratch that.
Those petal-soft lips of yours brought me to my knees.
And it didn’t stop with the kiss.
Nope, we dove head-first into intercourse.
Yep, the I word that sounds like some dweeb in a lab coat who’d never gotten laid invented it.
Except when you say it, my cock is ready to grab a damned beaker and nerd out like an X-rated version of Bill Nye, the intercourse-loving science guy.
Christ! Have I lost myself, or have I found myself?
The truth is, Heels, you’ve had my heart for a long time—a lot longer than you could ever know.
The question is, will I ever be worthy of yours?
But you and I know that’s not our choice to make.
That decision lies in the hands of the kiss keeper.
Yours in all things intercourse,
Jake (the seventh one)
Also by Krista Sandor
The Bergen Brothers Series
A sassy and sexy series about billionaire brothers.
Book One: Man Fast
Book Two: Man Feast
Book Three: Man Find
Bergen Brothers: The Complete Series+Bonus Short Story
Own the Eights Series
A delightfully sexy enemies to lovers series.
Book One: Own the Eights
Book Two: Own the Eights Gets Married
Book Three: Own the Eights Maybe Baby (Fall 2020)
The Langley Park Series
A steamy, suspenseful second-chance at love series.
Book One: The Road Home
Book Two: The Sound of Home
Book Three: The Beginning of Home
Book Four: The Measure of Home
Book Five: The Story of Home
Sign up for Krista’s newsletter to stay in the loop and get new release announcements delivered right to your in-box.
About the Author
Krista Sandor
If there’s one thing Krista Sandor knows for sure, it’s that romance saved her.
After she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2015, her world turned upside down.
During those difficult first days, her dear friend sent her a romance novel. That kind gesture provided the escape she needed and ignited her love of the genre.
Inspired by the strong heroines and happily ever afters, Krista decided to write her own romance novels. Today, she is an MS Warrior and living life to the fullest. When she’s not writing, you can find her running 5Ks with her handsome husband and chasing after her growing boys in Denver, Colorado.
Never miss a release, contest, or author event! Visit Krista’s website www.KristaSandor.com and sign up to receive her exclusive newsletter.
Acknowledgments
I have many to thank for helping me bring The Kiss Keeper to life.
Dear readers, reviewers, bloggers, bookstagrammers, and ARC readers, thank you for giving me and my books a shot. So many of you have become close friends. I give thanks every day for our loving and supportive romance community.
Tera, Kendra, and Marla, your careful edits and attention to all those grammar details make The Kiss Keeper sparkle and shine.
Tracey Soxie Weston, this cover is absolutely perfect! I’m so glad our paths crossed.
Michelle Dare, my dear friend and mentor, thank you for your guidance. I thank the stars for you every day.
S.E. Rose, my BFF and writing partner in crime. I don’t know what I’d do without you. You are a beacon of love and kindness. I can’t wait for our next adventure.
David, my husband, and my best friend, thank you for supporting me every step of the way. I love you.
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