Blue Moon Kisses: Georgia Moon Romance Book 3

by Cindy Roland Anderson

  As Kade pulled in behind her car, Ashlee frowned when she saw the porch light was off. Her daddy usually kept the light on when she was out on a date. Tonight, the only source of light came from the moon. Still, a dimly lit porch was practically begging a guy for a kiss goodnight.

  One glance at the digital clock let her know that Kade had exactly twenty-five minutes to make curfew. Since the hotel was so close, he might not be in any hurry to end the night. He cut the engine, and consequently the headlights, before getting out of his car. As predicted, he took Ashlee’s hand as he led her to the darkened porch.

  “I enjoyed being with you tonight,” Kade said, pausing at the porch steps. “I’d really like to see you again.”

  “I had fun too.” Ashlee wished they were closer to the door. That way she could put one hand on the doorknob while she gently let Kade down.

  Ignoring the fact that she didn’t reciprocate his invitation to go out again, Kade tugged her close and curled his fingers around her waist. “Man, I hate early curfews,” he said in a low voice.

  Ashlee glanced up to begin her let-down speech and was surprised to find how close Kade’s lips were. She sucked in a quick breath, trying to decide if she should just let him kiss her or if she should turn her cheek.

  Both she and Kade ended up turning their heads when the sound of a car door slammed shut. The moonlit sidewalk revealed that the person she most wanted to see, just not now, was walking toward her.

  “Beau?” she said as he drew closer.

  He stopped and appeared to be surprised. “Oh, hey, Ash.” He glanced between her and her date. “Sorry, it looks like I may have interrupted something.” Then he held out his hand to Kade, forcing him to drop his hold on Ashlee. “Hey, I’m Beau Jacobsen. A long-time family friend.”

  “Kade Sinclair.” Kade shook his hand briefly. “My parents are long-time friends of Mr. and Mrs. Nichols.”

  “Cool.” Beau stepped back and planted himself on the sidewalk. Ashlee noted the satisfied smirk on his handsome face. This disruption had not been by happenstance. It had been orchestrated and executed with military precision.

  She narrowed her eyes, feeling both relieved— she really didn’t want to kiss Kade— and irritated. The chances that Beau was here to declare his feelings were pretty slim, given his history. So why was he here? Simply to annoy her?

  An old memory of Beau and Chase doing this same thing to her when she was barely sixteen flashed in her mind. She’d really liked her date and had really wanted him to kiss her, but her brother and his best friend had thought they were so funny when they’d flooded the front porch with light and then opened the door to stare at them.

  “Yes, you did interrupt something.” She was so tempted to plant a really long kiss on Kade’s lips, but she wasn’t going to use him like that. “We were just saying good night.”

  Beau nodded his head, but didn’t move. He just stood there, smiling at them. Ashlee widened her eyes and mouthed, “Go away.”

  Lip reading must not be a skill he had, because he lifted a questioning brow at her. Seconds ticked by, and then he jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “Uh, do y’all want me to go back to my car or should I just knock on the door?”

  Kade glanced at his watch and grimaced. “Shoot, I really need to go,” he said to Ashlee. “I guess I’ll call you to set something up?”

  She didn’t want to play games with Kade, but it would humiliate him if she shot him down in front of Beau. She would have to talk to him later when she was alone. “Sure, call me or text me.”

  Kade looked like he wanted to give her a hug, or maybe even a peck on the cheek. In the end, he lifted his hand and waved. “Thanks again for a fun night, Ashlee.” He walked past Beau, pausing briefly to look him right in the eyes. Whatever look he’d given Beau didn’t intimidate him.

  “It was nice meeting you,” Beau said.

  “Likewise,” Kade mumbled as he stalked toward his car.

  Once Kade was gone, Ashlee rounded on Beau. “You just ruined my date.”

  “No,” he said smugly. “I merely altered the end of your date.”

  The arrogant smirk provoked her to march toward him. “You did that on purpose,” she said, poking his chest with her finger. “Admit it.”

  The skin around his eyes crinkled. “Okay, I admit it.”

  “What if I’d really wanted to ki—” She stopped mid-sentence. “Wait, what did you just say?”

  “I said I did it on purpose.” His jaw tightened imperceptibly. “But what were you going to say?”

  Stunned, she replayed the last few seconds in her mind, but she was drawing a blank. Not only had Beau’s honesty shocked her, she was also standing really close to him, and he smelled incredible.

  Beau inched even closer. “You started to say, ‘What if I’d really wanted to…’” His eyes dropped to her lips. “To kiss him?” he said, meeting her gaze again.

  Holy smokes. The heated desire in his hazel eyes seared through her, stealing her breath. “Yes. A kiss.” Given the lack of oxygen getting to her brain, that was the best she could do.

  It must have been enough.

  In one smooth motion, Beau lowered his head and covered her mouth with his. Ashlee froze the second his lips connected with hers. She wanted to respond, desperately, but it was as if her body had shut down, like when a transformer blows from a sudden power surge of electricity.

  Before she could get her act together, the kiss was over, and she was staring at him with wide eyes. “Um, could you try that again? I think I totally missed it.”

  “You missed it?” His lips twisted into a wry grin. “I’m pretty sure that isn’t possible, since you were participating.”

  She’d responded? That was a relief.

  “But I didn’t enjoy it.”

  Both his eyebrows shot up. “You didn’t enjoy it?”

  “Yes. I mean, no.” She was botching this whole thing.

  “Hmm,” he said, looking slightly amused. “I don’t think I’ve ever had that kind of response to a kiss before.”

  Lest he think she was a terrible kisser, and afraid he was going to call it quits, she gripped the front of his shirt. “Beau, I have been waitin’ for you to kiss me for so long that when you finally did… I… I don’t know what happened, but I need you to kiss me again.” She gripped the fabric of his shirt tighter. “Please.”

  The wicked gleam in his eyes made her heart skip several beats. “Well, since you said please.”

  Nothing could’ve prepared her for the explosion that occurred when their lips touched again. It was like he’d triggered a tripwire connected to an entire minefield, but this time the overload didn’t shut her down. She was fully engaged and wanted to relish every single second.

  Beau’s lips were warm and so capable, igniting a swirl of desire that made her head spin. His hands slipped to the lower curve of her back, pulling her closer. Longing and need consumed her as she melted into his embrace, letting her hands drift over the hard muscles of his chest.

  No kiss had ever felt like this. She was drowning in pure ecstasy until their lips parted out of necessity for air. Ashlee drew in a shaky breath and looked into his stormy and intense gaze.

  “What was that?” The rhetorical statement bubbled out of her in a breathless laugh. Seriously, he’d just rocked her world.

  Male satisfaction glimmered in his eyes. “Now you’re starting to worry me,” he teased. “Are you sure you’re feeling okay?”

  “I feel amazing.” Amazing and so happy. Beau liked her. A lot. She flattened her palms against his chest, feeling his heart thudding beneath. “Best. Kiss. Ever,” she said, mimicking Rapunzel’s declaration from the movie Tangled when the princess had swung gleefully around a tree and claimed it was the best day ever.

  “It was pretty good.” A spark of regret flickered across his face. “But I’m probably going to freak out later.”

  She refused to let his fears ruin this perfect moment. “Probably.”

&n
bsp; That earned her a laugh and another kiss that ended entirely too soon. Then he sighed and pulled her into him, wrapping his arms around her and resting his chin against the top of her head. “Your brother is goin’ to kill me. Your daddy too.”

  “Stop.” She slid her arms around his middle and snuggled in closer. “Just let me enjoy this moment a little longer.”

  His chest expanded with a ragged inhale, but he didn’t let her go. “We have to talk about this.”

  “I like snuggling better,” she murmured against the fabric of his shirt. “And kissing. I really liked the kissing part if you want to do that again.”

  “Ashlee,” he growled. “I’m already in enough trouble as it is.” He loosened his hold and edged back so that her cheek was no longer pressed against his shirt.

  Looking up, she gazed at his beautiful face etched with worry. “You’re freaking out, aren’t you?”

  “Yeah, a little.” He swallowed. “This is new territory for me… for us. And I… we… need time to process everything.”

  Although it was so cute how rattled he was, she felt sorry for him. Beau was practical and cautious, and he had kissed her spontaneously. Of course he was freaking out.

  “It’s okay, Beau. We don’t have to say anything yet.” She resisted the urge to smooth his wrinkled brow with the tips of her fingers. “We can take our time adjusting to the changes without the pressure of what my family might think.”

  While he processed her suggestion, a horrible thought entered her mind. What if he ended things right now? She couldn’t bear to finally have her dreams come true only to have them snatched away from her. “Just to clarify: this adjustment period will only be temporary, right?”

  Chapter 20

  Beau considered Ashlee for a long moment, grateful for her understanding while at the same time doing his best not to get distracted by her mouth. Just thinking about the kiss they’d shared sent his heart pounding erratically. He’d kissed plenty of girls, but none of them had affected him like kissing her had.

  A guarded expression crossed her features as she waited for his reply. He needed to reassure her he wasn’t bailing on her. He’d crossed a line, and there was no going back. What’s more, he didn’t want to go back. “Yeah, it would definitely be temporary.”

  The concern on her face vanished, and she let out an audible gasp, like she’d been holding her breath. “Okay, this might be kind of fun.”

  “How so?” he said, unable to hold back a smile. One thing was for sure: dating Ashlee was going to keep life very interesting.

  “It’ll be like we’re on a covert operation.” Mischief glimmered in her blue eyes. “We’ll have to share longing looks from across a room, hold hands under the table, and sneak into dark corners to steal kisses.”

  Beau groaned and pressed his forehead to hers. “What have I gotten myself into?”

  Before she could respond, the porch light suddenly came on, lighting up the area as if they were in a football stadium. Beau stared at the door, knowing the covert mission was over before it even started.

  Ashlee reacted differently. She squealed with laughter, grabbed his hand and pulled him into a dark corner of the yard. When he started to protest, she covered his mouth with her hand. “Shh, they’ll hear us,” she whispered.

  The front door opened, and Beau heard the faint chime from the alarm system. “I thought you said Ashlee was home?” Mr. Nichols said in a gruff voice.

  “She’s not?” Mrs. Nichols said, sounding worried. “Do you think I should call her to make sure she’s okay?”

  “Yeah, Kade said he’d have her home by nine-thirty.” He mumbled a few other words, but Beau only caught the last sentence. “I’m gonna hunt that kid down if he did anything to her.”

  “Hush, Charles. I’m sure she’s just fine.”

  “She better be,” he muttered, closing the front door.

  Ashlee removed her hand from Beau’s mouth and grinned. “That was a close call.”

  “Too close.” He leaned around her to get a glimpse of the front porch. It was all clear. “What would’ve happened if they’d caught us over here hiding?” Beau said. “Your daddy would shoot first and ask questions later.”

  “He didn’t catch us.” She lightly punched him in the arm. “I already told you, soldier, I’ve got your six.”

  “Don’t tell me you’re still obsessed with the hot Navy SEAL.”

  “Nope.” That mischievous look was back in her eyes as she rose up on her toes until their lips were nearly touching. “Trust me, Army Guy, you are so much hotter.”

  Heaven help him, but he couldn’t resist her. He caught her mouth in a kiss as his hands slid along the side of her neck to hold her face. Her lips were soft and sweet, and she tasted like a delicious combination of fruit with a touch of mint. Beau had to keep himself in check so he didn’t devour her.

  A chirping sound made them jerk back. The sound continued, and it finally registered in Beau’s kiss-induced-sluggish brain that it was a cell phone ringing. While Ashlee frantically dug into her pockets, Beau leaned over to get a view of the porch. Thankfully, it was still empty.

  “What should I do?” she asked, holding her phone out to him.

  “Answer it.” This whole thing was getting crazier by the second. He should just take her hand, march her up to the door and tell her parents and brother that he and Ashlee were dating.

  “Hey, Mama,” Ashlee said breathlessly. “I was just comin’ inside.”

  Beau couldn’t hear the other end of the conversation. He had no idea what was going to happen in the next thirty seconds, but he prepared for the worst.

  “No, I’m fine. Just running a little late.” She looked at Beau and mouthed, call me. Then she hurried across the lawn, leaving him in the dark.

  Wanting to make sure she made it safely inside, Beau inched forward and covertly watched her climb the porch steps. As if she knew he was watching her, she glanced over her shoulder and blew him a kiss. Then she opened her front door and disappeared inside.

  Her scent lingered on the air as he stepped back into the cover of darkness. Beau stifled a laugh as he scrubbed his hands over his face. Ashlee was like a whirlwind of energy and fun mixed in with a whole lot of trouble. And boy oh boy, could she kiss. It had unleashed something inside Beau that no other girl had ever reached. And he wanted more.

  He waited by the tree for at least five minutes until he was sure the coast was clear. Quietly, he made it to his SUV. He opened the door and felt exposed when the interior light came on. Hopping inside, he pulled the door closed and let out a big breath when the lights quickly dimmed. He couldn’t keep this up for very long. He and Ashlee would have to come clean. The sooner the better.

  As he drove back to his grandparents’ house, he went over the night’s events. Hopefully, Addie wouldn’t want a follow-up on what he’d done with her information. He couldn’t lie to her, and he couldn’t ask her to withhold any details from Chase. He would just have to avoid her until he and Ashlee decided to tell her family.

  The house was dark when he pulled up, and Beau felt an overwhelming feeling of loss. He didn’t want to sell the house. For years, he’d always imagined owning the house and raising a family here.

  Although he shouldn’t go there, his mind conjured up visions of him carrying his bride across the threshold. Ashlee would probably laugh and insist he carry her up the stairs to the master bedroom. Beau put a stop to his thoughts… he definitely shouldn’t go there.

  He skipped ahead a few years, envisioning a white porch swing with he and Ashlee sitting side by side. A little boy would be sitting next to his mama, while Beau cuddled a little girl on his lap.

  Whoa, he really needed to stop this kind of thinking. He and Ashlee weren’t getting married. They were only dating.

  His cell phone buzzed in his pocket. As he crossed the yard, he pulled it from his pocket and glanced at the screen. It was from Ashlee.

  Did you make it home or are you gunning it acros
s the state lines?

  He laughed at the irony. His thoughts were the only thing running away, not him. Pausing in front of the porch steps, he typed a reply.

  I’m home.

  He purposefully kept it short and pushed send before he added how much he already missed her. It surprised him how true that was.

  He fished his keys from his pocket and unlocked the front door while he waited for her reply. The door opened easily, which meant someone had fixed it today. His phone buzzed a new text message.

  Since I know you’re wondering, no one suspected a thing. I told them the truth. Kade liked me way more than I liked him and I won’t be going out with him again.

  Beau closed the door and toed off his shoes at the entryway. He felt bad he hadn’t already asked her what had happened after she went inside.

  Good, but I don’t like all this sneaking around. We need to decide when to tell your family.

  Ah, come on… the sneaking around is the best part. She added a kissy face emoji to the message.

  Ha-ha. You would think that.

  While he awaited the next message, he wandered into the kitchen to get something to eat. He opened the refrigerator and scanned the meager contents. The pecan pie Kate Taylor had delivered him sat on the middle shelf. He’d completely forgotten to offer it to the construction crew yesterday. Unfortunately, he’d also forgotten to take the leftover pie home that Ashlee had made him. He sure hoped she would make him another one.

  Grabbing the loaf of bread and strawberry jam, he closed the fridge door and placed the food on top of the counter. As he plugged in the toaster, his phone buzzed an incoming message.

  JK… sort of. But can we wait to tell everyone until Taylin and Luke are home?

  Beau lost his appetite as soon as he read the text. He could just imagine sitting the entire Nichols clan down to announce he wanted to date Ashlee. It all seemed so formal and final.

  He’d hoped to pull Chase aside some time this week and break it to him. Hopefully his friend would take it well. The rest of the family would be easy after that. He was pretty sure Ashlee’s parents would approve. They had always liked him.