The First Love
The Lake Bittersweet Series
Excerpt
The distant sound of a motorboat broke the quiet. A hoot of exhilaration floated over the lake—the sound of youth and summer and joy and hope. Such a contrast to the sadness of their conversation.
Suddenly Thomas wished more than anything that he and Carly could be like that again—free and happy and wildly in love.
“Let’s go,” he said, climbing to his feet. Her hand was still nestled in his, and he tugged her up after him.
“Go where?”
“Out on the lake. Away from everything.”
Her eyes caught the shine of moonlight. “And by everything you mean mosquitoes?”
“Yeah. Mosquitoes. Memories. All that shit. Let’s go out there and just be you and me, here and now.”
With a nod, she followed him to the far side of the dock where the little blue rowboat was tied up.
“You can tell your inner lawyer to relax because this is Galen’s boat,” he told her as he used its tether to maneuver it alongside the dock. “He must have a date tonight.”
“And if he comes back for it?”
Thomas shrugged. “Then he’ll sleep under a tree or something. Wouldn’t be the first time. My brother’s barely civilized, in case you hadn’t noticed.”
She laughed in delight. “Anyone would think he was Bittersweet born and raised.”
“Yeah. He took to this place like a duck to water, and I pretty much mean that literally.” He helped her into the rowboat and watched her settle onto the stern sitting plank. Taking the seat closer to the bow, he fit the oars into their oarlocks. Carly reached to the post and untied the line. As soon as they were free, he took a hard pull on the oars to distance them from the dock.
“Now that’s what I’m talking about,” he murmured as the little rowboat skimmed across the water. The fresh night air rushed against his face, making him feel alive and wide awake. Carly trailed her fingers over the side, then pulled her hand up with a little gasp.
“I forgot how cold the water is this time of year.”
“Takes a while to warm up. If we do this again in a month, different story.”
He shouldn’t have referenced the future, since it was just a reminder that Carly would be gone in a month. She had a busy life back in LA and nothing to keep her here except for someone else’s mess.
Leaving all that behind, he told himself sternly. Her, me, here, now. That’s it.
He pulled harder on the oars so they raced toward the dark center of the lake. Lake Bittersweet was vaguely heart-shaped, with two oddly shaped lobes stretching in opposite directions. The town sat at the far end of the western lobe, and the summer estates on the eastern shore. The public landing was located at the southernmost point of the lake. From there, you could reach town in about ten minutes on a speed boat and maybe an hour by rowboat, depending on your skill and strength. It would take much longer to reach the Kendall property; at least twenty minutes by motorboat.
After he’d picked up so much speed they were practically hydroplaning, he lifted the oars out of the water and let momentum carry them onwards. It felt like flying, like that moment when an eagle stopped moving its wings and simply glided.
Carly laughed in delight. Her face shone with the same joy and relief that he felt. No worries. No burdens. Just air and water and speed and freedom.
So he did the thing he’d wanted to do all night, and probably much longer; maybe since she’d walked into the firehouse.
He leaned forward and kissed her. Captured her mouth in his, felt her freeze, then warm. He lingered, his lips clinging to hers, not pushing, just touching. Just needing to touch. Needing to connect. To feel her breath mingle with his. Feel the soft aliveness of her flesh.
“What are we doing?” she whispered against his mouth.
“Whatever you want.”
She pulled away, her expression one of confusion and something like wonder. “Are we crazy?”
He was so glad she was saying “we” instead of “you.”
“I don’t know. I guess I don’t really care. Do you?”
“Maybe not.” She ran her tongue across the seam between her lips. His cock jumped painfully. He wanted her with a fierceness that could have come straight from his teenage self. “But Thomas…”
“Yeah?”
He forestalled her answer by kissing her again. More deeply this time, giving her a glimpse into his heart. Showing her how much he wanted her. How much he wanted to reach behind her grownup exterior and find the passionate girl he’d once known.
“So it’s like that?” she whispered, understanding him perfectly.
“It’s like that.”
That simple answer seemed to set her on fire. She came off her seat and climbed on top of him, straddling his lap. He settled the oars against the sides of the boat so they wouldn’t fall overboard and put his hands on her ass. Rounder than it used to be, and even more sexy. He pulled her against him, letting her feel the hardening lump in his trousers. He wanted her to know just how much she aroused him.
She cupped her hands around his face. Her hands were slightly chilled from their race across the water, but her eyes shone with bright heat. “I never ever thought I’d be this close to you again.”
“I thought about it. But only in my daydreams. And night dreams.”
Humor flashed across her face. He’d always loved making her laugh, or smile, or just feel better. “Kinda want to know the details. Do you keep a dream journal?”
“Nope. It’s all in my head. Night after night of imagining us together again, naked and sweaty.”
He felt the tremble run through her body. “Mmm.”
Apparently, words had abandoned her. He liked that, although he liked her words too. “Can I kiss you again?” he whispered.
He wanted her all in on this. No surprises. No secrets.
She nodded.
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