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"He only has eyes for you." Emily gives me a shoulder bump. "Listen to the song."
I capture her gaze. The twinkle of joy flash in the flicker of flames. "Love you, A." She gives me a go-get-him nod and takes my hand, pulling me toward my prize.
"About freaking time." I hear the humor-filled words she directs at him before disappearing in Laredo's direction.
The song finishes, yet Adam continues to hold the tiny speaker above his head. He's waiting for me. But this time, it feels different. Normally, I'm not one who waits, but with him, it feels right. I take three giddy-filled steps toward him. "Are you going to say anything?"
He rewards my brilliant opening with the magnetic smile that calms me. "I wasn't sure you were old enough to get the reference." He lowers the speaker and hooks it on a belt loop.
I raise a finger and don't stop until it's pressed against his chest. "You and I are not that different. We both appreciate the classics."
His warm hands wrap around my finger, and he presses my palm flat to his chest. His heart. Gone is the tentativeness. Gone is the hesitation. "Yeah, my second choice was a Rolling Stones tune."
My heart flutters, and I mumble, "Mick Jagger."
"Yeah, everybody loves Mick."
I smirk and don't correct him. My heart pounds in my chest like a crescendo climb from one of Dax's drum solos. Yet I feel the calm, steady beat of Adam's heart. He's the calm to my frantic.
"This is driving you crazy, right? Standing here and waiting," Adam teases me, and I discover another fact about him. He's not passive; he's patient. He's here, he's thrown down the gauntlet, yet he doesn't rush. He's not like most men who would take this moment and drag me by the roots of my hair caveman style back to their hideaway. He's a slow sip, appreciate the sunset man who's learned to appreciate every second of the moment.
I need to stop forcing him to run the race at my pace and learn to appreciate his. "You know I like to fast forward to the good stuff."
He reaches forward, his finger tracing along the outline of my face. "All of this is the good stuff."
I tilt my head, forcing him to cup my face, and I close my eyes and enjoy the moment. His heartbeat gives away his secret. He may appear like a calm duck floating across the top of the lake, but beneath the water, just out of sight, his heartbeat pounds a beautiful rhythm. I open my eyes and am not surprised to find his nose nearly touching mine. His eyes swirl with a dark desire that makes me want to take the lead. But I don't. Not when I'm learning to appreciate this.
He presses his lips to mine, and I'm soaring. His soft lips are everything I want and need. The scratch to the itch that has been growing since we met on the boardwalk that first night.
His hand lands on the back of my neck, and he pulls me tight. This kiss is different. It's full of desperation and an energy that tells me he's tired of waiting too. Our kiss intensifies, and he tilts me back and runs a finger to push the windblown hair from my face.
"I'm a handful, Adam. I come with a lot of baggage. I come with a lifestyle guys have trouble accepting." I'm not one to place my insecurities on display. I'm usually a take it or leave it girl, but with Adam, I feel I need to try something different. I don't want to repeat my past mistakes. "Are you sure this is something you want?"
His chuckle eases my concerns. "I'm the one who should be asking you that question. I come with a dysfunctional family and have no clue what my future looks like."
I bite my tongue and don't reveal the answer to his future. The music festival is starting, and I've yet to find the right time to tell him and his brother about my plan. But tonight, I remind myself to stay present. To enjoy the moment. "I know what our future looks like," I tease, eliciting a swoony smile from him.
"What's that?"
I press my lips to his. My tongue pushing through to gain access to the treasure on the other side. "Lots and lots of this."
****
Chapter Eighteen
Adam
"I'm sorry, Hailey. I totally miscalculated the time difference again." I apologize into the phone for the tenth time to my sister. "I thought it was noon or something like that. I didn't realize it was nine in the morning."
"Adam, it's all good."
"Tell Marshall I'm sorry for waking him." I can't believe my sister's boyfriend surprised her and met her in Paris. When she picked up and I heard a male voice in the background, I nearly freaked out.
"He's good. He fell right back asleep. He's still on Boston time, and it's the middle of the night to him." She flips the camera on, and I spot her bright eyes and smile, easing my early morning call concerns. "And for the record, when you have good news like this, you can call me anytime, anyplace, even in the middle of the night." Sunlight beams through the floor-to-ceiling windows of her hotel room as she plops onto the couch.
Hailey knocks the remaining guilt off my shoulders. It may be the start of the day in Paris, but it's still the middle of the night here in Oregon. After the bonfire, we walked the girls back to their hotel. Laredo decided to hit one of the bars on the strip, which left me alone with the memories of this incredible summer night and an overpowering need to share it with the one person who I knew would understand, my older sister.
"I know you aren't your brother, and I shouldn't need to say it, but Ariel and I have become friends…" Hailey hesitates, and I already know where she's headed.
