Page 22 of Flights and Sights

“Sorry about that,” he murmured. “You just had…” He held up his thumb and there was a smear of raspberry jelly on it.

Heat flooded my face, embarrassment threatening to overtake me. He wasn’t flirting, I told myself. He was just being nice.

A beat passed and he slowly put the pad of his thumb up to his mouth to clean it off, in a slow, sensual movement. My jeans got very tight very quickly. Another moment passed and he took a step forward, closing in on me. My breath caught in my throat as he moved closer and he leaned his head in. I let my eyes close.

At that moment, I heard the jingle of a shop bell and the raucous sound of children bursting from a store and spilling onto the street, all chaos and noise. I opened my eyes and we both looked in the direction the sound had come from. A small band of preteens had just left Books, Beans, and Buns and were headed our way.

My stomach sank as Pax backed away and stuffed his hands in his pockets, his cheeks a rosy pink.

We walked Main Street for a bit longer before turning around and heading back to where he’d parked his truck, keeping the conversation light. Once we were inside, Pax turned to me. “Anything else you’d like to do today?”

Kiss you. I shook my head. “Not that I can think of. I should probably get back anyway. I need to start writing this article.”

“Yeah, of course.”

“And researching grant money,” I added.

That brought a smile to his face. “I’ll send you what I’ve found so far.”

“Perfect.”

It wasn’t long until he was pulling his truck up to the curb in front of my parents’ house and putting it in park, letting the engine idle. I wondered if he was planning to walk me to the door, but quickly realized I was being silly. This isn’t a date.

Before I could reach for the door to get out, though, Pax put his hand on my arm. “Wait.”

I turned back to him, eyebrows raised. “What’s up?” My heart pounded in my chest, wondering what he was going to say.

He reached over with his other hand and placed it on my jaw before pulling me close for a kiss.

Chapter 11 - Paxton

Callum made a little hum of surprise as I kissed him. Just before I pulled away, his hand moved to rest on my thigh and he parted his lips for me, deepening the kiss, our tongues meeting and sliding along one another. The kiss was gentle and slow, a delicate, cautious thing. Despite that, my heart raced and my entire body heated, an electric current running through me. I wanted more.

We parted a few moments later and I pulled away a bit. “I…” What? I hope that was okay? I want to do that again? I want you?

He nodded as if he knew what I was going to say. “Thank you,” he murmured softly. We watched each other for another few seconds before he let out a quiet exhale and nodded once, like he was trying to convince himself. “I should go. The whole family is probably watching us from behind the curtains.”

I couldn’t stop the surprised, nervous laugh that slipped out of me, breaking the tension a little. “Well, they do think we’re already dating, so they can’t be too scandalized, can they?”

He laughed. “Good point, but I should still get going. I have grants to find, remember?”

“Thanks for spending the day with me.”

“I had a great time,” he murmured. “I’ll see you soon.”

With that, he got out of my truck and headed into the house. I watched until the door closed behind him before putting the truck into gear and driving away, a wide smile on my face the whole drive home.

As I walked into the taproom, I spotted Tommy behind the bar. Matty, the newest employee of Celestial Cask, a guy right out of college who wanted to learn more about the brewing industry in general and mead making particularly, was talking to a table of patrons, laughing and grinning as he talked. Tommy was pouring a flight and chatting with a pair of women sitting at the bar. When he spotted me, though, his smile widened.

“Hey.”

I nodded and gave a little wave before stepping behind the bar to stand next to him. “How are things going here?”

The two people he’d been chatting with thanked Tommy for his help and took their flight, sitting at a low couch near the entrance.

“Everything’s great,” he assured me. “How are you?” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

I chuckled and shook my head. “Nothing new to report.”