Covering the Carolinas (35 page)

“
Nah, I’m just stating the
obvious.”

“
Whatever,” she says as she hops up on the
tailgate.

Damn, this night is about to get interesting.

Chapter 5

Raegan

It’s my duty to walk around, talk
to everyone, put on a smiling face, and play the role of “Miss
Perfect,” so I do exactly that. What I don’t expect is to catch
myself standing in front of Emmett Bridges, looking like he just
stepped out of latest
Buckle
catalog. Yeah, we talked earlier, but now that
the shine is gone from my hands and the absence of the others, I
realize how beautiful he actually is. His sandy blonde hair is
covered with an Atlanta Braves ball cap with the ends peeking out
the sides. As he sits on the tailgate, I can see every muscle
bulging from his arms as they press into the tailgate, and his
chest is broad as the river
. His eyes, however, are
what stop me. The crystal blue not only looks like an ocean, but it
also tells a story — one of need and desire.

I stop in front of him as he says, hey. This is my
chance, and I have just enough liquid courage running through my
veins to follow through with my craving to be close to him.

After a brief amount of small talk, I take a seat on
the tailgate beside him. When the silence is too much, we begin to
talk about random stuff. Then, we get quiet again as he opens
another beer.

“
Dang, how many did Cole give ya?” I
question.

“
This is the last one,” he
says as he
grins and brings the can to his
lips. As I watch those lips touch the can, my body feels like it’s
one hundred degre
es
hotter.
What’s going on with
me?
That’s when I hear my song. The one I pray the
country station plays, the one I sing to the top of my lungs, the
one about the kind of guy I need in my life, and the one that makes
me forget reality. I jump from the tailgate, grab Emmett by the
hand, and pull him with me.

“
Come on! It’s my song!” I say to him with
excitement in my voice. He plants his heels firmly onto the
ground.
As Dustin Lynch’s “Where It’s At”
echoes through the field, I place my hands upon his chest, close my
eyes, and pray the song never stops playing.

As Emmett begins to sing the lyrics, I open my
eyes and look into those baby blues. He takes a step back and
points his finger at me on beat motion as he sings, “Yep, yep,
that’s where it’s at.” Then, he removes his ball cap and places it
upon my head as he takes me into his arms and begins to move like
he’s been waiting to dance with me all night. He smiles, and I know
in this moment that one boy and one song have made their mark on
Raegan Lowery’s personal timeline.

When the chorus begins to play again, I follow right
in beat with him, sway my hips a little harder, and let my
shoulders fall on beat with the “Yep, yep.” I turn to him, and we
both sing like no one is watching, but in reality, all eyes are on
us. I’m okay, though, because that’s where it’s at.

As the song ends, he pulls me in for a tight hug,
removes his cap, places a kiss on the top of my head, and then
laces his fingers in mine. Every part of my being feels like it’s
coming alive.

“
Thank you,” I say as we walk back toward the
truck.

“
No, thank you. If I’d known it was gonna go
like that, I wouldn’t have resisted,” he says as his shoulder
brushes into mine.

“
What can I say? I can’t help it when I hear a
song I like. I don’t care who’s watchin’.”

“
So, you do that often?” he
questions.

“
What? Dance?”

“
No, drag a guy off a tailgate when you hear
your song.” He smirks.

As the heat begins to rise in my cheeks, I respond,
“Um, no, that was a first.”

He takes a step toward me and places his hand upon
my cheek as my rear bumps onto the tailgate. “I’m glad that was a
first, and I hope there are more where that came from.” He closes
the distance with his full lips pressed against mine, and I let go
of the responsibilities, the what-ifs, and the unknowns that have
been racing through my mind since I can remember and just live in
the moment.

Emmett

The last thing I expected was for
Raegan to hop up on my tailgate tonight. Hell, I’d been hoping for
it, but from the way everyone talked, she was like the big catfish
in the pond you hear stories about, but no one can catch. For some
reason, she’s letting me in, and I’d be an idiot not
to act on it.

The silence between us is awkward
until she makes pointless conversation. What is it about girls and
their rambling? I pay attention as much as possible, but it’s not
until she gets quiet again that my mind begins to race. Each time I
look at her, I fall harder and harder for the girl I used to kiss
on the playground. That’s when I see a spark in her eye, and she’s
yanking me from my tailgate. I see the excitement in her face, and
her voice confirms it.
Shit!
I’m gonna have to dance. Not that I mind it, but
I really hadn’t planned on drawing much attention to us, because I
know come tomorrow morning, I’m going to have a not-so-friendly
visitor. As quickly as the thought enters my brain, I toss it
aside. I don’t give two shits about Jace.

I recognize the song within a few eight counts. As
Raegan laces her hands through mine, I can’t get close enough to
her, so I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her flush with me.
She closes her eyes and ventures to another place.

When the chorus approaches, I
decide it’s time to bring her back to the present. I sing each
word, and her reaction is more than I could have imagined. That’s
when I pull out the big guns and show her why she should be here
with me. As we move to the beat, I take my ball cap and place it
upon her head. Maybe it’s a move I shouldn’t have done, because
there’s nothing sexier than a girl in your cap. She must be reading
my mind as she begins to dance with more intensity. It takes every
ounce of effort to control the react
ion
my body is having while she moves against me, but
when she sings, I swear I’ve just had a glimpse of Heaven right
here in front of me.

At the last beat of the song, I pull her into the
tightest embrace possible, place my ball cap back upon my head, and
lay a soft kiss on the top of her head. I let my lips linger as the
smell of strawberries tickles my nose, and I’ve now found my most
favorite smell in the world. Not wanting this to end, I pull her to
the truck and press her fine ass against my tailgate. I make my
move, and I don’t give a fuck if Jace is watching. I stake my claim
on the only girl I’ve ever cared anything about, the girl that
meets me in my dreams, and when my lips touch hers, I feel peace
within my soul.

When our lips break apart, I look into her eyes, and
she smiles.

“
Raegan, can I take you out sometime?” I ask.
“Like, maybe tomorrow?”

“
Eager, are we?” She smirks. “I’ll have to
check with Grandaddy, but I think it’ll be okay.”

Inside I want to jump up and give a fist pump, but
instead, I keep it bundled up inside and play it cool.

“
A’ight, want me to just
call you tomorrow?” She nods in agreement. “Well, Miss Lowery, I
might need your number
first.”

“
Oh, yeah, probably so,” she
says with a hint of excitement laced within her words. She tells me
her number as I type it into my phone, and then I place it back
into my pocket. She glances over my shoulder and
searches
the crowd. “I guess I better see what
Jordyn’s up to.”

“
Are you sure?” I ask and move closer to her.
She tilts her head toward mine, and this time she makes the move.
Her hands reach for my chest as her soft, plump lips graze mine
slightly, and then she removes them.

“
Yeah, I better,” she says shyly, like this is
something new for her.

“
A’ight, let’s go find ’em.”
I extend my hand toward hers; she glances at it, smiles, and takes
it. There’s no doubt when I get home, a cold shower is
going
to be needed.

Chapter 6

Raegan

As I lace my fingers within
Emmett’s hand, I feel my world changing.
I scan the
crowd for Jordyn. It doesn’t take long until I find Ridge and her
talking to a group of his friends. When she notices us, her eyes go
directly to our hands.

“
Hey, y’all,” Jordyn says, but I can tell
she’s about to die to know what is really going on.

“
Hey, Jordyn,” Emmett replies.

“
So, what’s the deal, pickle?” I ask
her.

I can tell she’s continued to drink the shine
by her continuous giggle. “Maybe
you
should tell me?”

“
Oh, how I love you, J! Really, I just figured
you were about to call it a night. Plus, I gotta be home tomorrow
by lunch for work.”

“
Maybe thirty more minutes? I guess it’s
really up to Ridge,” she says as she turns to him while he’s
talking to his buddies in the crowd. “Let me go check and see what
he wants to do.” Jordyn walks toward Ridge. She wraps her arms
around his waist from behind. He glances over his shoulder and
gives her his full attention. It’s super sweet.

“
Raegan, if you’re ready to go, I can take
ya.”

“
Thanks, Em, but I can’t let you take me home
because I’m stayin’ with J, and her mama will have a fit if I come
home without her.”

“
I guess you’ve got a point.”

“
What?” I ask.

“
Em, huh?” he asks as a sexy grin escapes his
lips.

“
Yeah, I guess so,” I say with a shrug like
it’s no big deal. I didn’t mean to give him a nickname; it just
kinda happened.

When Jordyn returns with Ridge, I know it’s time to
say goodnight to Emmett.

“
Come on. I’ll walk ya to the truck.” He
guides me to Ridge’s truck, opens the door, and helps me inside.
“I’ll call ya tomorrow. Night, Raegan,” he says, closing the door
and making his way back to his truck.

The ride back to Jordyn’s is full of her talking
nonstop about anything and everything, but she absolutely can’t
shut up about Emmett. I keep waiting for Ridge to comment, but
nothing.

Once we get back to her house, I begin to hop out to
give them a little privacy when Ridge finally decides to speak.
“Raegan, just be careful. Emmett seems to be a good guy, but you
didn’t hear Jace runnin’ his mouth. He ain’t gonna let this go that
easy. Just be careful.”

“
Thanks, Ridge,” I say as I
make my way out of the truck. I stop on the front porch swing while
I wait on Jordyn to peel her hands off
Ridge.

My mind continues to drift to Em. How can one moment
in time make me feel so happy or alive, even? I’ve lived my life
like I’m supposed to. I do exactly what is expected and asked of
me, but right now, I want to be selfish and keep Emmett Bridges all
to myself.

The humidity from this late summer night is
smoldering as I wait for Jordyn. I wish she’d come on. My phone
buzzes in my hand.
Who could this
be?
Glancing down, I read Emmett’s name on the screen
and squeal with excitement. Em.

Emmett: Just wanted to make sure you made it

to Jordyn’s ok. I’ll call you tomorrow.

Me: We did! K :)

My reply is simple, because I don’t want him to
think I’m sitting around waiting for him to call, even though I
wanted to jump up and down like a crazy girl when his name lit up
my screen.

Quickly, I change his contact info to “Em,”
and as I put away my phone, I see Jordyn making her way up the
steps. “What you
cheesin’ ’bout?” she
asks.

“
Nothin’.”

“
Yeah, that’s what I’d say, too. Come on. I
want the deets!”

Jordyn and I walk inside her house and to her room.
As soon as the door is shut, she starts her twenty questions.

“
Girl, you need to tell me what the hell
happened out there tonight. I know you were makin’ your rounds, but
holy freakin’ moly, you should have seen Jace’s face when you
started dancin’ with Emmett. I thought he was gonna go over there
and beat his face in.”

With an eye roll, I reply, “Well, it’s not like I
planned it or anything. J, there’s just something about him! I
mean, never in my life has a guy caught my attention like him. He’s
sweet, and ohmygawsh, have you seen that body, not to mention those
lips? I’d swear Channing Tatum with sandy blonde hair was standing
in front of me!”

“
I totally see Channing Tatum! Wait? Lips?
What did I miss?”

“
So you didn’t see the kiss?” Jordyn looks at
me clueless. “J, when we were dancing. As the song ended, he kissed
me. Right there in front of everyone. I swear I never want anyone
else to touch these lips… ever!”

Jordyn begins to giggle. “Don’t you think that’s a
little dramatic?”

“
Uh, hell no. Not to say I have the most
experience in that area, but I know enough to know that I think I
saw stars.”

Jordyn takes a minute before she speaks again, “But,
really, Rae, what are you gonna allow to happen between you two? I
know you well enough to know your grandaddy is always first.”