WHEN WE KISS Excerpt

EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT
WHEN WE KISS
By Tia Louise
© TLM Productions LLC, 2018

Tabby

I see Chad appear at the top of the church steps. An old lady is on his arm as if he’s an Eagle Scout.

All the old ladies want to hold his arm. They act like they’re so feeble they can’t walk to their cars without his help. The truth is they’re just pervy and want to stroke his muscles.

He catches my eye and hands Gwendolyn Smith off to a noodle-armed old man before slowly walking down the steps to where I’m standing.

Today, I’m dressed in a demure yellow sundress, sandals, and I’ve traded my signature red-velvet lipstick for a nude matte. My eyes are still done, though. Duh.

That smug grin on his face shouldn’t be so sexy at church. “Good morning, Miss Green, I trust you had a restful night.”

“I’m a little tired, actually.” I pretend to yawn, looking over my shoulder at the gardenia bushes.

“Trouble sleeping?”

“Not really. I drove down to Fireside and played poker with the truckers off the Interstate for a while after you left. I guess it was about four when I got to bed. If I hadn’t promised to be here today, I’d probably have slept until noon.”

His eyes narrow, and I know he’s trying to decide if I’m lying.

Of course, I’m lying, but I’m not about to say I slipped into a warm bath and rubbed one out to the memory of his sexy bod until I was so relaxed, I slept like a baby.

Standing in front of him in my sandals, my head only reaches the top of his broad shoulders, and up close, in broad daylight, it’s hard to look him straight in the face. He has a rugged manner like a soldier, but his features are elegant, refined—a straight nose, square jaw, and light brown eyes.

When he smiles, those dimples just push it all over the top. Not to mention he smells like heaven, all fresh and clean and manly.

He really is too sexy to be our future sheriff. I foresee a rise in petty crime among the blue-haired Sunday school ladies. Oh, Sheriff Tucker! Did I do that?

He lets my story about playing poker with the truckers pass. “How did you like the service?” he asks instead.

“It was okay, I guess.” I’m acting bored. I should get an Oscar—or at least a Daytime Emmy. “Uncle Bob used to have more fire when I was a kid. He seems to be cooling down now. How can anyone be expected to have anxiety and indigestion all week on that milquetoast? I’ll be lucky if I even need a Tums after lunch.”

Chad grins at that. A little glint hits his pretty, pretty eyes, and I notice he has one crooked tooth on the side. It’s right in line with that cheek dimple, and when my gaze meets his, my panties melt right off.

“Have lunch with me.” He says it so fast, I’m pretty sure the invitation surprises him as much as it does me.

My breath leaves my lungs, and it takes a second for me to remember why this is a bad idea. “I’m having lunch with Emberly.”

His dark brow furrows. “Don’t you have lunch with Emberly every day?”

He’s right. I work at the bakery, so I spend every day of the week with my best friend.

“Yes… well… today’s special.” I glance over to where she’s still talking to Betty Pepper. “We’re supposed to be planning out a way to attract more of the tourists up this way.”

Not only do I sound nervous, I’m talking too fast. All of it makes me want to hit stop and start all over again. Being flustered in front of Chad is not how I want to come across.

He nods, semi-accepting my answer. “I have to work tonight.”

He looks down at his shoes. He’s so tall, and his shoulders are so broad. I picture myself climbing him like a tree.

“Robbie’s getting ready to retire.” My voice is quiet, thoughtful.

A young, male voice interrupts us. “Hey, Tabitha. How’s it hanging?”

It’s Jimmy Rhodes, and I want to crawl inside the gardenia bushes. Everything is replaced with my humiliation from last year. I was caught. Skinny dipping. In the nine hundred year old Plucky Duck motel pool. In my underwear. With this child pretending to be a man.

Oh. My. God.

I’m never smoking pot again.

“Keep walking, Kid.” Chad laughs as he says it, but there’s a hint of something more in his tone.

Something like jealousy?

Jimmy’s shoulders slump, but he does as he’s told. As much as I’m burning with humiliation, and as much as I do not want to encourage Jimmy’s teenage crush, I can’t help feeling a little ruffled feathers. Chad is acting awfully possessive.

“Go out with me on Friday.” He turns to me again, and his expression is serious, a little fierce.

It does strange things to my insides.

“No,” I say too fast, and he exhales a laugh.

“So it’s still like that?”

Between humiliation, lust, and church, my emotions are as mixed up as a bowl of spaghetti.

I don’t know what it’s like. I just know bad girls don’t date cops. It’s a recipe for disaster. One of us will end up wanting more than the other is willing or even capable of giving, and it will be painful and awful.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea.” My voice is quiet, and I’m being as honest with him as I’ve ever been with anybody.

His grin melts, and a little line forms between his brow as he processes what I’ve just said, like he understands. “Then I guess… I’ll see you around.”

“Not if I see you first.”

I swear my mouth has a mind of its own. It doesn’t matter. That irresistible dimple appears, and I know I haven’t scared him off.

The knowledge of that fact scares me even more.

“Either way, I’ve got my eye on you,” he teases.

“I don’t need a guard dog.”

“Everybody needs somebody watching their back.”

“I’ve got Emberly.”

We take a pause while our eyes travel across the bright green lawn to where my best friend is still talking to Betty Pepper. Only now, Coco is hopping all around her. My goddaughter is an adorable bundle of energy, brunette ringlets, and sunshine, and she’s been on a kangaroo kick for a month. It makes me smile, and when I glance up, I notice Deputy Tucker has a grin on his lips as well.

“She might have her hands full.” He turns those sexy eyes on me, and I almost cave.

Can’t do that. “We look out for each other.”

He slides a large hand in his front pocket. “Have a nice day, Tabitha.”

He’s letting me go for now, but it’s getting harder to resist the temptation...

* * *

Eeeek!!!! Things are just getting started for these two...

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