My Soul Laid Bare: Book 4 (The Soul Keeper Series) (8 page)

She nestles in close to me, and in that instant, my arm closes around her shoulders. She feels good in my arms. For the first time in months, I think I found someone who I could really care about, who seems to want me to care about her.

“Don’t be so quick to discount your ranch Sam. You’ve got a great thing going on. You’re sitting on pure gold and don’t you forget it.”

“
Well at least silver maybe,” I tease, and she slaps my chest with a playful swipe. I roll the truck to a stop at the red light, and the sparkle in her eyes catches my gaze. I inch in closer wanting nothing more than to feel the softness of her lips when they brush with mine. Her lids lower as she gives me a sultry sigh of wanting the same thing. The car behind me honks, and the moment is lost. I glare up at my rearview mirror to see my neighbor looking a little peeved. Cat snickers at our luck.

We meet my dad and half of my family at one of the hundred local Mexican restaurants here in the small town of Magnolia. This one’s called Mí Rancho, and I pray they don’t make me wear the sombrero while they sing Happy Birthday to me. I cut Dad a glare that tells him he’d better keep the mortifying request to himself tonight. I introduce Cat to the rest of the family, and she fits right in. Even my grandfather seems to like her. He gives her the same line he used on Brennen about teaching me everything he knows on how to impress the ladies. Cat laughs and asks him if he has any new tricks to teach me.

I beam at her. My chest fills with pride that she’s here with me tonight. The memory of the last family dinner tries to resurface, with Brennen playing the role of heartbreaker as she dumps me in front of my whole family. She told me she wanted us to see other people. My brain clicks suddenly as if it’s just now putting together the missing link in the timeline. She wanted to be free to date Elijah. That asshole is the “other people.” Son of a bitch! The revelation hits me like a thousand volts of electricity. Cat shifts in her seat, and her brows form a small ‘v’ between her captivating eyes. I want to tell her everything, but I don't want to be the guy bringing all his baggage to a new relationship, if it will even culminate to that. I try and ease her with a smile, but I don't for a minute think she bought it.

My mind remains elsewhere for the rest of dinner, and by the time we arrive at the festival, I’m kicking myself in the ass for not realizing Brennen was playing games with our hearts long before I was ever possessed– snapped– went coo coo for Cocoa Puffs, whatever the hell happened to me that caused me to lose it. The other part of me is kicking myself in the ass for ruining our first date. Cat is special and I should be treating her like a princess tonight, not wallowing in misery.

True to my prediction Mia and Maci take off toward a group of girls I recognize as their best friends. “Keep your phones handy and I’ll call you when I’m ready to leave…and stay together.”

“
Alright Mister, now that we're finally alone, I think it's time I exacted a little payback for the way you've practically ignored me tonight,” she says with a smile on her face. She slips her hand into mine and tugs me toward the carnival.

“
Cat, I'm really sorry. I sort of had this revelation at dinner that... You know what? It doesn’t matter because it's in the past.”

“
You're darn right it's in the past. There is nothing you can do to change it, but I'm here with you. I'm living a million miles from home, here with you tonight, and I am hell bent on having a good time. So, please step up and take your punishment like a man.”

I glance around and see where she's led me. Flashing lights twirl around a sign that reads,
“One dollar a throw” with a giant tank of ice cold water waiting for its next victim like an inky black water grave. She fishes a twenty dollar bill from somewhere inside her bountiful bosom and slaps into the man's hand. Shit!

The man dressed in a dingy white shirt and coveralls waves his arm for me to follow him up the stairs dramatically as if he we're turning letters on The Wheel of Fortune. Cat releases my hand, and a smile crosses my face even though I know I deserve a fate far worse than this tonight. Getting plunged into an ice bath by her almost feels like foreplay. I have a feeling Cat always comes out on top. Maybe that's how she got her nickname. I pull off my boots and trudge up the stairs to sit on the round circle, spring hinged to give way when she hits the bull’s-eye.

“Hey Cat, you ever play softball?” I ask trying to gauge her aim.

“
Nope.” She winds up her arm and chucks the first ball. It pings the metal backboard just shy of the bull’s-eye.

“
You ever shoot a deer?”

“
Nah.” She throws again and it tips the sign. I brace myself for the release, but it wasn't hard enough.

“
Did I mention I was sorry?”

Her brows peak up, and she narrows her eyes on me. With all of her anger and adorable scrunched up nose, she fires again and misses completely. She stomps the ground and begins tossing every ball at the sign as fast as she can. I've hurt her. I never meant to hurt her, yet I've gone and done just that once again without even being aware of the fact that I had. Finally by pure luck, she hits her mark, and the seat releases me into the tank. The water seizes me by my man parts and chills me to the bone.  I break the surface, and the man in coveralls helps me out of the tank. He tosses me a towel. I dry my face off while Cat looks at me with a satisfied smirk on her face.

“I promise. You have my full attention from now on. I'm sorry I let you down tonight. I've been a shitty date.”

She stares into me as if she could read every thought in my head to decide for herself if I'm telling the truth.
“It's alright Sam. I'm sure you can find a way to make it up to me.” She flashes a gorgeous smile at me, and I feel like the luckiest man on the planet right now. To be half drowned by Cat Emerson is a privilege I would gladly pay the toll for each night, if it meant getting that smile to come across her face.

“
Now that I'm soaking wet and barefoot, what game should we play next? I hear there's a tar and feathering booth on the next lane over, should you want to add some stickiness to the situation,” I say holding my boots in my hand looking like a six foot tall wet rag.

Cat gives a soft laugh and runs her fingers through my dripping wet hair as the wheels spin in her head.
“Hold that thought.” She leads me to the main street and as much as I hate to admit it, I'd be willing to follow Cat anywhere she wants to go tonight. Life with her would never be boring. I can bet my life on that. There is a small market set up in this section - booths from all walks of life selling apple butter to glow sticks and loads in between. She stops at one that has some gaudy Fourth of July board shorts and purchases them with matching flip flops. Oh hell no!

She stuffs the items into my hands as if she has solved the problem.
“Um Cat, what's their return policy?”

“
All sales final man,” the teenager working the booth calls out.

“
Sam you have a patriotic duty to wear these today. You were born on the Fourth of July, and I bet not once have you ever had those beautiful butt cheeks decorated with both stars and stripes simultaneously. Now go make your country proud and put these on.”

Her voice is dripping with sarcasm, and she lights up my face once again tonight. I cock my head to the side and agree to don the worst outfit ever just to make her happy.

“I'm parked in that field just over there. It’s dark enough, so come cover me.”

We dash across the street and into the grassy lot. I shield myself with the door, and Cat turns her back as she stands in front of me while I peel off my soaked jeans and underwear. I slip into the shorts as quick as I can manage. When I turn around, I catch her just turning back from taking a peek at my bare bottom. My face fills with heat knowing she's curious about my body. I toss my wet things in the back of the truck and pop the tailgate down.

“Do you want to sit out here with me for a little while? I have a cooler full of Cokes.”

“
Sounds like fun to me.” She smiles coyly, and my hands slide around her waist to help her hop up to the tailgate. I grab my guitar from the back seat and take it out of its soft cover. She grabs a couple of ice cold drinks from the cooler, and I sit beside her. I play a few notes to check the tuning.

“
I didn't know you played the guitar. I love that about you.” Her eyes are full of admiration and loyalty. If I would give Cat the chance, she'd treasure my heart and care for it forever. I just intrinsically know this about her. I can't explain how.

I play a song I just learned this summer. It's called
“It Sure'd Be Cool if you Did”, by Blake Shelton. It reminds me of Cat and her fearless ways. I want to make up for being such a clod earlier. Cat's face lights up as I play, and I'm dying to share an agonizingly slow first kiss with her. After the song, I put my guitar aside and turn my body to invite her into my arms. She scoots in resting her back against my chest and everything about her makes me want to cover her in kisses.

I slip Cat’s hand into mine, and that same surge fills me with a sensation I’ve never felt. It’s as if I need to touch her, like all the time. I wonder if she feels it too. She turns her face up towards mine, and I lower my head so that I'm just inches away from her sweet soft lips. Fireworks scream through the sky and explode into dazzling displays of reds and blues above our head. Cat is my personal explosive device. She has the power to detonate my heart tonight if she chooses to. She's dazzling and glorious like a sparkler lit up and burning brightly. She has captivated me.

I finally close the gap between us and move over her lips just barely brushing mine with hers. Her hand slides up to my face, and I kiss her achingly slow. I want this feeling to linger for days. I want Cat to dream about this kiss for an eternity. My hands hold her close to my chest, and hers move through my hair. My tongue sweeps over hers, and I'm lost in a sea of emotions. This is an entirely new feeling. I've never felt this way kissing anyone, even Brennen, and the revelation of this is life changing. Maybe she wasn't the girl of my dreams. Maybe my heart led me down the wrong path for a reason. I don't care to dwell on it because Cat's sensual mouth melding with mine is euphoric. We could be out here for days like this and never come up for air or food. I deepen the kiss to let her know I'm all in. Her hands find their way under my shirt and caress my heated skin. The combination has me longing for more, and I think she feels the same way. But my sisters keep crisscrossing my thoughts, and I know I'd better check on them. I slow things down with Cat, so that we can finally pry our lips apart. Her gaze washes over me, and I can see the longing in her eyes. I am falling for her hard and fast.

I take my phone out and shoot both of them a text asking if their ready to go. It's after nine, and the festival is about to end soon. Cat traces swirls along my knee before her hand wanders up my thigh. God, I hope they reply yes and soon. The evidence of Cat's touch is become increasingly difficult to contain.

“Do you want to grab a snack while we wait for them?” she asks. I nod as she takes my hand and jumps down from the truck bed.

“
What's your poison? Fried Twinkies? Chocolate dipped bacon? Turkey leg?” She laughs probably never experiencing the calorie laden carnie food America has to offer.  I stow my guitar and we take off back to the carnival.

The dulcet aroma of funnel cakes wafts through the air along with the scent of her shampoo again. I bury my nose in the top of her head as we wait in line and plant a kiss there. The streets are filled to capacity, and all I want to do is be alone with Cat again and soon. It’s like now that I’ve finally let her in, I can’t get enough. Cat is a buzz of caffeine through my veins, a jolt of lightening to my brain. I’m finally awake and aware of the life that’s been happening around me while I slept in that damn coma of heartache for so long.

She orders beignets from a French bakery stand, and Mia finally texts back. They are in line for one last ride. She asks that we meet them by the Zippo. Cat takes me by surprise as she pops a beignet in my mouth covered in powdered sugar. I bite down on the pillow of softness and think about how it compares to her plush lips. She sweeps her lips across mine and cleans a stray plume of sugar from the edge of my lip. My body aches to be closer to Cat, and I hate that she pulls away a second later.

A local band is playing Zydeco music as we pass by. Cat pulls me in for a closer look and then onto the dance area marked out with a rope line. She moves against me, teasing me with her soft silky dress and her skin now set to fire under this Texas heat wave.

“You are not like anyone I've ever known,” I whisper next to her cheek. She replies with a coy smile that is my undoing.

I crash my lips over hers and pour out a kiss so sweet and pure she won’t think twice about my past or the certainty of our future. Her body sinks into mine, and my hands rub along her back aching to touch her bare skin. I finally manage to pry my body off of hers, which wasn't an easy task.

“I think we'd better get my sisters before they spot a skinny jean wearing cowboy-wanna-be and Face time stalk him.”

“
Your sisters deserve more credit than you give them. They are actually quiet demur when the opposite sex is concerned.” I let her have her point. Little does she know I know those girls are hiding far more than they let on. They are sneaky little things, and I probably should have kept more of an eye on them tonight. They are starting to have a figure, and if I'm noticing, I'll bet the farm other boys their age are too.