Authors: Melissa Frost
Chapter Six
“And then the pie exploded all over the kitchen!”
Ellie giggled uncontrollably at Alec’s story of lighting a firecracker in one of the Home Economics class’s freshly baked apple pies. “That’s awful…yet ridiculously hilarious. Why would you do such a thing?”
Alec placed his elbows on the table as he leaned closer to her, his eyes alight with mischief. “Run your foot up my ankle.”
She was so caught up in her amusement over his story that Alec’s request caught her completely off guard. Her reaction was a choked cough of surprise. “What?” Her voice was a shocked squeak.
“You’re laughing,” he explained. “You like me, right? Then let me know it’s cool to transition to the next stage. Trust me, Jake isn’t going to make a move unless you give him a sign. There’s nothing more blatant than playing footsie under the table.”
Ellie bit her lip nervously. “Okay.” This was where things got complicated for her. She’d never had to worry about things like giving boys a sign. She’d never had an interest in flirting, and she was finding herself more than a little nervous to take that first step. Tensely, she stretched her leg out toward his. In her apprehension, she overshot her target and kicked him roughly in the shin.
Alec flinched, his eyes tightening in pain. “That just tells me you want me to shut up.”
“Sorry.” Her brow scrunched with concern. “Are you okay?”
“I’ll live. My pride may not after being dissed like that, though.” With a shake of his head, he leaned back in his chair. “You need to ease into it, El. Be gentle.”
She jumped in her seat when his foot brushed against hers under the table.
Alec chuckled and repeated the action. “See? Easy. Sexy. It’s like a French kiss with your foot. Do the work your tongue would normally do.”
Ellie knew her face must be taking on a red hue of embarrassment. “I’ve never actually… Well, I’ve never…”
His eyebrows shot up in astonishment. “You’ve never French kissed a guy? I knew you were shy around the opposite sex but dang!”
“It’s not that big a deal.”
“It
is
that big a deal,” Alec argued. “You’re about to graduate high school, and you’ve never been good and kissed!” He studied her for a moment in silence. “Wanna try it?”
“Ew, no!” Her heart plummeted to her toes, and she fussed with her hair to calm her jittery nerves. “I’m not doing…
that
for the first time in front of a restaurant full of strangers!”
He shrugged. “Your loss.” Returning the conversation to their feet, he said, “Just try to do your best then. Move your foot against mine in a gentle caress. Don’t make it any more than a light brush, or it’s like you’re blatantly asking him to take you to some sleazy motel for sex.”
“Oh really, Alec,” she complained with a huff. “That’s just silly.”
He shook his head. “Slutty girls play full on footsie. Don’t do it.”
She rolled her eyes at his dramatics but followed his instructions. She brushed her foot ever so gently against his. When his foot responded, it sent a delightful tingle down her spine. Feeling extremely conflicted by this, she jumped away. “Okay. I get it. Be subtle. Can we move on to something less creepy?”
“Creepy. Thanks,” Alec said sarcastically. “After I helped you find a suitable dinner.”
Her eyes dropped to her nearly empty bowl. “The salad was very delicious. It was a good call on your part to go for the crab.”
“Just goes to show how well I know your taste buds.” He threw his cloth napkin down to the table. “Now let’s go do some dancing.”
Ellie froze. She knew horror must be written plainly across her face, but she couldn’t contain her distress. “Dancing?” Her heart pounded a frightened tempo in her chest. She’d barely managed to master walking in her heels. Dancing was a completely different challenge, one she wasn’t sure she was ready for. “I don’t know, Alec,” she said slowly.
“Better to fall on your face now in front of me than in front of Jake. Come on.” Climbing to his feet, he grabbed her hand and pulled her out of her chair.
“I could just not dance.” She threw the offer out there, knowing before she’d even finished that he would shoot it down. He was stubborn like that.
“If you refuse to dance, he’ll think you don’t like him. Forget it.” He gave a tug on her elbow, and suddenly she was in his arms. “You’re dancing.”
She saw no other option besides kicking him in the shin and running away – something impossible to do in heels. She gave in and placed her hands lightly on his shoulders.
Alec’s arms wrapped around her waist, and he pulled her close. “This is really very simple, El. It’s slow dancing. It’s hard to mess up. Just don’t step on my feet. If you can manage that, you’re fine.”
She bobbed her head distractedly. She was finding it hard to concentrate with the sudden musky smell of his cologne assaulting her senses. “Mmm-hmm.” She attempted to move in the same instance as him, and somehow her heel came down on his toes.
“Ow! I said
don’t
step on my foot. Why are you trying to lead? Just let your body sway in time to mine.”
“Lead?” she asked in confusion. Then realizing how hopeless she was, she said, “We should forget this. I’m never going to be—”
“Shut up and dance.” He tightened his grip on her waist when she made a feeble attempt to move away and pulled her closer. “Just follow what I’m doing. Let my body lead yours.”
She was completely tense, but as he started to sway to the soft music, she felt her body relaxing. Her shoulders eased and she melted against him, becoming pliant in his arms.
The front of his body pressed so closely to hers was a new experience she wasn’t quite sure she was comfortable with. He was warm and solid and…familiar in a way that itched at her soul. Her skin felt hot, and there was an uncomfortable emotion in her chest. One she did not want to be feeling…one she couldn’t be feeling. Not about Alec.
“Ellie!” His barking holler dragged her back from such thoughts. “That is the third time you’ve trampled my toes. It’s like you’re not even trying.” He scowled. “If you can’t lift your feet without hurting me, then you need to shuffle from side to side. At least Jake won’t lose a toe that way.”
“I…I…” She stared up at him in horror after the traitorous thoughts that had been running through her head. A girl wasn’t supposed to think such things about her best friend, especially when he was being so helpful. She licked her lips, took a deep breath, and silently berated herself to get her head on straight. “Sorry.” Taking his advice, she began shuffling her feet back and forth instead of lifting them. It saved her from stepping on his toes, but it upped the risk of her tripping.
“My feet thank you,” Alec said with a little chuckle. “Had I known you were going to tromp all over them, I might not have pushed so hard for the heels.”
Ellie smiled at him, some of her panic easing at his relaxed demeanor. “You did this to yourself.”
Alec shifted his hands, pressing one to her lower back as he pulled her closer. “This whole fiasco is your fault. If you weren’t so hopeless, we’d be at home right now watching the Islanders lose.”
“You usually don’t book dates on game night,” she said. In fact, he was usually dead set against it. Hockey came before girls. Always.
“I made an exception.” He grinned devilishly, his eyes shining in amusement. “I usually don’t have a good enough reason.”
“Wow.” She arched a brow at him, returning the playful banter. “Ellie comes before hockey. Aren’t I special?”
“You are.”
Her eyes widened at the husky tone of his voice. She would have sworn her heart stopped. She gazed up at Alec, feeling more confused than she’d ever been in her life.
His expression mirrored exactly how she felt – confused, unsure, and yet eager. Alec opened his mouth to speak, but she ruined the moment by tripping over her own feet.
She fell against his chest with a curse. “Shit!”
Alec caught her with a laugh. “Girls don’t say ‘shit’ on the first date. We’ve already been over the no swearing rule.”
She saw relief flash across his face as her ill-placed outburst broke up whatever moment they’d been caught in. She let out a laugh as the tension melted away as if it had never existed. “Shit. I forgot,” she said, purposely cursing again.
“You’re impossible.” He chuckled and shook his head of dark hair.
“No. These shoes are impossible,” she said with a giggle. “You’re a tyrant for making me wear them.” Balancing herself in his arms, she reached down to slip off the offending footwear. “I’m going barefoot.”
“Ellie,” he complained with an impatient growl. “That is… That is…”
She tossed the shoes toward their table and came back to him in her stocking-covered feet. She then did a playful little twirl to show off her new ability to move. Slipping back into his arms, she asked, “It’s what? And don’t you dare complain. I’m saving
your
feet, too.”
“It’s actually kind of sexy,” he said in a thick voice.
Her eyes widened as she looked up at him. The look he was giving her was intimate and full of tenderness. It had that uncomfortable feeling thumping in her chest again. This practice date had done nothing but confuse her more.
*
* * *
Ellie walked to her front door with her arm tucked into Alec’s. “This actually was a really fun night,” she reluctantly admitted. “I had my doubts, but date Alec is actually an okay guy.”
“You had doubts?” His tone was light and playful as he led her up the front walk. “You should have known I’m quite the catch way before now. I don’t know why it took you so long to figure it out.”
She shrugged a shoulder. “Oh, I don’t know. Could it be the usual behavior I see from you?” She poked him accusingly in the ribs. “Spraying me with your garden hose, burping, leaving your dirty gym shorts on your bedroom floor for weeks on end, and the many other boy faux pas you commit.”
“Dating Alec and hanging out at home Alec are like two different men.” He winked. “You’re one of the rare people who has ever gotten to see both sides of the coin. In fact, you might be the only one.”
She nodded with an affectionate smile. “No one knows you like I do.”
“No one,” he agreed.
As she reached the first step of the porch Alec tugged her hand to pull her to a stop. As she spun to face him, the question died in her throat when he cupped her face in his hands and pressed his lips to hers.
The kiss caught her by surprise. It came so suddenly that she didn’t have time to worry over what to do or how to react. She simply melted against him with a content sigh.
Alec swept her hair back from her face and deepened the kiss. His body moved forward to brush ever so gently along the front of hers.
This was unlike any kiss she’d ever experienced before. The few attempts she’d made of it in the past had been anything but spectacular. An awkward brush of lips. A quick, shy peck. This was…ethereal. This was what it was like to
really
be kissed.
Just when she thought it couldn’t get any better, he nudged her lips apart. His tongue grazed ever so gently across her bottom lip before flicking up to caress her own.
Her heart nearly stopped as she leaned closer to him, wanting more.
And just as suddenly, he pulled back. He took a few steps backward with an amused chuckle. “Very good. Do that Saturday and Jake will be putty.” He shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his slacks and bobbed his head in farewell. “I’ll see you Monday for the game?”
Ellie felt as if her brain had been fried. She couldn’t think. She couldn’t breathe. She just stared at him, feeling numb. Yet warmth was radiating through her chest, and she felt as if her skin was electrically charged. Knowing she needed to respond, she forced her head to nod. “Y…yeah. I’ll see you Monday.”
“See ya Monday.” With that, he turned and sauntered down the driveway to head to his own home.
She watched him retreat and tried to convince her heart to…stop…whatever it was it was doing. He’d kissed her. So what? It hadn’t meant anything. To either of them…right?
Not wanting to even entertain such a thought, she entered the house and ran quickly up the stairs to her room. She didn’t want to talk to her mother right now. Her mom would ask how things had gone, and she honestly wouldn’t have an answer. She was so damn confused.
Entering her room, she sank down onto her bed and dropped her head into her hands. After a few deep breaths, she lifted her head to gaze at the vase of flowers on her desk. What had seemed so offensive earlier now felt somehow different.
Everything
seemed different.
Chapter Seven
Ellie stared across the table at Jake and still couldn’t believe she was there. Seeing him outside of school awed her to begin with, but seeing him dressed up was almost too much for her mind to handle.
He was so unbelievably handsome. He was clean and poised in his dress pants, loafers, and button down shirt. His hair was tousled to perfection, and his blue eyes were alight with exuberance. He was so…perfect.
As for how he’d handled the beginning of their date…he’d done everything right. Everything. To start off the evening, he’d brought her a dozen black fire lilies, her favorite flower. She wasn’t even sure how he’d figured that one out. He’d held doors for her. He’d been a complete gentleman as well as entertaining…which was why she could not figure out why she wasn’t
feeling
anything.