Overcoming Fear (Growing Pains #2)(14)

She couldn’t fall again, and get crushed, no matter how good it felt.

Chapter Four

Sean looked down at Krista. She was so breathtakingly beautiful. Her heart-shaped lips were slightly open, her whole body was open to him. He could kiss her. She was resisting this, but completely vulnerable and she wouldn’t stop him…

He took a big step back.

“Shall we head in?” he asked in a quiet, soothing way.

He had to keep her comfort level up or he’d lose her. After today, he did not want that to happen. He was still in the game, whether she wanted to admit it or not. He would get her in the end. One thing he had in plenty was perseverance and determination.

Also blue balls, but that was another story.

“I’ll just hang out a minute, if you don’t mind. I’ll see you in there in a sec.”

“No problem. Take your time.”

Sean had no choice but to leave her. He was turned on, uncomfortable, and very near the end of his control. If he stuck around, he’d let her hands go south.

Why hadn’t he let her hands go south? From where he stood right now, with a body’s worth of blood in his groin, he was badly regretting that decision.

“Hey Sean.”

Darleen. Darleen and her huge rack. Oh holy hell—what was this? Karma? He didn’t even believe in karma!

“Hey Darleen. Excuse me.” Sean eased around her, squeezing his eyes shut and keeping his hands in the air as her breast scraped against his chest.

He met Ray on his way across the yard.

“Hey…”Ray looked at him askew. “You okay?”

“No,” Sean said through gritted teeth. “I kissed her. Then got rejected. Now I’m trying to be good. It’s torture. Not sure she’s worth it.”

A shit-eating smile smeared Ray’s face. “It’s good for you.”

“I don’t care what lessons you had in mind, Ray, this is not good for me. I’m going to go listen to some racist jokes. I’m hoping they’ll take the wind out of my sails.”

“Go jump in the pool. It’s cold.” Ray laughed and shook his head. “I like her more and more. But it is worth it. If she ever does give in, you’ll have manners.”

“I don’t want manners, Ray, I want—“

Ray gave him a warning look. “You want manners. Go talk to Mable. Tell her you’re German. She just learned a bunch of German jokes. Or Jewish. She always has a million of those.”

“She is Jewish!”

“Only when she’s not telling Jewish jokes.”

Sean shook his head.

~*~*~*~

When Krista got back to the table her face was dry and the outlook was gloomy. The one good thing was that Sean was hanging out with an old woman who yelled a lot. He didn’t seek solace with a young, cute chick. That would have severely ruined her day.

More so than it already was.

“What’s going on?” Kate asked through the fog.

“Sean kissed me.”

“What?” Jasmine said. Kate just stared.

Ben got up and tried to walk away, but Jasmine grabbed him by the pants and pulled him back down.

“This is girl talk,” Ben said.

“Then you just grew a vagina. This is about a guy you know. We need the male perspective on this.”

“Then, as a guy, you won’t meet better. He would bend over backwards to help a friend. As a woman, I say steer clear. I would hate to see you get hurt, Krista.”

“You guys, I said no to him. I kissed him, yes—he’s hot. How the hell do you say no to that?” Kate and Jasmine nodded. It was reason enough. “But after that I said no. He respected that.”

“That was why he was walking so stiffly. I wondered,” Jasmine said as she looked toward Sean and the lady who was currently nudging him. He was grim-faced.

Ben got up again.

“Let him go,” Krista said. “That way I can give you details.”

“I’ll be with Sean and the racist,” Ben said, scurrying away. Girl talk scared him. Rightly so.

No sooner did Ben run for his life than Ray showed up with beers.

“Hi ladies, thought I’d bring refreshments,” he said with a smile as he sat down. “Also thought I would get in that interview.”

“These are the best interviews I’ve ever had,” Kate said, shimmying to get comfortable.

“I am generally a tougher sell than Sean, however,” Ray replied solemnly.

Krista minutely shook her head at the girls. Absolutely untrue statement.

“We didn’t bring our portfolios, though,” Jasmine said.

“That’s okay. How about you just give me an example of the hardest project you have ever worked on.” Ray crossed his arms on the wooden table and waited patiently.

Kate and Jasmine exchanged glances. Then looked at Krista.

“Aw, c’mon you guys—you’re gonna cite the final project for Statistical Mechanics aren’t you?”

They both nodded. Ray looked on patiently.

“Seriously, that wasn’t the hardest project you’ve ever done. Be honest.”

“She has a point,” Jasmine conceded, looking at Kate. “It wasn’t the hardest project content-wise. I will give her that.”