Free A Season for Hope (Sarra Cannon) by Sarra Cannon

you scared of heights or something?”
    “No,” he says. “I’m just scared of really deep, possibly shark-infested waters. Especially when it’s dark outside. Haven’t you ever seen Jaws?”
    I sigh. “There aren’t any great white sharks off the coast here,” I say.
    “How do you know?” he asks. He leans cautiously over the side and looks down. “There could be anything under the curtain of that darkness.”
    I put my hands on the wooden railing and lift my chin as the wind blows across my cheeks. My ears are freezing, so I lift my hands up to my bun and let my hair down.
    Inside the center of the bun, my hair is still a little bit wet. I run my hands through it and shake my head, letting it fall heavy down my back.
    The wind whips it across my face, and I close my eyes.
    “This is one of my favorite feelings in the whole world,” I say, breathing in the crisp smell of salt water.
    Judd steps closer, warmth radiating from his body. Something in the air between us shifts. He runs a hand through my hair, pushing it behind my ear and placing his palm against my face.
    I open my eyes, my heart racing uncontrollably.
    When I turn to face him, I recognize the desire in his eyes.
    Only tonight, there’s no alcohol to fuel it. It’s pure and real and undeniably hot.
    I lean into his hand, my flesh burning under his touch. His fingers twitch slightly, as if he wants to pull me closer.
    I want to kiss him, but I’m scared. I don’t want to be rejected again. I don’t want to misunderstand. And I don’t want to fall too fast just because I’m so hungry for something to heal my broken heart.
    But I’m helpless to stop it.
    When he leans down, he stops short, waiting for me to make a decision. I lift my head ever so slightly and he closes the space between us, his fingers tangling in the hair at the nape of my neck. He takes my mouth more forcefully than he did last night, and my body lights up at the first meeting of our lips.
    Our mouths open and our tongues explore, our bodies press together.
    My hands slip around his waist. I’m so aware of the fabric at the edge of his shirt, wanting nothing more than to slide my hand under and up. To feel the warm skin underneath and the hard muscles I know I’ll find along his back.
    I want it so badly, I almost can’t control the desire.
    He releases my lips and moves his kisses along the line of my chin. When he gets closer to my ear, he whispers, “You’re so beautiful.”
    I immediately want to tell him he’s wrong. That he must not see me for some reason. But I hold it in, letting myself hear him. Not quite believing, but for the first time in a long time, wanting to believe.
    Chapter Twelve
     
    Judd and I spend the rest of the evening walking along the beach, popping into shops along the boardwalk before we finally give in to the cold and head back to his car.
    He rolls down the windows of his car and turns on the local radio station, which is playing nonstop Christmas music for the entire month of December. He pops the trunk of his beat-up Toyota and pulls out a large blue blanket.
    I laugh. “So not only do you always come prepared with bandages for when you accidentally injure a girl, you also carry a king-size blanket in your trunk for romantic moments.”
    His eyes widen. “I can put it back in the trunk if you’re going to make fun of it,” he says, looking so serious. “Big blue has been with me for a long time.”
    “Big blue?” I ask. My stomach muscles hurt from laughing so much. “Please tell me you didn’t actually name your blanket.”
    “Oh yes I did,” he says. He slams the trunk closed and motions for me to sit down on the hood of the car. I climb up and he wraps the blanket around my shoulders. “I’ve had this blanket since I was a kid. We’ve had some good times.”
    “I bet,” I say.

“When my brother and I were little, my mom bought us matching blankets. His was red, mine was blue.” He climbs up beside me and we snuggled