Free A Summer Romance by Tracey Smith Page A

and she wanted to
run to him in her nervous excitement but she wasn’t sure which
Aaron she would find, the playful flirt, or the sad man who had
come to once again warn her away. She stopped when she reached the
top of the steps and waited.
    “I just wanted to make sure you made it home
safe.” His tone was somber. Her heart fell a little. She heard the
porch creak as he took a few steps in her direction. The night was
dark; there was no moon. She felt him approach and saw when he was
close. She reached out and grasped his wrist.
    “Please stay.” The whispered plea was the
same one she’d made at the barbeque, but the implication this time
was so much more. She heard his rapid intake of breath. She held
her own waiting for his response.
    “The fireworks will be starting soon,” she
added. “We should be able to see them from my balcony.” She let her
hand slip from his wrist to his palm and wove her fingers through
his. “Stay,” she whispered again, stepping closer so that her chest
pressed against his.
    “For the fireworks?” his voice was
strained.
    “For me.” She could feel his heart pounding
in his chest. He leaned his forehead down against hers.
    “I should go,” he said reluctantly.
    “But do you want to?” she challenged.
    “No,” he conceded. “I keep telling myself I
need to stay away from you. But it doesn’t seem I can.”
    She smiled and turned from him, pulling him
by the hand into the house.
    They crossed through the first floor without
turning on a single light. She led him up the stairs to her room.
Neither of them said a word. She passed the bed without looking at
it, but was overwhelmingly aware of its presence. They stepped out
onto the balcony as the first firework exploded in the
distance.
    “Perfect timing.” She smiled up at him to
see that he was staring at her intently.
    “Is it?” he asked, and she had a feeling he
was not referring to the fireworks. Nonetheless she stepped up to
the banister to watch the show, unwilling to lose this moment with
him.
    He stood close behind her; she could feel
his proximity. She leaned her back against his chest as she watched
the fireworks on the horizon. Tentatively he brought his hands to
her waist. She could feel his breath on her nape so she cocked her
head slightly to the side to expose the length of her neck to him.
He skimmed the tip of his nose along the curve of her neck. His
hands gripped her hips firmly. She held onto the banister as she
pressed back against him.
    The fireworks in the distance began to
increase in tempo and frequency as the grand finale signaled the
end of the show. Maggie’s heart raced with anticipation as she
thought about what would come next. She could feel Aaron’s breath
coming faster, his heart pounding in rhythm with hers. As the last
firework erupted on the skyline he gripped her arms and spun her
around to face him, claiming her mouth in one fierce move. She
surrendered to him completely, molding her body to his as she went
limp in his arms. He held her to him as his tongue explored her
mouth, the fireworks continued to erupt inside her.
    Abruptly he broke the kiss, simultaneously
holding her up yet pushing her away.
    “I shouldn’t have done that,” he said with
his head bowed away from her, his hands still gripped her arms to
hold her up.
    “Yes you should have,” she disagreed,
finding her voice.
    “There are things you need to know about
me,” he said, looking back to her and meeting her eyes.
    “Then tell me,” she said as the strength
came back into her legs and she tried to take a step closer. He
released his hold on her arms and stepped away. She wasn’t
deterred. She walked back into the bedroom, knowing he would
follow. She took a seat on the settee by the French doors and
waited for him to join her. He sat beside her on the small couch,
but didn’t meet her eyes.
    “I don’t know where to start,” he said with
his head bowed. The room was still dark, but they were close