Page 66 of Wild Heart
I had a thought. For a fleeting moment I considered asking him if he’d really be okay with my lips being on it. That was thenatural thing for me; that’s what I would have done if things hadn’t taken that turn between us. Now, I held back.
Because based on what I just saw, it was likely that Tate would make it clear just how much he’d want my lips in other places.
But even if I couldn’t bring myself to say precisely what was on my mind, when I took the tube from him, I didn’t hesitate to apply it as slowly as I could.
“Thanks,” I said when I handed it back to him.
“You’re welcome. Now, would you like me to zip your jacket back up, or do you think you can handle it?”
I rolled my eyes. “I think I’ve got it.”
“Just checking.”
I zipped up my jacket without incident and reached for my gear. And as Tate and I made our way back to the top of the trail, he said, “You know, I should be thanking you.”
“For what?”
“You just gave me an idea for some improvements on the chocolate at work. Maybe we need to have an alternative to the foil paper most of our chocolate is wrapped in. It would work wonders for people like you,” he teased.
My eyes were focused on the ground, but a smile formed on my face. I stepped closer to him and shoved him playfully with my shoulder. “I’m glad my misfortune could give you your next big idea.”
“It could be huge, Ava. Maybe I’ll work out a royalty schedule for you when it takes off.”
I stopped walking, which led Tate to do the same. My eyes roamed over his face. “I’d take a lifetime of your friendship instead.”
The corners of his eyes crinkled as his features softened. Then he wrapped his arm around my back, his hand landing on my opposite shoulder. “You’re getting that regardless.”
Peace settled over me, the remaining tension vanishing. And for just a few seconds, I allowed myself to melt into his hold until we reached the top of the trail.
And from that point forward, we had a great day together. Tate spent more time with me, insisting he was doing it in case I found myself in any more predicaments. It had been such a fun-filled afternoon—the finger licking portion of the morning popping into my mind every now and then.
Now, we were here, teamed up to play Trivial Pursuit against the rest of the family, and I wondered how the evening would go. At Ivy’s question of whose turn it was, I answered. “It’s Cooper and Skye’s turn.”
Skye picked up the die, turned to Cooper, and said, “You roll.” He tossed the die onto the board, and Skye evaluated their options. “Purple or green. So, either Arts & Literature or Science & Nature.”
Cooper laughed. “I wasn’t bad at science, but I’ll take my chances with Arts & Literature. You’ve got to be the most capable person to answer any of those questions.”
She rolled her eyes. “No pressure, right?”
“I have faith in you.”
Tate said, “Okay, so here’s your question. InThe Great Gatsby,what color is the light that Gatsby sees at the end of Daisy’s dock?”
“Oh, this is just plain unfair,” Wyatt grumbled, as the smile spread across Skye’s face.
She looked at Cooper and asked, “Do you want to take a shot at this one?”
He laughed, shaking his head. “I’ll let you handle it.”
“The answer is green.”
“Here’s your purple wedge,” Ivy said, holding her hand out to Skye.
Cooper leaned over, kissed Skye on the mouth, and said, “Excellent job, sweetheart.”
She melted, and my heart squeezed. I was so happy for them, wondering if Tate and I would be able to get ourselves to some place similar.
“Ivy and Liam are up next.”