One Wish Read Online Free PDF Page B

like.”
    “Oh, I’ve never touched a gun,” she said. “I couldn’t hunt.”
    “Then I’ll take you for the scenery.”
    Just then, as they were talking about guns, something that sounded like gunshots punctuated the night. Almost as if choreographed, they both turned to open the shutters behind the couch. In the sky above the bay, fireworks blasted the dark sky, exploding into bright fireballs and falling in sparkling streamers.
    “Fireworks,” she said in a breath.
    “The wind has been too high in the couple of years I’ve been here,” Troy said. “I think Cliff hires someone to do it. Not bad, for a dumpy little town.”
    “This place surprises me all the time.”
    Troy turned to her and caught her chin in his finger and thumb. He leaned his forehead against hers. “Me, too.”
    “Listen, Troy,” she said, and there was no mistaking nervousness in her voice. “I... There are things...”
    He stopped her by kissing her gently. He slid his hand around her head to the nape of her neck under her ponytail. His kiss was soft, brief and gentle. Instinct told him he was dealing with a major unknown emotional situation and should go slowly, carefully. He moved over her lips very tenderly.
    “What things?” he asked.
    She took a breath. “I didn’t exactly tell the whole story about my family, about growing up...”
    “I know,” he said.
    “How? Do you know things about me? Is there something...”
    “Shh,” he said. “I’m a high school teacher. I can smell excuses and evasion a mile away. It’s an acquired skill. So there’s more to you? That’s okay, Gracie. Don’t panic. You’ll tell me when you feel safe.”
    “Okay?” she said, more of a question than a reply.
    He chuckled. “Okay. We’re just friends. And we’re getting to know each other. Take it easy.”
    Then he leaned in again, taking another taste of her lips as the popping, exploding sound of fireworks provided the background music. Again he was gentle and sweet because the last thing he wanted was to scare her off.
    “I’m not experienced,” she whispered when their lips parted.
    “Well, except for the navy SEAL, knight and vampire?” he asked with a laugh in his voice.
    She smiled against his lips. “Yes, except for them there aren’t many experiences. I made out with a guy named Johnny when I was fifteen. For about ten hours I think. He was fantastic and turned out to be gay. Such has been my luck.”
    He gave her a little kiss. “I’m not.”
    “Yeah, I was afraid of that.”
    “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “It’s all good.”
    “Should we be down on the dock, watching the fireworks?” she asked.
    “Uh-uh,” he said, shaking his head. “We should be right here.” Then his arms tightened around her and he covered her mouth again with kisses that had become hot, demanding and promising.
    * * *
    Troy left at around one in the morning but Grace stayed on the couch. She grabbed a pillow and blanket and decided to spend the night right there, where it all happened, where the kissing and snuggling and whispering took place. She was still licking her lips, touching them with her fingertips, contemplating his skill, his taste. The last time she’d been kissed was in Portland by a nephew of Ross and Mamie’s. That was over two years ago. His name was Gary, last name long forgotten. He’d attached himself to her mouth like a plunger and attempted a tonsillectomy with his tongue. He’d gotten away with that three times before she finally told him to stop.
    There were some things for which she had very little training and one of them was romantic relationships. She hadn’t been in a position to have boyfriends. And if she did have a crush, which happened rarely, her flirting felt conspicuous and clumsy. She’d had a crush on Troy, as it happened, but because she was Iris’s friend and Troy had been trailing Iris for a year, she never let on. Growing up, she trained mostly alone, the only exception being her