Chapter 27

Opening the sliding glass door, a cool blast of air greeted Gavin and me, along with the tantalizing aroma of homemade apple pie. “Ahh. Air conditioning and a delicious tasty treat. Suh-weet! I can totally go for this,” Gavin applauded our change of venue.

“Me, too,” I chimed in. “An oasis from the heat.”

Securing the door behind us, I crossed the kitchen and draped the blanket on the back of the closest barstool while Gavin deposited the picnic basket on top of the countertop near the kitchen sink. He then leaned against the doorjamb leading into the dining room and watched as I returned to the oven. “Let’s see how this is coming along,” I proposed. Lowering the oven door, I peered inside. Poking the pie with a fork, I sighed. “It’s still not done. I have no idea what the trick is for getting this thing to finish baking. I’ve never had this happen before.” I glanced over at Gavin, hoping he’d contribute some brilliant idea.

He shrugged and smiled. “I can wait.”

I punched in a few numbers on the oven timer and pressed start again. “In the meantime?” I looked at Gavin, fishing for a Plan B.

“In the meantime, you can share that song with me you’ve been working on. I keep hearing how good it is. Maybe we can turn it into a duet.” His eyes sparkled as he spoke.

“The song is barely finished,” I began to object. “Not to mention, you don’t know the words.”

“So? I’m a quick learner. You can teach me. Come on! I want to hear it.” He reached for my hand and led me through the dining room into the living room to the piano.

“I guess we can give it a try.” Pulling out the piano bench, I located the sheet music inside then bench then spread the pages across the piano’s wooden stand. “You want to do the harmony, right?” I confirmed, taking a seat.

Gavin’s dimples became pronounced as he smiled. “I’ll do whatever you want, Babe.”

Babe? Intimate name calling? How am I supposed to decode these mixed messages? I wondered to myself. Making room for Gavin next to me on the bench, he sidled up close on my right side, making sure our legs touched. So, this is about getting cozy. I see what’s going on here, I smirked.

“Oh, look, words!” Gavin winked, pointing to the lyrics in front of us.

I rolled my eyes. “Yes, the song has words,” I confirmed, jabbing him in the ribs. “I never said it didn’t.” He laughed.

Nudging my arm by bumping against me with his, Gavin continued to play. “Feisty! Feisty!”

I elbowed him back, making him scoot to the edge of the bench. “You know it. Now, do you wanna hear this song or don’tcha?” I paused, anticipating his next quip.

Gavin grinned and motioned to the piano keys. “Go for it. Show me whatcha got.”

I took in a deep breath, stretching my fingers and cracking my knuckles. “Just remember, I only finished putting this together about a week ago, so I’m not promising what it will sound like.”

“You’ll do fine,” he rallied, “besides, I’m pretty forgiving.”

Trying to push past the sudden onset of nerves, I fiddled with the keys and fumbled over two renditions of “Jesus Loves Me” to warm up before my anxiety trumped my confidence. “Sorry. I’m just not up to playing today. Maybe I can share it with you some other time,” I apologized, sliding the piano’s hard wooden cover over the keys. Truth is, I can’t think straight with you sitting right beside me, but maybe that was your plan all along, I thought to myself.

Gavin shifted his weight, murmuring in my ear. “Well, I thought it was beautiful.”

“It was?” I turned my head, only to find myself staring at Gavin’s lips.

“Mmhmm, just like you.” His right hand found my face, his gentle touch causing me to hold my breath. He traced the left side of my cheek with his fingers and tucked a few loose hairs behind my ear. “You’re so pretty,” he whispered, “and real. I like that.”

“You’ve said that before,” I smiled, referencing our first kiss.

“Well, it’s true,” he answered, his words displaying a type of reverence. “You are a genuinely beautiful person, Hope Blythe—inside and out. I’ve never met anyone like you before.” He paused a long moment, studying my face. “I can’t put my finger on it, but you do things to me I just can’t explain.” He became introspective, releasing a deep, drawn-out sigh. “For the past several years, I’ve tried to convince myself that I don’t want this—that you and I can only be friends–but after being around you all summer, and watching you with the kids during the youth meetings, it’s clear to me that I want so much more than friendship with you. I want you. I want this—whatever this is.”

Disbelief produced a moment of doubt in me, nerves cracking my voice as I met his gaze. “You do?” Are my ears deceiving me? Is this some kind of mind game? I wondered.

Gavin cupped the side of my face, allowing his fingers to intertwine with the hair at the nape of my neck. His free hand held onto the side of the bench by my right thigh, and his nose touched mine. “Mmhmm. I do.”

I felt the air seeping from my lungs, praying I wouldn’t pass out.

His eyes wandered across my face, taking in each freckle and flaw that peppered my nose and cheek line. When he spoke, the desire in his tone caused a shiver to run up my spine. He laid his finger on my mouth, letting it slide off my lower lip. “May I kiss you now?”

I whispered just loud enough for him to hear. “What if I say ‘No’?” A slow in-and-out rhythm controlled my breathing.

Confident. Unwavering. Intentional. He anticipated my response. “I don’t think you will.”

Stubbornness caused a cocky response to well up inside me, blood pulsing through my veins and swooshing past my ears. I tempted, teased, and tested his conviction. “Are you sure about that?”

He licked his lips, heightening my reality. “Are you asking me to stop?”

The playing ceased as I slowly shook my head, my forehead grazing his. As his lips touched mine, years of flirting and daydreaming and wondering how it would be melded into a second magical moment.

Gavin slowly removed his hand from the bench and purposefully encircled my waist, drawing me to him. As we melted into each other, I reached for his neck, pulling him closer. The deeper our kiss became the more passionate our bodies moved and the more I wanted him.

Standing, empowered with new purpose, Gavin slid one of his arms under my legs and wrapped his other arm around my waist, supporting my back as he lifted me off the bench and into his arms. Carrying me a few feet from the piano, he laid me on the carpet in the middle of the living room. Landing with a mild umph, I let out a nervous giggle. Gavin remained intense, his body hovering over mine as he proceeded kissing his way down the side of my neck, pawing at the collar of my shirt so he could suck freely on my collarbone. Scooping his face into my hands, I redirected his mouth to mine. His passion became more earnest. Sultry. Salacious. Determined. The allure of continued intimacy made my mind begin to reel, and I knew we needed to stop. I began to internally stress. But how do I bring this runaway train to a halt?

Pressing my hands against Gavin’s chest, I struggled to turn my face, trying to pry him from my lips. “No,” I whispered, fighting to catch my breath. “Slow down. You know I’m waiting for marriage.”

Gavin captured both of my hands with his, lacing his fingers through mine and pressing them to the floor, pinning me between the carpet and his heavy, masculine physique. “We’ve waited a long time for this,” he reminded me. “You know you want this as much as I do. Enjoy the moment.” After kissing up the other side of my neck, he focused on sucking my lower lip, deepening our kiss again.

Gasping for air, I pressed my back into the carpet, attempting to free myself from his control. “I need you to stop,” I insisted. “I should have never encouraged this.” His testosterone-induced strength confined my movement, and it didn’t take long for me to learn his dominance outweighed my request. “Gavin, listen to me,” I panted. “This is going too fast. Let’s take a breather.”

“I thought you wanted me,” he enticed, his heavy breathing matching mine. Freeing his right hand from mine, he ran it up the side of my bare leg until he snagged it on the edge of my short shorts. Feelings I’d never experienced before sent sensations shooting through my extremities, raising my back off the floor. Gavin smiled as my body responded to his touch, excited to be getting an immediate reaction. Capturing my lips in another kiss, he forced me back against the floor, pressing into me with his groin.

“I do. Lord knows how much!” I confessed. “But not like this. We’re not even dating.” I began to panic as Gavin began pushing past my boundaries. Those classes in school about deciding to abstain from sex before marriage are making so much more sense now, I confessed to God. There’s absolutely nothing normal about saying no in this moment, but I need him to hear me. I need him to stop.

“You need to get off of me,” I huffed. “I mean it, Gavin. Stop. Now.”

“Feisty, are we?” he chuckled. “I can play, too.” He reached for my other leg, grabbing my outer thigh.

“I’m not playing, Gavin. Get off me!” I placed the heel of my free hand against his collar bone and shoved with all my might.

Ring! Ring! Pause. Ring! Ring! The telephone beckoned from the kitchen wall, causing me to freeze at the sound. Oh, thank you, God! I freed an arm and extended it over my head, reaching for the phone. “I need to get that,” I panted. “Let me get up.”

“Ignore it,” he objected. Restraining my free hand with his, he placed his face in close proximity to mine. “This afternoon is about you and me. The rest of the world can wait. You’re all mine.” I let out a deep sigh and closed my eyes as he nibbled on my right ear.

“But, it might be important,” I argued, struggling against his weight. “I really should get it.” I don’t care how flimsy the excuse is. You need to listen to me.

“It can’t be that important,” he countered. “Nobody even knows you’re here. Remember? You’re supposed to be out on a picnic. They’re not expecting you to be home. You can call back later.” He tried distracting me with another kiss.

My concern deepened. He’s right. Nobody knows I’m here.