Rock Candy Kisses(16)

Blake steps toward me in his blue-gray flannel, his inky dark jeans,  those speckled burning eyes, and I melt. Blake Daniels is perfection.  Just the sight of him makes all those butterflies that have been making  me insane instantly fly away. Something about his presence calms me. I  feel more relaxed and at home with him than I do with my entire family.  There's something special about Blake Daniels, that's for sure.

"You look"-he points to me before covering his face with his palm and  circling his hand over it. That's the ASL sign for beautiful.

I'm breathless that he learned to do that for me.

"Thank you," I mouth with a heartfelt sincerity. "You look"-I make the  letter H then touch my hand around my face in a circular  fashion-"handsome," I mouth.

He holds his hands out a moment and looks to the sky, and I laugh,  touching my hand to my lips to catch myself. I'm pretty good at silent  chuckles, but every now and again, one will escape, and my voice box  will get its monthly workout.                       
       
           



       

He gently takes my hand from my mouth his eyes penetrating intensely in mine. "That's okay. You have a beautiful voice."

My face burns with a fire all its own as he helps me into the truck, and  we head out. We pass the Black Bear, and I feel a sense of relief. I  know that what Baya said was true. I am an adult, and I can see and do  whatever I want, but a part of me very much wants my brothers' approval.  They've always been my heroes, and if I ever hurt them or let them down  it'll kill me.

We drive through Jepson then out into the countryside where crowded city  streets and skyscrapers are traded for acres of colorful maples and  wide-open sky. It occurs to me I have no idea where he's taking us, and  if I weren't so caught off guard by the fact he learned to sign the  sweetest thing possible, I would have asked.

Blake points up ahead, and a breath gets caught in my throat. An entire  row of tiny blips in the sky come into focus-hot air balloons.

Oh, God. I force a smile. I completely forgot. Something tells me today  is going to test my fear of heights in a whole new way. Why-why did I  ever mention hot air balloons? Crap! I'm going to pass out on this date  all right. Let's just hope I don't fall to my death in the process. Is  it even legal to put human beings in a basket attached to an oversized  balloon? Maybe he just wants to watch-safely from the ground with our  feet firmly planted on God's green earth.

He pulls into a parking space that reads departing passengers only. And, there's that.

Blake helps me out and nods to the sky. "You up for an adventure today?"

Will you be joining me on this adventure? I coyly point my phone at him.

"Yes." His brows dip, and his smile is lustful and sexy and a thousand  things I'm pretty sure my brothers would never ever approve of.

I'm in.

Blake and I head inside the tiny office and purchase tickets before we  watch a brief instructional video. Our pilot leads us out and helps me  over the basket. No door. No bathroom. Two things that distinguish us  from the animals I want to say but don't. I give a brief smile to the  sky because this is one nightmare I've dragged myself into.

"Are you okay?" Blake leans into me with that dark hair, those demanding  eyes, and all of my fears melt like butter. Well, almost. The very real  fear of breaking my neck in an accidental fall is still holding ground.

I give a slight nod, and, without thinking, my arms slip around his  waist. The balloon starts to wobble, and, before we know it, we're  levitating off the ground. The rush of wind blows my hair wild, and I  turn slightly to get it off my face. Blake slowly wraps his arms around  me, and I lean into his warm chest as all of Jepson, the colorful  patches of maples and oaks blur beneath us like a watercolor. Blake  points to the north where the entire hillside is alive with autumn  splendor-a breathless rainbow of fire-a world whose beauty you truly  need a bird's eye view to fully appreciate.

I pull out my phone. I can't believe how beautiful this is. Thank you. I  would never have been brave enough to do this without you.

His face inches back a bit as if he didn't believe it. "You make me  brave." An incredible sadness pulls down his features as he says it. He  glances over at the pilot who kindly mans the ship from the other side  of the basket. I suppose he's used to giving couples their share of  privacy although I hardly think Blake and I qualify as an official  couple.

His grip around me tightens, and it's only then I truly grasp the fact  that Blake and I are holding one another-granted it might have started  out as holding on for dear life, but his hands warm over my back, his  legs sit tight against mine. It feels different now, like something  more.

Blake leans back, examining me with a serious look of intent as if he's seeing me for the very first time.

A burst of fire explodes over his shoulder as the balloon rises even higher.

Blake's forehead creases, and his brows dip into a perfect V formation.  My insides quiver at how disarmingly handsome he is. Blake could be in  this hot air balloon with any girl of his choosing, and it's almost  impossible to believe I'm the girl he chose.

"Can I kiss you?" He says the words extra slow, determined that I understand.

My heart stops. I swallow hard, mustering just enough strength to nod yes.

Blake presses out a brief smile before leaning in with short staccato  moves, and my body pulses with a heartbeat all its own. My stomach  threatens to shoot out of my skull. My knees grow weak-my breathing  picks up until I'm panting right into him.

Blake comes to me and brushes his lips ever so softly over mine, light  as air, and my lids flutter open wondering if it happened at all.                       
       
           



       

I twist my lips holding back a smile as he tweaks his brows in a devious manner.

"How about another?" Blake leans in, and I close my eyes. His lips glide over mine, harder this time, and he lingers.

My insides burn bright with a blaze all their own, and I can feel a moan  creeping up my throat. I want this. I've wanted this since the moment I  looked into his beautiful eyes that first day.

The wind whips around us. The basket vibrates from the burner blasting in the background.

Blake lightens up as if he might pull away, and I press my hand to the  back of his neck, holding him there right where he belongs. A vibrating  tingle comes from his lips to mine, and I hope it's an approving moan.  He's taking it slow, very slow, and as much as I appreciate it, I want  him to know that I won't break. He can kiss me how he really wants, as  fast and furious as his body demands. My mouth falls open just enough to  throw out the invitation, and Blake dives in slowly. His tongue mingles  softly with mine, and it takes all of my self-control not to vocalize a  thousand heartfelt groans. Blake moves in me with slow meandering  strokes, then in a quick burst of passion that makes it feel as if this  kiss alone has the power to float the ship. I make my way into his  mouth, and his fingers dig hard into my hips. His chest rises and falls  over mine, and it feels like more than I ever thought it could. I'm  pretty sure every first kiss doesn't hold this magic. It can't. This is  different. This is something special just for Blake and me.

We pull apart, and I look up at him from under my lashes. Blake smiles  wide and lands a gentle peck over the apple of my check. He holds me  tight, and I lay my head over his chest just watching the kaleidoscope  of colors below as the world lies silent beneath our feet. This is a  golden moment-far more romantic than any romance novel I've ever read.

This is real.

Blake and I are real.





Blake





The sky warms a brilliant shade of burgundy as the hot air balloon  touches the ground. It took a hell of a lot of self-control not to keep  my mouth planted over hers the entire time. That kiss was everything I  knew it would be and more. I wanted Annie's first kiss to be special, to  be memorable, and I knew that I'd have to cap it after one, so the hot  air balloon seemed the logical answer.

We head to the truck, and the last thing I want is to drive Annie back to the dorm.

"You up for dinner?"

Annie leans against the open door looking up at me with those long  lashes I've been dreaming about, those curves in her skin-hugging jeans,  the cowboy boots that can drive me wild all on their own.

She licks her lips slowly, running her tongue in a smooth, quick circle.

Shit. A huff of a laugh escapes me. If it were anyone else, I would have  thought it was an invitation, but with Annie I wouldn't dare assume.  She steps into me and pulls me down by the back of the neck.

"Can I have another kiss?" she whispers, and it's the most beautiful sound in the world.