Search Me(8)

“Fine.” I tipped back the bottle and started draining the contents in long, foamy gulps. I got halfway through before my eyes watered, and my chest felt like it was going to explode. When my stomach lurched, I jerked the bottle away, spewing what was in my mouth over the floorboards. Before I could wipe my mouth, a burp rumbled through my throat and erupted from my lips.

Maddox’s eyes widened before he burst out laughing. Mortification warmed my cheeks and neck as his body shook the swing in amusement. I dragged the back of my hand across my face and wiped my mouth. I was debating sprinting off the porch when Maddox thumped my back heartily like he would one of his buddies. “That was awesome, Lane.”

“Oh yeah. Real cool,” I muttered.

“No, I’m serious.” He then winked at me, causing my heart to flutter. “But in the future, I think it’s best if you sip slowly rather than trying to prove me wrong.”

Without taking my eyes off his, I took a long gulp, shuddered at the taste, but then smiled sweetly at him. “Thanks for the advice.”

He chuckled and shook his head. “Damn, I’m going to miss you.”

My heart went from fluttering into a full gallop. We sat in silence for a few minutes just listening to the sounds of the party, and the heave and sigh of the swing. Finally, I cleared my throat of what seemed like a mound of sawdust. “You know you’re missing your party,” I said softly.

Maddox shrugged. “It was stupid to have a party because I don’t feel much like celebrating.” After chugging the rest of his beer and tossing the bottle, he reached into the cooler beside him and got us both another one. As the sounds of the antics from inside the house grew louder, Maddox stood up and held out his free hand. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.”

I extended my shaky hand to meet his. “Sure,” I murmured. I’m not sure how my trembling legs supported me, but after putting one foot in front of the other, I let him lead me off the porch and into the yard. When we’d reached the old oak tree at the far end of the yard, I guess Maddox felt we’d distanced ourselves enough from the house because he stopped.

As I ran my fingertips over the seat of the worn swing, Maddox cocked his head at me. “Want me to push you like old times?”

“I’m not sure it’s safe.”

Maddox chuckled as he motioned for me to sit down. “You’re always so cautious, Lane.”

“Fine. But I better not bust my ass in this thing,” I muttered as I eased down onto the wooden seat.

His breath hovered over my earlobe. “If you hurt your ass, I’ll kiss it and make it better for you.” When I gasped at his blatant innuendo, he laughed. “Just teasing.”

“I don’t know what I’m more shocked about—your naughty suggestion or the fact you might actually care that I got hurt. I mean, when we were kids, you always gave me hell if I cried when I got a cut or bruise.”

Maddox grimaced. “Yeah, I was a big ass**le to you most of the time, wasn’t I?”

“Pretty much.”

Pulling me back, he then pushed me forward in the swing. “Well, isn’t there some theory about little boys who treat little girls shitty to get their attention because deep down they’re really crushing on them?”

I twisted my fingers tighter around the swing’s rope handles while I tried to still my erratic breathing. “There’s something like that,” I murmured. Glancing over my shoulder, I caught Maddox’s intense expression. Nibbling my lip, I contemplated whether now was the right moment to come clean with him about my feelings.

Suddenly, an amused look came over his face. “Hey, remember that time we all went camping, and Maudie’s old hound dog broke into the cooler in the middle of the night and ate all of the hotdogs?”

“The one you named Lane?”

“That’s the one.”

I giggled. “Yes, I remember it.”

We then launched into an hour-long trip down memory lane. It wasn’t long before Maddox squeezed in beside me on the swing. By the time we were finished talking, I’d managed to polish off the rest of my beer. I was actually acquiring a taste for it, which for me was saying a lot. Of course, I was also starting to feel a little loopy, and the constant motion of the swing was making me woozy. I dug my toes into the dirt, stopping the swing.

“You okay?”

Bringing my hand to my head, I replied, “I will be when the world stops spinning.”

“Uh-oh,” Maddox said. He stepped around the side of the swing. After he brought one of my arms over his neck, he used the other to scoop me up in his arms.

“Oh my God, you don’t have to carry me! I’m not that dizzy,” I protested.

“Yeah, but it gives me the chance to look strong and get to feel you close to me.” When I stared up at him, he winked. Since I liked where the conversation was going and I didn’t want the moment to end, I gave him a pleading smile.

“Will you take me down by the river?”

“You don’t want to go back to the house?”

I shook my head. “I just want to be with you. Well, I guess I should say alone with you.”

Maddox’s dark eyes drank in my face for a moment before he bobbed his head. “Okay, but lemme run back to the porch for my cooler.”

“Sounds like a plan.”