“Hey, you,” Turner said to me.

“Hmmm?”

“Walk with me.” He took my hand and held me back.

The family cleared the field and drove back to the house.

“Did you have a good time?” he asked.

Besides discussing a couple subjects that I would have rather had my wisdom teeth removed again than talk about, I can’t say I didn’t.

“Yes. Your mom is quite the cook.”

“She is. She holds the records for the best Blackberry Pie and shrimp creole in three counties.”

I laughed. “Oh God, don’t talk about food. After playing the game, I’m ready for another full meal.”

He poked my side. “You could stand to gain a bit.”

I stopped walking. “Uh, no, sir. I’ve been eating anything I can get my hands on because of my crazy schedule at the hospital. Tonight is the first time I’ve had a homemade meal in over a month. Take out is all I have time for. And I certainly haven’t been hitting the gym.”

He gave my hand a tug, pulling me into him. The hardness of his chest made me breathe heavier. My other hand came up on its own accord and rested right over his heart. It was beating normally. Clearly, I didn’t affect him like he was affecting me. If someone took my blood pressure right now it would be sky high and they’d cart me off to the hospital.

“You’re kidding me, right?” he genuinely asked.

“Kidding you about what?”

“Your weight.”

I tried to laugh it off. “No. I mean, I’m mostly teasing, but it wouldn’t hurt for me to hit a gym every now and then so I can keep up with all the calories and chocolate cake . . . or pie, I’ve been eating.”

He wanted to smile at that one, I know he did, but he remained serious.

“You’re beautiful in every way, Annabelle. Sure your looks drew me in, but I’ve gotten to know you, and that heart of yours is huge. Gym or no gym, weight gain or no weight gain, you’re still the same person to me.”

I blinked rapidly. “You don’t really even know me.”

He leaned his head forward so his bright blue eyes were in a direct path with mine. “Oh, yes, I do. You may not share some parts of your life with me yet, but you will. In time, you will. And no matter what, it still doesn’t change how loving and beautiful you are in the parts that you have shown me.”

I was pulled back into that place that he was so good at putting me. A place where only Turner and I existed and I couldn’t even feel if my own feet were touching the ground. I was floating, and all I thought about was if I wished hard enough for him to kiss me, he just might do it.

“Those are some pretty strong words, Dr. Brooks,” I squeaked out.

He nodded. “Yes, they are.”

I had no clue how close we were to the house, how far we had walked, if the crickets were still chirping or if they were waiting for the same thing I was waiting for. But it was happening. Turner released my hand and placed both of his on either side of my face. One of his thumbs brushed my cheek so tenderly that I barely felt it whisper across my skin. Nope, definitely no gravity on planet earth right now. As he came toward me, I did the only thing I could do. I closed my eyes and gave in to the power of him, and I let him lead the way.

His lips were a soft brush over mine at first. Like stepping your foot into open water and seeing if it was going to be warm or cold. Warmth was all I felt. My heart fluttered, then came crashing to a halt when he came back and applied more pressure this time, allowing me to really feel the sensation of his mouth pushing against mine. Tentatively, I opened, barely enough to suggest I wanted more. He took my suggestion and ran away with it. Turner Brooks wrapped one arm around my lower back, pulling me flush to him, and his other threaded into my hair. His tongue danced along the outside of my lips before plunging into my mouth demanding more. I sighed and melted into him. This kiss was unlike those crazy, inexperienced first kisses. There was no learning if one person liked it fast or slow, soft or hard, more tongue or lips. Turner was all of it. He was moving his mouth in a demanding manner, before he’d slow his pace and I’d follow suit. Never in my life had I been kissed like this. I didn’t want it to end either. Not having any clue how long we stood like this, Turner kept the lead, but eventually ended the kiss with a tender peck, then sweetly kissed the tip of my nose.

My eyes were still closed when he said my name.

“Annabelle.”

“Hmmm?”

“How are you feeling?”

How was I feeling? Did I even have any feeling? I wiggled my toes and dropped my arms from his chest. I had no clue I had gripped his shirt so tightly that the material was now wrinkled. Yeah, I had some feeling.

I bit my lip and shyly looked down. “I’m good.”

He tipped my chin up with his index finger. “You sure?”

I wanted to bust out laughing. He knew what he had just done to me. I, Annabelle, had become unglued and allowed a man to make me feel something more than just a crush.

“Definitely sure.”

He smirked. “Good. Let’s walk.”

We were still standing where he’d stopped me on the side of the road with no regard to neighbors seeing our public display of affection. Turner took my hand again, and started in the direction of the house. He made small talk about his family and how crazy they could be, while nothing wiped the perma-grin off my face. Was this what happiness felt like? Those ooey gooey girl feelings that the women in the hospital who fawned all over him gushed about? I didn’t want to be one of them, but I felt it creeping in. I wanted to go home and tell Chaz all about the kiss like a teenage girl, while my fat cat looked on with disinterest. Indifference toward Turner was all but gone, and my need for more had replaced it. I walked beside him, wondering when he would ask me out again, and where it would be. I wanted to know if he would kiss me again, and if it would be just like this one. Things like relationships, dating, and love were not my forté. I didn’t technically know how to take on any of it because I lacked experience. But I could see myself liking him more and more at this pace. He did all the right things, and he said all the right things. But history has shown me for over seven years that those things didn’t necessarily add up to what was good for me. I didn’t let people in for reasons I chose to keep to myself. I was going to have to seriously ask myself if it was time to let those walls down and see if life was going to play nice again. I couldn’t afford to lose another person that I cared about without it destroying me. Pain was a feeling I was well acquainted with, but it was an emotion that given the chance to strike me down again, I knew I wouldn’t survive it.

Turner and I ended our night on a good note. His mom sent me home with a container of food, and she slid a note on top of it with her phone number and a short message to contact her if I ever needed anything. Then in smaller letters she wrote:

PS. What you’re doing for the baby is admirable. If I can help, let me know.

When I climbed into my car and read it, I wanted to crumple it up and throw it on the floor board. Only reason it didn’t was because it tugged at my heart. I ended up putting the note in my purse where I could access it. I know I may have felt guarded while speaking to her, but intuition told me it was okay. I drove home with thoughts that I should let these people in because I knew they had my best interests at heart. I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life keeping people on the outside. Turner was changing me, a piece at a time, but I was changing.

EVER SINCE THAT KISS, I’ve been thinking about more. I wanted Annabelle beneath me, feeling every inch of me as I pushed inside of her. It has been a constant thought since her mouth was on mine. The self-control I had to display that day to not press her against a parked vehicle and do what I’d been dying to do for months now was unreal. I don’t think I’ve ever held back from taking what I wanted from a woman before. Not that any of them really held me back anyway. But my life was a revolving door of women. Never have I had to work for sex. Annabelle, isn’t like that though. It has not been work. It’s been genuine. The draw to her, the desire to have more than her physically, was a new emotion. Did this make me an asshole for being that way to the others? Probably. I’ve had feelings for a few of them, but they were never the kind where I wanted to bring someone home to meet my parents. Those women were fun, and kept me occupied when I got bored with my life. Okay, yeah, I was the world’s biggest asshole for that. Nothing I could do about it now. ‘Cause right now, one girl had my attention, and she’s had it since the day she had lunch at my parent’s house.