There’s no denying there’s chemistry between us. Not only did his hand find my knee more than once, his eyes found mine, his fingers found mine, and his thumb? It found the corner of my mouth when I had a little bit of chocolate left there. It’s a good thing I don’t have a heart condition, or I would have passed out when he traced my bottom lip before wiping the dessert away. I’m smart enough to know moments like that don’t happen very often. Like I said, I’m not ready for our date to end because I’m curious to see what else might happen.
The longer we drive the more the city grows. The buildings get taller and the streets get busier. I vaguely recognize the area as the same route I took when I drove to the aquarium, although we don’t make it that far. Soon, we’re out of the car and walking toward Millennium Park.
“Have you been here yet?” Latson asks as we stroll along the sidewalk.
“No. My tourist stops have only included Shedd and the beach.” I step closer to him to avoid a passing cyclist. “And the hospital.”
He chuckles. “Yes. That’s definitely a landmark.”
We stop at a street corner to wait for the light. Other people join us and some continue around us as the red hand blinks and the timer counts down from ten. Dusk has settled over the city, yet it seems alive as ever. When traffic stops and our mob moves, Latson weaves his hand through mine to keep me beside him. We’re headed toward two tall illuminated structures which, once we get closer, I realize are fountains. Water pours from the top of each tower into a large pool that extends between the two. Adults wade ankle deep as kids chase each other and splash around.
“In the daytime the fountains have faces projected on them,” Latson says. “Water shoots out the middle, and it looks like the mouth is spitting. Oliver thinks it’s hilarious.”
“I bet.” It would be fun to bring him here. I can see myself playing in the water right alongside him. We’d have a blast or, at least, I would. “The next time you guys visit let me know. I’ll tag along.”
Latson’s hand tightens around mine. “You really like O, don’t you?”
“Um, of course. Your nephew is the coolest seven-year-old I know.” He’s also the only seven-year-old I know. But, he’s a good kid. He made me a get well card for crying out loud. Aside from wandering away from his uncle once, I’ve never seen him act out. Even when he was told to go to bed the night of the Nerf war he didn’t complain.
“He thinks you’re pretty cool, too,” Latson says. “In fact, I think he might have a little crush on you.”
Awww. How sweet. “You just made my day.”
Latson stops walking. “Our date did nothing for you?”
“No.” I bump his arm with mine. “I meant it added to my already good day.”
He smirks and we round the fountain, passing by a building with a patio and outdoor seating. I assume it’s a restaurant. Further along we come across a sculpture that looks like a giant metallic bean. I want to stop and take a closer look, but we pass by that, too. I get the feeling he’s leading me somewhere. “Where are you taking me?”
“You’ll see.” He nods, indicating our stop is up ahead.
I follow his eyes and can’t miss it. We’re approaching a huge outdoor amphitheater. Exposed steel arches form a trellis over the most grass I’ve seen anywhere in the city. Gigantic pieces of metal that look like boat sails surround a massive stage to our left, and, in front of us, people use the lawn to enjoy the evening air. Some sit on blankets, others stand and talk. I catch a few throwing a Frisbee. We pass a sign that says we’re at the Great Lawn, part of the Jay Pritzker Pavilion.
“Wow,” I breathe as Latson continues to lead me on to the grass. We stop in the center, hundreds of feet from the stage.
He smiles. “Imagine what it would be like to play here.”
“Have you?”
He looks down, then back at me. “Maybe.”
“This is ...” I let go of his hand and take a few steps. “This is unbelievable. How many people can it hold?”
“Thousands. There are a lot of free concerts in the summer.”
My eyes get big. “Did you say free?”
“I take it you’ll be adding some entertainment to your tourist to-do list?”
“Absolutely.”
I look around some more. It would be a thrill to play here. I hope Latson knows how lucky he is to have done it. I can picture the view from the stage – the crowd and the lighting. I can imagine the energy, hear the applause, and see a guitar in my hands. I can feel a pick between my fingers and sense the anticipation of striking an opening chord. My skin breaks out in goose bumps and I shiver.
“Are you cold?” Latson appears by my side. He starts to take off his jacket.
“No.” I shake my head. “Places like this they…” How do I put it? I don’t want him to think I’m weird. “Places like this give me chills. But good chills. Excited chills.”
He steps closer, intrigued. “Why?”
“Because it’s music,” I say. “It’s creativity. Its escape. It’s sharing a piece of –”
Before I can think his hands are on me. One slides around the back of my neck while the other wraps around my waist. He pulls our bodies together, my palms landing against his chest, and he kisses me.
He didn’t ask and he doesn’t hesitate. He just kisses me.
All of the innuendo, everything he’s ever said, is delivered through his mouth and his hands. I melt into him, clutching his shirt to bring him closer, and he responds by finding my lower lip and gently biting it. My knees go weak and I lose track of time. This is the best kiss I’ve ever received. Outside, under a warm, dusky night, in front of a stage with a handsome musician. My pulse races with the perfection of it.
When he pulls back he rests his forehead against mine. “If I don’t stop now I won’t.”
I catch my breath. “Then why did you kiss me?”
“Remember when I said Oliver had a crush on you?”
I nod, biting my lip to suppress a smile.
“His uncle does, too.”
Chapter Fourteen
It’s like we just discovered kissing exists. My back is flush against the wall outside Pete’s apartment as Latson’s mouth leaves a warm trail up the side of my neck.
Earlier, when we left the park, I made him stop at the metallic bean so I could get a closer look. It turns out it’s not supposed to be a bean at all but a sculpture called Cloud Gate. You can walk beneath it, and the mirrored surface distorts your reflection in all sorts of ways. The unique images didn’t hold Latson’s attention like they held mine; while I was looking up I saw him brush away my hair before I felt it. Standing behind me, he pressed a kiss to my shoulder, then glanced up and caught me watching him. His eyes held mine as he made a path with his lips, grazing my skin, to just beneath my ear. When his hands circled my waist and pulled me close, I couldn’t take it and turned around to kiss him. Since we were in a somewhat secluded spot, we stayed there.
We stayed there until a security guard told us we had to leave.
Now, back at the apartment, we’re all over each other again. His mouth leaves my neck and follows my jaw, and I push off the wall to get closer to him. As I slide my hands over his shoulders, I silently hope my brother doesn’t appear. It makes me wonder why Latson stopped the elevator on Pete’s floor instead of his own.
“Damn,” he mutters against me. “I should have asked Diane to keep Oliver overnight.”
“Diane?”
“Mrs. Gibson,” he clarifies.
Oh. We’re here because Oliver is home with his sitter. Since the sarcasm stopped once the kissing began I say, “That’s okay. You weren’t going to get lucky after the first date anyway.”
He leans back, playful. “You’re telling me if I asked you to come upstairs you’d say no?”
I’d so say yes. What is wrong with me? “That’s right,” I lie. “You have to work for it. The chase hasn’t been long enough.”
“Oh, really?” He zeroes in on my mouth. “I’ve been chasing you ever since you got here.”
His admission causes butterflies to take flight in my belly just like they did when he confessed his crush. He places a slow, deliberate kiss on me, and my hand slides around his neck to keep him close. The other runs down his chest, over his stomach, and lands on the waistband of his jeans. He backs out of my reach, and my eyes fly open.
“Uh uh,” he says. “You don’t get to feel me up.”