Summer Breeze Kisses - Addison Moore Page 0,61

I’d bet the forty-five dollars I no longer have that the sacrifice involves me. “Izzy Sawyer—come on down!” She sings as if I’ve just won a spot on a game show. The Wheel of Misfortune.

I spear her with a look. I swear, that woman has sung her last chorus.

“Holt and I were just going over your old report cards.” She fans herself with a stack of white papers.

I suck in a quick breath.

He shakes a small black box, and its contents clatter happily.

“And baby teeth!” She sings over to him.

“My report cards…baby teeth?” GAH!

On second thought I wish I had 911 on speed dial to keep me from killing my mother.

I touch my hands to my temples. Crap, crap, crap! Brain hurts. A serious cerebral injury is taking place, and it’s all my mother’s fault.

“Report cards, really?” I moan.

“Oh, just high school dear.” Mom flicks her wrist on her way over to me. She leans in and kisses my cheek on her way out of the room. “If you kids don’t mind, I’ve got a date with a hunk of steel named Magnum. He’s locked, loaded, and ready to go. I’ve got a thirty-day warranty and brand new D batteries. I’m going to make the best of it.” She glances back at Holt. “It’s time to say hello to my little friend.”

Oh. My. God. I close my eyes a moment. I don’t know which is worse. The fact Holt has seen me decked out like a thirteen-year-old at a sleepover or the fact my mother just referenced her vibrator in her best Cuban accent.

Holt appears by my side, and I can’t seem to scrape my gaze off the floor.

“Hey, beautiful.” He touches his finger to my chin and gently lifts it until I’m swimming in those silver beams he calls eyes. “Brought you something.” He produces a rectangular amber bottle from behind his back.

“Whiskey?” I jump a little when I say it, mostly because I think I’m overdue for a good inebriation.

Holt smolders into me—his lids heavy with desire, and my panties beg to melt right off. Then I remember where I am and who’s in the next room pulling her love slave out of a box, and my thighs cinch shut.

Okay. I take a breath. Stay calm. This is not a problem. I’m a grown woman. Who the hell cares if my mother is home cuddling up to a robotic device in the name of her warranty? A tiny voice in the back of my head says me, but I’m quick to squelch it.

“Sorry I didn’t call.” He leans in and tucks his face in my neck for a moment.

“I’m not.” I touch my hand to the stubble peppering his cheeks and groan. “I’m just glad you’re here.”

“I want to apologize for not inviting you to my mother’s party. It was stupid of me. Believe me, Iz, I can’t wait to bring you home. I want you in every part of my life. I swear you’re everything—”

I shake my head and touch a finger to his lips.

“I don’t need an apology.” I pull him in by the back of the neck. “I just need, you.” I hike up on my tiptoes and press a gentle kiss against his lips, so chaste and soft, like a butterfly brushing its wings. Here I am, kissing Holt Edwards right in the living room I grew up in. This is going to make a great story to tell all those imaginary future Edwards one day. For sure it trumps Laney’s I-met-him-in-the-ladies-room-because-he-forgot-his-contacts anecdote. My mother thought Ryder was a pervert for at least a year.

“I couldn’t get here fast enough.” He pulls back and whispers over my lips. “You’re all I think about. Every second we’re not together feels empty. I would have crawled here if I had to.”

“Holt.” I close my eyes for a moment because a part of me wanted to hear exactly that. I clear my throat and take a deep breath. “So”—a smile bounces on my lips—“you had a chance to spend some time with my mother.” I cringe at the thought. What was I thinking leaving him alone in the same room with her? I should have dragged him off to the shower with me. Hindsight is 20/20.

“I like your Mom. She’s pretty nice, and I respect her honesty.”

“She has no filter.” Like less than zero.

“Those are some of my favorite people. Besides, she did nothing but rave about you. She really impressed me.” His lips crimp as if