Read Online Rock and a Hard Place by Angie Stanton - Free Book Online Page A

with his other. “Geez, your hand is
freezing.”
    “ I’m not gonna lie, it was
really cold out here, but I didn’t want to stand you up.” Her
cheeks chafed red from the cold. “So I hope you plan on making it
worth my while,” she challenged him with a sly look.
    “ Now that you mention it, I
did have something in mind.”
    Libby’s eyes widened.
    “ Want to know what it is?”
he teased, watching her reaction. He loved to see her off
balance.
    “ Okay.” Now she looked less
confident. Peter almost laughed.
    “ I have something for you.”
He had moved heaven and earth to pull this together.
    “ You do?” Her eyes
glittered in surprise.
    “ Yup. Close your eyes and
hold out your hands.” He couldn’t wait to see what she thought.
Libby obeyed. Her dark eyelashes lay against her rosy cheeks. His
heart beat in anticipation. He reached into his jacket pocket and
pulled out a white plastic bag, then glanced up. Her closed eyes
changed to little slits.
    “ Hey stop
peeking!”
    Libby squeezed her eyes closed and laughed.
She held out her hands and waited. Peter pulled the slim item out
of the bag and placed it in her hands.
    “ Okay, look.”
    She peered at the shiny device and then back
at him in disbelief. “You gave me a cell phone?” She stared at the
gift. “You gave me a cell phone!” This time she yelled it.
    Her excitement touched him. “It seemed like
a good idea. You didn’t have a phone number to give me and I really
missed you. It’s gonna get harder to see you. I thought this way we
could stay in touch and actually talk whenever we want.”
    She closed her hand around the precious
phone and turned pensive.
    “ Is something wrong?” He
wondered what could have upset her.
    “ I don’t know if I should
accept this.” She gazed up at him with large doe eyes. He couldn’t
believe this. She needed to take the phone.
    “ We barely know each other,
and, well . . .” Mischief lit her face and he wondered what she was
up to. “We’ve never even kissed.”
    Peter paused and took a good look at her.
He’d been wondering how to sneak a kiss; she just made it
simple.
    He tossed the umbrella aside and pulled her
close. He let his fingers tangle in her wet hair and lowered his
mouth to hers. He kissed her long and slow, taking his sweet time.
Cold rain trickled down his neck as he savored each moment.
Startled at first, Libby now matched his kiss. He enjoyed each
touch of her tender lips.
    He slowly pulled away.
    “ Now can you take the
phone?” his forehead rested against hers.
    “ Yeah, I think so,” she
answered in a breathy voice.
    “ I’d better be sure.”
Empowered by their perfect chemistry, he leaned in for more. Her
body melted against him. He wrapped his other arm around her, and
pulled her close.
    “ Wow,” she whispered, her
eyes dark and smoky
    “ Haven’t you ever been
kissed before?” His eyes searched hers.
    “ Not like that.”
    “ Good.”
    Nothing like kissing a girl senseless to
boost his confidence. “I think I’ll just stay here all day. The
rain’s not so bad.” He caressed her damp cheek with his thumb.
    “ I’d like that.” She leaned
her head back against the rock wall, gazing contently up into his
eyes.
    “ The tour is overrated
anyway.”
    Libby leaned into him eager for more.
Everything about her brought Peter alive. His life was great; he
had nothing to complain about. But this simple girl turned
everything upside down. He couldn’t get enough. He wanted to sneak
her onto the bus and take her with him.
    They parted, breathless and aroused, secure
in each other’s arms. Peter’s phone rang. His family was back.
    “ I should have sent them to
Iowa for lunch.”
    “ You can’t leave me now.”
She sighed, wanting to stay in Peter’s arms all day.
    “ I think I’ll have to kill
them. With my bare hands. Except my hands are busy.” He emphasized,
moving them down over her hips and back up.
    “ What are we going to do?”
Disappointment