Deep (Heavy Hearts Book 2) by Sarah Duncan (reading tree txt) 📕

my helmet, my thoughts went back to Joleene. Her hazel eyes really weren't hazel, but more green with flecks of gold. They didn't twinkle but were so full of joy.

Maybe sparkled would have...would be a good way to describe them. No, that doesn't fit them either.

He could stare at them and get lost for days. Slowly, he found himself leaning down and just as he was about to capture her lips with his own…

“Ahhhhh damn! What the… Ahhhh, son of—” A pain was shooting down his leg, ripping him from his thoughts. His leg was cramping with a mile left in the march. Stumbling to the side of the road, Colin dropped to the ground to try to stretch out the cramp so he could finish the march and qualify.

“Hot damn!” he groaned, rubbing down his calf.

“You good?” Kimber came up seeing Colin off to the side.

“Yeah, cramp.” Colin groaned while rubbing his leg.

“Thought you said nothing happened last night,” Kimber jeered

Colin looked up at Kimber as he was getting ready to pass.

“Shut the hell up, Kimber!” Colin threw the chem-light at him, mumbling under his breath how much of an ass Kimber could be.

Concentrating on simply walking or rather hobbling, the last mile kept Colin from finishing his thoughts.

Chapter 6

“So…?” Layla was sitting on the edge of her seat trying to look patient as she waited for Jo to finish her sip of coffee.

Smiling and watching her best friend about to fall out of her chair waiting for the juicy details was priceless. “So, what?” I asked.

“Are you kidding me?” Layla almost shouted; she had to adjust herself before she really did fall out of the chair.

“What? It was nice. He was sweet.” I was purposefully giving little away. It was too funny watching Layla.

“That’s it? It was nice. He was sweet. That’s all you’re gonna tell me? You dragged me out of bed to tell me that?!” Layla was playing up the indignation, damn near spitting out her coffee. I coughed at the way she was acting.

“Ok, settle, girl. It was amazing! He took me to O'Charley's. We sat out on the patio and talked and talked. I don’t even remember how dinner was. Once we left the restaurant, we walked the boardwalk holding hands. Oh my gosh, the way his hands felt…” My voice drifted just thinking about how natural it had felt to hold his hand. Our fingers entwined. The casual silence that was so comfortable. The conversation that we’d had was as if we’d known each other for years instead of really only getting to know each other that night.

“Ok, give me more, come on. I can see it. There’s more. Spill it, girl!”

“We talked, we walked in silence. We held hands. He walked me to my door…”

“He kissed you, didn’t he? I knew it. He kissed you. That’s why you are so doe-eyed. He kissed you.”

“Yes, he kissed me, but not the way you are thinking. He gave me a sweet kiss on the cheek.”

“What? On the cheek? Guess no second date.”

“No, it was sweet and perfect. I loved it. I’m tellin’ ya, he’s a true gentleman. He held the door for me, held out my chair. Girl, I can’t describe it. I can’t wait for the next date.”

We spent the next hour gabbing about this and that, but I kept thinking about Colin’s hand holding mine and how sweet the kiss had been.

Chapter 7

The weeks rolled past and summer came. Colin and I spent as much time together as possible. Weeknight dates and weekend visits by calling into The Screaming Eagle. He held my hand and guided me. We walked dinner dates by the river or at a hibachi grill, movies and walks in the park. But never once did he try to kiss me. In fact, the only other kiss he gave me was on my hand on one of our walks. He brought up my hand that was laced with his and kissed it so softly while standing and staring deeply in my eyes. I thought for sure he was going to kiss me. But instead he continued walking.

Uh…I thought he was going to kiss me. Maybe I seem too desperate or gave the impression I didn't want to go to that level. Oh hell, I don't know!

But I never let these inner thoughts show. I was a little bummed, but I was loving the time with him. How he would guide me in a restaurant or movie theater, how he would reach for my hand as we walked or the smile he gave whenever he’d give me a compliment and make me blush. Oh yes. I loved that smile; it gave my tummy butterflies reason to dance all the more every time.

Mini golf. Who'd say mini golf when asked about a romantic date? No one really, until that day.

Colin took me out on a rare Saturday afternoon date to play mini golf. Not long after we started, the laughter began. I was horrible at putting and Colin, well, Colin, wasn't trying to do anything but watch me and have fun. Which made my putting even worse.

“Really?! How come I can't get the ball in the hole? It's like it has two feet.” I grunted as my ball yet again went past the hole for like the fourth time. We were only on the third hole. Colin was trying so hard not to laugh, ducking his head down under his hat. He always wore his Stetson and looked damn good in it too. “Don't laugh. It's not funny. I think my ball is defective.”

“I'm not laughing,” he said, biting his lip. He was clearly trying really hard not to. “We can switch balls if you’d like.”

“Well, after this hole,” I said stubbornly.

So Colin walked up to