A New Year’s Kiss : Shae Connor gives us an Except from Rough and Tumble and offers a giveaway

His dad disappears down the hall, and then it’s just us, the silent Times Square celebration on the TV, and the glasses of sparkling grape juice on the coffee table in front of us. I reach for mine and take a sip, but as I set it back down, Darryn slides from his chair.

“C’mon,” he says. “It’s almost midnight. Let’s go watch the neighbors set off fireworks.”

I lift an eyebrow but follow him onto the front porch. Darryn sits on the porch swing at one end and pats the seat next to him.

“Best view in town, promise.”

He smiles, and there’s nothing on earth that could make me say no.

I settle onto the swing, leaving as much space between us as I can without shoving myself up against the arm. I don’t want to crowd him, but I don’t want to look like I don’t want to be anywhere near him. If I let myself do what I really want, I’d slide right up to his side and wrap my arm around his shoulders to keep him as close as possible.

I mentally shake off the image and give the swing a tiny push. “Is this how you usually spend New Year’s Eve?” I ask. “Swingin’ on the porch, watchin’ the neighbors blow shit up?”

Darryn chuckles. “Sometimes.” He pushes one foot against the floor to keep the swing going. “Some years it’s too cold. Sometimes I don’t want to stay up. Most years, though, yeah. We moved here when I was ten, and probably six or seven times I’ve spent midnight on the porch.”

I tilt my head up at a whistling sound, and sure enough, a few seconds later a small multicolor burst lights the air a few houses down the street. “I guess the show’s gotten better since they legalized fireworks?”

“A little, yeah. They had some pretty fancy stuff even ten years ago.”

We fall silent as a few more fireworks flash in the air and cheers go up in response. The pungent smell and smoke drift our way, but there’s enough of a breeze to keep it from hanging around long enough to irritate.

The silence between us isn’t uncomfortable, but I’m trying to come up with something to break it when the partiers down the street start counting. “Ten! Nine! Eight!”

I don’t know how accurate their count is, but I turn my head toward Darryn anyway, only to find him much closer than he’d been minutes before. He’s smiling softly and his gaze captures me, drawing me in like a moth to a flame. My heart pounds, a hot flush runs over my skin, and all concepts of just a friend evaporate from my mind.

The revelers cheer as their countdown ends, and for that moment, everything in the world is right.

“Happy New Year,” I whisper.

“Happy New Year.” Darryn’s smile slips and his gaze flicks down to my lips. I catch my breath, but before I can do anything, he leans forward to kiss me.