Just a Little Kiss is a work of fiction. Names, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
A Flirt eBook Original
Copyright © 2015 by Renita Pizzitola
Excerpt from Addicted to You by Renita Pizzitola copyright © 2015 by Renita Pizzitola
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Flirt, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York.
FLIRT is a registered trademark and the FLIRT colophon is a trademark of Penguin Random House LLC.
This book contains an excerpt from the forthcoming book Addicted to You by Renita Pizzitola. This excerpt has been set for this edition only and may not reflect the final content of the forthcoming edition.
eBook ISBN 9780553395129
Cover design: Seductive Designs
Cover photograph: © Depositphotos.com/Konrad Bak
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Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Chapter 1: Felicity
Chapter 2: Mason
Chapter 3: Felicity
Chapter 4: Mason
Chapter 5: Felicity
Chapter 6: Mason
Chapter 7: Felicity
Chapter 8: Mason
Chapter 9: Felicity
Chapter 10: Mason
Chapter 11: Felicity
Chapter 12: Felicity
Chapter 13: Mason
Chapter 14: Felicity
Chapter 15: Felicity
Chapter 16: Mason
Chapter 17: Felicity
Chapter 18: Mason
Chapter 19: Felicity
Chapter 20: Felicity
Chapter 21: Mason
Chapter 22: Felicity
Chapter 23: Mason
Chapter 24: Felicity
Chapter 25: Felicity
Chapter 26: Mason
Chapter 27: Felicity
Chapter 28: Felicity
Chapter 29: Mason
Chapter 30: Felicity
Epilogue: Mason
Dedication
Acknowledgments
By Renita Pizzitola
About the Author
Excerpt from Addicted to You
Chapter 1
Felicity
The waves crashed against the shoreline beneath the boardwalk. Their melodic pounding drowned out the bells, rattles and cheers from the carnival behind me. There was just something about the ocean that helped calm my nerves, except today it seemed to torture me with its boundless sky and endless water, the epitome of freedom…yet my life was contained to this. This nothing that felt like everything. Small town; smaller life.
My sister Hope slipped up beside me, pressing her elbows against the railing, her rounded belly grazing the wooden slats. “Everything okay?” she asked.
I straightened, stretched my hands over my head then tugged my white work tank top back down. “Yeah. Just a little worn out from tonight’s shift. This summer has taken it out of me.”
Of course, it wasn’t really just this summer; it was every day. Every moment. Every single minute spent doing the same freaking thing: Wake up, pull a long shift at Eddie’s, crash, repeat. My skin itched for something new. Something better. I felt like the boats in the harbor, crashing with the waves, fighting to break free, but bound by a single freaking rope. Except my rope was my own fear, but that was all it took. One thing, one person, one commitment. Tied down.
“It’s been a hot one.” Hope rubbed her hand over her stomach. “In a few years, when you have kids, plan for a winter pregnancy.”
A few years? No way. I refused to let my life be headed in that direction. But this town…it sucked everything out of you. Well, not everything. I swear, every time I turned around someone else was pregnant. The fertility rate here must be astronomical.
“Felicity?” Hope turned toward me, her expression one of concern.
I forced a smile. “Sorry, I spaced out. I think I need something to eat. I skipped dinner.”
“Food sounds good.”
She licked her lips and I suppressed a laugh. “Yeah, I can grab us something. What are you in the mood for?”
“Um, a corn dog? But hot dogs are bad for you. Maybe some cotton candy? But that’s a lot of sugar.” She bit her lip. “An ice cream cone? That’s good. It’s dairy, right? And protein.”
“Sure. And the cone’s a grain, and if you get strawberry you can add in the fruit.”
Her eyes brightened, then her expression sank. “You’re screwing with me, aren’t you?”
“Of course not.” I grinned. “Okay, I’ll be right back with your corn dog, cotton candy and ice cream.”
“Can you also maybe get a drink? To wash it down.”
I chuckled. “No problem.”
“You’re the best. Love you.”
With a shake of my head, I headed to a nearby food trailer to blow a decent chunk of that night’s tips. Thankfully the line wasn’t too bad, and it didn’t take long to load up and head back to Hope. Juggling way too much food, I navigated through the carnival crowd, careful not to drop anything.
“Hungry?” A guy’s voice called out.
I turned and smiled when I saw my friend Colby walking up. “Hey. It’s not all for me.”
“I was kind of wondering when you started eating non-green food.”
I rolled my eyes then lifted the hand holding sweet potato fries and cotton candy. “These are orange, and I may even eat a bite of pink.”
“Wow. Really branching out.”
I grinned. “So what are you doing here? Past your bedtime, isn’t it?”
“Pretty much.” He took his baseball cap off, scratched his head, then readjusted it, centering the John’s Charter Boats logo perfectly. “Dad had shoulder surgery this week, so I got a few days off. But we’re heading back out come Sunday.”
“That explains why it’s been so quiet these past few mornings.”
He shrugged in a halfhearted apology. “Sorry, but when the sun comes up, we hit the water.”
“You and your fishing.” I smiled. “Okay, well, I’ll see you around. Tell your brothers hi for me.”
“Will do.”
Just as I turned to leave, another voice called out, “Hey, T, no love for me?”
Colby’s younger brother, Owen, was the only person to ever call me T, and also happened to be my favorite out of all the Callahan boys.
I turned back around with a little grin. “I’ve got nothing but love for you.” My gaze flicked to the guy walking up alongside him. He fell behind Owen as they maneuvered around the bumper car line then came back into full view.
Whoa. Tall. Blond. And all sorts of hot.
Who was he? Definitely not a local, which got my hopes up that he might be a Summer Boy. And I loved me some Summer Boys. They rolled in for peak season and packed their bags before the days grew shorter. They were perfect for girls who refused to get tied down to this crappy town. Girls like me.
“Then what’s the rush?” Owen, who’d finally made his way to his brother’s side, stared at my full hands then grabbed his chest with a pained look. “Don’t tell me there’s someone else?”
I laughed and shook my head. “It’s for Hope and if I drop it, she’ll have a conniption.”
His shoulders sagged in feigned disappointment but then he quickly rebounded and, with a tilt of his chin, said, “That’s cool. You can make it up to me later.”
Colby groaned, clearly knowing where this conversation was headed…the pretend-flirting Owen and I loved, and he
hated.
“Leave your window open, and I will,” I said with a wink.
Colby rolled his eyes, while the other guy glanced between us, looking confused or amazed or maybe both.
With a chuckle, Owen said, “My window, my room, my bed…they’re all open to you.”
Colby smacked his kid brother upside the head.
Owen winced and rubbed the side of his head. “What the hell? T started it.”
I bit my lip to stop a laugh then offered my most suggestive smile. “But Owen plans to finish it.”
“Seriously, this isn’t funny,” Colby huffed. He shifted his weight, like he always did when he got uncomfortable. And though it might seem like his discomfort resided in the fact I was pretend-flirting with his seventeen-year-old brother, the real source was the fact that he still saw me as his best friend’s girlfriend. But that was long over. And something he seriously needed to move past.
Still in a huff, Colby went on, “It wasn’t funny the first time y’all joked around like this, and it sure as hell isn’t now.”
“Actually, it kind of is,” Owen said.
I shrugged in agreement because it really was funny seeing Colby get all worked up over it.
“You’re getting the kid’s hopes up,” Colby countered.
“That’s not all she’s getting up.” Owen wiggled his eyebrows and shot me the smile that probably melted hearts—and panties—all over his high school.
“Can you believe these two?” Colby muttered to their friend, forcing my attention back to the new guy. “This is how they entertain themselves.”
The guy’s gaze swung to me, eyes flicking up and down my body, and then he smirked. “It is kind of entertaining.”
My smile faltered the tiniest bit and a hint of warmth rose into my cheeks because, hot damn, he was one of the best-looking Summer Boys I’d seen in a while. And when he looked at me like that…wow.
Just then a large drop of ice cream dripped down my hand and landed near my foot. I raised my hand as more pink dribbled down the cone. “I’ve gotta go. Hope isn’t above licking this off my arm.”
Their friend stared at my hand, and something about his expression told me he wouldn’t mind licking it off either. And really, I couldn’t find a reason why I’d object. Except for the fact my pregnant, possibly starving sister was waiting, and I was juggling twenty-five dollars’ worth of carnival food.
I said one last goodbye then headed back to Hope. Part of me wanted to hand off her food then go find the guys to get the scoop on the mystery man, but I couldn’t ditch my sister.
“Were the lines long?” Hope asked, barely acknowledging me as she focused in on the food I carried.
“Not too bad. I ran into Colby on the way back.” I handed her the ice cream. “You may want to start with this.”
She grabbed the cone and licked all the way around to stop the dripping. “Did you get anything for yourself?”
I set the drink on the wooden railing surrounding the boardwalk, before handing her the corn dog. “Sweet potato fries.”
“Oh, those look good.”
I grinned. “Help yourself.”
“After this, did you want to play some games or something?” She glanced down the walkway at the booths with whirring lights. “Could be fun. Wish I could do some rides, but you know…” She gestured to her stomach.
Port Lucia’s weekend carnival on the boardwalk was great for kids or dates. Other than that, it was a money pit and since I was saving up to buy a new lens for my camera, I’d rather conserve my cash. “It’s okay. We can just hang out.”
I reached inside the cotton candy bag and pulled out a piece of pink fluff. “So have you thought any more about baby names?”
“We’ve thought about it. Agreed is another story.”
Hope started rambling about how stressful choosing a name was, but my attention had drifted to the line for the roller coaster. Colby was easy to spot due to his height and trademark baseball cap bearing the logo of his dad’s fishing service. And I couldn’t miss Owen, who practically ogled every passing girl. But the person who really caught my attention was the new guy, leaning against the railing and staring at his phone. His blond hair was overgrown and brushed across his forehead. Like the other guys, he wore jeans and a T-shirt, except he had a leaner build compared to Colby, but was nowhere near as slim as Owen. If I had to guess, I’d say he was closer to Colby’s age. Which was exactly my age.
I contemplated dragging Hope over there to say hi, but that idea came to a screeching halt as my ex-boyfriend Brody walked up to Colby. He seemed to only be stopping by in passing, but it didn’t matter. I’d go nowhere near that situation. I’d managed to avoid him this long. I had no plans to change that tonight.
As I was about to turn away, my prospective Summer Boy looked up from his phone and right at me. He’d totally busted me staring. His mouth tugged into a little grin that was seriously adorable.
I smiled back then turned away before the rest of the guys noticed.
“Isn’t that Brody?” Hope asked, but I didn’t answer. “Maybe you should go say hi.”
My head spun in her direction. Was she serious?
“It’s been over a year.”
I shook my head, having no interest in taking that trip down memory lane. And quite honestly, now that I knew he was here, I didn’t have much interest in sticking around either.
“I think I need some real food. This stuff isn’t cutting it.” I tossed the remains of my sweet potato fries into the trash. “I can cook us dinner on the boat.”
Hope eyed the boats tied up in the harbor and frowned. “I don’t really like getting on that thing right now. All the rocking makes me feel…blegh.”
“Want to go to Eddie’s and grab a bite?” I asked.
“I’ve eaten my weight in junk food. I should probably call it a night.”
Which was exactly what I wanted to do too. I gave my sister a quick hug and promised to hang out with her again soon. She made her way to the parking lot, and I made my way off the boardwalk and onto the nearby pier that led home—well, temporary home. After my eldest sister—along with her two kids—moved back in with my parents, the houseboat Mom inherited from Granddad became my residence. And I couldn’t really complain. Rent free. Peace and quiet. But the best part was all my restless nights were spent with an ocean for a backyard.
—
“Felicity. Table five is yours.” Eddie rushed past, dumping some menus on the hostess stand before grabbing a water pitcher.
Our normal hostess had called in, and my best friend, Isla, wasn’t scheduled to come in until four. That left the restaurant owner seating guests while the rest of us covered the tables during the busy Saturday lunch rush.
With my notepad tucked into the small black apron tied around my waist, I headed to table five. It was the crew from John’s Charter Boats. If I had to have a large party, this was one I didn’t mind.
“Hey, John, how’s your shoulder doing?” I placed my hand on his back, careful of the sling straps. “Colby told me you had surgery.”
“Eh, it’s okay. Hardest part is being stuck on dry land. ’Bout to lose my mind over at the Bait ’n’ Tackle.”
“Well, here’s to a quick recovery. Dinnertime will be dead without your boat bringing in the day’s catch.”
He shrugged his uninjured shoulder. “Got my nephew here in the meantime.” He gestured down the table. “Colby will be showing Mason the ropes.”
He said something else, praising their abilities to fill his shoes, but his voice drowned into the background. My gaze had locked onto his nephew, who also happened to be the hot guy from last night.
He’d had his chin tilted down as he studied the menu, but at the mention of his name he lifted his gaze. It darted from his uncle to me. He tossed his overgrown hair from his eyes and smiled.
I returned the smile then shifted my gaze. “Y’all ready to order?”
I circled the table, adding the personal t
ouch these men—and my tip jar—loved, but when I got to Mason, I locked up. It was easy to turn on the charm with a bunch of old married guys, or even the ones my age who ate up any attention, but Mason…Something about the way he looked at me made my face flush and heart rate kick into high gear. It was as if he wasn’t just looking at me, but studying me, trying to figure something out. His gaze tracked me as I made my way around the table…and I kind of liked it.
When I finally got to him, I couldn’t make eye contact. With my pen pressed to the notepad, I concentrated on writing his order instead of staring into his eyes.
“What can I get you?” My gaze flicked up, which I instantly regretted because now that I could see his eyes in better lighting, I couldn’t help but notice how gorgeous they were. Dark in color with even darker lashes.
“What’s good here?” he asked with a little smile aimed at me.
I rattled off the house specialties. “Fried shrimp. Grilled snapper—”
With an adorable smirk, he lowered his voice and leaned toward me. “I don’t like seafood.”
Around here that was sacrilegious. And a sin I committed daily. I grinned back. “The cheeseburger is pretty popular.”
His gaze dipped to my mouth and he nodded. “I’ll take that.” Then for the love of God, he winked. “Our secret.”
I laughed, but it wasn’t a laugh. It was a weird girlish giggle. Oh my God. I cleared my throat, praying Colby hadn’t heard my reaction to his cousin, and moved down the table.
After I’d gotten the last order, I darted off to grab their drinks…and avoid making a further idiot of myself.
As I filled glasses with ice, I snuck a peek at Mason, who was leaning over to talk with Colby. He tilted his chin slightly in my direction, and I quickly looked away. But curiosity got the best of me and I glanced back. Colby’s gaze met mine, then he frowned and shook his head.
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