Four o’clock cannot come soon enough for me. I think about Jess all afternoon—while I’m swimming my laps, while I shower, while I eat my post-workout tuna salad. She’s the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen. Feisty, too. And she’s not at all like the spoiled rich girls I know, always putting on airs and acting like they own the world. Jess is down-to-earth—the type that knows what’s really important in life. I could get used to a girl like her.

I drive down to the marina and park, then jog down the long set of wooden stairs to the dock. As soon as I get there, I see her walking out of the building that holds the restaurant and store. It takes me a second to know that it’s her. She’s wearing a cute, little dress and her hair isn’t covered up by that ball cap anymore. Instead, it’s in a low ponytail that barely contains it.

I wave and break into a wide grin. “Hey, Jess.”

She gives me a shy smile. “I wasn’t sure if you’d actually show up.”

"I always do what I say I will." I stare at her for a moment and realize that she's been let down before. I decide right then that I'm not going to be someone she has to get over. I reach up and slide her backpack off her shoulder, letting my fingertips graze against her collarbone. I sling the bag over my shoulder, then put on a very formal tone and say, "Where to, my lady?"

I hold out one hand to her. Jess rewards me with a giggle, then takes my hand and nods, trying to act as highbrow as I am. “Seventy Flavors, sir.”

I take her hand in mine and slip my fingers between hers, then turn so we’re walking side-by-side. I hear her gasp a little and I tighten my grip. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I just...you just surprised me is all. I’m not used to being surprised. Not in a good way, anyhow.”

I stop and turn to her, lifting my other hand to her hair and tucking a piece behind her ear. “Well, get used to it, Jess. Not everyone in this world will let you down.”

We walk along the boardwalk in the late day sun, chatting and getting to know each other a little. I have about a million things I want to know about her and it’s hard for me to hold back on peppering her with question after question. When I ask her about her family, she starts with the quick overview—no father, one sister who had a son when she was eighteen, a mom who hates where life has taken her and seems to take it out on her daughters. As her story unfolds, I realize who let her down. Her father first by disappearing, then her mother, by putting such tight restrictions on her and by making her think every guy is a bad one. I listen, my heart breaking a little for her, and when she’s done talking, I’m determined to prove her mother wrong.

She suddenly stops walking and covers her face with her hand. “Oh my God. I can’t believe I just told you all of that. I never talk about any of that.”

I turn to her and lift my fingers to her chin, then gently nudge her face, so she's looking at me. "I'm glad you told me. I want to know everything about you, Jess."

“Yeah, but not the messy stuff. Nobody wants to know the messy stuff.”

“When it comes to you, I do.”

“Why?” She stares at me, her eyes searching for the truth. “Why would someone like you even want to talk to someone like me, let alone want to really know me?”

“Someone like me? You mean some rich kid?”

She nods her head. “Yeah. No offense, but I’ve met my share of wealthy families who spend the summers here. None of them have ever really given me the time of day, so it’s hard for me to understand…this.”

"I'm not offended. I know the type you mean—the ones who only care about one-upping each other. I'm not into that. I like to get to know people for what's inside." I run my thumb over her cheek, it's so soft and warm to the touch. "I could tell when I met you that you're someone worth knowing."

She glances at my mouth and swallows hard and I know she's expecting me to kiss her. And I want to so badly that I can almost taste her lips already. My cock twitches at the thought, but I won't do it. Not until she says it's all right.

Jess pulls back a bit, her eyes suddenly wide with fear. “I’m not going to sleep with you.”

“What?”

“If that’s what you’re expecting, I’m not some easy lay who’s going to hop in the back of your parents’ SUV and let you do me.” The words tumble out of her sweet mouth and break my heart. She’s been so hurt.

I shake my head and take both of her hands in mine. “Jessica, I won’t ever ask you do something you don’t want to. Even if we spend every day of this summer together, I won’t make a move unless you say so.”

“But, I don’t get it, Ethan. You could have any girl in town. Why would you waste your time on someone who has just told you she won’t put out?”

“Because you’re the only girl I’ve met who’s worth getting to know.” I give her a little tug and start toward the ice cream shop again. “Come on. Let’s get you a treat. What’s your favorite flavor?”

“Do I have to pick just one?”

"Not when it comes to ice cream," I say with a grin.

"Then I'll go with two scoops, one chocolate, and one pistachio. What about you?"

“I’m thinking three scoops, strawberry, vanilla, and rocky road in a waffle cone, but don’t tell my mother.”

“Why not?’

“I’m not allowed to eat junk food, not with the amount of money my parents have spent on getting me ready for the AFL.”

"What? You play in the AFL?"

“Not yet, but they’re looking at me.” My heart pounds a little quicker with excitement when I think about the conversation my dad had with the scout a few weeks back.

“Wow. Good for you. That’s really incredible.”

I shrug. “I haven’t made it yet.”

"Even being considered is a huge deal, Ethan. Really." Jess smiles up at me and it isn't that normal ‘I see dollar signs' smile that most girls have when they find out about my potential football career. It's like she's genuinely happy for me. "Is that what you want to do? Play football?"

It’s my turn to stop walking. “Do you know no one has ever asked me that.”

Jess looks up at me, a tiny wrinkle forming between her eyebrows. “Seriously?”

“Yeah, seriously. Every other person I talk to assumes it’s my dream.”

“Is it?”

“Yeah,” I say with a nod. “It is.”

Jess starts to laugh and bumps me with her shoulder. We walk a few more feet and find ourselves in front of the Seventy Flavors. I look down at her and lean into her ear. "Now, don't tell my mom."

“Your secret’s safe with me.”

After we get our cones, Jess takes me to a spot about two minutes from the ice cream shop that I had no idea existed. It’s a small meadow that’s surrounded by trees and shrubs so, from the street, you’d think it’s a forest. She kicks off her sandals and we walk through the grass until she picks the perfect spot for us to sink down and finish our treats in the shade.

I sit next to her, then stretch out my legs and lean on my elbow and let myself relax. “This is like a tiny hidden paradise, right in the middle of town.”

Jess nods. “I love it here. It was supposed to be turned into a Dairy Queen but this old lady bought the land out from under them and she pays a guy to mow the grass and take care of it. Oh, you can’t tell anyone it’s here because I’d be run out of town for letting an outsider in on our secret.”

I give her a teasing grin. “What will you do if I tell?”

Her eyes grow wide and she digs around in her backpack for a second, then pulls out her cell phone. Before I can say anything, she takes a photo of me, then she drops the phone back into her bag. “I’ll show your mom that picture of you and your enormous ice cream cone.”

“Okay, you win! I won’t say a word about the secret garden.”

“Good.” She gives me a triumphant smile before she takes a long lick of her ice cream. I can’t help but be turned on by the sight of her tongue doing that. Images of her doing that to my cock flash through my mind and I try to push them aside.

“Jess, what about you? What’s your dream?”

“To get out of Cape Williams for good. To find a job—no, a career—where I can make enough money to have everything I need and everything I want. You know, something where I’m respected for what I do.” She avoids my gaze while she talks and plucks a blade of grass from the ground.

“That’s a pretty simple dream. I don’t see why you can’t have that.”

“Me too. It’s just going to take a lot of time. I need to save up for college first which hasn’t been that easy since I need to help support my nephew.”

I nod my head as if I understand what it would be like, but the truth is I have no idea what it feels like to want for something. I finish my ice cream cone and lick my fingers clean while she talks.

Jess goes on. “Someday I want to open my own clinic and have a big staff of people working for me. There’s only so much you can make doing massages, but if you get a cut of other people’s work…now, that’s where you can live a comfortable life.”

“You’re really smart. Not a lot of girls our age think about the future like that.”

She blushes and rolls her eyes a little. “Well, when your present situation is…less than ideal, you need something to focus on.” She has her last bite of her cone and lifts her fingers to her mouth to suck off the ice cream.

Unable to stop myself, I take her hand in mine and slide her fingers into my mouth, one at a time, cleaning them for her, tasting the mix of salt from her skin and chocolate. Her mouth drops open a little and for a second I’m not sure if she’s going to slap me or kiss me. She does neither, but just says, “Oh, my,” in a very quiet tone.

We stare at each other for a moment, the heat between us growing until it's almost overwhelming. She bites her lip a little and it's just about the sexiest thing I've ever seen. I lift one hand to her neck and gently bring her face towards mine. "You have some ice cream on your lip."

“Can you help me with that?”

“Love to,” I murmur, drawing her closer. I carefully suck on her bottom lip, getting my first taste of her sweet mouth.

I watch as she closes her eyes and parts her lips, inviting me to do more. I kiss her now, gently at first, testing the waters to see if she’s okay. The little moan that escapes her throat tells me to go on, so I do. I give her the kiss I’ve really been wanting to now, hard, urgent, filled with passion that comes from every cell in my body and exists only for her.

Jess moves closer and touches my cheek with her delicate fingers. She kisses me back, her tongue finding mine as I explore her mouth. My cock aches to be inside her pussy but I know that is not in the cards. Not yet. She pushes her body up against mine and I lay back in the grass and pull her on top of me. Our bodies line up so perfectly and she feels just right in my arms. Her hands roam over my chest and abs and I want her to go lower but I know she shouldn't.

I ache to lift up her dress and slide my hand into her panties. I know she’ll be soaked for me. I can tell by the way she’s rubbing herself along my leg and the way she’s kissing me. It’s like she’s so thirsty to be touched like this that she might die. And I feel the exact same way.

I ball up the hem of her dress and make a fist, then let my thumb roam the length of the back of her thigh, but no farther up. Her hand makes its way to my bulge and she runs her fingers along the outline of it in my jeans. I want that hand wrapped around my bare skin. I want those lips all over me. But I won’t take more than she’s willing to give—no matter how badly I need her.

The sun goes down while we’re fooling around, never making it past second base, but I don’t even care. I’m so happy to just be with her like this. It’s enough for me just to get to touch her at all.

A man walking his dog interrupts us and Jess scrambles to her feet, then straightens her dress and starts to fix her hair. In the light of the moon, I can see she’s embarrassed and I stand, then wrap my arms around her to shield her from his view. I whisper in her ear that it’s okay.

I walk her almost the whole way home but she stops me at the end of her block and tells me that it’s best if I leave her here. We kiss some more until I almost can’t take it, then she pulls away and says good-night.

“Will I see you again?”

“I hope so,” she says with a grin. “Thanks for the ice cream.”

“Thanks for sharing it with me.” I reluctantly let her hand slip away from mine. “I’m going to pick you up after work tomorrow.”

“I won’t be there. I have the day off.”

“Even better. What time can I pick you up?”

“Anytime after two. I have to babysit my nephew until Carla finishes lunch shift at the restaurant.”

“I’m assuming you don’t want me to come to your house. How about we meet at the secret park and we can go somewhere from there?”

“Deal.”