Whiskey River, Drown my Soul

Chapter Twenty-Nine

When Ip kissed me, the world stopped. The noise of the bar disappeared. All I felt, all I knew, was him. I felt his hand on my back, his body against mine, his hand on my face, in my hair, the feel of the skin on the back of his neck, and most importantly, his lips on mine.

I was looking for a spark in that kiss, but that's not what I found.

I found a giant, crackling, blazing bonfire with sparks shooting up toward the stars in a cool Texas evening.

That kiss surpassed anything I had ever felt with any other man, not even Brad. The emotions I had felt for Ip up to that point were only scratching the surface. There was a deep well of emotions for this man and they had been buried deep. That kiss was like kicking a log off over in a fire pit and the fire beneath which had been repressed was suddenly blazing wild and free.

I forgot we were in a bar with Rev's friends standing next to us. I lost control of myself, acting on impulse, pulling his face fiercely into mine.

I never wanted that kiss to end.

Finally, the more rational of us, Ip started to pull away, giving me one more quick peck before resting his forehead against mine. I remembered who we were and where we were. I released him slightly, but when I looked up into his light blue eyes and saw the intense love there, I couldn't help it. I grabbed his tie and pulled him in for one more kiss.

My heart melted as he stared into my eyes and rubbed my cheek with his thumb.

The affection I felt from him and for him, the unexpected intensity, how he stared into my eyes, the gentle way he touched my face...that was by far the most beautiful and amazingly romantic kiss of my entire life.

As the bar around us settled back down, the gravity of what had happened started to weigh on my shoulders. I slammed the rest of the double which I had only taken a sip of before the kiss, which hadn't been just a kiss. I had full on made out with him in front of Rev's friends, and I was now sure I loved him.

I was in love with him.

I was in love with Ip, and painfully aware the love I had for Rev was nothing compared to what I had felt while kissing Ip.

How could I possibly abandon Rev after he had waited all this time to have me to himself? Nine years of dedication. Nine years of waiting for me. Nine years of watching me love someone who hurt me.

Ugh.

I asked Ip for four more shots on the rocks and drank them fast after he brought them back to the table. Lia and Tim left shortly after, and Ip said to me, "We should probably go, too".

Those were the first words he had spoken to me since the makeout session.

"Okay", I agreed.

I took his arm and we left. After he helped me into the passenger side of his truck, I slid over to the middle spot and got my seatbelt on. He said nothing about me sitting there when he climbed in.

After he put his seatbelt on and started driving, I laid my head on his shoulder and took his upper arm into both of my hands. After a short moment, he placed that hand onto my knee. It was warm and comforting.

My head started to spin a bit as the last six shots kicked in.

When we got to the house, Ip parked at the front door then helped me out.

My head was definitely spinning now. I stumbled and nearly fell.

"Woah", he said. "Hold on. I gotcha".

He simply picked me up and shut the truck door with me in his arms. He got us in the entry and I pulled my heels off as he was carrying me down the hall to my room.