“I don’t drink coffee.”
Oh. He probably should have known that. But then again, how would he? He didn’t know that much about her,which was surprising since she was Anita’s closest friend. But he hadn’t been that close to Anita lately either.
She looked at her watch. “And it’s past nine p.m. I’m always home by nine thirty on Mondays.”
Ouch. He should have just driven home to his empty condo. That would have been less painful. Nothing like getting rejected by a childhood acquaintance, even if it was just an invite for coffee. “Yeah,” he said, backing away and forcing a smile. “It’s pretty late.” He gave her a half wave before turning to leave. “See ya.”
She nodded and turned toward her car again as he headed for his. He’d taken half a step when he heard her say his name. He stopped and whirled around.
“I...” She tugged on one of her coat cuffs. “I suppose I can stay out a little later tonight.”
He grinned. She sounded like a teenager on a curfew. Oddly enough, he was feeling a little like a kid himself right now. “Hang on. I’ll pick you up.” He started to turn.
“I prefer to drive.”
“Okay. I’ll meet you there—”
“Wait.” She paused, then nodded. “I’ll ride with you.”
He stuck his hands into his pockets, unable to stop smiling as they walked to his car. Sure, this was Olivia. And they weren’t going on a date or anything. It was also nice not to have to go back to an empty house just yet. But that didn’t mean anything either. They were two friends who hadn’t seen each other in a long while, getting coffee after a movie. Simple as that.
***
Considering Dr.Kingston Bedford was highly successful at everything in his life, Olivia would have easily guessed he’d be good at kissing. That is, if she’d ever thought aboutkissingandKingstonin the same sentence. But as of two minutes ago—or was it three? She had no idea—she was discovering exactly how phenomenal he was. Not that she had anything to compare... him... to...
Whatever thoughts were left in her head, they disappeared.
Minutes or hours later—again, no idea—he finally pulled away and leaned his forehead against hers. “That was...”
“Amazing.” She sighed, her pulse hammering in her chest, throat, and everywhere else. Her clasped hands rested at the base of his neck. Every single second in his arms had taken her breath away, literally. And she found herself hoping he’d take it away again.
Then she blinked. Moved her forehead from his and looked around. How had she ended up sitting on the hood of his Audi? She barely remembered getting out of the car, because he had started kissing her the minute they’d returned to the Sunset parking lot and he’d opened the passenger door. Her face, already hot despite the thirty-degree temperature outside, flamed.
Kingston’s eyes widened, as if he’d finally figured out where he wasand what he’d been doing. He dropped his hands from her waist at the same time she unlocked her legs from around him. He stepped back and threaded his hand through his hair.
Please don’t say you’re sorry.
“I’m sorry.” He shook his head and looked to the side. “I... I don’t know what happened.”
She kicked herself for being so stupid. When Kingston asked her to go to the coffee shop with him, she should have listened to her gut. Instead, she’d second-guessed herself, seeing his offer as a prime opportunity to stick her little toe out of her comfort zone and ignore her evening schedule of being in bed no later than ten thirty. It was well past that time, and all she had for her trouble was sheer embarrassment. She couldn’t even enjoy the memory of those amazing kisses, not when regret was splashed all over his face.
And now she had to come up with something to say, some way to explain why she’d been perfectly fine sitting on the hood of Kingston’s car, kissing him with reckless abandon, without giving a single thought to any repercussions. She had to clarify that this wasn’t her modus operandi. Not even close.
“I just want you to know—” they said in unison.
He chuckled, but it sounded awkward. Probably the first time in his life he’d ever experienced such a thing. Her feet dangled over the side of the hood as he moved a few yards away, putting plenty of distance between them.
Then he was suddenly closer, though not as close as he’d been a few minutes ago. Before she could decide whether she was relieved or disappointed, a half smile formed on his lips. “I want you to know that I don’t go around inviting women out for coffee so I can make out with them.”
“I didn’t think you were.” Which was true. She couldn’t imagine him being anything but the perfect gentleman. Although she’d just discovered firsthand that he was a little wicked around the edges.
“But . . .” He shoved his hand through his hair, leavingthe ends messy and sticking out all over. She almost lost her mind and reached over to smooth them down, catching herself at the last second.
“I really enjoyed the movie,” he said. “And the coffee, and tea. I didn’t know you were an Earl Grey girl.”
She had to smile at that.
“And...”
