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He cocked his head. “At what?”
“Dating. Talking. Small talk.”
He stiffened, and it was then that she realized she’d called this a date. She was an idiot. This wasn’t, and never would be, a date. She’d told herself that enough times. “I mean, not that this is a date, it’s not, but we’re sitting here, having the type of conversations one has on a date, and you’re hot, and you’re looking at me with those bright blue eyes—like, seriously, how are they so pretty? It’s not fair—and all I can think is that you’re here with me, and you’re so nice and cute and why can’t I stop talking—?”
He pressed his finger to her lips, and she stopped talking immediately. His skin against her mouth was electrifying. There was no other way to describe it. “Shh. My turn.”
She nodded, saying nothing.
To be honest, she was incapable of talking right now.
“This is as much of a date as anything else ever would be. I like you, Kassidy. I’m not gonna lie. You’re gorgeous, and I’d like nothing more than to show you the best night of your life.”
She licked her lips, her heartbeat picking up speed at that last part. “But…?”
“But I won’t, and I’ll tell you why.” He set his glass down and took hers out of her hand before cupping her face with both hands. His skin on hers made her tremble. “If I did that, if I listened to my body and took you to your room and stripped that dress off you inch by inch, I would give you a night of pleasure. A night of sex. Then I’d walk away, and you’d never see me again because that’s what I do. And you…” His grip on her shifted, and he moved imperceptibly closer to her despite his words. “You deserve more than that, Kass.”
She shivered, not so sure he was right. She would be perfectly content with a night in his arms, thank you very much. “But—”
“That doesn’t mean I can’t do this, though.”
Without further warning, he closed the distance between them, taking his time so she could reject him if she wished. As if. His thumb on her lip had been electrifying, like a bolt of lightning, but his mouth on hers was a downright, full-blown thunderstorm. As his mouth moved over hers, he ran his thumb over her cheek, caressing her gently.
That small movement, that touch, was somehow more intimate than the kiss itself. It was like he cherished her, and cared for her, which was ridiculous because he barely even knew her. Man, he was good. Too good. She never wanted the kiss to end, but as with all good things, it did.
He pulled back, resting his forehead on hers.
“You’re an amazing woman, Kassidy Thomas, and I wish nothing but the best for you.” He shook his head slightly. “But I’m not it, so I refuse to allow myself to do anything more than appease my curiosity about what you taste like, and now that I found out…I’ll never forget.”
She hesitated, licking her lips. She could still taste him there on her mouth. “And what did I taste like?”
“Heaven. Pure heaven.”
She sucked in a breath. “That’s what I was going to say about you.”
“Copycat,” he teased, touching the tip of her nose playfully before pulling back to a more appropriate distance. She missed his touch immediately. “Thank you for everything.”
She blinked. “Are you leaving?”
“I probably should, before I do something we both regret.”
“I don’t think I’d regret it,” she mumbled under her breath.
He smiled sadly and touched her chin. “You would, once I left.”
“If you say so.”
“I do.” He leaned back on the cushions, his forehead wrinkling. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t spend the night together, without the mindless fucking.”
Laughing, she gave herself a second by taking a quick, large gulp of liquid fortitude. “What, exactly, are you proposing?”
“I want to help you.”
Her mind went to a dirty, dirty place. “Help me do what?”
“Live.”
Yep. Now it was really there. “Live, how, exactly?”
