It was like something had shifted in the space and melted down just enough to blur the lines between guest and host, between teasing and wondering.
I cleared my throat and leaned a little closer, half an inch, maybe less. “So... you don’thateme, then?”
He tilted his head. “Do I seem like I hate you?”
“You seem like you’re constantly trying not to be charmed by me.”
He gave me a dry look. “Trying and failing, apparently.”
That stole the breath from my lungs.
His voice wasn’t teasing anymore. It was lower. More serious. More…there.
I blinked. “Oh.”
His eyes met mine, steady and unreadable, but not cold. Never cold.
And that was when I realized how close I’d leaned in.
I could feel the fire at my front, but the heat in my chest had nothing to do with it.
I could feelhim.
Not touching. Not quite.
But the air between us was charged. Sparking. Like static right before it snaps.
And then he leaned in.
No rush. No pretense.
Just a slow, deliberate shift forward that made my pulse stutter.
His gaze dropped to my lips. Mine to his.
And then—
His mouth was on mine.
Warm.
Confident.
Like he had been waiting for the right moment and hadfinallyfound my lips.
It wasn’t the kind of kiss that made fireworks explode in the background.
It was the kind that made the worldstop.
The air stilled, and the fire intensified as the stars drew a little closer.
My heart thudded wildly as my hand found the edge of his sleeve, fingers curling slightly into the fabric.
Ben kissed me like I wasn’t a question he needed to answer, but like I was already what he’d been looking for.
When he pulled back, barely an inch, I didn’t move. Didn’t breathe.
His forehead hovered near mine, our noses brushing faintly.
