“I need to pee,” she snapped.
“You didn’t look that desperate a second ago.”
Her arms crossed in front of her, creating a barrier between us. “What, you’re going to follow me into the women’s restroom?”
“If that’s what it takes.”
Her lips parted, outrage and something else flickering there. “You wouldn’t.”
“Teddy,” I murmured, leaning in just enough, “I’ve been wanting to hash this out since Friday night. Don’t test my commitment.”
That earned me a startled, unwilling laugh. It was breathy, and as soon as it slipped out, I knew she hated giving it to me. “Fine. I’ll come back. You can wait out here like some kind of deranged stalker.”
“I prefer ‘committed admirer,’” I muttered.
Her mouth twitched with an almost smile, but she shut it down fast and slipped past me into the restroom.
And then it was just me standing in a hallway—again—like an idiot. A fucking hungry idiot because I still hadn’t eaten since breakfast and my stomach was grumbling about that.
I braced a hand on the wall in front of me and let out a slow breath as my mind circled back to the whole reason I was here—and by here, I didn’t mean Pour Decisions. I meant, in this position, with Teddy. She’d kissed me with purpose. By choice,and all heat. Nothing about it felt convenient or accidental. Maybe I shouldn’t have waited for her today or walked up to her here at all. But here I was anyway, stripped down to the simplest fact: I wanted to understand why she did it.
And I wanted to do it again.
The door opened, hinges squeaking, and she stepped back into the hallway. “Happy? I returned just like I said I would. No disappearing act.”
I looked at her arms covering her body, and I wanted to unfurl them, tangle myself up in them, in her.
“Let’s make it quick,” she huffed, avoiding my eyes. I knew this immature attitude wasn’t her. This is what she did when she felt cornered.
“Is that really what you want?” I asked as I stepped forward, enough for her to feel the intent behind my movement but without crowding her entirely. She moved back, just like I knew she would, until she lightly met the wall behind her. Shadows climbed up her shoulder and jaw. I followed, slowly, watching her arms fidget as she uncrossed them and planted them by her sides. Her slender fingers flexed and curled into her palms.
She parted her lips to speak, but I pressed in the last inch and raised my finger to cover them.
“Uh-uh,” I murmured. “I’m still talking.”
Her pupils dilated. Her lips were pillowy soft beneath me, making my restraint even thinner.
“I’ve been thinking about that kiss,” I said, each word a whisper. I moved the tip of my finger slowly tracing the outline of her mouth, a gentle drag over the tip of her Cupid’s bow, a small curve down to the corner where her breath escaped in a shaky exhale. “More than I should. I don’t usually do that, think about someone as much as I’ve been thinking about you.”
Her throat lifted and fell with an audible swallow.
“I tried to ignore it,” I went on, lowering my finger to drift along the line of her jaw. “Tried to believe it was nothing, that you were acting out of adrenaline.”
She drew in a breath as my fingers slipped into her hair. I tipped her head back the slightest bit, leaning in until my mouth hovered over hers without touching.
“Then I kept wondering why you kissed me at all. Why you ran after. Why you’re pretending you don’t feel this too…”
Her hands shot up, wrapping around my wrists like a vise. Eyes closing, she inhaled and exhaled.
“Teddy,” I said, brushing my nose against hers, feeling her breath tremble against my lips. “If it was nothing, tell me. If it scared you, tell me that too. But don’t pretend I imagined the way you kissed me.”
Her lashes dusted the tops of her cheekbones, eyes firmly closed. I wondered if opening them would reveal the truth.
“It wasn’t nothing,” she whispered, the confession so weak it barely made it past her lips. Vindication filled my every thought, making my skin pebble with delight. My smirk spoke volumes. Her eyes opened then, wide and aware of what she’d admitted.
“Why did you run?” I asked.
She nibbled on her lower lip and hesitated just as footsteps echoed behind me. Her gaze flickered there briefly, and I shifted on instinct, angling my body to block her from view. The conversation paused as someone walked past us and into the bathroom.
