I smile.
“Go on.”
“I’ve wanted to kiss you since Gloria introduced us, and I’m pretty sure you want it just as bad as I do.”
My stomach flips so hard it feels like missing a stair.
I tilt my chin up toward him before I can lose my nerve.
“Simon?”
“Yeah?”
“Kiss me before I overthink it.”
His hand slides to my jaw with surprising gentleness, his thumb brushing just beneath my ear.
Then his mouth meets mine. His lips are softer than I expected. They’re warm from coffee and he moves patiently in a way that makes my chest ache.
I fist my hand in the front of his T-shirt and make a quiet sound against his mouth.
That’s all it takes.
Simon deepens the kiss with a low inhale, his other hand bracing against the seat beside my hip. Heat rushes through me so fast it leaves me dizzy.
He kisses like he’s been thinking about this all day.
Like carrying me through the woods and sitting beside my hospital bed and driving me home with one hand on my knee has been one long exercise in restraint.
When he finally pulls back, we’re both breathing harder than we should be. My pulse is racing, and I can feel the heavy thrum of it between my thighs. Simon’s eyes have gone dark, his gaze dropping to my mouth again like he wants to devour me.
My chapstick is definitely gone and my hair is a tangled mess.
“I would’ve invited you up to my room at the inn,” I hear myself say.
His eyes darken instantly.
“To have sex,” I clarify. “Unless you’re still working.”
“I’m off until tomorrow afternoon.”
“Good.”
His jaw flexes.
“Clover.”
“If my first reckless decision after nearly dying is sleeping with a hot paramedic, I feel pretty okay about that.”
Simon stares at me for half a second, then he laughs. Low, rough and warm enough to curl through me.
“Hot paramedic?”
“You heard me.”
“I did.”
I open the truck door before I lose my nerve. The wind rustles through the trees, carrying the sound of crickets across Simon’s yard.
