I kissed her again.
15
WINNIE
The moment our lips met, something inside me unraveled completely. Two centuries of caution collapsed the instant that man put his hand on my waist and kissed me like he’d been thinking about it for far too long.
Which, judging from the sound he made when I pulled him closer, he absolutely had.
His mouth moved against mine, warm and eager and just restrained enough to make it worse. He slid his hand from my waist to my hip while the other braced against the kitchen counter beside me, like he was trying very hard to remain a gentleman.
I, unfortunately, had significantly less interest in preserving gentlemanly behavior. Perhaps because I hadn’t been kissed properly in an embarrassingly long time. Perhaps because I had spent the better part of two centuries denying myself anything resembling stability or tenderness. Or perhaps because Conrad Lawrence looked devastating in gray sweatpants and a wrinkledT-shirt. Especially when he stared at me at like I was something precious.
Whatever the reason, I kissed him harder.
He exhaled against my mouth, pressing me against the countertop until his body was flush with mine. The heat of him enveloped me, searing into me as his fingers tightened on my hip.
“You are,” he muttered breathlessly between kisses, “ridiculously distracting.”
I laughed against his mouth. “You started this.”
“I distinctly remember you admitting mutual guilt.” His forehead dropped briefly against mine as he chuckled.
He kissed me again, slower this time, and whatever humor had existed dissolved, turning into something heavier. Something far more intentional.
His hand slid beneath my hair at the nape of my neck while mine curled against his chest.
I could feel his heartbeat against my breasts. Strong and fast.
Human.
The thought caught me completely off guard.
I had spent so long distancing myself from people that moments like this almost felt unreal now. I was in a safe, warm kitchen with a good man, who was kissing me like he genuinely wanted me there.
Conrad broke the kiss. His eyes moved slowly across my face, like he was still surprised I was allowing this to happen.
“You’re beautiful.”
My stomach tightened painfully. Men had called me many things over the years. Beautiful was common. But Conrad said it like it mattered to him.
Before I could say a word, his lips were on mine again, his hands wandering with significantly less restraint. One settled at my thigh. The other traced my waist.
I inhaled sharply into his mouth when his fingers dug into the curve of my hip.
Conrad froze immediately. “Too much?”
“No,” I said far too quickly.
A sudden, heavy heat darkened his eyes. “Oh,” he murmured softly.
He picked me up and set me on the counter. A startled gasp left me, and I grabbed his shoulders automatically, my legs parting to make room for his body.
“Sorry,” he said, not sounding remotely sorry. “Wanted you higher.”
I stared at him for half a second. “That was really attractive.”
“Good.”
