Page 263 of The Romance Adventure

“That sounds awful.” Harley shakes her head.

“I just mean I don’t have any children. Not yet.” The hope in my voice is undeniable. “No, I’m not mad at you. I’m upset with myself for not acting faster. For not realizing how I felt about you. For not talking to Brando years ago instead of denying that I wanted you.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I think you do.” I shift so we’re facing each other.

“We had a plan to pretend we’re dating to take the heat off you for backing out of the wedding to Jayda.” Harley’s eyebrows knit together.

“But you took it to the next level.” Our knees bump.

“I did?”

I wink. “The proposal was your idea. I simply made the play. As I said, we make a good team.”

“But this is a game.”

“Is it?”

“Yes, but...”

“You’re surprised by how real it feels?” I plant a kiss on her forehead.

“Yes, but...”

“You wish this were more private, just for us, and not splashed all over the internet for the world to see?” I kiss the space behind her ear, getting a breath of pink bubblegum.

“Yes, but...”

“You’d like a real ring in place of the doughnut?”

“Well, I wouldn’t say no.”

Clasping Harley’s jaw, I say, “I think we both know that this is no longer a game. The games are over. From now on, it’s just honesty, truth, and us.”

“I thought you hated me.”

“You were the one who hated me. You said as much.”

“But only because you acted like you hated me. Everything was a big, fat I-hate-Harley slap to the face.”

“I’m sorry.” And I mean it.

“Me too.”

As the fire dies, the one between us grows, burning hotter than ever. The space between us shrinks.

My pulse kicks as we pick up exactly where we left off the last time we kissed. Our noses brush. Our chests press together.

Harley tugs on the neckline of my shirt. I press my palms to her lower back.

The kiss deepens.

This is what it must feel like for a football when it sails through the air toward the end zone.

If I were keeping track, you know, for statistical performance purposes, each kiss is better than the last. And each time I get a little more lost, a little closer to forgetting everything from the past and seeing a future...one with Harley in it.

When we part, she rests her head on my chest. I release a long exhale, one I may have been holding for the better part of my life. Instead of feeling like I always need to be on the move, running the field, I settle.