Page 61 of Reckless

One eyebrow climbs, slowly. “Definitely.”

Before I know it, I’m laughing, too, rubbing a hand across the back of my neck because apparently, I’ve forgotten how to leave an apartment like a functioning adult. “I swear…” I mutter, shaking my head, “… I’ve handled hostage negotiations with less confusion than saying goodnight to you.”

She laughs even harder. “That’s genuinely concerning.”

“You have no idea.”

She grins, one shoulder resting against the doorframe while her hand stays curled around the handle. Her hair is still a little messy from where we’d been tangled together on the sofa, and I have to work a lot harder than I should to keep my eyes on hers instead of wondering what it’d feel like to tuck the loose strand behind her ear again.

“And yet…”

“And yet, apparently saying goodnight is where my entire skill set gives up.” The smile she’s trying to suppress only grows. “I was trying to be subtle.”

“You were?” Her eyebrows lift. “Ghost…” She lets my name hang there for a second, looking at me as if she’s genuinely trying to work out how I function. “I leaned toward you.”

“I noticed.”

“A full minute later!”

I shrug. “I was processing.”

Her laugh bounces around the little apartment, warm enough that I feel it before my brain catches up with it. “No, Ghost.”

“I was!”

“You were buffering.”

I stare at her. “Buffering?”

She nods, completely serious. “I could practically hear the spinning wheel.”

I open my mouth, come up with absolutely fucking nothing, and feel the heat hit my face anyway. “That’s unfair.”

“It’s completely accurate.”

“I’ve infiltrated secure government servers—”

“And yet…” She pushes off the doorframe, taking one slow step closer until she’s standing well inside my personal space again. “A woman leaning in for a kiss completely defeated you.”

The smell of her shampoo catches me again—clean, floral—and it’s becoming impossible to separate it from her.

I consider arguing. Unfortunately, the available evidence overwhelmingly supports her position. “I had a moment, okay?”

“You had several.”

“They happened very close together.”

Her grin widens another fraction. “I practically handed you an engraved invitation.”

“Fuck! I know.”

Her grin widens as she takes another step closer. “You RSVP’d after the event.”

I close my eyes for exactly one second. When I open them, she’s still smiling at me and standing too close, still looking entirely too pleased with herself.

“Are you finished?”

“Not even remotely.”