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“Why? Is it working?”
She gave me a grudging smile while she studied her feet. She looked back up, serious again. “I want to know what it is you really want from me.”
“Nothing nefarious. We can start with those smiles I stole today. I’d like more of those. If that’s all I ever get, no worries. If things get spicy from there, wonderful.”
“Spicy?” Her eyes narrowed to suspicious little slits.
I shrugged. “I’m a firm believer in stating my intentions clearly from the get-go. When I met you, I knew I wanted to see what you were like when you loosened up. I had a feeling I’d like that version of you, and I do. I also think you’re distractingly pretty, even though you try hard not to be. It’s possible that I wondered if I’d enjoy doing the sort of things to you that a man tends to do to a woman he finds attractive.”
“And what did you decide?” she asked. For about the tenth time that evening, her cheeks flushed red. It was fucking adorable on her, and it was all I could do not to pull her in to me right there. Actually…
I took a step closer and slid my hand around her lower back. She felt small in my grip and I gave a slight tug. She stumbled toward me, closing the distance. Our chests were pressed together and I could feel her breathing hitch as she looked up at me, eyes big and mouth slightly parted in surprise.
“I got stiff armed last time I tried to kiss you, but I’m a persistent bastard,” I said quietly. “And for the record, no. I’ve never brought anybody here to meet these elephants. These are my girls, and I was waiting for the right person to come along.”
I leaned forward, fully expecting Elizabeth to pull back or maybe even slap me. Instead, she tilted her chin up just slightly when I brought my mouth to hers.
I’d kissed plenty of women. I’d also found the majority of those experiences mostly forgettable. Kissing was overrated, actually. I’d said as much to my buddies over drinks.
So when our lips met, I expected to go through the motions. I had an arsenal of moves, after all. Moves I knew made women melt.
But this time I felt my skin rush with heat. My throat felt dry even as the perfect wetness of her lips moved against mine. My chest was tight enough I had to fight to pull in a breath. And damn it. I was either about to suffer a stroke, or I was literally seeing fireworks behind my closed eyes. Little pops of colored stars flickered across my vision.
I was the one who pulled back from the kiss first. I put my fingers to my lower lip, speechless for possibly the first time in my life.
Elizabeth had halfway fallen against the car. She had one hand planted against the window to hold herself up and her feet had slid out from under her. She righted herself, then tugged down on the hem of her fancy little jacket and cleared her throat.
“Well?” she asked after a strangely awkward little stretch of silence. “Aren’t you supposed to make some quip about how you saw this coming? Where are the obnoxious comments?”
I manufactured a smile I hoped looked nonchalant. “Your stiff arm was too slow this time, I guess,” I said, but my voice sounded hollow even to my own ears. I glanced at my phone. “Looks like we’re right on schedule. I should be getting you back to your office for that meeting, right?”
I dropped Elizabeth at her office because we were cutting it too close for her to go home first. Neither of us said much or acknowledged the kiss. I’d been blessed with a feeling of supreme confidence and control my whole life. I couldn’t really remember a moment I didn’t feel at ease—almost like I could see ten steps ahead. I just had a way of sensing what would come next, which meant I was rarely surprised.
But I hadn’t seen that damn kiss coming. Elizabeth genuinely interested me, but that didn’t make her special. I’d been interested in other women. I liked unraveling mysteries. I liked collecting things. Pets, oddities, information—I didn’t really care. I just liked the pursuit and the discovery of it. It was why my apartment was filled with little knick-knacks and doodads I’d picked up at thrift stores and tourist traps. I liked the satisfaction of growing my collection. It wasn’t about any particular item. It was just about gathering things that caught my eye.
Elizabeth was supposed to be the next in a long line of items to add to my collection.
I’d planned to collect memories of her reluctant smiles, her grudgingly revealed personal details, and every happy little memory I could get my hands on. If things went the way of the bedroom, I’d happily take that, too.
