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Maisey put her pad away and picked up the coffee pot. “Me either.”
Viv doctored her coffee with cream and sugar. “I’ll arm wrestle you for breakfast.”
“You want to humiliate me publicly? What did I do to you?”
She grinned, and his heart skipped a beat. “Shall I make a list?” She moved everything from the center of the table and rose to place her elbow there.
Red chuckled as he watched Viv position herself for the arm-wrestling match. He found her playful competitive spirit endearing, even though it resulted in finding himself on the losing end. He took a sip of his coffee, wiped his mouth, then raised his arm and locked his fingers with hers. “No cheating this time.”
They both grunted and strained, their muscles bulging as they each tried to gain the upper hand. Red felt Viv’s strength as she pushed against him, and for a moment, he thought she might beat him. But then he saw her smile falter slightly and knew he had her.
With a final surge, Red pushed Viv’s arm onto the table, triumphantly declaring himself the winner. Viv groaned in mock defeat, but he could tell she was secretly pleased to let him win.
“You win.”
He smiled. “That means you’re buying breakfast.”
“Happy to pick up the tab.” She sipped her coffee and smiled.
This was way too easy. What was he missing? “Wait, you’re expensing this to me, right?”
She laughed. “He’s handsome and a genius.”
“You think I’m handsome?”
She looked down at the table. “This job would be easier if you looked like a toad.”
“I could be a toad if you promise to kiss me into a prince.”
“I don’t think there’s that kind of magic in my kisses.”
He reached across the table and took her hands. “Don’t underestimate those kisses. I’ve had one, and it was magical.”
She pulled her hands away. “I bet you say that to all the girls.”
The truth was, he had some standard lines he used, but he’d never told a woman her kisses were magical. He might have been a womanizer in his day, but he was never a liar.
“Nope, you’re my only magical kiss.”
“What made it magical?”
He considered that for a moment.
He closed his eyes, trying to describe the inexplicable feeling that had surged through him when their lips had met. “It was like fireworks exploding in my heart,” he said finally, his voice soft and reverent. “Your kiss was like a spell that transported me to another world where nothing else existed except you and me. I felt a connection that I’d never felt before, like we were meant to be together at that moment. That’s what made it magical.”
“Was it sparkler, ground, or aerial fireworks?”
He wanted to laugh, but the serious look on her face told him she was serious about the question.
“Definitely aerial. You know, the kind that soar high in the sky and explode into stars, comets, and shells?”
“What color?”
“Red, for sure.”
“Hmmm, okay.”
Now that he’d confessed, he wanted her thoughts on the kiss. “What did you think?”
