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He’d give her one more minute to turn reasonable, and then he would carry her in. “We danced, and you melted, Kate. Your entire body vibrated in my arms. You looked up at me with those gorgeous eyes, and I could read every emotion in them. You want me as much as I want you.”
She stiffened her spine, but at the reminder, the heat in her eyes flared bright. It was all he could do not to head on down there and kiss her senseless.
“Are you going to deny it?” he asked.
She watched him warily, glossed lips parted, eyes slightly glazed. She didn’t move a muscle.
“I’ll take that as a no. But that’s just desire and there’s more. We know each other well. For example, I know you’re always late, and I don’t care. You love kids, pets, and old people. I love kids and pets, and I can deal with your visits to the senior home on Saturdays. You volunteer at the youth center, create programs when there’s just one kid who needs it, and I admire the hell out of you for that. You’re also the best friend anyone could have. I like what I know, and I want to learn even more...”
In the wake of her continued silence, he walked down the steps slowly, knowing he was stalking her, getting closer, watching for signs she’d bolt.
“Still won’t admit it out loud, huh?” he asked.
A frustrated muscle ticked in her jaw while her eyes had softened enough to tell him he was making progress.
So, he continued. “We get along just fine when you let us. Now, tell me why two people who are so right for each other aren’t together?” He’d gotten close enough to smell the vanilla scent of her perfume, and his body reacted accordingly.
Her breathing increased with every word, and the tension pulsed silently around them as he waited for her reply.
“Be careful what you ask for,” she finally warned him.
“Trust me, I’ve thought this through, and I’m here. Whatever is bothering you, whatever’s keeping you from giving in to me, you can tell me.”
She sighed, frustration etching her expression and the barest hint of tears shimmering in her gaze.
Those tears got to him. Fuck. He reached out and cupped her jaw in his hand. “Talk to me, Kate. Why haven’t you given in to this? To us?”
“How many long-term relationships have you had?” she asked, surprising him with a question, not an answer.
He blinked. Thought about it. There was Faith, of course, and she was his longest relationship. Afterward? There’d been women here and there, sex definitely, but long-term relationships?
None.
He’d guarded his heart carefully, not even considering anything serious because no one struck him that way—until one day, with the sun shining through the window while helping Faith in her new store, he’d looked up and seen Kate in a whole new light. Suddenly, he’d realized the one thing he hadn’t known he wanted had been in front of him the entire time. And he’d been too blind to see it.
“Cat got your tongue?” Kate asked. Her nose had grown red from the cold.
“One long-term relationship,” he finally replied. “When I was just a kid. Your point?”
Her jaw worked back and forth before she spoke. “You just made it. Faith wasitfor you. There was nobody serious for ten years after her, and when she came back, you tried to pick up where you left off, but she wasn’t interested. She wanted Ethan. So you turned to your buddy, your friend, who’s been in front of you forever. Well, I have news for you. I won’t be anyone’s next-best thing ever again.”
On that stunning statement, Kate turned to go, but Nick’s reflexes were good, and he was faster. He reached out and grabbed her arm, turning her back to face him. Her cheeks were pink, and her eyes large in her pale face, as if clearly aware she’d revealed everything in that one statement.
And what a statement it was.
He had a bigger hill to climb than he’d thought. It was more like a fucking mountain. Her view of him couldn’t be further from the truth, but she believed it, and that was what mattered.
“Second best? Is that what you think?” Without hesitation, he yanked her against him and sealed his lips over hers.
She stiffened in shock, and her hands came up to brace his shoulders as if she were ready to push him away. He didn’t give her the chance. Instead, he swept his tongue over her lips once, twice, and on the third lick, she moaned, then parted her mouth and let him inside.
She tasted like heaven. Like mint and Kate, or what he’d imagined she would taste like, and he’d done plenty of that along with, jerking off to thoughts of her. Reality was even better and he couldn’t get enough. Neither could she. Her fingers curled into his shirt, her nails digging into his skin through the fabric. She didn’t pull away, and he continued the sensual assault a while longer, breathing her in and reveling in having her in his arms.
Finally, he broke the kiss, keeping a hand against her back, pressing her against him. “You are not, nor have you ever been second best. Now come inside, and let me prove it to you.”
She narrowed her gaze, which, to his satisfaction, was still hazy with desire. “I can’t.”
“You can.”
