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He stands up and shakes his leg before asking, “What?”
“I said I’m sorry. You know, for kissing you.” Instead of meeting his gaze, I stare at his chin. When I finally look into his eyes, his expression is undecipherable. He looks angry, confused, and oddly determined. Reaching his hands out, he pulls me to my feet. Yet once I’m there, he doesn’t release me.
“I’m afraid I didn’t enjoy our kiss.”Well, that’s rude.“But that’s probably only because my knee was hurting so badly.”Oh.
“I don’t throw myself at men as a rule.”
“Then why was I so lucky?” I can’t tell if he’s serious or teasing me. I try to take a step back, but Jamie won’t release me. “Oh no, Melissa,” he says. “You aren’t going to get away before you know what it's like to really kiss me.”
I forget to breathe as his mouth descends upon mine. Our lips reunite in a burst of longing. Jamie quickly turns me so that my back is up against the wall. He takes a step closer until there’s no space between us. As his hands begin to move along my sides, he deepens the kiss and once again groans like he’s hurt.
I force myself to stop kissing him long enough to ask, “Is it your knee again?”
“Not my knee … It’s you …Youare doing this to me.” He stops talking and takes our kiss to a new level of torture.
I don’t know how long we’re connected, five minutes, an hour, three months? All I know is that it’s the most spectacular thing that has ever happened to me. It’s romance-novel satisfying, which suddenly makes me question every other kiss I’ve ever had.
I’m about to declare these feelings out loud, when Jamie suddenly stops. He steps backward, severing all connection between us.
“What are you doing?” I feel like a child who’s had her ice cream taken away.
“I was showing you what it’s like to kiss me when I’m not in excruciating pain.” Yet his expression clearly indicates he’s still hurting.
I’m not sure how to respond. “Thank you?”
“You’re welcome. Now let’s see what the rest of this passageway looks like.” He walks away without turning back.
What just happened? Did Jamie declare romantic intentions toward me? Was he just kissing me because I kissed him? Are we going to start dating? I have absolutely no clue what’s going on. All I know is that I’m not done kissing Sammy’s dad.
CHAPTERSEVENTEEN
JAMIE
Holy crap! If I hadn’t forced myself to stop kissing Melissa, I guarantee I would be halfway to trying to consummate our tenuous friendship. Although, I don’t really think friendship is the word for it. Melissa Corner intrigues me like no one has for a very long time—probably since Beth.
I was serious when I told Sammy I wouldn’t pursue any kind of connection with her boss. I thought I’d made it clear enough to Melissa, as well. Then why in the heck did she kiss me? And more importantly, why did I kiss her back?
The answer to the last question is quite simple. I wanted to show her what it was like to kiss me when I wasn’t in agony. Also, because I’ve been thinking about doing little else since meeting her. As I walk along the cement corridor, I try to decide what I’m going to do now. I have to say something to Melissa so she’s clear this was a one-off.
When I reach the end of the passageway, I stop and wait for her. She walks toward me slowly, thrusting one foot in front of the other like she’s creeping toward the executioner’s block. When she’s finally within a few feet of me, I tell her, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.” Confusion furrows her brow.
“You’re sorry for kissing me?” She sounds insulted.
“Youwere sorry for kissingme,” I retort.
“I was sorry for misreading your signals.” She lowers her chin and lifts her eyes sheepishly. “The kiss was nice.”
It was nice. It was more than nice. “The thing is,” I tell her. “I’m not interested in dating anyone.”
“Excuse me?”
“I don’t want to date you,” I tell her. This declaration sounds overly harsh, but I don’t know how else to make myself clear.
“I see.” She tips her head to the side. After a beat, she adds, “Actually, I don’t see. Why would you kiss me like that if you don’t want to date me?”
“You kissed me first,” I say. “And I’m only human.”
“So, your kiss was a retaliation?” Yeah, she’s mad.
