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This was much more than a kiss, this timeless melding of two souls meant to be together, a kiss filled with hope and new beginnings. Gentle yet forceful, giving yet demanding, his mouth commanded hers with a precision that took her breath away.
As he cradled her head, his lips grazing hers with seductive skill, she knew the explosion of mind-numbing need flowing through her had little to do with expertise and everything to do with the potent attraction still simmering between them after all this time.
They’d always been like this together.
Lightning-fast, combustible sparks shooting between them: quick, hot, magical.
“You’re smiling.” He broke the kiss to pull back and look at her. “Either it means you’re really happy, or my kissing technique needs a bit of work.”
Reaching up to lay a hand against his cheek, she smiled. “You’re kissing technique is as good as ever.”
“Okay then, glad we got that sorted.”
His confident grin told her he knew exactly how talented he was in the kissing department and had probably been fishing for compliments.
“You shaved.” She ran her fingertips over his jaw, skimming the smooth skin, irrationally missing the stubble she loved so much.
“You know it’s a lost cause. I’ll have half a beard again by the end of the night.”
“I like it,” she murmured, replacing her fingertips with her lips, grazing his cheek in the lightest, barest of kisses, inhaling deeply as she did so, her memory dancing with happiness in recognition of his addictive scent.
“You still have the power to drive me crazy.” He turned his head a fraction to slant his mouth across hers in a slow, soul-drugging kiss that had her clinging to his shirt as she flailed outof her depth in a sea of desire. “So, what are you going to do about it?”
She broke the kiss with reluctance, her body telling her to go for it, her head telling her to take things slow before they got in too deep too quick.
“How about we take it one day at a time?” Wriggling back on the sofa to put a little distance between them—she couldn’t think straight with his overpowering masculine presence in her personal space—she decided to give it to him straight. “I don’t want you to think me moving in here is agreeing to give us another chance. I’m not ready for that, and to be completely honest, I’m not sure if I’ll ever be ready. I understand your rationale for leaving but that doesn’t mean I agree with it or what it did to us. You did what you thought was right at the time but everything has changed now. I’ve changed…”
If he only knew how.
She shook her head, trying to read the expression on his face, coming up empty. “So if you’re happy to hang out as friends while I’m here, that’s fine, but I’m not making any promises, okay?
Something dark and mysterious shifted in his eyes before they crinkled at the corners, his smile a welcome acknowledgement he didn’t think she was completely batty.
“That was some speech. Don’t hold back or anything, will you?”
“You know blunt is my middle name.”
“Honesty is good,” he said, though as his gaze dipped to where they held hands, she knew he was hiding something.
She’d worked in the hospitality industry her whole life, first in her parents’ coffee shop in Rainbow Creek, now in theNiche, and if there was one skill she’d developed besides making a great latte, it was reading people.
Since Blane had strolled into theNichehe’d been nothing but open and straightforward, always eyeballing her, so what was with the sudden shift? Guess she’d soon find out, considering she’d agreed to live with him until her apartment was done.
Sheer and utter madness, yet she hadn’t felt this alive in a long, long time.
“So you want to hang out with me, huh?” His eyes gleamed with anticipation and she wondered if she’d imagined his mysterious vibe a second ago.
Tilting her chin up, she flicked her hair over her shoulder, delighting in his torturous expression. “Absolutely.”
He leaned closer and crooked his finger at her. “Here’s a thought.”
He’d lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper so she cupped a hand around her ear. “I’m listening.”
“How about a date?”
“Friends don’t date.” But they weren’t just friends, were they? Their bond went far beyond friendship, something he’d constantly reminded her of ever since he’d strutted back into her life. “And besides, you’re pushing your luck, seeing as I’m already taking you to dinner.”
He laughed and captured her hand, placing a soft kiss on her palm, and the urge to curl her fingers over it was beyond tempting.
