Page 9 of Lost Love Found

“Can I… could I… no, never mind, that’s inapr —“ She waves her hand in front of her face, as if erasing the thought.

I gently take her wrist and bring her hand to my cheek. “Go ahead.” And the sound of my voice saying the words stuns me. I hate strangers touching me, and I just willingly put this woman’s hand on my face.

Her touch is stiff at first, then her fingers tenderly curl around my face. I can feel the tips of her fingers lightly tracing the contours of my jawline and cheeks. My eyes flutter closed, and I can't help but savor this moment, my heart pounding in my chest and my breath catching in my throat.

Open your eyes!

She takes in a sharp breath. “Oh, it’s shorter than I thought. And softer. Hmm.” Her fingers graze my jaw one last time and she pulls away, her lower lip clamped between her teeth. I feel my fingertips twitch with the desire to pull her lip out and feel the softness of it with my own, but I clench my fists and restrain myself.

“I’m sorry. I’m not normally so forthright with people. Not being able to see your facial expressions is making me a little bolder.” She lets out a short, nervous laugh. “Or maybe you just have that effect on people?”

“Ha! No, I don’t think that’s it. I don’t know that most people are usually so open and honest with me. I really appreciate that about you, Lainey. This is easily the best conversation I’ve had all year.”

Apparently there’s truth serum in the water here. What the fuck, Adam!

She smiles. That open, genuine smile she seems to just give away so freely. The sudden thunderous sound of a countdown interrupts my thoughts. Lainey's bright green eyes widen as she seems to look right through me.

10! 9! 8!

We both sit paralyzed in the moment, straining our ears to listen.

7! 6!

My heart beats faster. My brain goes blank.

5! 4!

All I see are the shadows dancing on her face. Her breathtakingly sweet face.

3! 2! 1!

And my stupid, empty brain decides this is the moment to tell my body to move into action. My arm shoots out and my hand rests on her shoulder before my brain has time to process what I'm doing. I lean in to whisper, “Happy New Year, Tornerose,” and my lips brush the soft skin of her cheek. In an instant, the moment is over.

I’m just about to chastise myself for doing something so incredibly foolish when I feel her hand back on my cheek. She turns her face and returns my kiss. I feel the softness of her lips beneath my beard and my entire body heats when I hear her breathy, “Happy New Year, Adam.”

We move in slow motion. Our departure from one another is both gradual and cautious, as if sudden movements might break the spell we both seem to be under.

She clears her throat quietly. “Well, in the spirit of honesty and the new year, I can honestly say I don’t know when I last had a midnight kiss on New Year’s Eve, so thanks for that.” She sounds detached, and maybe a little anxious. I think she’s trying to diffuse the palpable tension currently taking up residence in this room.

I make a weird noise in my throat. “Should we keep going with the questions, or are you too tired?”

“I’m a night owl, so midnight is normally early for me. But this surgery seems to have taken the wind out of my sails, so maybe I should head to bed.” She reaches for the coffee table, nearly knocking over her empty bottle of water. “Is my phone here somewhere? I can call Charlie or Maeve to help me.”

“I don’t think they’d hear you with the noise levels out there. I’ll help.” I grab her phone and place it in her hand, and she swiftly unlocks it with facial recognition.

“Um, OK. Can you text Maeve for me and just let her know I’ve gone to bed? Please.” She’s handing me the phone, and I immediately know what I’m going to do. Several seconds later, she asks, “You OK there? Still texting?”

I look up and smile. “No, I was just adding my number to your phone. Friends have one another’s phone numbers, right?” I honestly don’t know what’s gotten into me. Less than 10 people have my phone number and I just spoon fed it to someone I’ve known for… three hours?

She flashes me a crooked smile and says, “Well then, you might as well text yourself, so you have mine too, friend.” The way she says “friend” makes me uneasy. The dimly lit room seems to close in around us. I force a smile and take her hand, placing her phone back in it with a gentle squeeze.

“Wait here a second. I’ll be right back to take you to bed. Uh - to take you to your bedroom. To walk you to your bedroom. I’ll just… be right back.”

I really need to get my head checked. What am I, 16 again? Fumbling my words, getting all fired up over a kiss on the cheek? Fuck.

I open the fridge to get her some water and grab two bottles, shoving one into my pocket and rushing back to the living room. She’s sitting with her hands on her lap, holding her phone, eye drops and sunglasses. Her head turns when she hears me come in, a tight smile on her face. She stands as I approach, and I take her elbow like I had done earlier.

“Which way to your room, L?” When she snaps her head towards me, I catch the smell of her hair again. Coconut and honey. I also notice she’s stiffer this time than any of the previous times I got close to her tonight. Shit.

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