Page 38 of Sincerely Not Yours

Harris shifted, his cheek dipping close to hers as he asked, “Stay with me for another dance?” His breath tickled her neck, sending a shiver down her spine. Anticipation snatched at her chest.

“Okay,” she said, surprised to hear a tremor in her answer, but Harris didn’t let her focus on the waver. He guided both her hands to the back of his neck before looping his arms around her middle. Then he took hold of her, using his height to draw her in, bending her back ever so slightly, bringing their faces inches apart.

“Gigi,” he started, his voice low and intimate, touching Gigi in all the right spots. “You deserve to be treated like a queen, always. I hope you know that.”

She went speechless. Shortly after, they’d stopped swaying, fully wrapped up in each other, their gazes tied together with an invisible rope. This close, Gigi could count every emerald fleckand streak of blue in Harris’s soulful eyes. They captured her and drew her in like a powerful river current.

His arms tightened, pulling her impossibly closer. Heat radiated from his body. Or was that hers? Their hearts beat in sync—against each other—and her gaze flicked to his lips. Would he kiss her? Because that was all she was thinking about.

Leaning in, Harris gave Gigi’s heart a start. But instead of meeting her lips, he shifted course, grazing her neck with his soft mouth as he whispered, “I won’t kiss you like this.”

His warm breath. The brush of his lips. His velvet voice.

Goosebumps rushed over her, all the way to her toes. She was putty in his hands. Her body arched back, trusting entirely in Harris to keep her from falling.

“How would you kiss me?” she countered, breathless.

Harris took entirely too long to reply. “If I kiss you, it needs to be special, and at the right time. Most importantly, it can’t be fake. I want to kiss you, Gigi. That’s real. But I need to be one hundred percent certain it’s what you want too.”

For a moment, she was lost in the shock wave of his whispers, knowing that he wanted to kiss her too. Then, with a surge of courage, Gigi said, “I’m one hundred percent certain, Harris. Take me somewhere to kiss me.”

Chapter Sixteen

Harris paid the bill and stuffed his wallet into his coat pocket. Gigi took his hand, and as they weaved through the crowd at the bar, Harris considered following Gigi anywhere. He’d wanted to kiss her as they danced—so badly, he’d nearly combusted—but he wasn’t about to have their first kiss be a façade. He didn’t want her ex watching. Harris wanted Gigi to himself. He wanted their kiss to snowball into something real. Something far beyond a moment.

Holding tight to Gigi’s hand, he couldn’t believe he’d gotten here, and so quickly. Falling for someone wasn’t on his agenda. It wasn’t why he came to Chicago, and it certainly didn’t make the challenges with his father any easier.

But Gigi wasn’t just someone.

She’d hooked him with her kind heart, quick wit, and fierce determination. He’d thought of her every spare second. He wanted to be by her side at all hours.

None of that was normal—not for him. Harris didn’t trip over himself on the way to any woman. In fact, he wasn’t sure he even believed in love. But how he felt around Gigi was something he’d never experienced. And he wanted more.

Bursting out the door, they shuffled into the cold. It was late, but city lights illuminated the street. Traffic bustled by, headlights shining. Streetlamps glowed, spotlighting the falling snow. Harris dug in his pocket for his phone, ready to call for the valet. “I’ll have my car brought around. A friend of mine owns The Signature Room at the Ninety-Fifth. Amazing views of the city and the chef makes a million different flavors of cheesecake. I’ll call him and reserve the lounge—”

Gigi clasped his hand, stopping him mid-sentence. “I don’t care where we go, Harris,” she said, her voice soft but firm. “I only care that I’m with you. Kiss me here. This is perfect.”

Harris stared at her, amazed that she was solely focused on him, not on what he could give her or where he could take her. Snowflakes swirled around them, salting her mahogany hair. The neon bar sign glowed across her face, and her eyes shone with sincerity. Realizing this moment, right here in front of the bar, was more perfect than any grand gesture he could’ve planned, Harris closed the short distance to Gigi. He cupped her face, sweeping his thumbs across her blushed cheeks.

“I’m going to kiss you now,” he whispered. When Gigi responded by biting her bottom lip, barely disguising a smile, Harris leaned in, heart pounding.

He pressed his lips to hers, and everything around the two of them dissolved. The cold wind. The falling snow. The buzz of traffic. It was all replaced by their intense connection. Harris absorbed Gigi’s sweet scent, savored every touch. His fingerslaced into her hair, and her arms wrapped around his neck. Unspoken words filled every movement, containing all the emotions he’d been holding back.

When he thought his heart might explode, Harris pulled back. He rested his forehead against hers. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that,” he murmured, his breath mingling with hers.

Gigi’s eyes fluttered open, and she smiled. “Probably as long as I’ve wanted you to.”

He chuckled, relief washing over him. “Glad we’re both on the same page.”

Her eyes sparkled. “Same book. Same page.”

Gigi rose onto her tiptoes, pulling him into another kiss, and Harris couldn’t help himself. He lifted her into his arms, desire igniting as she wrapped her legs around his waist. Tightening his hold, he deepened the kiss, his stomach spinning as she melted into him.

In that moment, he knew their connection was real. And now that Harris had a taste, he couldn’t back away. This was the start of something special, and Harris wanted to explore whatever came next, even though it terrified him.

Harris stood in Dean’s corner office, admiring the panoramic view of the Chicago skyline, which was on full display through the large windows. He was in an amazing mood, despite the fact that their father had just blazed in, complained of losing market share, and claimed the company would be bankrupt in a year if Harris and Dean didn’t pull their heads out of their rears and do something about it. However, Harris’s good mood couldn’t be dampened. Memories of his time with Gigi swirled throughhis mind, keeping his heart light and his spirits high. But he kept those sweet thoughts to himself, for now. He wouldn’t risk ruining what was blossoming with Gigi by involving his family—particularly his dad.

Dean glanced up from his desk, raising an eyebrow at Harris. “You look like you’ve won the lottery. What’s going on?”

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