Page 123 of Just One Kiss

Why am I here?

Her mental Olympics were cut short when the outside light came on and she felt like a criminal caught in a police search light.

She froze as the door opened and there he was.

His hair was mussed, looking darker than usual in this light. He wore sweats and a T-shirt, and he stared at her with curious eyes filled with such an intensity it was a wonder her knees didn’t buckle under the weight of it.

“Is everything okay?” His brow furrowed, laced with concern.

She nodded, unable to find words. How did she apologize to the man whose apology she’d been waiting for all of sixteen years?

“Jaden’s okay?”

Another nod. “Everyone’s fine.”

He looked around the dark neighborhood, then back to her. “Did you want to come in?”

“For a minute maybe?”

He stepped out of the way so she could pass, though she was drawn to his body on the way through the door like a magnet to a sheet of steel.

Inside, she turned a circle. “It looks good in here.”

He pushed a hand through his already messy hair. “I don’t sleep much.”

She squared off in front of him and lifted her chin. She might have to eat crow, but she wasn’t going to grovel. She’d get it over with quickly, before she could talk herself out of it. “I made an idiot of myself today.”

He leaned against the doorjamb, and even in the faint light from the lamp outside, she could see that lazy smile had returned. “Nah, you?”

“It was out of character, I admit, but Jaden told me you cleared it with the doctor,” she said. “I think I’ve just been extra emotional because of the surgery and everything.”

“Is that what you’re blaming it on?” He pushed himself upright and took a step toward her.

“It’s not a giant leap,” she said, inching away, as if putting any distance between them could sever the attraction. “It’s been an emotional few weeks.”

“It has.” He moved closer, and she realized she’d backed herself against the wall. “Why are you really here at two in the morning?”

Well, when he put it that way, it did sound a little dire. And insane. She’d gone insane. “I came to ask for a truce.”

“A truce?”

“Yeah, you know, like waving the white flag?”

He stood directly in front of her now. Inches from her. If she shifted, their bodies would be touching. She studied his eyes, searching them for answers to questions that had kept them apart for years, but in them, she only found more questions. She was sure of nothing in that moment except that the air between them sparked, filled with tangible electricity, the kind that kept her glued in place.

“I was never at war with you, Carly,” he said, his voice husky and low.

Slowly, she tipped her chin up and latched on to his gaze. There, she saw unmistakable desire—so thick it pinned her to the wall. She forced herself not to hold her breath, drawing in air and willing it to calm her racing heart.

“I’m sorry I thought you were careless with our son.”

Josh tucked a stray hair behind her ear. “I would never be careless with him.” He inched closer, then took her face in his hands.

Carly searched his eyes. This was crazy. What was she doing here? Did the darkness make her more susceptible to stupidity? Did it make her bolder? Less afraid?

She could deny it all she wanted, but nothing in her life had felt this right in a very long time. When she inhaled, her breath mixed with his, as he brought his forehead closer to hers, a hand at her chin.

“I need to kiss you,” he said, voice charged with urgency.

---