Page 26 of Moonstruck Kiss

He taps Brax’s hip. “Dad, tell Joey what you told me and see if you’re right.”

Brax sends me a smile that makes me want to swoon.

What the hell is the matter with me?

“I just said that for swimming pool water that’s not moving, he could fill the space with light blue colour and not draw waves,” he says.

“That’ll work,” I confirm.

Ollie gives his father two thumbs up. “Good job, Dad. Now, can I look around?”

“Okay. But you can only have one item.”

“But they said I can get all I want.” He looks at me for help.

I probably shouldn’t encourage a small child to have too many sweets, but I don’t have the heart to disappoint him. “Maybe if you choose small ones, you can get a few.”

“See, Dad? What about this?” Ollie shows Brax four fingers. “I’ll only get small ones, like Joey said.”

Brax folds down one of his fingers. “What about that?”

“Three! I’m so lucky!” Ollie makes a beeline for his favourite shelf.

I move closer to Brax to whisper to him just as he’s sidling towards me, and we bump into each other. Electricity zaps me at the point of contact before it zips right to my heart, making it race.

At the same time, Brax jolts before he runs a hand through his hair, puckering his lips as he takes a deep breath.

We lock eyes and, holy guacamole, I’m frozen like a deer in headlights. His pupils are large, his parted lips so…kissable. I feel myself getting drawn to him by an invisible force I should—but can’t—deny.

Until I remember how much he hates this town.

I’m able to break my gaze, and I step away.

“Joey…” he whispers.

“I was just gonna remind you,” I say in a casual tone, “that your parents got chocolates for Ollie the other day. You might want to ensure he doesn’t eat them all in one sitting.”

“Right. And I was gonna ask if four-year-olds are generally as smart as Ollie or is it just my kid?”

I can’t help my smile. “Your kid is smarter than most.”

His chest puffs with pride. “He takes after me, you know.”

“Really?” I ask dryly. “Are you good at drawing or painting?”

“No.”

“Were you as smart as him when you were four?”

“No idea.”

“So how does he take after you?”

“Well, I can already tell he’s gonna be as good-looking as me when he grows up,” he says teasingly.

I bark out a laugh. “Always so full of yourself, aren’t you?”

He cocks his head. “You got zapped by that electricity, too, didn’t you?”

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