Page 82 of The Overdue Kiss

Panting, she touches a finger to her rosy lips. The ones I so very much want to capture again. “You... kissed me.”

“Mm-hmm.” I tuck a curl behind her ear. “It might be my new greeting from now on.”

“It was one heck of a hello. I don’t even have my thoughts together.”

A rush of satisfaction hits me. “I thought I’d get it out of the way now so I’m not thinking about it for the rest of the evening.”

“What about me? Now I can’t stop thinking about another one.”

“Oh good. Me too.”

I swoop in again but stop an inch from her lips, caught up in the beauty of her upturned face. Cradling my chin, she pulls me down impatiently and melts in my embrace as soon as our lips touch.

Holy smokes. I’ll never get enough of her.

“You know, we don’t have to go anywhere. I like spending these quiet moments with you,” I whisper against her mouth, and her lips curve into a smile on mine.

Eyes twinkling, she eases away, despite the trail of kisses I’m brushing along her jaw. “As sweet as that is, I’m starving,” she says and kisses my nose. “Besides, you promised.”

I suddenly regret past me making plans when we could be kissing under the stars instead.

“Don’t make a face. We have to eat sometime.”

“Speak for yourself.”

But of course, she’s impossible to say no to.

The chilly Colorado air eases some of my frustration on the drive to the restaurant. We are quickly seated, and I let her talk most of the evening, resting my chin on my fist and hanging on to her every word.

When a familiar voice pipes through the restaurant’s speakers, I nearly knock over my drink. Maya is right. Felipe has an annoying knack for showing up at the most inconvenient times.

I open my mouth to apologize or perhaps suggest asking the waitstaff to change the station, but she surprises me by pointing out the carbonara special for two.

“Would you be interested in sharing?” she asks, twisting her blue book earring as she considers her options.

“I... uh, sure. As long as it doesn’t have broccoli, I’ll eat anything.”

“It comes with a salad, so you’re safe.” She snaps the menu closed and grabs a piece of bread from the basket. “Why are you so tense?”

Felipe’s advertisement cuts off, and the music returns along with my good mood. Maya hadn’t even noticed.

“Just nerves, I guess.”

I lay my hand on the table, palm up, which she places hers into, lacing our fingers together.

“I’m glad we finally made it here,” I admit.

“Aren’t you glad I forced you?” She smiles one of my favorites that lights up her face. “But yes, I appreciate that you waited until the time was right.”

“When you find someone as special as you, you don’t rush it.” I squeeze her hand.

“What about that kiss earlier?” She smirks, mixing her iced tea with the straw. “You couldn’t wait until the end of the date?”

“I thought if we kissed first, you could relax and enjoy the meal and not overthink about it the entire evening.”

“SoIcould relax?” She lifts a knowing brow.

“Okay... so I mostly did it for me. I have to admit, it was the best decision I’ve ever had, besides picking you up on the side of the road.”

---