Page 71 of Class Act

He let go, but his hands moved to cup my face on either side, and he leaned in to press his lips to the place on my cheek where my dimple appeared. Kissing lightly, he moved to the same spot on the other side, his hands gently holding my face.

“I’ve wanted to kiss those ever since you flashed them at me at the dance recital while lying through your teeth about being happy to sit next to me. Those dimples are trouble.”

A flush of embarrassment warred with the warmth cascading down my limbs. This close I could see stripes of white and blue circling together in the gray of his eyes, making them look like a blue sky filled with clouds.

I stuttered in reply. “I was not lying.”

“Hailey, your nose almost grew two inches standing there with your pink dahlias and innocent expression.” His eyes were warm with merriment as he leaned closer. “I would have given everything to have you tell me what you were really thinking. It drove me mad.”

“I was thinking how much I didn’t want to be around you,” I whispered against lips that were moving closer to mine.

“And now?”

He pressed a light kiss against my mouth, stealing my thoughts and making my chest feel tight. When I didn’t answer he kissed me again, his hands falling from my face to hold my shoulders. His mouth was so warm and so gentle. He wasn’t insisting on anything, rather asking permission while letting me know how very much he wanted this. The kiss at the pool had been a surprise, but this time there was no hesitance on his part. I leaned in to the feeling, the knowledge, that he meant it.

My own hands raised to press against his chest lightly, not to push away, but to feel his heartbeat. The kiss shifted, his head angling slightly, and I dove into it wholeheartedly, feeling as though I was no longer connected to the earth. Ford’s hands slid from my shoulders, one settling on my hip and the other pressing against the small of my back. I sighed against his mouth as my arms moved to circle his neck, eliminating the space between us. I was fire and ice as we fully connected, and he initiated another set of exquisite kisses. It was more than I’d ever thought I’d feel for someone.

He gently pushed me backwards, and we shuffled together--still kissing--until we were standing inside my house. He kicked my front door shut with one of his heels as his lips moved from my mouth to rest against my ear, his breath rapid and warm. “I’m not sure the neighbors should have a front row seat to this,” he said.

“I’m not even sure what this is,” I replied, turning my head to place a kiss on his jawline.

His arms tightened again, and he turned to meet my mouth once more. I’d never been kissed like this by anyone. I’d dated, I’d even had a few short-term boyfriends, but no one had tugged at my soul, demanding to be let inside, the way Ford did. His arms banded around me, and I wondered how perfect it would feel if my stupid coat wasn’t bunching between us. It would probably have been a couple of degrees cooler, at least. The thought of me steaming alive inside this coat made me smile, which broke the melding of our lips. I dropped my forehead against his collarbone and pulled my arms down to wrap around his waist. I felt cozy and safe, and supremely happy, nestled against him, listening to our breathing settle.

I felt him swallow. “That was not part of the plan for tonight,” he said in a raspy voice.

“I know.”

“And sometimes knowing when to leave is a good thing, too.”

“Just . . . give me one second,” I said, feeling brave and reckless for the first time in my life. I pulled out of his embrace, and he released me, watching as I unwrapped my coat and pulled my arms from the sleeves. I draped it over my couch and then stepped back to where he was standing. “That’s better. Now, where were we?”

I grabbed the lapels of his suit jacket and tugged him toward me, leaning up on my toes until our mouths met once more. He laughed against my lips, but it was short-lived as I demanded he meet my kisses with some of his own. He complied quickly, his arms wrapping about me until I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to fully breathe again. This was better than a thousand daydreams and a million hopes. I felt alive and whole and so, so, so cherished by him.

“You’re beautiful, Hailey,” he murmured against my cheek. “You’re smart, and funny, and so . . . unexpected.”

I liked that I was getting under his skin, that I was keeping him on his toes. I adored that he found me beautiful. He released me, and I did the same, tucking a strand of hair that had fallen out of my updo behind my ear.

“I really better go,” he said, and I nodded.

“Yeah.”

He looked as jumbled up inside as I was. His eyes were glowing, his lips pink from my lipstick, his hair a little disheveled. I took a mental picture, wanting to remember him this way.

“Goodnight,” he whispered.

“Goodnight.”

He stepped out, and I stood watching my door close, soaking up the last few sparks of attraction before they flitted away.

CHAPTER TWENTY

The next day a chiming sound pulled me out of planning my math lessons for the coming week, and I shuffled the papers around on my table at home until my phone surfaced. My face lit up as I saw Ford’s name. I’d thought of him obsessively over the past day. . . possibly even more than when I used to daydream and make up silly stories. I excitedly clicked on the message.

Ford: Are you going to the Halloween Fair on Main this weekend

Me: Thinking about it

Ford: I have a favor to ask