Page 46 of At the Heart of It
Kate took a shaky breath. “So we’re done with that.”
Jonah nodded. “I think we proved our point.”
“Which was?” Kate’s voice sounded high and tight, and she barely recognized it as her own.
“I forget.” Jonah let go of her then and reached for his beer. He picked it up and took a drink, then looked at her.
“So we got that out of our systems then.”
Kate stared at him, her body still buzzing where he’d touched her. She looked at her own glass, then picked it up. It was still cold, and had a soft froth of white across the top. She took a big gulp, then sputtered.
“Easy there, cowgirl!” Jonah grabbed the glass out of her hand while Kate coughed and gasped.
When her eyes stopped watering, she looked at him. “That was—not good.”
“You’re supposed to sip craft beer,” he said. “Not gulp like it’s water. Try again.”
He put the glass back in her hand, and Kate thought about resisting. But she tasted hints of graham cracker and nutmeg and allspice, and wasn’t sure if that was the beer or the kiss. Either way, she wanted more.
She wrapped her fingers around the glass and lifted it to her mouth. This time, she took a moment to breathe it in.
“It smells really good,” she admitted. “Like pie and cream soda.”
“Olfactory senses are really important when it comes to tasting beer,” he said. “Well, tasting anything, really, but we’re talking about beer here.”
Kate sniffed again. It really was nice. “I don’t think I’ve ever sniffed any drink that wasn’t wine.”
“Then you’ve been missing out. There’s a lot of sensory response that takes place in the zone where smell and taste meet.”
Kate laughed and sniffed again. “Wow. And to think I assumed you just chugged it at a tailgate party.”
“Please.” He meant it as a scoff, but Kate heard it as a plea and felt longing drip through her like spilled beer.
She tilted the glass and took a tentative sip. Not bad. Not bad at all. She swallowed and sipped again.
“Take your time,” Jonah said. “Experiment with different ways of moving it over your tongue and swallowing.”
Kate laughed. “I can’t believe you’re instructing me like I’ve never consumed liquid before.”
“Not this kind of liquid,” he said. “Different parts of the tongue taste different things—salty, sweet, sour, bitter, umami. You could spend hours experiencing the flavors in totally different ways.”
Kate took one more sip and set the glass down. She’d barely made a dent in the contents of it, but she felt an odd sense of accomplishment. “That wasn’t bad at all. It was actually kind of nice.”
Jonah smiled at her. “That’s what I like about you.” He said it like he was just realizing something important.
“What do you mean?”
“On the surface you seem like someone who’d be set in her ways,” he said. “Someone who wouldn’t want to try new things. But you’re actually one of the most experimental people I’ve met.”
Kate felt a warmth in her belly that might have been the beer, but she didn’t think so. “That might be one of the nicest things anyone’s ever said to me.”
It was true. So much better than if he’d told her she had beautiful eyes or nice hair. What was it about being seen by someone—really seen—that felt like such a gift?
She picked up her glass again and took another swallow. Something about it reminded her of when her father used to pick her up from school and take her out for a butterscotch malt. The faint nuttiness, the cool sweetness on the back of her tongue.
She closed her eyes and took another sip, breathing in notes of creamy caramel and maybe cinnamon buns. Balancing the glass on her knee, she swallowed and felt the bubbles tickle her throat on the way down.
Her eyes were still closed when she felt his lips brush hers again.
