Page 29 of Finding Romance
I shrug. “I guess so. I just get nervous.”
“Do I make you nervous, little escape artist?” he teases. I want to scream, “Yes!” But instead, I shake my head.
"Good. We should have another practice date, just to make sure you aren’t nervous.”
“OK. When?” I ask.
“Maybe in a few days? Think about something you’d like to do,” he offers. Kiss you. Maybe make out with you. Oh my God! I need to stop this. We are only practicing dating. And then I’ll be gone in a few weeks. What am I thinking?
“Can I ask you a question?” I say, deciding I might as well take advantage of my dating professor.
“Of course.”
“Are you, like, supposed to kiss on the first date?” I ask and I feel the heat creeping up my neck.
His finger comes out and presses my chin up until we’re gazing at each other.
“You can. If you’re comfortable with that. Not all first dates have to end with a kiss,” he explains as if he knows no one has ever told me this.
“Good to know,” I state as I search his eyes. “I just…”
“Don’t be embarrassed. Just ask me,” he encourages.
I lick my lips, and his eyes drop to watch my tongue darting out.
“I need to know if I suck at kissing,” I say quickly, the words running together.
“I highly doubt that. Did someone tell you that?” he asks with a frown.
I purse my lips and shake my head. “Not exactly, but it’s not like these guys called again, you know?”
“Do you want to practice that?” he inquires, his eyes searching mine.
Yes! I take a deep breath because I need to not appear excited about this.
“I think I should.”
“OK,” he replies slowly.
And without another word, he moves his hand along my jaw and cups it, angling my head a little as he leans down and presses his lips to mine. My eyes are open in surprise, but as he starts to kiss me, my eyelids fall shut. He doesn’t force the kiss any deeper, just gently moves his parted lips along mine until I want to crawl up his body. My hands reach out to grip anything to keep me upright. They find his biceps and I grip them firmly as I press myself against him. His tongue gently moves along the seam of my lips. My lips part in surprise and he slowly slides his tongue along mine. He tastes of the wine and gelato we had. It feels right. Like every kiss I had before this one was wrong. His kiss opens a door inside me that I didn’t know existed. As he pulls back and looks down at me with hooded eyes and enlarged black pupils, I wonder if he felt it too or if it’s just my inexperience speaking.
“Goodnight, Kasen,” I manage. “Thank you.”
His thumb strokes my cheek gently before dropping away. “You’re welcome. And by the way, you get an A-plus,” he says, his voice raspy.
“For the date or the kiss?” I ask.
“For both,” he answers.
I turn and unlock the door, slipping inside without turning back because I’m afraid I’d literally jump this man for another kiss like that. How am I going to stop myself from falling for my dating teacher?
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Kasen
I sit down on my sofa and hold my head in my hands. What the hell was that? I just kissed Piper. I don’t mean a practice kiss. That was definitely not a practice kiss. It started out as a practice kiss, but then something in me just snapped. I couldn’t get enough of her. God, that took every fiber of my being to pull away. How the hell am I supposed to go out with her again? One pretend date was torture enough. I had to keep reminding myself that the date wasn’t real because halfway through that dinner conversation, it felt real as fuck. She knew places around my grandmother’s house. No one knows that. It was like she was shining a light into my soul, and my soul had lived in a deep, dark cave for a long time.
I pull out my phone and text the guys’ group chat.
