Page 52 of The Bombshell and the Bodyguard
Feeling like I was moving in slow motion, I stood and went to the bathroom door, unlocking and opening it.
Wilder’s hand was raised as if he’d been about to pound on it again. His face was red with fury.
But I wasn’t afraid. Someone who’d written something like this about me could never hurt me. I held the page out to him.
“What is this?”
He was silent, but the anger drained from his features. It was replaced by a look of vulnerability I’d never seen him wear before.
“You were never supposed to see that.”
“It’s about me. It is, isn’t it?”
He blinked and looked off to the side, then up at the ceiling, letting out a shaky breath. His voice came out sounding rough and broken.
“Whydid you do that? I told you not to read it. I’m so mad at you, I could just...”
Before he could finish the thought, I slid a hand around the back of his neck and rose to my tiptoes, pressing my lips to his.
For a few seconds, it reminded me of our first kiss years ago, when I’d surprised him in my childhood bedroom. Wilder was stiff and unresponsive, as if he’d been flash frozen.
But then it was like some kind of internal dam broke. With a soft grunt, he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me to him, lifting me off my feet and caressing my mouth with a kiss so deep and charged with emotion it brought tears to my eyes.
His hands ran up and down my back, stroking my hair, shaping my waist through my thin knit sundress, then coming up to cup my face.
Every minute of it felt like inevitability, like it had always been meant to be. And it felt wonderful. I had literally never been happier in my life.
When he lowered me to my feet again and drew back to look at me, there was a whole new look in Wilder’s eyes, something like wonder mixed with resignation.
“Sothat’swhat it feels like,” he said softly.
My answering tone was gently chiding. “We kissed before you know. In my room, when I was sixteen. Or did you forget?”
He shook his head. “I didn’t forget a thing. I remember everything when it comes to you.”
The confession stole my breath. “Why did you say that then?”
“Because I’ve been wondering—pretty much non-stop—what it would feel like to kiss you again. Now. Now that you’re not a little girl, and I’m not a stupid teenager who had no idea what he was doing.”
I smiled and ran my fingers through the smooth, heavy locks of his hair. “You did a pretty good job back then, too. Or didn’t you ever listen to the lyrics of ‘Teaser?’”
“Your first hit song? That was about me?”
“Come on. You had to have known it was. I wasn’t exactly subtle in my references.”
“Well, when I first heard it, I thought maybe...” He had the grace to look embarrassed. “…but it’s kind of obnoxious to assume a song is about you.”
“Youwerekind of obnoxious back then. Or did you forgetthat?”
Wilder smiled. “I remember. So... what about now? You must not think I’mtooobnoxious... since you kissed me.”
I laughed. “You’ve grown up very nicely, I must say. And youhavemellowed out considerably. You’re not the Teaser anymore.”
“Thank you for noticing.”
“Mmm hmm. I noticed something else, too.” I rose to my tiptoes again and nipped his lips. “I’m always the one who kissesyou. You’ve never kissed me.”
“That’s about to change,” he said before dipping his head and taking my mouth again.
