Page 27 of Rescue
Before I have a chance to say anything, it’s as though Miles has read my mind. “It’s getting pretty late and I know you have to open the cafe in the morning. I should probably drive you home now.” His tone is soft and I can tell he’s as reluctant to wrap up this evening as I am.
I help carry the dishes inside, while he tends to the fire and gathers the throw blankets to bring in just in case we get some rain tonight. You never know up here. Once everything is cleaned up, he walks me out to his truck and again opens the door for me and helps me in.
The drive home is mostly quiet, but where the previous ride seemed like companionable silence, this is anything but. The air is charged between us and there feels like a current of hormones running through the truck. I’m not sure if Miles can feel it or not. He’s sitting stiff as a board in his seat, studiously avoiding looking me by staring out the windshield as though there’s going to be a test on the drive. Maybe he doesn’t feel it. Maybe he’s just been being nice this whole time and he doesn’t really like me after all. I guess it’s also possible that he changed his mind. I thought everything went really well, but what do I know?
My mind is still spinning as we pull up outside of the cafe. “I’ll walk you to the door,” he says just before he opens his door and climbs out. I see him round the hood of the truck as I unbuckle and his face looks determined, like a man on a mission. What that mission is, I have no clue. Is he going to kiss me or tell me he never wants to see me again? Honestly, with the way his face looks right now things could go either way.
He opens my door and as I get out, I brush up against his chest. This time he’s the one who gasps, and when I look up into his eyes, I’m greeted with a smoldering look. If I could melt into a puddle, I probably would. Time seems to stop as he closes the space between us and leans toward me. As our lips connect, I’m struck again with a feeling of rightness I can’t put my finger on.
An unavoidable moan escapes me and that seems to encourage him to deepen this kiss. He opens his mouth and licks a little at my lips, so I open and let him in. The kiss is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before. When he pulls back and looks at me, the shock and desire that I see on his face must be reflected in my own. I’m not sure if I’ve ever felt a stronger connection.
“Whoa,” I breathe out as I look up into his handsome face.
The wind is whistling through the trees and we’re still standing in the dark parking lot, so I don’t know if he heard it. But as he brings his eyes up to meet mine, I hear him echo, “Whoa.”
He takes my hand and walks me to the door to the cafe. As I fiddle with the lock, he keeps one of my hands in his, making my job a little harder, but not impossible. I find it so adorable I don’t really mind.
Once the door is unlocked, I turn back to Miles to say goodnight. “I had such a great time tonight. Thank you for the amazing meal.”
“Ah, it was nothing.” He says to me as his cheeks heat a little, he smiles and looks away. I’m finding that I really like a humble and modest guy.
“Well, I thought it was perfect.”
He brings his eyes back to me and it feels like at this moment he can really see me and my appreciation for what he did for me. “You deserve so much more,” he says, reaching up to put his hand on the side of my face as he leans in for another kiss. This one is much more chaste than the last, but no less powerful. It’s over too soon and I find myself pouting a little as he pulls away.
When he notices my pout, he reaches up with his thumb and brushes it across my lips. “Maybe just one more.” Then he leans back in. This kiss is short and sweet, but just as delicious. He’s the one who looks reluctant when he pulls back this time. “I don’t want to go, but if I don’t leave now, I’m going to scoop you up and take you upstairs and you won’t get any sleep tonight,” he says almost growling.
I think he said that as a deterrent but that sounds exactly like what I want right now. I know he’s right though. I might work for a coffee shop, but I need to actually sleep if I want to be able to function tomorrow. I groan and lean my head against his chest. “But I don’t wanna go to work tomorrow.” I know I’m whining like a child, but in this moment I really don’t care.
“Me either, but we both need our sleep.” He says as he hugs me closer and kisses my head. “When can I see you again?” He asks. I’m relieved to know that he feels the same way I do.
We make a plan to see each other in a few days, he kisses me one more time, briefly, and then I go inside. My mind is spinning with the magical atmosphere, the interesting conversation, and the amazing kisses. Even so, I fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow, dreaming of Miles the whole night.
