Page 57 of Kiss Me Now
I felt weirdly vulnerable, staring into his eyes with him barely a foot away from me. I pretended to dust something from the cuff of my shorts as an excuse to break the connection. “No, I get that. I even agree. But it grinds you down after a while.”
“Is that why you left DC?”
How much did he know about why I left? It was hard to say. It sounded like he was thorough at his job, and when he’d been looking into me, he may have found enough clues to form a picture. But I doubted it was an accurate one.
I picked my words carefully. “I left because after spending all that time in the metaphorical dirt, it’s refreshing to only deal with the literal kind.” I held up my fingers speckled with dark soil.
“Maybe our work isn’t so different,” he said, crouching to pluck one of the beefsteak polypores from the bag at his feet. “We’re both hunting parasites.”
I stared at the dull red mushroom in his palm, then met his eyes. “No, Ian. I think it’s important to remember that you and I are as different as we can be.” It was extremely important formeto remember that. Ian might be fun in the short-term, but when I did get school under control and had the time and energy to consider dating, I’d be thinking long-term. There was no long-term for us, not with him rooted so deeply in DC.
“Are we that different though? Maybe we should build on what we have in common.”
“Like what?” I asked.
He straightened and stood in front of me, his thighs brushing against my knees. “Like how I like science too. But I’m more into chemistry.”
I blinked at him. “I want to make fun of you for that incredibly cheesy line.”
“But you won’t?”
My breath felt shallow. “No. I may have had the same thought a time or two. And because I’m curious about where you’re going with it.”
“I was thinking right here.” He reached out and brushed a finger across my bottom lip, a feather-light touch.
It was sexy. Dang, Ian. “That seems like a good place to go.” It was a bad idea. Such a bad idea.
His eyes darkened. “Does it?”
I swallowed. “Yeah.” No. But not a single one of my molecules wanted to move.
He stepped between my knees and my hand snaked out to grab the front of his shirt, gathering it in my fist and pulling him closer.
“What happens next, science expert?” he asked, his voice low and a little rough.
“You shut up and kiss me now.”
He closed the short distance between us, his lips meeting mine, soft at first, but a wave of need swept over me out of nowhere, and I let go of his shirt with a slight gasp and started to pull away, shocked by the feeling.
He watched me, his eyes heavy and dark, waiting to see what I would do next. I should jump down from the trunk and take myself home. Instead, I slid my arms around his neck. He drew me close and kissed me again, and I had the sensation of melting as I returned it. This time when he drew away for the tiniest second, I protested, but his mouth covered mine again, his lips warm and sure as they nudged mine apart to explore.
Every rational thought disappeared as I wrapped my leg around his waist and his hand slipped beneath my knee like he wanted to keep me there. I pulled him against me tighter, kissing him back with the same boldness.
The woods grew quiet except for the sound of blood rushing in my ears and a few soft appreciative sounds from Ian. I protested again when he pulled away slightly, but it was only to press kisses along my jaw, and I let go of him, leaning back on my hands to give him better access to my neck.
“I had no idea,” he said quietly before pressing a soft kiss to the hollow of my throat. He tugged lightly at the neckline of my shirt so he could trail kisses along my shoulder.
“No idea...?” I couldn’t focus.
“No idea that you would taste this good.” More kisses. “Feel this good.” He slid his other hand beneath my other knee and pulled lightly, sliding me even closer. But as much as I wanted to surrender to him, the soft scrape of the trunk against the back of my thighs brought me to my senses.
This was...no. This was not the right time, and it was definitely the wrong guy.
“Wait,” I said, straightening and pressing against his chest. He stepped back immediately.
“You okay?” His eyes and voice were concerned.
“No. I mean, yes. I’m fine. I...this isn’t a good idea, that’s all.” I slid down from the trunk.
