Page 60 of Kiss Me Now
“How is it wrong if you did good in the world?” This was the piece I didn’t understand about her story, and it made less sense to me the better I got to know her. She seemed like someone who would stay and fight, not run.
She caught her bottom lip between her teeth, and it made me want to do the same thing to it, lean over and kiss her. But I didn’t want to be that guy who didn’t listen, so I glanced up to her eyes instead. For a split second, I caught a flash of vulnerability in them that made me wonder if she would finally tell me the whole story of leaving DC. I wanted to be worthy of her secrets. Instead, she sighed. “There’s more than one way to do good in the world. Despite Pantygate, this week has helped me feel more useful and optimistic than I have in a long time. The kids are good eggs.” She stood and held out a hand to pull me to my feet.
Instead of letting go once I stood, I reached out to take her other hand too.
“Brooke,” I said, when she kept her gaze on our clasped hands instead of meeting mine. Slowly, she looked up. The forest quieted, and all my senses tuned to her. The light smell of her shampoo tickled my nose over the earthy loam. My own heartbeat sounded loud in my ears. “You can talk to me. I want you to know that. But right this second, I’ve got something more on my mind than talking. If you’re okay with that...”
I didn’t even know what I would have said next, but it didn’t matter because Brooke took a step toward me and rested her hand lightly against my chest. I didn’t need any more permission than that, and I pulled her against me, finding her lips again, not sure if I was taking or giving a kiss this time. Brooke’s body made me shiver with need everywhere we touched.
I’d kissed a lot of women, but none had been like this. The heat sprung up between us with the suddenness of a flame finding kindling. I explored her mouth as she threaded her fingers into my hair. I shuddered as it sent sparks down my nerve endings.
That seemed to break the spell, and she stepped back with a startled, “Oh.”
I stared at her, now just out of arm’s reach. “Oh.” There was nothing else to say. For me, it was a word of understanding. I’d just found the woman meant to be in my arms. Why had she stepped away? “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, fine.” But her hand fluttered to her hair to smooth it, though I hadn’t kissed her long enough to mess it up. I should fix that. I reached for her again, but she took another step back, and I dropped my hand immediately.
“You sure?”
“I...yes. I’m good. But I should...” She waved toward the tote on the ground. “I think that’s enough for my classes on Monday. I should get them home and prepped so they’re ready for class.”
“Brooke...”
“I really should get a hori hori,” she said, with the forced brightness of chatter. “That’s what real mushroom foragers use. It’s a knife. For foraging. Mushrooms.”
A wash of color crept into her cheeks. What should I do here? She was obviously distressed. Would it help more to address it? Or let it go until later? I decided to follow her lead. “There’s a tool for everything, I guess.”
“Well, not picking out the shells if you mess up cracking eggs.”
“Fair enough. Invent it and make all the money.”
“Nah.” She settled her mesh bag into the tote and didn’t protest when I took it from her to carry it myself. “Money is overrated.”
Her bright tone had faded, and I wondered if she was thinking of whatever had earned her the settlement from Rink. I hated that I had summoned his shadow.
“I like money,” I said, “but sure, call it names and hurt its feelings. See if it cares.”
She rewarded me with a half-hearted smile, but it was something. “Race you to the car,” she called, but the last part was over her shoulder as she stole a head start.
“Cheater,” I said, taking off after her. I let her keep the lead until the last ten yards, then made sure we reached it in a tie.
“You let me win,” she accused, grinning.
“No, I let you tie.”
She gave me a light smack on the arm.
I caught her fingers, but before I could debate the wisdom of drawing her close again, she tugged them loose and darted around to the passenger side.
“Let me in, big bad wolf,” she demanded.
I wiggled my eyebrows at her. “What does that make you? Goldilocks?”
She rolled her eyes. “That’s bears. You need to take my biology class.”
“Red Riding Hood?”
“Mmm, closer, but not quite. Snow White,” she announced.
