Page 78 of The Matchmaker
“Only for my own gains,” he says, and I almost smile. Almost.
“You and Jack have more in common than you realize,” he continues. “You both say things in the heat of the moment. And you both regret it.”
I don’t answer that. I can’t picture Jack regretting anything.
“He did ask me to find out what I could about the festival,andI told him no,” he adds at my narrowed eyes. “He wanted me to keep an ear out in case you guys were planning some giant march and we had to delay some work. That was it. And again, I told him no. Said I had better things to do.”
“And the barn?” I ask.
“His version of nipping this in the bud. I didn’t know what you guys were doing out here. If I did, I would have told you it was on the list to be demolished. But we weren’t supposed to start work out here for weeks. And this morning…” He grimaces a little. “It was supposed to be a grand gesture. To prove myself. Or to apologize or something. But we’ve been working for hours, and I don’t think it’s salvageable. Seemed like a great idea last night.”
“Some men buy flowers,” I say weakly, and he nods like that was his backup plan.
“Look, this doesn’t have to be…” He trails off, and I can almostseehim searching for the right word. “I’ll admit, I wasn’t really thinking when I first met you. There was a lot of ‘she’s over there, so now I want to be over there’ going on. But the more time I spent here, the more I liked it here. I like the people. I like your pub. I like you. I like you a lot. And I don’t want you to hate me. I don’t want you to be sad or disappointed or angry because of me. So I chose you.” He blows out a breath. “And now my brother will probably kill me.”
I can’t tell if he’s being dramatic or not.
“You didn’t have to quit,” I tell him, but he just smiles at me.
“Solves a lot of problems, though.”
It does.
“So what now?”
“Well, I’d really like to kiss you again,” he says. “If you want me to, that is.”
That’s not what I meant, and he knows it. But I don’t think he cares. I don’t think I do either.
There’s a faint ringing in my ears like I’ve been thrown underwater, and when I step forward, closing the gap between us, the forest around us fades, leaving just him and me, and that look in eyes like he’s been waiting for me his whole life.
He raises a hand to my face, fingers skimming my jaw before they curl around the back of my neck, drawing me closer. I was expecting something soft, like what we shared outside Kelly’s, but there’s a possessiveness to his touch that I’ve never felt before, a sureness to his hold that sends a feeling like hot wax pooling through me.
It’s a gentle kiss, at first, but there’s nothing gentle about the way he’s holding me, his hand flexing as he massages my neck in a firm grip, the other landing on my hip, making me gasp. His tongue meets mine in a confident sweep when I do, moving as surely as if we’ve done this a thousand times before, and it’s this strange dichotomy of new and familiar that sends my mind spinning.
He smells like clean sweat and fresh air, and I can’t get enough of it, my hands sliding up the honed muscles of his arms, pulling him down toward me, as all the emotions of the last few days finally release. I’m probably a little too eager, but it only seems to spur him on as he wraps an arm around my waist, and draws me into him until the full length of our bodies are pressed together.
And then he takes complete control.
My back arches as he crowds me in the best possible way until I’m positive the only reason I’m still standing is that he’s keeping me upright, his hands confident and sure as they caress me, tugging my shirt up so he can feel the skin of my stomach, the curve of my waist. His lips press harder, tongue delving deeper, and I try and keep up with him, matching him stroke for stroke, determined not to be left behind as I come alive.
It’s the only way to describe it. I mean, I’ve been kissed before. I’ve felt wanted before. But this? This skin-humming, blood-heating, heart-thrashing sensation sweeping through my body? It’s like a whole new world. A whole new me.
We stay like that for a long minute, our kisses dragging and deep until I have no thoughts in my head except for thoughts of him. Of Callum. Callum and his hands on my skin and his mouth on mine, until eventually I even forget how to breathe and have to pull away, even as I keep my death grip on him.
He doesn’t seem to mind, sounds just as breathless as he presses his forehead against mine.
“Where’d you learn to kiss like that?” he asks, and I huff.
“Where did you?” I ask haughtily, but only because I’m trying to hide the fact that my heart is still racing. Though the way his finger rubs along my pulse point makes me think he’s well aware.
“Are you okay?” he asks quietly. “About the video?”
“The one that made me a roaring success?”
“The one I’m guessing was posted without your consent?” He’s back to serious Callum now, and the concern I see in his gaze sobers me up pretty quickly. “It must have been a shock for everyone to see you like that,” he continues.
Some of the nastier comments I saw flash through my mind, but I take a breath, trying not to dwell on them.
