Page 86 of Every Little Kiss
“Seven signs?” Ford asked, setting down his beer.
“Yes. Primping, touching my hair, direct eye contact—I even bought new underwear.” She flapped her hands. “There’s more, and I did them, but then Sam came up and I kept talking about him and ...” She took a breath. “Please don’t let that sign confuse you.”
Ford couldn’t help it—he smiled. “I love your primping. I’ve been staring at your primping all night. I want to touch your hair every time you do.” To prove it, he ran his fingers through the long, wavy strands, then lifted her chin. “And I would expect nothing less than direct from you, cupcake.”
“I like direct,” she whispered. “I like to see what’s coming.”
So did Ford. But right then all he could focus on was that blank page of hers. And how much he wanted to be a part of it. Be a part of her.
“Then I’ll be direct. I’ve been confused since that first morning when you ordered me to press your spot. I’m not sure what to say, where the line is.”
This time she smiled, and damn it was beautiful. “There are no lines—that’s the sign I meant to give.”
“So why don’t you explain what each of the signs means so I know how to respond to each and every one of them.”
“That’s easy. They all mean the same thing,” she said, and he knew that nothing about this was going to be easy. But walking away from her at this point would be impossible.
“What?”
“That I want you to kiss me.”
“I’ve already kissed you,” he said quietly.
“In many different places,” she said, and damn if his eyes didn’t slowly roll over her body. “This kiss would be different. It would last all the way through breakfast,” she said, as if breakfast included the two of them pretzeled around each other in tangled sheets.
“What about Paxton?” he said.
“He’s at his grandma’s.” She paused for an entire beat that had Ford’s lungs shutting down. “All night.”
“All night? That’s a big step.” He swallowed, reminding himself that the right thing would be to proceed with caution. But he was tired of being cautious. He was ready to trust his gut again, and his gut was telling him that everything about this woman was right for him.
“For both of us,” she said, and with a smile that was 100 percent trouble, she moved to the end of the chair until their knees were brushing, and then she leaned even closer. Which—hello?—brought her breasts right into his line of sight. All he had to do was look down andCan you say, Dessert before dinner?“And I’m yours all night. If you want.”
And if that didn’t clarify things, then her taking his mouth without warning did. Liv making the first move was hot, but her delivery left no room for talk.
That kiss packed more force than pulling the chute after free-falling from thirty thousand feet up. It was one of those hands-in-the-hair, zero-to-let’s-get-naked, new-panties-worthy kind of kisses that told Ford that Liv wasn’t looking for a walk down memory lane. She was looking to pen a little Nicholas Sparks and a littleFifty Shadesaction into her new chapter.
Damn if he wasn’t ready for a fresh page in his own life. Where he got to write the ending. And if he had his way, it would last a hell of a lot longer than all night.
“Oh, I want,” Ford moaned against Liv’s mouth, sending a kaleidoscope of tingles over her body. He kissed her like a man who knew what he wanted and would stop at nothing to get it. Always big on encouragement, Liv wrapped her arms around his neck and held tight as he kissed her like she was his dessert.
He pulled back, resting his forehead to hers, breathing heavy. “Are you sure this is what you want?”
“Check my panties,” she said, and he groaned.
Forehead to hers still, his eyes lowered to her legs and then back up. “The new panties?”
“The first seven signs were to tell you I wanted to be kissed, so I decided I needed a sign to tell you I wanted to do a sleepover. And since showing up with my pillow seemed pushy ...”
“You bought new panties,” he said in a low voice, but she saw other, deliciously big, signs that he was as excited over her panty choice as she was.
“Red ones.”
“God, I love red.” He placed his hands on her calves and skimmed them up to the backs of her knees.
“I do too, but I felt like I was trying to be too bold. So I went with pink.”
“Pink, huh?” Ford leaned in and kissed the corner of her mouth. “Pink is sweet and sexy. Just like you.”
