Page 12 of Cursed Touch
Vanessa’s chin, which had tipped up in defiance, dropped at the sight of the grief reflecting in his eyes. “How long?”
“How long what?” he asked, his face scrunching in confusion.
An invisible energy urged her to step forward, but she fought it. Any closer and their bodies would touch, which she craved, but in order to keep her head on straight, she could not allow it to happen. “How long has your father been gone?”
His gaze darted to the side as he shoved a hand through his hair, his fingers digging in and messing it up. “Oh, just over a year now.”
Before she could stop herself, her arms were wrapped around his waist and a cheek pressed to his chest. “I’m sorry…” He smelled woodsy and masculine, a delicious combination that caused her stomach to flutter.
After a moment of hesitation, he returned the embrace and rested his cheek on the top of her head. She was not sure how long they stood like that, but she did not want it to stop. Vanessa fit perfectly in his arms. His firm body aligned against her softer one. A calm washed over her at the innocent embrace. She belonged there.
At the realization of where her thoughts had gone, she sucked in a breath, memorizing his enticing scent, and pulled back. His pupils were dilated, his jaw muscles clenched tight.
Vanessa bit the corner of her lower lip. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have—”
He shook his head. “I should be the one to apologize. I don’t want to cause you and your boyfriend any problems.”
“Huh?” she muttered, her nose scrunching with confusion. “Boyfriend?”
Dr. Tingles cocked his head to the side. “The man from the hospital?”
Her eyes widened, and she shook her head vehemently. “Oh, no… Tyler’snotmy boyfriend.”
“He’s not?”
“No. He’s my neighbor.”
“Your neighbor?” he asked.
Their conversation seemed to drop fifty IQ points as neither of them could articulate a complete thought. “Yeah, Tyler’s my neighbor. I came home and found him trying to climb the stairs to our floor, and yeah, no. Not my boyfriend. I don’t have a boyfriend.”
She studied her shoes at her overuse of the word boyfriend. Time stood still as she realized he had falsely assumed she dated Tyler.Did he care if she was seeing someone?she wondered, thankful her lips did not vocalize the question.
His hand moved to her neck, and a zing of something dark and delicious licked through her. His thumb put pressure below her jaw, forcing their gazes to meet. He studied her as his palm pressed against her racing heartbeat, and goose bumps covered her flesh.
Slowly, he lowered his face until his lips brushed hers, and her mind melted on contact. She grabbed onto his wrist for balance at the feather-soft kiss. Vanessa should have been outraged he had taken her being single as an open invitation to be kissed, but she couldn’t drum up the emotion.
Shewantedto be kissed by him, the man she dreamed of both day and night.
The G-rated kiss lit her body on fire, its heat warming her to the core. A tender brush of lips should have never affected her so strongly. Lips did not have the power to reach into your soul, yet it was exactly what was happening between them.
He pulled back, his eyes shut and his nostrils flaring with frustration. “I should have asked first, but I needed to know…”
“Know what?” she whispered, trying not to cover her lips with her fingers.
His eyes met hers, a dark brown with flecks of amber hidden within. “If I was imagining this pull to you.”
Her lips separated as she sucked in a shuddering breath. “I feel it too.”
The door opened, and they jumped apart like teenagers caught in the throes of passion.
“I’m sorry. Did I interrupt something?” Georgia asked, her nose scrunching before she took in Dr. Tingles and her eyes widened.
He looked from Vanessa to Georgia with a question on his lips, but he shook his head. “I’ll take these things, please.”
Vanessa nodded and skirted around the counter. A flush covered her entire body as butterflies performed acrobatics in her stomach. Georgia kept her distance, but Vanessa could feel her friend’s watchful gaze on them.
Dr. Tingles placed a hand over hers as she wrapped the items in tissue paper. “Have dinner with me,” he whispered.
