Page 55 of Seeds of Christmas
“Matthew used to say he didn’t like kissing.” Rhi’s voice is so small I almost miss it. “Said I wanted it too much.”
My blood turns to ice. No—to FIRE.
“He said what?”
“It’s fine. He just—” She shrugs. “He didn’t like it. So we didn’t do it much. And I never knew if it was me, you know?IfIwas bad at it, or?—”
“Stop.” I step closer. “That says everything about him and absolutely nothing about you.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Don’t I?” I tilt my head, studying her. “You want to know what I think?”
“What?” Her voice is barely a whisper.
“I think you’re an excellent kisser.”
“You’ve never kissed me.”
“True.” I lean in slightly, watching her breath catch. “So let’s test the theory.”
Her eyes go wide. “What?”
“We’re scientists, Rhi. We test hypotheses. Gather data.” I hold her gaze, and…this is completely insane, but I commit anyway. “My hypothesis is that you’re good at kissing. Your ex was the problem, not you. And there’s only one way to prove it.”
“Carter—”
“Can I kiss you?” My voice is low and rough. “Just to test the theory.”
She stares at me like I’ve lost my mind.
“Yes.”
I cup her face gently. “I’m going to kiss you now.”
“Okay,” she says breathily.
“Just so you know”—I brush my thumb across her cheekbone—“I think your hypothesis is about to be thoroughly disproven.”
And then I kiss her.
And oh, fuck.
The moment my lips touch hers, I know I was right. I know Matthew was full of shit.
Because kissing Rhi is?—
It’s everything.
She’s shy at first, careful, like she’s waiting for me to pull away or criticize or confirm her worst fears. But I don’t pull away. I kiss her slowly, thoroughly, trying to erase every lie that asshole ever told her.
She’s soft and tastes like coffee and something sweet, and when she makes this small surprised sound against my mouth, I forget how to think entirely.
I was going for gentle. Reassuring. A simple kiss to prove a point.
But then her hands grip my shirt, pulling me closer, and the kiss deepens. My hand slides into her hair while the other finds her waist, and she presses against me, and?—
We break apart suddenly, both breathing hard.
