Page 203 of One More Kiss

“Thanks for the sandwich,” he called as I walked away. I waved my hand without turning back.

My forced smile turned to thinned lips and my hands went to fists. Ugh. Why was I losing my cool? It’s just a random stranger I met and happened to get stuck with because the universe had a silly sense of humor.

I went back inside, looked at my sandwich but decided I wasn’t hungry anymore, so I put it in the fridge. Wanting to take the edge off, I grabbed my Fireball from the freezer and took a swig from the bottle. It wound up being more than I intended and my face pulled at the huge gulp of hot but cold liquid going down.

“Woo,” I said then blew the cinnamon burn out.

I snagged a water then went to sit back down. Once the laptop was open, the words were pouring furiously from me, and I pounded away at the keyboard. Angry writing was the best.

But wait…I’m not angry. That would mean I cared what that beastly man thought, and I most certainly did not.

Several hours went by and my back was stiff, and I needed to pee. I tossed my water bottle then pulled my Fireball out again but poured some into a glass this time, so I didn’t take such a huge gulp.

I knocked that back in two shots then headed upstairs; I didn’t want to use the bathroom on the main floor and have him be standing there when I came out.

After I used the bathroom, I plopped down on the bed to stretch my back. After sitting with the laptop in my lap for two days straight, my neck and back were killing me. The Fireball snuck up on me, so I closed my eyes for a minute.

“CJ.”

My eyes flew open, and I sucked in a breath. “Hmm, what?”

“Sorry to bother you but I was going to see if I could hop in the shower before I got dinner started.”

I was still sleepy, and a little moan escaped me. “Mmm, sure. Wait.” I sat up in the bed, rubbing my eyes. “You can shower, just give me a minute. But I can make my own dinner.”

I threw my legs off the side of the bed and twisted around to pop my back then stood up and headed to the door. He grabbed my arm as I tried to pass him.

I jerked it away. “You sure are handsy for someone who has been standoffish all day.” I tried to push past again but he stopped me.

“Standoffish? I was trying to give you some space woman.”

“Woman?” I rolled my eyes. “Anyway, I don’t need you to do anything for me. Enjoy your shower.”

In the blink of an eye, he had me boxed in between his arms against the wall next to the door. “Did it bother you that I wasn’t bothering you all day, CJ?”

Trying to ignore the rush of wetness and heat sent to my lady bits and the fact that he smelled amazing even after sweating all day, I put my chin out and answered. “That’s silly. I don’t care what you were doing, but it you were rude after I made you a sandwich. Now if you’ll excuse me—”

He leaned his face closer to mine and his arms lowered, making it more difficult to squirm away. He licked his bottom lip and a small grin spread across his face. “It did. You like that I like you and it bugged you that I didn’t sit here and watch you all day.”

“Like me? What? Gawking at me hardly qualifies liking—”

“You can’t tell somehow how they feel.” He leaned his mouth close my ear. “I do like you, CJ. And I’d like to do things to you. All you have to do is say the word.”

My heart was about to explode right out of my chest. I met this man days ago and we accidentally got stuck here together. “I—we barely know each other.”

He pulled back to look into my eyes. “So, you do like me back.” He laned his face closer to mine. “I’d like to kiss you, CJ.” His lids were nearly closed, and he was so close his breath danced over my lips. “Is that okay?”

My body finally told my brain to shut the fuck up and I nodded. Our lips lightly grazed, then he rubbed his nose over mine before pressing his mouth harder to mine. His tongue parted my lips and entered slowly at first, lazily caressing the inside of my mouth. His beard was scruffy on my chin, but I loved it. My hands found their way to his neck and pulled him closer. His hands dropped from the wall and cupped my jaw as his thumbs gently brushed over my cheeks.

Wanting to feel his body against mine, I let my hands fall to his waist then tugged at the moist flannel shirt he put back on. The wetness jarred me.

He moaned against my lips. “Mmm, maybe we can do that again later.”

Breathily I replied, “Is this a bad idea?”

He nudged his nose against mine, his hands now on my hips. “What’s bad about it?”

“We barely know each other, I live three hours away, I’m sure there’s more.”

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