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“My kissing,” she blurted.
The minute it was out she wished she could take it back. For some reason, this one amused Henrik more than the others. He stopped in the tide, and more than the sand swayed beneath her as she met his gaze. “While I pride myself on my astute skills of deduction, I’m not fool enough to give an opinion on which I have no experience.”
She decided to jump on his playful tone. “You’re saying you have no experience? You’ve never been kissed?”
He reared back and opened his arms, offering himself to her. “I don’t keep track, love.”
A flock of butterflies erupted in her stomach.
“I’m saying I have no experience kissing you, and therefore I cannot in good conscience give an opinion.”
“In good conscience?”
“I’m nothing if not full of integrity.”
Sure he was.
He slanted forward, closer to her. His voice deepened, piggybacking from playful to overtly seductive in an instant. “If you’d like to change the situation, I can happily give you my feedback.”
Lily folded her arms, trying with all she had not to be charmed by his flirting or by his outright offer to kiss her. “That is not romantic.”
“Are you going for romance or honesty?”
“I’m not going to let you kiss me just to get your feedback on my lips’ abilities.” She released an embarrassed laugh. Damon’s words had been hurtful enough. She couldn’t up and kiss this man and leave herself that vulnerable. Cooking and housekeeping were one thing. But kissing? Why had she even brought it up?
Because the insults had hurt so much, probably, and something about Henrik made her a little too comfortable. Damon had muttered the words as she’d broken up with him, insulting her with every curse word in the book and calling her out for being such a bad kisser, which was probably why she’d refused to take things further with him. He claimed her refusal was because she didn’t want him to know how bad she was at that either.
Shame poured through her at the reminder of his meanness. She was saving herself for marriage, a fact Damon detested. Of course, someone like him had flayed her from every angle he could once he realized she wouldn’t give in to him.
“It might be interesting,” Henrik said.
“Interesting?” That was something her kisses had never been called, at least.
“Sure.” He took her face in his hands, his touch featherlight, as though he was a jeweler trained to handle breakable things. It was the tenderness that stopped her pulse, that made everything within her pause as she held her breath. He tilted her face to one side, leaned in close, and stared at her mouth.
“I’d say with lips like these…” His thumb stroked her lower lip. “They look absolutely kissable.”
Her knees slackened. She was putty in his hands. His warm breath coaxed her lips to part and she waited with agonizing anticipation for him to place his mouth on hers.
“Tempting idea, isn’t it?” She swore his lips brushed hers with the question.
Her lids fluttered, and her body became hyper-aware of every place it collided with his. His eyelids closed, his nose brushed the side of hers, and he moved with intention and delicacy, as though being this close to her was tantalizing and he wanted to indulge in every second of the build-up.
Her lungs burned. Every one of her nerve endings flared, wanting him, craving his mouth on hers. Lily shook herself and pulled free. She couldn’t do this.
Henrik’s jaw moved, and he pulled away, running a hand through his hair and staring at the ocean. Based on his expression when he returned it to her again, he knew the way he’d just made her yearn for a taste of him. Tempting was putting it mildly. The man was impulse on a leash, and she couldn’t follow that tether to see where it led. She’d seen the news and the social media gossip about how he trifled with unsuspecting women’s hearts just because he could.
“Any other flaws for me to debunk?” Henrik asked. His voice was slightly less stable than it’d been before.
Lily still hadn’t recovered from his intoxicating proximity or the way charm slipped from his tongue with every word he spoke. She didn’t want to be attracted to this arrogant prince. He’d be another notch on her list of dating mistakes.
He waited for an answer.
“I always choose the wrong men,” she said, leading off from the direction of her thoughts. Maybe if he knew how he’d made her heart tick like a wind-up toy and how badly she’d wanted to kiss him a few seconds ago, he’d get the hint that he was included in this statement.
“Good old Exey told you this?” Henrik sounded skeptical. “Doesn’t sound like our cynical friend at all.”
“No, it’s just something I tell myself,” Lily said.
