Page 25 of D’Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding

She was in and out in a few minutes, but before she could leave the hallway, I wrapped my hand around her wrist and tugged her back toward me. To my luck, she came quietly, her brows raised as I maneuvered her in front of me.

“You gon’ answer me now or nah?” It wasn’t hard to guess what her answer was, but I wanted to make sure we kept the communication flowing between us. For us to succeed, we had to lay everything out on the table.

I waited as she sucked in a deep breath and released it slowly through her nose.

“I’m...making it. That was a lot.”

“I know.”

“They’re really excited.”

I chuckled, because that was an understatement. “I know.”

“And I feel like crap about it.”

Ah. So there it was. Guilt was eating at her. She’d mentioned at the restaurant that she was generally a good person so I should have expected it.

“Would you have preferred they be angry?”

She shook her head. “No. Not at all.”

“But...?” It definitely sounded like a “but” was in there.

“I don’t know yet. I’m still working through it.”

I canted my head. “Understandable. But will you let me know when you figure it out? We’re in this together, and the boat won’t move unless we’re rowing in the same direction.”

“Yes, captain.”

I quirked an eyebrow and she smiled. It was playful and a little sassy and it was a marked difference from her expression when we’d come inside ten minutes earlier.

“What?” she questioned.

“What what?” I rebounded, continuing to watch her. When just looking wasn’t enough, I reached to grab her other hand, needing to feel more of her skin beneath mine, loving the softness under my fingertips. Widening my stance, I leaned back against the wall and pulled her closer to me still.

“Why are you looking at me like you want to kiss me?” Even as she spoke, she stepped into my bubble until we were almost chest-to-chest. I wanted her to lean into me and press her body against mine.

Pleased, I released a slow grin and dropped my head back, resting it against the wall as I peered at her from under lowered lids. “Let me find out you can read minds,” I whispered.

Nibbling on her bottom lip, she flicked her eyes from mine to my mouth and then to her left at the entrance of the hallway.

“No one is around,” she observed, her voice low and pragmatic. “There’s no one you need to perform for right now.”

Releasing her wrists, I touched her palm, running a fingertip along the sensitive skin, sliding the pads of my fingers up her arm, gliding them over her shoulder, and cupping the side of her neck as I settled my other hand at her waist.

“Little-known fact about my family,” I murmured. “There’s always someone watching. Besides, when you stay ready you don’t have to get ready.”

I stared at her, having put the ball in her court, waiting for her to make a move. It was out there between us that I wanted to kiss her and had apparently been obvious before I’d even copped to it. My heart thumped with anticipation, hoping that we were on the same page. Then her eyes fluttered shut and her lips pursed as she moved toward me, and if that wasn’t a bell ringing for me to pass “go” I didn’t know what was. Bending my neck, I first pressed a soft kiss to the corner of her mouth. It was low, but she released the softest of whimpers—something I would have missed if I hadn’t already been so close to her mouth. I brushed a thumb across her bottom lip before covering her mouth with my own. Slowly, in an almost hesitant move, her hands came to my waist, her fingertips brushing my shirt, just barely touching me.

But then her lips parted and she dipped her tongue inside of my mouth, curling against mine. A spark zipped through me and I grunted as if I’d been punched in the gut. Her hands clutched at my side before she grabbed the hand that was at her waist and moved it to her ass. There was no way she’d be able to convince me she couldn’t read minds because all I’d wanted to do was dig my fingers into the round globes inside those shorts all afternoon. She tasted of Jarritos and spice, and there I was, once again in that space of—

“Damn, Kris! You look like you’re about to whip out your strap and fuck her right here in the hallway!”

Startled, I jerked back, knocking my head against the wall as I turned to see the guest of honor standing not even five feet away from us with her hands on her hips. Groaning, I dropped my head onto D’Vaughn’s shoulder. Kiana had always had the worst timing.

“What did I tell you?” I mumbled into D’Vaughn’s shoulder.

She laughed, and I felt nothing but relief to hear that sound from her. One conversation and a mind-blowing kiss wouldn’t fully erase her anxiety, but if it eased it enough that she was able to see the humor in what had just transpired, then I was grateful.