Page 17 of Second Chance Saloon

She gave him a small smile. “Glad to hear it.”

His forehead dropped to hers. A zap of energy rushed through his body, all the way to the tips of his toes.

Her breath warmed his nose and dipped to his lips, which tingled with anticipation.

Go on, kiss her.

Everything had stopped. All he saw was Jackie.

Not wanting to overthink, in one sweeping motion, he tilted her chin and pressed his lips to hers. They tasted of sweet lemons and sugar.

Jackie pushed her fingers into his hair.

Their tongues met, hesitant at first but they soon found a rhythm.

Mitch didn’t want to break the kiss. Jackie’s hips in his hands, his fingers moving over her back, hers tugging on his hair, their bodies joined in a fierce embrace.

If a kiss could spark a real flame, an inferno would’ve consumed Betty’s Hens and all the surrounding buildings.

It felt right. Wonderful. Magical.

If Mitch had been unaware he was already falling for her, he definitely knew it now.

When his lungs burned for air, he pushed away, panting. Jackie’s lips were swollen, some of the lipstick smeared off, probably transferred onto his. But he didn’t give a damn.

They hadn’t realized that the song had finished. The other couples were stepping around them, no one paying any attention. No one knew how much had just changed in his life, how much this single kiss had altered his DNA, his very soul.

Jackie licked her lips, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “That was …”

“Epic.”

She chuckled, taking his hand in hers and leading him off the dance floor. When they got to a wooden beam, she pushed him against it and put her hands on his chest.

“I was going to say great, but epic works.” She drew in a shaky breath.

“Good.” He took a step toward her, taking her chin between his thumb and index finger. “Because I plan to kiss you often.”

Her tongue darted over her lips. “I’ll take that as a promise. And you should know I don’t like breaking those.”

“Me neither.”

“And …” She paused. “You’ll only be kissing me? No one else?”

Mitch frowned, looking at her like she had sprouted two heads. “Jackie. If I can kiss you, why would I ever want to kiss anyone else? Of course it’ll only be you.”

She nodded, seemingly satisfied, and lifted her right hand. “Pinky promise?”

Mitch glanced down at her small finger sticking out. Confused at first, he soon worked out she wanted him to hook his finger with hers. “Pinky promise.”

They shook hands, pinkies intertwined.

A serious expression settled on Jackie’s face. “We need something else to seal it.” She looked to him expectantly.

Mitch looked to her creased forehead. “How about a forehead kiss?”

She closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them, she nodded, tipping her head back. “Forehead kisses, pinky promises. I like it.”

Mitch laughed, a wave of warmth and happiness smashing against his chest from the inside. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been this happy. His lips lingered for a second against her skin as he dropped a soft kiss to her forehead, their pinkie fingers still connected.