Page 39 of Pick Me This Time

“Come on. Come on. Come on,” I chanted over and over again. “Come on, Sterling. What are you doing? Get out of there.”

I didn’t know how much time had passed before he finally emerged from the smoke like some dude in an action movie, panting and covered in a shiny sheen of either water or sweat. Maybe both. Probably both.

Tossing aside the fire extinguisher, he marched toward the truck through the rain, looking like he didn’t even notice the deluge. Those dark eyes found mine through the window and he held them intently. His long legs made short work of the distance between us.

I threw open the door, not caring about getting wet as I jumped out, meeting him a few feet away from the truck. “Are you okay? I spoke to emergency services. The fire department should be here any moment.”

“I’m fine. The fire is out. It wasn’t as bad as I thought. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“Daphne, are you okay?”

“I’m okay,” I said, but his eyes were a little unfocused. “I’m okay, Sterling. Hey, look at me. I’m okay.”

“I saw the smoke,” he muttered, looking at me, but I doubted he could actually see me right in front of him. “I heard the fire alarm. I knew you were in there. You were in there for a long time. Are you okay? Can you breathe?”

“I’m fine,” I repeated, taking his face in my hands when I realized all that intensity in his eyes was burning right through me. “Sterling. Hey. Look. At. Me.”

I held his cheeks in my palms, applying gentle pressure until his eyes focused on mine. As they did, the moment snapped and he snaked his arms around my hips, hauling me to him and lowering his mouth to my own.

His lips were soft but firm. The stubble on his jaw grazed my chin but not in a way that was painful. My thoughts spun wildly, but the faintly minty taste of him assured me that this was real. I could barely believe it was happening, but my arms slid around his neck as he kissed me like I’d never been kissed before.

Sterling kissed like a real man, with a hand on my neck and the other pressing into my back.

He kissed me hard and with his whole body, the strength of him vibrating through me as his tongue swept into my mouth. I moaned, wholeheartedly letting myself be consumed by these kisses and already knowing I would never forget them.

I didn’t really know how I’d gone from grappling around the inside of the bakery for the fire extinguisher to this moment right here, but I didn’t really care. For the last eleven years, I’d been wondering what it would be like to be kissed by Sterling North, and even though I’d spent eleven freaking years imagining it, it was still better than it had been even in my wildest dreams.

I kissed him back with just as much passion and fervor, molding my front to his as I tilted my head back to give him the access his mouth was demanding. It was only when the distant sounds of sirens grew closer that we finally broke apart, just in time to see the fire truck pulling up.

Breathless and with a racing heart, I looked deep into his eyes. He turned around and walked away from me—this time taking a part of me with him when he left. Hopefully, he would bring it back. Also hopefully, it would be soon.