Page 5 of One Midnight Kiss

I lifted my glass to my lips, savoring the taste while I studied his chiseled jaw, sharp cheekbones, and lips that were always on the edge of a smirk. He was sexy in a way that felt raw, like he was used to women bending to his will. I wouldn’t blame the ones that had.

In the muted light, I was barely able to make out the color of his eyes, a swirl of green and brown with gold flecks. They held me captivated.

He tilted his head, studying me. “You look like you came out here to escape something. Or someone.”

My breath caught. How did he see through me like that? It was much more personal than my name. I turned back to the railing, looking out at the sparkling city below. “Maybe I did.”

“Now we’re getting somewhere.” He took his place beside me at the railing, close enough that his shoulder brushed mine. He didn’t ask me anything else, and I appreciated that. I wasn’t in the mood to spill my life story to a stranger, no matter how disarmingly handsome he was.

“Why aren’t you inside, charming the crowd?” I asked.

He shrugged. “It’s easier to breathe out here.”

“You don’t strike me as the type who needs space.”

He laughed, a real, honest sound. “You’re right. I don’t. But tonight’s different.”

I glanced at him. “Why?”

“Maybe because I found someone I want to share my space with.”

Heat burned through me. “You don’t know anything about me.”

“Because you won’t tell me.” He turned toward me, leaning in, his voice dropping to a whisper. “You’re hiding something. And I love a good mystery.”

I swallowed, feeling the pull of him. It had been so long since anyone made me feel seen, and technically, he couldn’t actually see me. All he could see was the idea of her. The New Natalia. “What if I’m not interested in being solved?”

His lips curved into a smirk. “I never figured out my Rubik’s Cube either, but I had a lot of fun playing with it.”

A shiver ran through me. I had a feeling he could show me a whole new world of pleasure, but the very idea frightened me. But that was the old Natalia. The new me was open to new experiences, even if I had no idea how things would turn out.

A waiter appeared carrying a tray filled with flutes of champagne. I knew I probably shouldn’t mix my alcohol, but I took one anyway. “Merci,” I said with a smile.

My mystery man took a glass as well. I sipped the champagne, knowing I needed to take it slow. The strong wine was already giving me a buzz, and the champagne might send me over the edge. Then again, maybe that was what I wanted.

The music drifted up from the ballroom. “Dance with me?”

I shook my head. “I don’t dance.”

“No one knows you here.” He stepped closer, his voice a teasing murmur. “If you don’t know what you’re doing, I’ll take the lead.”

I let out a shaky breath. “You’re trouble, you know that?”

He grinned. “I’ve been told.”

He took my waist, pulling me close. I didn’t resist. The champagne bubbles mixed with the heady wine, making me feel like I was floating. We swayed slowly to the music. His mouth brushed my ear as he whispered things I couldn’t quite hear, but the way his breath warmed my skin sent shivers down my spine. He felt like he was made just for me. I knew him at a soul level. I didn’t know what he looked like or what his name was, but I knew him.

Fireworks burst over the Eiffel Tower. We stopped dancing, but his arm stayed put around my waist. I watched, spellbound, until I realized he was watching me instead of the flowers of light blooming in the sky.

His hand slid up to take mine. I longed to feel skin-to-skin contact but I was wearing gloves. He leaned in, his lips a breath away from mine. I wanted to close the distance, to feel that spark, but something stopped me. The ghost of my old life, whispering warnings in my ear.

Who are you to be kissed by a man like him?

Before I had a chance to connect my doubts to my lips, he took action and sealed his lips to mine. The tempo of the music and the chatter of voices all around us muted to a dull murmur in my ears, while the soft rustle of his hand sliding into my hair and cupping the back of my neck sounded like a roar of lust. My mind knew this was too much, but my body ached for him to take more. So I let him, yielding to his kiss and letting his tongue dip between my lips to taste me. A low, primal sound rumbled in his chest and brought me back to my senses like I was being yanked out of hot water into freezing cold air.

I pulled away, slipping my hand free, but my glove came off in his grip. Coming up for air after kissing him was disorienting—so disorienting it hurt.

“You’re running,” he said, holding the glove out to me.

“Maybe I am,” I shot back, backing toward the door. I didn’t dare reach for the glove. I didn’t dare get close to him again. If he touched me one more time, my resolve might crack, and I might do something I couldn’t take back. As much as new Natalia wanted to take the plunge with him, too much of my old self wouldn’t let me. One kiss was enough. It had to be.

He raised the glove to his lips, his eyes locked on mine. “I’ll see you next year, right here. When you’re ready.”

I turned and fled inside, heart pounding. For the first time in two years, I felt alive, like I was leaving something precious behind.

And I didn’t know if I’d ever get it back.