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When he walked in, Gertrude immediately leaped off the couch to greet him, tail wagging. He bent to pick her up with a single hand, planting a kiss on the top of her furry head, murmuring, “How’s my girl?” She wiggled in his grip, licking his face and tapping at his chest with her feet, and he set her down.
Claire waited in the kitchen with a glass of water.
She eyed him and leaned on the counter as he approached her. “I know you saw that.”
“And now I know why you didn’t come out tonight. You were on a date with Napoleon Dynamite.”
“He doesn’t look li—” She stopped and put her glass down, dropping her arms to her sides. “Dammit.”
Graham chuckled. “So how was it?”
“It was nice.”
“Nice?”
She shrugged. “Yeah.”
“And that kiss?”
She looked away. “It was fine. First kisses are always a little awkward.”
“They don’t have to be.”
Pursing her lips, Claire’s brows rose. “You mean to tell me you nail all your first kisses? No one’s that good.”
“No, you’re right. Some are awful. But with the right person and at the right moment, a first kiss can be pretty awesome.”
She looked skeptical, and Graham tilted his head as he regarded her. “You’ve seriously never had a first kiss that knocked the wind out of you?”
“I guess not,” she said, sounding disappointed. “It’s probably me. I get in my head and can’t focus.”
Graham frowned. “Maybe it’s the guys you’re kissing. When I kiss a woman, she’s definitely not thinking about anything except what’s going on here.” He tapped his lips and Claire’s gaze followed his finger. He grinned. “Or...elsewhere. You know, depending on the situation.”
She rolled her eyes. “You sound like an arrogant asshole, you know that?”
“Maybe,” he allowed, enjoying the spark of challenge in her eyes. “But if I can back it up, what does it matter?”
“Good kisser or not, women don’t like assholes.”
“Some of them do.”
“Fine.Idon’t like assholes.”
He laughed and hopped up onto the counter, letting his legs dangle. “You’ve got four years to come to terms with sleeping with one.”
A hint of insecurity crossed her features. “You seem awfully certain I won’t be married by then.”
“If you keep going out with guys like Napoleon, you probably won’t. A guy like that isn’t right for you.”
“His name isn’t Napoleon.”
“What is it?”
“Marvin.”
He choked on air. “No, it’s not.”
Her cheeks turned pink. “Don’t make fun of him.”
