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He was going to kiss me. I saw it there, in his eyes. Anticipation thrummed in the air between us, so thick it was almost physical. I drew in a long breath, waiting, but he took his time, leaning in slow like molasses. His hand slid under my hair and curled gently around my neck.
The first kiss is always a question.Do I like you? Do you like me?With Michael, it was no different. The first press of his warm mouth against mine was searching. There was nothing timid or unsure about it, merely…curious. Like he was seeking an answer from the way my lips rubbed against his.
Then my lips parted, our tongues met, and we clicked into sync. There was the answer.Yes, I like you. Yes, you like me.
The kiss went from sweet to carnal in the space of a breath. I found myself pancaked against the hard wall of his muscular chest, panting into his mouth. I tasted him again and again, our kisses blending into bottomless need.
Which was unfortunate, since that particular need could not be satisfied tonight.
As if reading my mind, he slowed the kiss, his mouth turning gentle. Then he pulled back on a groan. He touched his forehead to mine, breathing hard. “Well, that answers the question, don’t you think?”
“What question?” I asked, too drugged from kisses to remember what we had been talking about. I could barely remember my own name.
He nuzzled my neck and I felt his lips tilt in a smile against my overheated skin. “We are definitely on the same page when it comes to fun.”
Chapter 6
Nora
Iwokeuptofind myself wrapped around Michael like a vine clinging to a deliciously warm, muscular tree. Awkward, considering I barely knew the man. But I had always been a snuggler, much to Grant’s dismay. We had shared a king-sized bed and he had always insisted that I stay on my side of it. I had gotten used to it eventually, but apparently my unconscious self couldn’t resist the opportunity.
Because here I was, snuggling a virtual stranger.
It had been midnight before Sam had finally called to let us know that Andrew Michael Barnett had made his arrival. When we had fallen asleep—fully clothed, sharing the pullout couch for lack of another option—there had been a solid two feet of empty space between us. Now there wasn’t even two centimeters. My arm was around his waist, one of my legs hooked over his thigh.
Embarrassing.
I laid there for a second longer, holding my breath so I could listen for his. It was deep and even. He was still asleep. Thank God. I rolled to the other side of the lumpy mattress.
And he rolled with me.
I froze.
He chuckled softly in my ear. “Want to tell me why you’re sneaking off like this was some kind of drunken one-night stand?”
“I’m not. I just didn’t want to wake you. I thought you were asleep.”
“I wasn’t. I woke up before you. I know this for a fact,” he added unhelpfully, “because you went from completely relaxed, purring against me like a kitten, to tensing every muscle in your body. I didn’t even know toescouldtense, but yours sure did.”
Oh, God. He had woken up first and just let me…snuggle him? Purring like a goddamnkitten? A new wave of embarrassment rolled through me. My cheeks felt hot.
On top of that, there was an unsettled, queasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. Sneaking away from a sleeping man was a new experience for me. I preferred to do the leaving when we were both still awake, and I had never gotten any complaints about that. They were all casual flings, lasting a night or a week. We had sex. We didn’t spend the night together. The last person—theonlyperson—I had actuallysleptwith was Grant.
Until Michael.
Why was that terrifying?
Since there wasn’t a sane answer, I ignored his question. “I have to be at work in—” I reached for my phone and checked the time—“two hours. I can help you make breakfast before I run home to shower and change.”
“Sounds good. Thanks.”
My phone vibrated in my hand, and I looked down to see a message from Ruth, Grant’s mother.
Hi, Nora. Grant said you would pick Brandon up from our house this morning. What time are you coming? I’ll have coffee waiting for you.
Wait, what?
I stared at the message, my brow furrowed, trying to make sense of it. Our normal schedule had Grant dropping Colonel Brandon off that evening after work, but I had agreed to pick him up this time instead, since Grant had a work event. But I didn’t have time to drive all the way to Asheville, where Grant’s parents lived, before work this morning.
