“Yeah. And it scares me to death.”
She laughed. “It scares me, too.”
He put his hand on the table between them, palm down. “The thing that scares me most is letting you down. I’ve got a history of that. So going slow seems right. And if I fuck up, I want you to walk away. You’re too good to deal with bullshit from people like me.”
She slid her fingers through his, and it made his body clench. “You have a really low opinion of yourself. Look at what you did for your sister. You helped take care of her when you weren’t much more than a kid yourself.”
“I had no choice.”
“There’s always a choice. People walk away from things that scare them all the time. But you don’t, no matter how bad your opinion is of yourself. You stay and face the things that scare you most.” There was heat in her eyes. It was as though she could see through the façade he’d built to protect himself, to the real person that lay behind. And it touched him more than he could say.
It would be so easy to fall in love with this woman. She made him feel like he could fly.
He circled her palm with his thumb, pulling at her hand until they were both standing. “So we’re friends?”
She smiled. “Friends plus. Like economy plus.”
“Does the plus include hugging?” The need to feel her against him was impossible to ignore.
“Friends hug,” she agreed.
He slid his arms around her back, pulling her to him, until her face rested against his shoulder, her slim body pressed into his. He sighed, loving the feeling of her against him. Her hands bunched against his shirt, holding him tight.
“Will you go to my sister’s show with me?” he asked her. “As a real date, not a pretend one?”
“I’d love to.” She looked up at him with those big eyes and he was a goner.
Neither of them moved, but it felt like everything was spinning around them. His lips parted, and hers did, too, like she was mirroring his moves. Her chest rose as she inhaled sharply, as though her need for him was as great as his own for her.
“Are you going to kiss me?” she whispered.
“Do friends kiss?” His voice was teasing. He felt like he’d been holding his breath for a lifetime, only to experience sweet, sweet relief.
“We’re friends plus. That means the occasional kiss when certain other friends are asleep in the apartment are permitted.”
“You’re going to have to write out all the rules, just so I know,” he murmured, his eyes still fixed on her pretty mouth. “And maybe give me a frequent flyer card or something.”
She cupped his jaw, studying his face with clear, observant eyes. “You’ll have to work your way up to platinum,” she told him.
“I’m goal oriented. I like a challenge.” He dropped his brow to hers, his lashes sweeping downward as he held her gaze. She had a row of tiny freckles across the bridge of her nose. He planned to memorize every last one of them. Her hair tickled at his cheek as he leaned closer, her fingers caressing his jaw, her eyes wide and intent and waiting for his next move.
He slid his hands down her back and pulled her in, teasing his lips against hers until she let out a soft sigh. Then he kissed her harder, tangling his hand into her hair until their faces were at the perfect angle.
His heart drummed against his chest as she arched her body against his, the softness of her breasts making him hard as hell. Their tongues slid, circled, caressed. Her hands moving from his face to his neck, her touch so arousing. And if she was anybody else, he’d lift her up right now and take her to bed.
But she wasn’t. She was Meghan. She was more.
Her lips were swollen when they parted, both panting for air. She reached up to brush her hair from her face, her eyes crinkling as she looked up at him.
“The first time we kissed you ran away,” she said.
“I know. And I want to kick my own ass for that.”
“And the second time we ended up in bed.”
Rich swallowed hard. “Yeah we did.” And the thought of it sent blood straight to his groin.
“So what’s going to happen the third time?” She bit down a smile.