I take a deep sigh and smile sheepishly at her. “Sorry.” I wince and she laughs lightly. “Damn it, you know what I mean. I’m just nervous.” I blow out a huff of air. “I’ve wanted to go out with you for a long time, too.”
“So why the heck didn’t you say anything?” she says indignantly.
I let my eyes roll up. “Have youmetyour brothers?” It’s a half truth, but it’s close enough.
“Are you seriously telling me you let my brothers scare you off? And here I thought you were different from the other guys I’ve liked.” Her words are teasing, but there’s a thread of hurt in them, and it makes me sit up straight.
Squeezing her hands and looking deep in her eyes, I push down my own insecurities and focus on erasing hers. “They don’t scare me, Kitty Kat. I respect them and Leo. But I’m not here with them, I’m here with you. And if they have a problem with that, with me, then I’ll deal with it.”
The smile she gives me in return tells me I said the right thing.
Even if it was a lie. Becausedealingwith her brothers and Leo wouldn’t exactly be easy. Not for me.
But for her, it just might be worth it.
You know in cheesy holiday movies the moment when the main characters finally have their first kiss and there’s, like, a slow zoom out of the camera while snowflakes are falling and lights are twinkling in the background?
This is that kind of moment.
It’s perfect.
We’re standing outside Kat’s house and I swear I have every intention of giving her a quick kiss goodnight, and then leaving like the gentleman we joked I was at the beginning.
But as soon as I lean down and cover her lips in mine, I’m a goner.
My tongue teases the seam of her mouth and she opens easily, and I take it deeper. There’s no resistance; Kat is into this kiss just as much as I am, and that thought makes me soar.
Her hands slide down my back until they’re hovering just above my hips. I tighten my grip on the back of her neck, just slightly, and angle her head so I can rain kisses down the smooth slope of her throat.
“Hunter,” she says breathily, and I feel her fingers dig into my back just above the waistline of my jeans.
I make my way back up to her lips and press another deep kiss there. I could do this forever.
But I manage to find the strength and self-control to pull back, kissing her lightly on the nose before sliding my hands down and tangling them with hers.
“Thank you for an amazing time, Kitty Kat.”
She lets out a breathy laugh. “Pretty sure I should be thanking you.” She squeezes my hands and licks her lips seductively. “I wish tonight didn’t have to end.”
“Kat,” I groan. “Remember what I said earlier? I’m trying to be a gentleman.”
She rises up on her toes and brings her mouth to my ear. “I don’t always want a gentleman. Sometimes I want a bad boy who’s willing to break the rules.” She drops back down and winks. “But you’re right. We should be good. Save something for the second date.”
She’s already thinking of a second date. Somehow I didn’t fuck everything up. Holy shit.
“That second date is happening really soon, right?” I ask, only sort of teasing.
“Sounds good to me.”
We stand there holding hands, grinning like fools for a moment before I finally step away from her warmth.
“Night, Kitty Kat,” I reply, pushing my hands into my coat pockets to try and arrange it to hide the bulge in my pants. Except all that does is draw attention to it, given how Kat’s eyes drop down, then back up to me with a flare of heat.
“Goodnight, Hunter.” Kat takes a step back, a saucy smile covering her beautiful face.
Once she’s inside her house and I’m back in my car, I let out a long, slow exhale. The date might have gone better than I possibly could have expected, but now there’s a whole new set of things for me to freak out about.
Because I’ve had a taste of Kat Donnelly. And with that one taste, I’m addicted.