12

Milo

I'm a dead man.

A dead, stupid man who ruined what was, up until that point, the best day I've ever spent with a woman—freak blizzard aside—by asking one stupidly stupid question.

What was I thinking?

I guess I wasn't. I guess by opening up to her the way I did earlier and then seeing her not freak out completely when I told her I'd had a good time with her—yes, I'm taking her silence as a win—gave me the courage to ask a question that will likely destroy any of the goodwill I'd built.

I hold my breath, waiting for her to respond with a mixture of anticipation and fear for my life as Beth probably weighs up the best way to dispose of my body after she kills me.

Even if my life does come to a sudden, tragic end, I meant what I said. I've had a really good time today.

Despite our conversation about our families taking a darker turn—my fault entirely—I'm glad I opened up to her, and I enjoyed learning more about her family dynamics as well.

Then after eating, we both just read, and it was nice. I've heard people talk about sharing a 'comfortable silence' with someone, and I never really understood what they meant. I do now. Beth was engrossed in her world of romance, I was invested in my psychological thriller, two completely separate worlds, and yet, we were still together.

And of course, no time spent with her would be complete without me being on the receiving end of her taunts and jaunts, and I like serving them back to her, too. And since she's not one of those weak girls, I enjoy seeing how she handles a challenge once in a while.

That's why I claimed the bed.

For the record, if she really didn't want to share it with me, of course I would have taken the sofa. I just wanted to see how far I could push it.

And when she emerged from the bathroom in that black Hello Kitty pajama set that complemented her hair and made her natural beauty shine through even more, I almost lost it. How is she able to look so stunning in pajamas I'll never know, but man, does she ever.

Everything was going great, and then I had to open my big, stupid mouth and ask to kiss her.

When we're in bed.

Together.

In the middle of a snowstorm.

Talk about a bad move.

Bad timing.

Bad everything.

I'm so screwed.

After the silence stretches way too long, I accept my fate, peel the comforter off me, and swing my legs out of bed. I can admit when I've lost, and I've definitely gone too far here.

I'm such an idiot.

As I make a move to get up, a soft hand lands on my shoulder. "One."

I slowly turn my head back to her. "One?"

Our eyes meet.

She pins me with a heated stare, giving a subtle nod. "One kiss. That's it. That's all I'm giving you. And then we never speak of it again. Deal?"

"Deal," I reply without a second's hesitation.

"And not in bed," she says, pulling the comforter off her as well. "Because that would be…"

"Weird?" I offer.

"Yeah." She locks eyes with me. "And…"

"I'm weird enough for the both of us."

She climbs out of the bed. "Hey! Stop stealing all my lines."

"Sorry, sorry." I grin. "Okay. So where would you like to do this totally non-weird kiss? And for the record, I refrained from using air quotes for you."

"I'm honored."

She strides over to the kitchenette and flicks on the overhead light. It's one of those super-white, fluorescent lights, and we both blink a few times to adjust to the brightness.

"What are you doing?" I ask when she turns the tap on.

"I hate wasting water," she replies.

"So why did you turn the tap on if you're not using it?"

"I need to arm myself. This kiss cannot turn into anything more, and it can't go on for too long, either. Now hurry up and get over here."

"If this is your idea of foreplay…" I reach her and smooth my hands over her soft upper arms. "Then I am all in."

"You are so weird."

"That's already been established. Now, if you're trying to un-romantic-ify the moment as I suspect you are…"

"Not a real word but continue."

"…Should I turn the TV on? Maybe find one of those annoying infomercials so that as we kiss, we'll hear the announcer say something like, 'If you act now, you'll receive this special bonus!' to break the moment?"

"Yes, yes. That's perfect."

I chuckle to myself as I scoop up the remote from the coffee table, find an infomercial channel, and increase the volume.

I wonder if she realizes she could have ordered me to do anything—skydive out of an airplane, climb an erupting volcano, scuba dive with sharks—and I would have done it in a heartbeat for the chance to kiss her.

I return to the brightly illuminated kitchenette and get in nice and close.

I have no idea why she feels the need to 'arm herself,'—I may have stopped using air quotes around her, but I'm still allowing them in my private thoughts—but if I only get one kiss with her, I'm going to make it the kind of kiss she reads about in her romance novels.

The kind of kiss that will ignite her entire body, from the top of her head all the way down to the tips of her toes.

The kind of kiss that she'll have no choice but to remember every time she looks at me.

"You ready?" I check, aiming for a casual tone and definitely not sounding like a man about to embark on the most important kiss mission of his life.

"I am." She nods. "And make it quick, the water's running."

"Stop turning me on."

"Call now and we'll double your order. That's right, folks, you won't just get one amazing…"

We look at each other and smile. "Come on, Payne. What are you waiting for? An embossed invitation?"

The lighting is all wrong, the water is pooling in the sink and making a gluggy noise as it goes down the drain, and the announcer yaps away loudly in the background, but as I slide my hand around her neck and bring my lips to her, everything that isn't her fades away.

A tiny whimper escapes from the corner of her mouth as I secure my other hand around her waist, bringing our bodies close.

Not touching, but close.

Close enough I can feel the warmth radiating from her skin.

Close enough it makes me wonder if she can feel my heart racing in my chest.

Her whimper turns into a moan as my tongue sweeps inside her mouth.

I rein in the primal impulses raging through my body and tell myself to go slow, determined to remember every single thing about a moment I never thought I'd be lucky enough to have.

After a few seconds, Beth returns the kiss, pushing her body against mine and forcing my back against the wall.

I figured she'd be a woman who took charge, and she does not disappoint. The only thing better than kissing Beth is getting kissed by Beth.

"There," I whisper, using every ounce of willpower I have to pull back from her ever so slightly. I run the pad of my thumb over her lips. "One kiss."

"One kiss," she repeats with a soft murmur, lifting her eyes to meet mine.

An intense, euphoric joy—a sensation I've never had before—envelops me, and as I stare into her hazel eyes. This wasn't just a simple 'one kiss' for me. It was so much more than that. It was?—

"This deal won't last, so get in quick, folks. And remember, satisfaction guaranteed or your money back!"

We turn our heads to the television at the same time.

The moment may have been broken, but whatever spell she's cast over me is alive and well. It's not just the kiss, it's the months leading up to it. From the moment I saw her giving me the stink eye at karaoke all those months ago, I was smitten.

Her teasing turns me on because I'm weird like that.

Her presence makes me feel safe to be vulnerable.

And one kiss with her confirms what I've known all along—I'm crazy about her. Certifiable, even.

I've never met anyone like her, and I've never felt this intensely about anyone before, either. She's enchanting and playful and smart and beautiful and whatever reasons she has for building a wall around her heart, I'm determined to find them and dismantle that wall, one brick at a time.

I don't care how long it takes or how many man bun jibes she throws at me, I am determined to make Beth mine.

I stare intently at her and drag a hand through my hair before I'm finally able to find my voice. "I'll turn the TV off, you get the water."

It takes her a few seconds to respond. "Deal," she whispers with a breathy tone.

As I trundle across the room, it hits me just how much of a lunkhead I am for agreeing to Beth's condition.

How on earth did I ever think that one kiss would be enough?