To his surprise, she rose on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. Cole stood still as a statue, but she lingered, her breath tickling his ear. Feeling the desire percolate between them, he angled his mouth toward hers. When their lips met, an electrical jolt went through his body. His spirits soared like two doves with silvery wings, and reality hit him like the soft light on an autumnal day.
Had he known since high school? When did his walls collapse, letting her into his heart? He never had to prove anything to her. She never compared him to others. To her, he was Cole Parsons. As the catalyst, she brought him to his career choice. When everyone else doubted him, Leah didn’t waver.
He brought his hand down to envelop her waist. In that moment, the world around him vanished like a pipedream. All that mattered was Leah. His mind murmured her name repeatedly like a harp among the trees. He loved having her in his embrace.
Her sweet mouth incomparable to any dessert he ever tasted. He savored the sensation, not wanting the moment to end. He brought his hand back to her neck, feeling her pulse flutter like a dove. If only time could freeze.
He loved her. He couldn’t pinpoint the moment or understand what took him so long to admit it, but Leah Morris carried his heart. Right here and now he could hold her forever. She belonged with him. Did she know that?
With one last peck to her mouth, a silly grin danced on his lips. He broke away for a second to catch his breath. Then his lips brushed up against her ear.
Leah ran her fingers down his cheek, letting out a shaky breath. “I guess that was a long time coming.”
“Too long.” He blinked, his brain fuzzy. Losing his sense of awareness, he inhaled. Putting an arm around her shoulder, he leaned in to kiss her again, but the clearing of a throat had them both jerking their heads toward the noise.
Mrs. Hartley stood tapping her foot on the carpeted floor. Her spectacles hung from her long nose, while her coal eyes narrowed. “Have you two found what you’re looking for?”
Cole backed away from Leah, straightening the lapels of his shirt. “Yes, Mrs. Hartley. Thank you.”
Leah held up her book. “I did, thank you.”
Mrs. Hartley folded her arms across her chest. “Well, I’ll see you both at church on Sunday.” With that, she left them alone in the aisle.
He let out a deep breath, while Leah covered her mouth as if to stifle a laugh. “Not funny.”
“I felt like I was in high school all over again. Getting caught for something.”
Even when she teased him, he loved it. He snatched her book from her hands holding it over his head. She reached for it, only to fail since his tall height was in his favor.
“Cole?” Her eyes narrowed, but her eyes beamed.
He paced backwards, refusing to return her book. “You almost got me in trouble. Apologize.”
She touched a hand to her chest. “Me? You don’t live next door to her. I’m the one that has to deal with that later.”
“Mrs. Hartley is a sweetheart.”
Leah gave a nervous laugh. “Cole?”
He didn’t respond but continued to back up. It wasn’t until a tumbling sound startled him, that his body twirled around. He knocked over a book display and gained the stares of a few patrons. Just great. Cole scurried to the floor to retrieve the books. Leah rushed beside him to help, handing him a book as he did his best to restock them.
“We’re definitely getting kicked out.” He bit his lower lip.
“Hurry.” Leah’s hands passed him more paperbacks.
“Why don’t you two just check out your books?”
Cole and Leah both froze and then raised their heads. Mrs. Hartley stood over them with her arms again folded across her chest.
****
“Breathe, Gemma. Breathe,” Leah repeated to her friend.
“You kissed Cole?”
Leah plopped on her bed, hearing the playful growls of Chip with his chew toy. “He kissed me.”
“When? Back up and start from the beginning.”