He took a deep breath, like he needed it for courage. “We’ve known each other for a long time,” he started.
“And you’ve been gone for a long time,” she finished. Did he see her as the same silly little Harper Hill? His little sister’s best friend? God, she hoped not. She’d changed. So much so, she didn’t feel like the same person anymore. Even the girl she was before, that night when she and West kissed, she wasn’t her anymore either. She was older.
Supposedly wiser.
Maybe not so much, considering she was sitting there waiting with bated breath to hear what West had to say next.
“There are a lot of things I regret,” he said, ducking his head so he stared at the table, pushing his plate away from him. “The last time we were together years ago, I didn’t handle things between us right. And I’m—I’m sorry about that, Harper. So damn sorry.”
He said nothing else and neither did she. She couldn’t find the words, could hardly find any air left in her lungs. Was that all he had to say? Was he rejecting her again? God, she’d been right all along. She was supposed to protect her pride, protect her heart, and instead she’d laid it bare like a complete idiot.
Yet again.
Pushing away from the table, she stood, hurrying out of the tiny dining area without saying a word.
“Harper,” she heard West call after her but she ignored him, too busy trying to get the hell out of there, too panicked he might try to say something else. Like how they should just be friends and there was nothing going on between them and what, she took that night of glorious kissing seriously? How silly could she be?
Yeah, she couldn’t face that. No way.
Grabbing her purse from where she’d left it, she slung the strap over her shoulder and reached for the front door handle just as West crowded her from behind. He slapped his hand flat against the door, preventing her from escaping, surrounding her completely with his big, warm body.
She went completely still, the air stalling in her lungs as she tried to regain her composure. Surely she was overreacting. But he’d rattled her so completely it was hard for her to keep it together. Just being near him made her want to do stupid, reckless things.
Like throw herself at him. Beg him to kiss her again like he had so long ago. Feel his arms come around her and hold her close. She wanted all of that, as crazy as it sounded. She may have been with Roger, may have even thought that she wanted to marry him at one point, but the truth was right here, standing directly behind her, literally breathing down her neck.
She wasn’t over West Gallagher. Not by a long shot.
“You didn’t let me finish what I was going to say,” he murmured, his fingers tangling in her hair, brushing it away from her neck. She sucked in a breath, tingles sweeping over her skin when he stepped even closer. Her purse slipped from her shoulder and she let it fall, heard it land on the tiled entryway with a soft clatter. “I don’t want to push you to do anything you don’t want, Harper. I know you just broke up with your boyfriend.”
She trembled all over. He was so close he must’ve felt her body shaking. His fingers were still in her hair, skimming her nape, and she closed her eyes, overwhelmed by his simple touch.
“Ever since I saw you in the supermarket I haven’t stopped thinking about you,” he admitted, his voice low, so close it felt like he was speaking directly into her ear. “You looked so pretty, even when you were mad and insulting me.”
Embarrassment threatened to swallow her whole. She never acted like that. There was something about West that brought out the worst in her.
Or maybe he brought out the real her.
“I remember exactly what you felt like in my arms, that night I kissed you,” he continued. “What you tasted like. The sounds you made. How you’d clutch me closer every time I tried to pull away.”
She dipped her head forward, her eyes tightly closed as she remembered too. The way he felt, the sounds he made, the way he tasted. He shifted closer, his mouth—oh, God, his mouth—was right at her nape, his hands resting lightly on her hips. “I’m curious to see if it’s still just as good between us,” he murmured against her skin, his warm lips making her shiver.
His hands on her body and his mouth moving against her neck made her want to melt. It was going to be good. So good she would probably combust at first touch of his mouth on hers.
“Turn around, Harper,” he whispered into her hair, and she opened her eyes, turning slowly so she could face him. Her knees were so wobbly she leaned against the front door so she wouldn’t fall to the ground in a boneless heap. West stepped into her personal space, his big hands braced against the door on either side of her head, his intense gaze zeroed in on her lips. “I didn’t plan on this happening tonight.”
“Plan on what happening tonight?” she asked with a slight frown. Oh, God, maybe he didn’t want her after all. Maybe he was trying to let her down easy? She should’ve just left. It was complete torture, knowing he was most likely going to say something nice so he wouldn’t hurt her feelings. She held her breath, waiting for the inevitable blow.
“This.”
His lids lowered as he dipped his head, his mouth landing on hers, and her eyes slid closed once more, relief flooding her as she automatically reached for him, looping her arms around his neck. He didn’t touch her, his hands remained on the door, but his mouth did wondrous things. Soft and seeking, warm and damp, his lips brushed against hers once. Twice. She parted her lips beneath his the third time, but he didn’t take it any deeper. No, he was slow, methodical, purposeful. Learning her, driving her out of her mind.
He put some space between them and she slowly opened her eyes to find him watching her, his eyes glowing, his lips damp from her own. He was so close she could see the stubble lining his jaw, the faded scar just beneath his chin that he’d gotten when he crashed his bike into a fence at the age of eleven. It was kind of weird, kissing a man she’d known since he was a boy. Weird and . . .
Thrilling. Yes, definitely thrilling.
“Was it just as good as the last time we kissed?” she asked, surprised at her bravery. Pleased with her boldness. The simplest kiss in the world had the power to rattle her to the very depths of her soul. She sounded dramatic but it was true. West was exactly what she’d been searching for.
Passion.