Marriage For One

“It’s a desk,” I agreed in a flat tone.

Her lips twitched, and my gaze focused on that tiny movement. I was losing my mind. Being so close yet so far away from her was wreaking havoc on my self-control.

She released a deep breath and finally met my eyes, no trace of the smile I had become so enamored with. “So…at the event…we…did a good job, right?”

“A good job? Of what?”

“Of being husband and wife. I need to try something, so can you just stay still?”

My eyebrows rose in confusion, but I simply gave her a sharp nod, not having any idea where she was going with this.

She licked her lips and puffed up her cheeks before letting out a long breath. Then she took two more steps forward until her chest was only an inch or two away from my shoulder.

I stiffened, my hands twitching in my pockets. Not sure what she was about to do, I had to take my right hand out and grip the edge of my desk. Her focus was on my lips, and I watched her bite down on her bottom lip then lean in close.

Her eyes flitted between my eyes and my lips.

“It’s just…I’ll…”

Then she leaned forward, and I covered the remaining space between us until her lips finally touched mine, pressing a soft kiss on the edge of my mouth. Her eyes still closed, she pulled back and made a noncommittal sound.

“Huh.”

To say I was surprised would be an understatement, but I didn’t dare move, scared I would break the spell of whatever was going on. I just kept my eyes on her beautiful face and tried to read what she was thinking. Then she took another step forward, and I swear to God I felt her nipples press into my chest.

She swallowed and put her hand on my cheek.

“What are you doing, Rose?” I asked, unable to hold back anymore. My voice sounded rough to my ears.

“I’m just trying something.” She looked into my eyes. “Could you close your eyes?”

I raised an eyebrow in question.

“Just for a quick second. Promise.”

I sighed, slightly annoyed that she didn’t want me to watch her, to take in her features when she was standing so close to me. My fingers gripped the desk tighter, but I did as she’d asked.

“It’s just…you’re making me nervous when you frown at me like that. This’ll only take a second, I promise.”

My lips parted to give her an answer, but no sound came out because her lips had found mine again. I responded to her gentle kiss and opened my eyes anyway so I could watch her. She had already closed hers, and her hand was slightly trembling against my cheek. Tilting her head, she deepened the kiss, her left hand pressing on my chest as she rose higher. I dipped my head down and closed my eyes, feeling drunk with her kiss.

She pulled back before I could take over completely, and we just stood there a few inches apart, her breath coming out in little pants. My heart hammering in my chest, I studied her as her eyes slowly opened and she made a face like something wasn’t quite right.

Scrunching her nose, she gave me a look I couldn’t interpret.

I cleared my throat. “Not good?”

She lifted her hand between us, rocking it from side to side. “Ehhh.”

“I see. Turtle again?”

Another noncommittal sound.

“Right. And this was important…why?”

She huffed and thought about her answer for a second. “Kinda like practice, maybe? Saturday was a little weird, so I thought we could work on it, so it looks more natural?”

“So Saturday was bad? I didn’t realize you had a problem with my kiss. You seemed okay with it then, but now you think we should work on it?”

“I mean…I didn’t have anything better to do, so…”

“Right.”

I waited, my eyes on her.

“Maybe one more time? Just…you know, to see what we’re doing wrong.”

“Sure. Any pointers you’d like to give?”

She took me seriously and thought about it some more. I was having trouble keeping a straight face but decided to play along. I didn’t buy into her bullshit, but if she wanted to kiss, I wasn’t gonna argue.

“Would more tongue be weird for you?” she asked.

My lips twitched, and I smiled.

“What?”

Clearing my throat, I shook my head. “Nothing. I’m not sure about the tongue,” I ventured. “If you think that’s a good idea, I’ll have to give it a try.”

“Okay.” She sighed and put a hand on my shoulder. “Then…yeah. Okay, let’s try that.”

After another deep breath, she took one small little step. Her eyes were already closed so she missed my smile. Taking my other hand out of my pocket, I brushed her bangs away, relaxed my hand that was gripping the desk to death, and gently placed it on the small of her back so I could bring her closer in a soundless order. She obeyed and licked her lips, eyes still closed, face slightly tilted up.