Only One Kiss (Only One 1)

“I wasn’t afraid to say anything.” She rolls her eyes at me. “I just didn’t know how to word it.”

“Well, someone once told me that the best way is to just say it, like ripping off a Band-Aid.” I wink at her, and she pushes my shoulder.

“That sounds like a smart person.” She winks at me. “What I wanted to say was we have to think about how Ariella would feel in all this.”

“What?” I ask, almost shocked.

“I don’t know if she’s ready for this. I mean, she hardly knows me, and I’ll be kissing her man all the time, and well, I don’t know how she’s going to feel about it.”

I sit up, holding Ari’s back as she sleeps on me. “She’s six months. The only thing she feels strongly about is having her milk when she wants it and not sitting in her poop for longer than two minutes.”

“Yeah, but it might be weird for her,” she says, and I stand now.

“You know that she likes you, right?” I say. “She smiles at you and goes to you. It took her four days to get used to Miranda.”

“Well, that’s because she had a sense that she was batshit crazy.” She folds her arms over her chest. “You need to change the locks on the house.”

“Fuck,” I say. “I didn’t even think of that. Do you really think that she’ll come back?” I look around as Ari softly snores on me.

“Oh my God.” She smacks her head. “The woman came here unannounced,” she starts, putting up her fingers, and I noticed that she does this often. “Dressed in her sluttiest clothes.” She puts up another finger. “And then she tried to make you stir-fry.” She holds up the fourth finger. “Batshit crazy.”

“You know what?” I say, walking over to her and bending down while I hold Ari. “You’re cute when you get all flustered and start using your fingers.” I kiss her lips, and she kisses me back. I shake my head and walk toward Ari’s room, leaving her lips lingering with my kiss.Chapter 21CandaceI park my car right next to his and get out, grabbing my bag with my laptop and my agenda. I look around, seeing that some of his neighbors are already up and getting the lawn work done before the heat of the day sets in. I feel like I just left here, but it’s been over ten hours. The only thing that keeps replaying in my head is that this is a bad idea. “Don’t go there.”

Between admitting to him that I actually wanted to date him and then having him kiss me, yesterday was a mix of emotions for me. But what a fucking kiss it was. They say some kisses rock your world. They say some kisses you’ll always remember. They say there is always that one kiss you’ll tell your grandkids about. Last night was that kiss. It’s a kiss I know I’ll never forget, and it’s a kiss I silently begged for. But just as fast as I told him I wanted to date him, I told him why I couldn’t. I repeated it over and over again, but each time, his lips would touch me, and I would be pulled to him. It was a force I’ve never felt before, and I have no idea what to do with it.

But the most shocking thing was that every single time he kissed me last night, it was like the first time. My heart would speed up just a touch, and I would give my last breath for just a taste of him. Last night when I finally got up to leave, he cornered me against the front door. His hands on either side of my head and my hands on his waist, he just kissed me, and I left there in a daze. My lips were swollen from his kisses, yet I wanted to go back for more.

I knock on the door in case Ariella is sleeping, and I hear the locks click right away. The door opens, and he stands there in black gym shorts with the team logo on the bottom cuff, a matching T-shirt, and a black baseball cap on his head backward. A smile fills his face, and his eyes turn a crystal blue.

“Good morning,” I say, walking into the house. In two moves, he has the door closed behind me and pressed me against it with his body flush with mine.

“Good morning,” he whispers right before his mouth claims mine. My hand drops my bag by my feet, and they both go to his waist, then work their way up his hard chest as I feel him. He buries his hand in my hair, making us both moan. His tongue slips into my mouth, and I realize that I was wrong before. This, this right here is the kiss I’m going to remember. Even when his lips leave mine, it takes me a second to open my eyes, and then all I see are his lips. I lean back in to take some more. I forget where I am, and I forget who I am. He kisses me softly, then lets go of my lips, and I just can’t get enough. “God, you are going to make leaving really fucking hard.”