Just One Kiss (Very Irresistible Bachelors 2)

“Already ate,” I said. I’d grabbed a snack before I met up with Heather.

“Second dinner. Or just cake,” Skye said.

“Girls, I have a call early tomorrow. I can’t stay.”

“You’re ditching us? Especially after the shitty day we’ve had?” Skye pouted, leaning into me. I laughed, putting an arm over her shoulders, kissing her temple.

“I’m not ditching you,” I assured them. “Just need to be rested for tomorrow.”

Skye sighed, stepping away from my half hug. I was grinning as I slid the envelopes in my pocket. After bidding them goodbye, I headed out on the streets with renewed energy. I didn’t want our next meeting to be at the fund.

I wanted Heather in my domain this time.

Chapter Ten

Heather

I spent the next morning editing the interviews, weaving them into a storyline. I wasn’t in the mood to work from home, so after dropping off Avery at school I headed to the coffee shop across the street. It was a great way to escape the solitude of my apartment without going through the hassle of taking the train into Manhattan.

I was pumped about the article, and not just because I’d had three lattes before eleven o’clock. This was going to be epic; I felt it in my gut. I had enough experience as a reporter to know when a story was ho-hum or a home run. Ruby, in particular, had some excellent quotes. I still regretted not interviewing Ryker. He was insightful, saw things in a different light than most. I hadn’t met anyone who stood by his family the way he did, who’d made some of the biggest choices in his life by considering others too, not just himself.

I set my laptop on the small coffee table in front of me, and curling in the armchair like a cat, looked out the window. I wasn’t really watching anything, though. My mind was too full of Ryker. His smile, that intensity rolling off him in waves, wrapping tight around me. Just remembering the way he’d kissed me made my lips burn. Grinning, I went to the counter, buying my fourth latte—this one was decaf.

I just needed a treat to go with my Ryker daydreaming. Yeah, I’d made the executive decision that I wasn’t going to fight thoughts of him. It couldn’t hurt to indulge in a little mental daydream, could it?

Oh, yeah. My decaf nonfat latte really was the perfect choice to indulge in a little Ryker break. I held the cup tight, glancing out the window with a huge grin. I loved coming to this coffee shop. It overlooked a small park that was splendid year-round. In winter it looked like a scene straight out of a fairy tale, with the trees covered in a thin coat of snow or ice. The rest of the year it was either vibrant green or a mix of yellow, red, and brown in fall.

Right now, it was in the transitioning phase. I only spotted a few patches of green. The clear blue sky was a pretty sight, as were the New Yorkers milling under it. The rhythm here was a little more relaxed than in Manhattan.

I felt like I could breathe better out here. Over the years, I’d thought about moving away from New York to a city with lower living costs. But newspaper jobs were concentrated in the big hubs anyway, and I loved New York to bits.

After downing the last drop of latte, it was time to get back to typing. I wasn’t working only on the Pearman Fund article. I had several others in various stages of editing. Five minutes into rereading what I’d previously written on a global warming article, I caught myself rewinding yesterday’s kiss in my mind’s eye again.

Heather, get yourself together. The Ryker break is over.

Ah, but there was the problem with allowing myself to indulge. Daydreams worked on their own schedule. I just couldn’t shake Ryker off. At least I wasn’t going to see him soon, which meant that in a few days, the aftereffects of the kiss would subside. I was still under his spell, that was all.

I hoped.

Shaking my head, I turned the volume on my headphones higher, focusing on my keyboard.

As the afternoon rolled in, I briefly considered buying another latte in one of my breaks, but eh... no. I seemed to be associating the taste with Ryker today.

I bought a boring soda. There, that couldn’t lead to any daydreaming.

Nope, wrong again. Ryker was front and center in my mind. I caught myself smiling again. It couldn’t be wrong, right? Right? I’d had so few reasons to smile over the past two weeks, and they were all tied to Ryker.

After the soda break, I went on a writing sprint. I’d intended for it to last forty minutes only, but I hit such a great stride that I went on for an hour and a half.

I was just about to gather my things and pick up Avery when my phone rang. Ryker was calling. My palms became sweaty. My fingers and hands became jittery again, just like after the kiss yesterday.

Holy shit! Apparently, I didn’t need to see him in person. Just his name on the screen of my phone made my stomach knot. Squaring my shoulders, I took a deep breath, focusing on the point just above my belly the way I did in Pilates classes. This technique had proved useful in many tough moments.

“Hi,” I greeted, still focusing on my breathing.

“Hi, Heather. Is this a good time?”

“Yes.”