Getting my heart broken. I couldn’t say that out loud, though. We hadn’t even gone out on a date. I didn’t want to scare him away with all my romantic ideas. I’d always been a dreamer and an optimist, but fifteen years of dating taught me it wasn’t easy.
“Lots of things, but I really like your suggestions.” I couldn’t believe he was so considerate.
I started playing with my glass of wine to give my hands something to do. His gaze dropped to my lips, and I could swear he tilted forward a fraction of an inch.
Before he could say anything else, someone knocked into me from behind.
I spilled the glass of wine on my dress, soaking it. I jumped from the chair, smoothing my palms over the fabric out of instinct. It didn’t help. Glancing at the woman who knocked into me,
I saw her apologetic face along with her grimace.
“I’m so sorry. I’ll pay for dry cleaning.”
“No need. It could happen to anyone.”
“Are you sure?”
“Don’t worry about it.”
We chatted a bit more before she went on her way, and after she left, I turned to Liam. “I’m feeling cold already. It’s soaked all the way through. I need to go home.”
“I’ll walk out with you.”
Putting his hand on the small of my back, he led me out to the entrance where the coat room was. There was a short line, but I received my coat in a few minutes. Thank God, because I was shivering from the cold wind coming in every time someone opened the entrance door.
Liam held my coat, and I tried not to react as his fingers brushed my shoulders while I put it on.
“Not how I pictured our evening ending,” he whispered in my ear from behind while I fastened the belt around my middle. “Seems I’ll have to put the rest of my plan into motion another time.”
My stomach flipped as I turned around, facing him. “It seems so.”
Damn wineglass. It was keeping me from a very promising night. But maybe it was for the best.
“Come on. There are cabs outside.”
He walked one step behind me, and I swear I could feel his presence even though he wasn’t touching me. Once outside, we saw the last two cabs leaving right before our eyes. The concierge of the event assured us a new one would arrive in a few minutes.
“Are you cold?” he asked.
I nodded. I was rubbing my hands because they felt icy. He took them in his, which were warm and felt amazing. I liked this far too much. My breath hitched when I caught him looking at my lips. Holy shit, I suddenly felt warm all over, not just where our hands were touching. I couldn’t look away, couldn’t do anything to break this spell between us. And the man was warming my hands, for God’s sake. Was he trying to make me swoon on purpose?
I had no idea who leaned forward first, but the second his mouth was on mine, I couldn’t think about anything else except him. His lips were firm and soft at the same time. He was exploring me slowly, as if there wasn’t anything else he’d rather do right then than kiss me. As if that was all he wanted to do for the rest of the evening.
Letting go of my hands, he grabbed my waist, holding me tight. When he deepened the kiss, I just couldn’t hold back and ran my hands through his hair. Urgency coiled through me. I whimpered involuntarily, and he deepened the kiss. I was aching for him.
The way he kissed me made me feel like I was the only thing that mattered tonight. He pulled me flat against him and feathered his lips down the side of my neck. Every kiss sent little shockwaves of pleasure reverberating through my body. His cologne, juniper and pine, overwhelmed my senses. I slipped my hand under his suit jacket, moving toward the button that had been teasing me all night. I wanted to rip it away, along with all the other buttons. I wanted to—
Loud honking made us jump apart. I blinked for a few seconds, disoriented. Then I noticed the cab and the smirking concierge.
“The cabbie honked three times before you noticed,” the concierge informed us.
I wasn’t even sorry, because that kiss was worth being honked at.
My legs were a little shaky as I walked toward the car with Liam at my side. He opened the door for me. As I lowered myself into the cab, he tilted forward, kissing my cheek before bringing his mouth to my ear.
“Next time I see you, I’ll make sure there won’t be any glass of spilled wine or honking cabs getting in our way,” he said.
When he pulled back, the promising glint in his eyes was just pure heat, and I was certain that next time, nothing would keep him from going after what he wanted: me.