“Can I kiss you, Avery?”
“If you want to,” I breathed out.
God, I hoped he wanted to.
His hand drew me to him, the shudders increasing as I felt the heat, his heat, radiating from his body. “Yes. Yes, I want to.”
His eyes never left mine as he bent lower.
Without thinking, I slid my hands up to his shoulders, and fisted his T-shirt, despite the pain it caused my fingers, and rose on my toes to meet him part way. My eyes shut of their own accord, a small sigh escaping as I felt his lips brush mine.
His mouth was tender, his touch light, his lips as gentle as a summer breeze that teased your skin in the heat of the sun. It promised relief, but only to leave you wanting more—so much more.
He eased back, and my eyes flew open, disappointment flooding my senses.
That was it? A small whimper of protest escaped my mouth. I wanted more.
His voice was a quiet hum in my ear. “Avery, can I do something?”
I nodded.
He could do anything.
Daniel
I was only gone five minutes. Seven tops. I raced through the drugstore, grabbed a splint, an instant ice pack, some Tylenol, and the biggest damn bag of peppermints I could find—the spearmint kind. I had no idea why she wanted peppermints so much, but because it was something she seemed to need, I wanted to get it for her. Standing in line, my fingers twitched with impatience. I needed to get back to the little Sprite I had trodden on inadvertently. I was in such a hurry, I hadn’t noticed her crouched down in the doorway or seen her hand until it was too late and I heard her gasp of pain.
Nothing prepared me for the rush of incredible desire I felt when I hunched down and saw her for the first time. She was the most unique-looking woman I had ever seen. Riotous white-blonde curls hung around her face. Her eyes were green—so lightly colored they were luminous as she stared up at me. Her pale skin was dotted with freckles. Tiny flecks of sand scattered over the bridge of her nose and cheeks. A prominent beauty mark sat on the top of her cheek to the left of her eye.
She reminded me of a picture in a book I had been reading to my niece the other night called The Woodland Sprite. The resemblance was uncanny. She was beyond adorable; even with her huge eyes watery with pain. She was all stubborn and independent, refusing my offer of help. Instead, she scrambled to her feet on her own, her pretty skirt flaring around her legs as she moved. Her tiny chin jutted out defiantly at my offers, my pleas, to let me examine her hand, but eventually she relented. When she finally, grudgingly, placed her hand in mine, the shock of heat that went through me at her touch was astonishing. I was grateful her fingers didn’t appear broken, and after some begging, she agreed to let me splint them—if I bought her some peppermints. Her bargaining tool amused me.
Except when I got back to the doorway, she was gone. All that remained were the crushed peppermints, the red and white swirls nothing but dust on the sidewalk. As I stood watching the breeze carry away the torn plastic and disintegrated candy, my phone buzzed, and I knew it was Beth from the studio questioning my whereabouts.
I had already texted her earlier to tell her I’d be late because of an emergency patient, and now I was even later because of walking over the woman hiding in the doorway.
Briefly, I wondered why she had been crouched there. Was she hiding from someone? Was she okay? Where had she gone? More importantly, how could I find her?
My phone buzzed again, and I pulled my glasses out of my pocket, sliding them on so I could tap out a message saying I would be there in a moment.
I should have never agreed to do this, but I had lost the last bet I made with my sister Caitlin, and participating in this study had been the wager.
She’d had the widest grin on her face when she pushed the newspaper my way, tapping on the advertisement. “You lose, and you have to sign up for this experiment, Daniel.”
I had barely paid attention to the ad and agreed because I was certain I would beat her playing the latest version of the video game we liked to play. We’d been doing it for years, and it was rare she won. While the idea of kissing a stranger didn’t appeal to me, it wasn’t any big deal, since I didn’t expect it to occur. If she’d lost, she would’ve had to arrive at an engagement party we were attending in a costume of my choosing—and it wasn’t a costume themed party. My elegant sister would have hated it. All I had to do was drop a kiss on a stranger and walk away. I thought she’d back out when I laid down my terms, but she agreed.
As we started to play, it became obvious why she was so confident. She had been practicing, and even though I called unfair, she refused to budge, insisting I was being a sore loser. Reluctantly, I offered to accept any other wager, but Caitlin held firm, so here I was to make good on my promise.
What seemed unlikely beforehand was now too real.
I crossed the street, throwing another glance back over my shoulder. I would rather have been following through with my plans of convincing the stubborn little Sprite to join me for coffee. I wanted to wrap her fingers in the ice pack and talk to her for a while.
However, it appeared my idea wasn’t happening. Tamping down my disappointment, I pushed the elevator button. I left on my glasses, remembering Beth told me I would have to sign a release form and I would need them to read the wording. I dug into the bag I held and grabbed a peppermint, popping it in my mouth.
I bought them—might as well make good use of them. I hummed at the sweet taste; they were very good. I stuck a couple in my pocket.
Maybe I would offer my kissing partner one.
When I turned to see the woman I would be paired with entering the room, I was elated.