Very,verygood.
Normally she wouldn’t care that one of the—if notthe—most eligible and desired bachelors in the greater Hot Springs area was sitting right next to her, especially since he was Anita’s brother. But good gravy on a biscuit, was hegorgeous. And as she kept looking at him, she experienced something nice. No,nicewasn’t the right word. More likedelectable.
Her cheeks heated, and she stared straight ahead. Where had all that come from? She’d never putKingstonanddelectableorgorgeousin the same sentence.
“Have some more.” Kingston set the popcorn bucket between them.
She snuck another glance at him.Delectably gorgeous.She jerked her head away and pinched the top of her straw closed.
“Do they show commercials here like they do in other theaters?” he asked.
“Uh, what?” she replied, still grappling with the unfamiliar thoughts and sensations he was causing.
“You know. The previews before the previews.” He frowned. “When was the last time you saw a current movie?”
She thought about it, grateful to have something different to focus on. “Eleven years ago.” That had been a group outing with her fellow students when she was in college getting her master’s in library science. She would have preferred tocontinue studying—she had fast-tracked both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees—but her study partners insisted she go with them. She couldn’t recall what the movie was, only that she’d found it dull and preferred her classics.
“Wow, that long,” Kingston said. “I don’t blame you. Most of them are garbage anyway. So what do you and your dates do for fun, then?”
“Dates?”
“You know.” He gave her a wry look. “Guys you go out with?”
“Oh, I don’t have any dates.” Her cheeks flamed.
He scoffed. “You’re kidding.”
She shifted in her chair. How had they ended up on this topic? She’d never been bothered by her lack of a dating life before... for the most part.Thanks, Flo.“No. I’m not.”
Kingston paused. “Always the serious librarian.”
“I’m not always serious—” Wait. That was exactly true. She was a serious person, in addition to being in a serious rut.
“Hey, it’s not an insult. I’ve been accused of the same thing myself.”
“By your dates?” She arched a brow.
He glanced away. “Um, a couple. There haven’t been that many for a long time.”
He said the last words so quietly that she barely heard them. Shocker. She knew he was busy, but she figured he’d made time to date.
He was smiling again. And once again, she couldn’t look away. He appeared relaxed, almost boyish, making him even more attractive. Her spine started tingling.
Oh no.This wasn’t good. It felt good, but she wasn’tsupposed to tingle around Kingston. She wasn’t twelve. She was twenty-seven, and he was her best friend’s brother, not some teenage crush.
But the sensation inside her wasn’t adolescent. It was definitelyadult.
Thankfully the lights dimmed, and images hit the screen. She could pay attention to the movie and not the tingle. She faced the front and, without thinking, shoved her hand into the bucket. Instead of popcorn, her fingers brushed against his.
Tingle. Tingle.
She jerked away, tipping the popcorn to the floor. “Sorry!”
“Shhh” came from several directions in the theater.
“Sorry,” she whispered. She reached for the bucket as he scooped it up, leaning close. Their shoulders touched.
Tingle tingle tingle.Three tingles now?
