“What about our lips? You think those could fit?”
The air around uscharged with a primal electricity like I’d never felt before. His mouth crashed into mine. I stiffened for a fraction of a second, trying to understand what was happening, but I melted the instant his hand cupped my cheek. He slid even closer on the bench. My head spun as the scent of cedar and citrus overwhelmed my senses in the best kind of way.
His sculpted body pressed into me, begging for a response. With both hands full, I had to decide whether to hold onto Percy’s leash or my dessert. Knowing that Percy wouldn’t go anywhere as long as I still had a slice of cake, I dropped his leash. The moment I slid my hand up Zane’s chest and around the back of his neck, I also dropped every reservation I’d mulled over that day.
Rippling waves of heat rolled off his body as he wove his fingers into the hair at the base of my neck. Fireworks went off in the pit of my stomach when he gave my hair a gentle tug, tilting my chin up and exposing my neck to the coolnight air. I answered with a small gasp against his lips, and he smiled, his fingers further tangling in my hair.
My lips still tingled as his mouth wandered across my jawline and found its way down my neck. He stopped at the collar of the jersey he’d given me and breathed me in with the hint of a growl rumbling deep in his chest. “I told you, you look good in my colors.” His index finger traced the contour of the V-neck with a gentle yet deliberate touch.
Resting his forehead against mine, he took a deep breath followed by a sigh. “I don’t really want to bring this up right now, but I’ve got a confession of my own.” He paused, squeezing his eyes shut. I froze. My stomach clenched as I braced for his revelation. “I don’t even know how to tell you, but I guess I’d better spit it out.”
I waited for him to continue, making a mental note of what it felt like to be held by such a strong man—by my friend who had the potentialto become so much more—just in case this was the last time.
“I’m…”
“It’s okay, Zane,” I whispered, putting on a brave face, but secretly terrified that his confession might put an end to what was happening between us. “You can tell me.”
He sighed, taking my upper arms in his solid grip. “I’m a cat person.”
His eyes twinkled in the firelight, but my brain was too busy glitching out to take much notice. “What?”
He shrugged. “I know you’re a dog person, but I don’t really have any choice in the matter.” He ran his fingers across the Bobcat’s logo on my jersey. Shivers raced through my body at lightning speed. “I’m pretty sure it’s a team requirement,” he said, hardly containing his teasing grin.
I laughed, finally catching on to his joke. “Total deal-breaker,” I said. “Right, Percy?”
My big, black furball looked up at us, panting and wagging his floofy tail.
Zane’s eyes searched mine, their teasing flicker morphing into something more serious. His brows pinched. Was he confused or sad? Maybe he was a little bit of both. “I almost got the impression earlier that you thought yourconfessionwould scare me off.”
“Well, I’m kind of a boring person.”
He slipped an arm around my waist. “You are the opposite of boring. The more I learn about you, the more I want to know.” Truth resonated in each word he said. He tucked my hair behind my ear with such a gentle touch that I’d have gone weak in the knees if I’d been standing.
My breath caught in my chest when he brought his lips to mine once again—warm, soft, and earnest. Heat a million times hotter than the bonfire in front of us exploded in my chest when he intertwined his fingers withmine and continued to show me just how interested he was.
It was like I was living one of Daphne Rose Love’s happily ever after kisses. It was the kind of kiss that seemed to promise forever, and I gave in to it, choosing to let go of my fears. Maybe someone like me really could make it work with someone like him. No man could kiss a woman the way Zane kissed me and not mean it. Could he?
Zane couldn’t be the player people made him out to be.
Maybe he wasn’t a charmer, after all; maybe he was my Prince Charming.
My lids fluttered open, expecting to meet Zane’s crystal-blue eyes. I wanted one more look at the intensity in them, proof that he really wasn’t playing games with my heart. But instead of looking into his eyes, what felt like a hundred flashes of light seared my retina. I winced and turned my face away.
The commotion set Percy off. Hejumped to his feet and barked at a gaggle of camera-toting men that had snuck up on us in the dark. He lunged and I grabbed for his leash, knocking my punch over and spilling it on the bench beside me. I grimaced as the liquid ran toward my dress and soaked through the fabric.
Zane helped me reel Percy in, but my faithful dog never took his eyes off the paparazzi invaders. He stepped backward toward me, his tail swiping my cake right off the plate and smearing it down the front of my dress.
Once Percy was calm enough not to drag me off the bench, Zane got to his feet. “What do you think you’re doing?” he shouted at the men. “This is a private party.”
“We can see that,” a short man said with a suggestive lilt in his voice that made me want to go take a shower.
FLASH!
Another camera went off. “What’s the new flavor of themonth, Hayes? Do you know her name yet?” another man called out from the group.
“My money’s on schoolteacher. How ‘bout it, Zane? Is she your new tutor? What’s she teaching you?”
“Oh, he already knows all the moves,” the first man replied.
