He cleared his throat and lowered his hands to grip the back of the chair. “Uh-huh.”
I frowned slightly, realizing he wasn’t wary of someone walking through the door. He was avoiding looking out at the city.
“Are you... Are you scared of heights?”
“Not scared. Just—” He pulled a hand through his hair and stole a quick glance my way. His throat bobbed but he smiled weakly. “You’re very close to the edge.”
I bit back a smile as he released a breath and looked down again.
“So, he does have his weaknesses," I said, walking over to lean against the back of the seat too.
This eased the tension in his shoulders as he swept his gaze over me and said, “You’d be surprised...”
Our eyes caught for a second and something between us shifted. A surge of adrenaline suddenly raced through my system, but he looked down again.
“I think we’re bad luck for each other,” he said, scuffing the toe of his shoe on the ground.
My throat tightened. “Why?”
“We keep finding each other in trouble.” He lifted his eyes back to me.
“That’s not a bad thing,” I said softly.
He arched a brow and huffed a laugh despite the uncertainty in his eyes. “It’s not exactly a good thing either.”
I chewed the inside of my cheek, searching for the right words before I just let my mouth run. “For what it’s worth, I don’t mind that it’s you who always finds me.”
It was enough to make Dean look at me again, but a faint crease appeared between his eyebrows. Those silvery blue eyes were reading every inch of my face as he searched for the lie. But there was no lie. I wanted him to keep finding me every time.
Without a second thought, throwing any caution aside and relying heavily on the courage that one cocktail gave me, I leaned in quickly and kissed him. Then pulled away just as fast when I realized what I did, and that he didn't reciprocate it.
His face was a mix of surprise and confusion with his brows raised and eyes glazed over as he stared blankly past my shoulder.
It felt as if my heart punched itself from my chest.
“I'm sorry. That was really stupid.” I moved away quickly, hands trembling as I beelined for the rooftop door.
It clearly wasn’t what he wanted anymore. I read the situation wrong.
Idiot. Stupid, stupid idiot—
Dean’s hand caught mine and he turned me back to face him. The motion caused my head to spin but I didn’t have time to think about it as he brought his other hand to the back of my neck and pressed his lips to mine.
Every thought erupted while everything else melted away until it felt like we were the only two people in the world. He kissed me like it might’ve been our last. Soft, tender, and warm as he drew me closer, drawing my bottom lip between his before he angled his head.
My own mouth moved carefully with his, parting slightly out of curiosity as his tongue grazed the seam of my mouth. I let him in and he deepened the kiss.
Want and need were blended somewhere in the middle, no longer a difference between the two as I melted into him, falling into a kiss that became exploratory. It became a careful game of push and pull. To understand what worked and what didn’t.
So far, everything worked. He knew what to do.
My hands moved up to the side of his neck while I tilted my head back for better access. The pads of my thumbs caressed his jaw as he pulled his arms around my middle and pressed me flush against the front of his strong body. I could feel every inch of his muscled chest and stomach beneath his shirt.
When he inhaled deeply through his nose, my body buzzed with a sudden sense of awareness — awareness of the skin-to-skin contact on my exposed back, the tightness in the pit of my stomach, the taste of him, and the alcohol on our tongues.
It was all making me feel heady as my lungs burned for air, but I didn’t want to stop. Not yet.
The click of the rooftop door sent us spiraling back to reality and we pulled apart. Putting a couple of feet between us, we quickly straightened our clothes. Tried to play casual as several party guests stepped outside to smoke, thankfully not really paying attention to us as they passed by to stand by the railing.
