Despite the busy lounge and dozens of patrons, we were hidden at our corner table. The jazz cradled us. The soft murmur of voices lulled me into a sense of safety. The silky cloak of darkness provided a blanket under which we could escape.
Instinctively, I leaned closer but stalled. My heart tripped an erratic rhythm. My palms grew slick, my mouth dry. The reward, his tempting lips, remained inches away, glistening with dampness from a recent sip of his tropical beverage.
All I had to do was reach out and take what I wanted.
“May I…” The words caught in my throat.
Kobe understood. He drew his bottom lip between his teeth and nodded.
I tipped forward, skin on fire, pulse thrumming and sending pleasure to regions that had been dormant for too long. A hairsbreadth before we connected, a burst of applause erupted around the room, startling us both.
I glanced around the dark lounge at the shadowy forms of patrons as they clapped and cheered and whistled at the jazz duo, who announced they were taking a short break.
Our waitress arrived with a tray of food, and the spell I’d been under shattered into a million pieces. I stared, dumbstruck, as she placed plates filled with tender ribeye steak, doused in peppercorn sauce, and perfectly crisped fries in front of us. I’d forgotten we’d ordered anything, so caught up in a fever dream.
Our drinks were mostly full, so Kobe waved her off when she asked if we wanted refills.
The server left, merging with the shadows. I glanced at Kobe, still befuddled at having been so rudely and abruptly yanked back to earth.
I got the sense Kobe hadn’t taken his gaze off me the entire time. Heat bloomed in his eyes, but his smile was gentle and understanding. Regretful.
“So close,” he mouthed.
Without reservation, he reached out and cradled my jaw, tracing the pad of his thumb over the contour of my bottom lip. Kobe closed the distance and pressed his mouth to mine.
I sharply inhaled at the connection and closed my eyes. Kobe’s lips were soft, and the kiss was devastatingly gentle. A feather’s touch, nothing more. He didn’t venture further than the delicate grazing of lips and pulled back after a heartbeat, but he lingered, his breath fanning my chin.
“I want to do more of this.”
I did too, and the voracity of the need growing inside me was unexpected. “Yes,” I whispered. “More.”
He kissed me again with the same caution, the same discipline, and it took everything in me not to fist his hair, crush our mouths together, and keep him there for the rest of the night. The surge of desire hit me like a truck.
When Kobe drew back the second time, it was all the way to his spot at the table. His gaze lingered, and we shared a smile. “Eat. The food is too good to let it get cold. There’ll be time later for more of that.”
“I hope so.”
“I know so.”
So we ate. And we stared at one another. And the heat between us swelled with each passing second. It wasn’t until Kobe’s phone lit up and buzzed with an incoming call that my forgotten guilt returned tenfold.
Angelique. Two and a half years, and this was the first time she’d not been at the front of my thoughts.
Kobe frowned and slid his phone closer to read the screen as he wiped his fingers on a serviette. “You’ve got to be fuckingkidding me,” he mumbled as he connected the call and brought the phone to his ear. “Hey, what’s up?” he asked whoever was on the other end of the line.
I checked the time as he talked. It was later than I expected. After ten. The jazz musicians were playing another set, and Kobe had to plug his opposite ear to hear the caller. Even then, he seemed to struggle and had to ask the person to repeat themselves several times.
After a few minutes, he hung up and scowled as he drained the last of his drink. He looked upset. “I have to go. A third fucking body was just discovered. Same MO as the first two. We’ve officially got a serial on our hands. Fuck my life.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yep. That was Rue. The report came in five minutes ago. On the university campus this time. This is an escalation. It’s been less than a week since the last one, and the cool-off period between the first two was already short. This is bad.” As he spoke, he tugged on his coat and found his wallet, fishing inside.
I touched his hand, stopping him before he could withdraw a credit card. “I’ll get it.”
“I’m so sorry, Dominique. This fucking job makes dating really hard.”
“Well, you’re lucky I understand what it entails. If you don’t mind, I’d like to go with you.”
