Barry cleared his throat. “I’ll, uh, go see how the luncheon’s finishing up.”
Cody waited for Barry to leave before crossing the room. He did it slowly, like he was afraid he’d scare her off. It kind of felt like when an animal stalked its prey.
Shewas his prey.
“Everything okay?”
“Yes.” Another word that came out too quickly.
“Good. Because I’ve made my intentions clear.”
She swallowed. “Your intentions?”
Three more steps and he was right in front of her—touching distance. “I like you, Storm. In an every-time-I’m-close-I-want-to-kiss-you kind of way. In a take-all-my-attention-when-you’re-in-the-room kind of way.”
Her lungs malfunctioned. “But you just met me.”
He brushed some hair from her face, and his touch was like a bolt of electricity. “I know. It’s crazy. But I’ve always been a fan of crazy.”
“You’re not real.” He couldn’t be, right? He was one of those fictitious men in Hallmark movies who made all the right decisions and said all the right things.
“Then what am I?”
“I don’t know. But we can’t…I mean, I don’t even know how long I’ll be here.”
That didn’t seem to deter him. “Maybe this could convince you to stay.”
Slowly, so slowly she had all the time in the world to pull away, he lowered his head.
When his lips touched hers, she just…stopped. Stopped breathing. Stopped thinking. And she let his soft lips smooth out all her resistant edges.
Almost of its own volition, her body leaned into him, and his arms slipped around her waist, tugging her closer. When her breasts pressed against his hard chest, she sucked in a surprised breath, and he took the opportunity to slip his tongue inside her mouth and taste her.
She groaned, her fingers sliding up his chest. God, he tasted good. She wanted to lose any remaining part of herself in the kiss.
She probably would have if it wasn’t for the gasp that sounded from the door.
Quickly, she pulled away to see the back of someone as they left the room. Maybe Vanessa. Maybe someone else. In that moment, she didn’t really care. His kiss was all she could think about.
She glanced back at him to see he was looking at her like she held the answers to the world’s questions.
“I like kissing you,” he whispered.
The beats of her heart did that speed-up-and-stumble-over-each-other thing. “I like kissing you too. But I don’t know if that was smart.”
“Then what was it?” When she didn’t respond, he lowered his head to her ear and whispered, “I’d call it magic.”
CHAPTER 8
Harper had one question. Just one. Why did Cody have to have everything? Sure, maybe give him a kind personality. And hell, throw in a sense of humor. But sweet, intelligent, sculpted like a God,anda million feet tall? Surely it wasn’t fair to the other men in the worldorto her.
She grabbed another glass and ran a towel over it, trying like hell to think about anything but him. Trying not tolookat him.
It was almost closing time, and it had been another busy night. Not that she’d really noticed. Cody had taken up far too much of her attention.
They hadn’t talked about the kiss they’d shared yesterday. And every time they were alone, and she thought he might bring it up, she ran. Yes, literallyranfrom the room like she was being chased by a pack of dogs.
Gah.
