He pouted. “Too bad.” Then his face brightened. “Let’s move onto the other part of the text.” His hand shot out too quickly for me to react—damn his hockey skills—and he plucked my phone from my hands. “What was it…oh yeah. She wanted to know if we were making out yet.” He looked up, waggling his eyebrows at me. “What do you say?”
“I say we’re both responsible for children right now. So no, I don’t think it would be an ideal time to make out.”
The showy smile disappeared from his face, leaving a much more hopeful one behind. He almost looked boyish when he stared at me like that, his blue eyes wide and bright. “Are you saying you would make out with me if the kids weren’t here?”
Crap. I’d walked right into that one.
I studied him, taking in the familiar slope of his nose, the perfect bow shape of his top lip. How many hours had I spent cataloging those features? I knew what I should say right now—something smart and cutting, denying any chance of me wanting to kiss him. It was the wiser choice, the one least likely to end in pain for me.
But sitting at that picnic table with my old friend, the sun shining over us, the memory of the way he’d squeezed my hand fresh in my mind, I didn’t want to lie to him.
Instead, I let my own smile break across my face as I shrugged. “Maybe I would.”
He looked so instantly thrilled by my response that my heart swooped right through my chest. Then his eyes fixed on my lips, some of the giddiness falling off his face, replaced by something that looked a hell of a lot more like desire.
Oh God. This was it. He was actually going to kiss me. After all this time, all these years, wondering where I’d gone wrong, wondering if I’d imagined the connection between us, he was finally going to?—
“Auntie G!” Elliot called out, making us both jump. I spun around to face the child, my heart pounding wildly in my chest, guilt crashing over me in a rush. Elliot was my obligation today and I hadn’t been watching him at all. What in the hell was wrong with me? Was I that lust-crazed that I’d forgotten my responsibilities to my best friend’s kid?
“Hey, buddy,” I squeaked, wincing at how high and unnatural my tone came out. I tried again. “What’s up?”
“I’m starting to get hungry again,” he said. “And I’m pretty sure you promised me ice cream.”
Ice cream. Right. I should take Elliot to get ice cream. I should not sit at this table and think some more about kissing Liam. Maybe a nice scoop of frozen dairy product would cool some of this heat currently rushing through my cheeks, making me blush like an awkward preteen.
“You’re right,” I said. I shot Liam a glance. I had to ask, it would be totally rude not to. “You guys feel like ice cream?”
“Can’t,” Josie said glumly. “I’m lactose tolerant.”
“Intolerant,” Liam corrected, ruffling her hair. He shot me a regretful look. “We’re supposed to meet my friend Jason anyhow.”
“Uncle Jay is coming over?” Josie asked, bouncing up and down, any ice cream disappointment forgotten.
“He is,” Liam said. “He wants to go swimming with you.”
“Sweet! He told me he’d bring me Twizzlers the next time he came over.”
Liam met my eyes. “Told you he spoiled her rotten.”
I could fall into those eyes if I wasn’t careful. It would be so easy to just stand there, staring at him, remembering all the ways he used to make me feel. All the ways hestillmade me feel.
But we both had responsibilities right now, and there was no point dragging this out. “Guess we better get going.”
His answering smile looked about as reluctant as I felt. “We probably should.”
The kids ran ahead of us and we didn’t speak the entire walk to the cars. I wondered what he was thinking. Was he wishing we could have spent more time together? Or was he relieved the kids had stopped us from making a mistake that might further complicate his already complicated life?
Josie skipped to the rear passenger side door of a sleek blue SUV then waited, Elliot jabbering on next to her about the Pokémon Go points he had scored that day. Just as I was opening my mouth to say goodbye, Liam cut me off.
“Josie girl, stay right there for a second, okay? No wandering off.”
She gave him a look that clearly saidI’m not a baby, Dad, geez.But I didn’t have much time to react to it because Liam’s hands were on my waist, pulling me out of sight behind the van parked to the side of his SUV.
“What are you?—”
His lips crashed onto mine, his hands holding tight to my hips. For a long second I just stood there, absolutely shocked. Was Liam O’Conner actually kissing me in a parking lot five feet from his daughter?
Then one hand came up to cup my cheek while the hand on my hip pulled me closer to his big, broad body. And just like that, I fell into the moment. My entire nervous system lit up with sensation, heat pouring through me from the places we touched—my side, my cheek, my chest against his. Our lips.
