But he didn't.
Fine.
I didn't want him to kiss me, anyway.
But then, just as I made a move to turn away, he caught my wrist – firm and certain, like he wasn't done with me yet.
And heaven help me, I wasn't done with him either.
I couldn't even say who started kissing who, but almost before I knew it, his lips were on mine, making my brain go fuzzy at the edges.
As the world narrowed to the press of his lips, a searing heat jolted through me, making my knees nearly buckle as my breath tangled with his.
I leaned into him, desperate and hungry as his grip shifted from my wrist to my waist, pulling me closer until I melted into him like resistance had never been an option.
His lips were addictive, his arms were steady, and his muscular chest was warm and solid.I didn't feel cold anymore.
And yet, a tiny little shiver skittered through me, making him pull back to softly ask, "Are you cold?"
My breath hitched. "Nope."
He grinned. "So it was me, huh?"
I gave him a mock shove to the chest. "You are so cocky."
"Damn straight," he said, pulling me close once again. This time, when his lips found mine, the kiss was softer and sweeter, like he was tasting a secret I hadn't meant to share.
In that one blissful moment, I was lost to everything but the heat simmering between us. There was no apartment, no Evan Carver, no money troubles, and no roommate who needed help.
There was only me and him, kissing under a glorious moon as the nighttime breeze tickled my skin. It was sweetness and hush and everything nice – until a familiar male voice from somewhere above us boomed out, "Geez, get a room, will ya?"
I yanked myself back and looked toward the sound.
Three stories up, ZZ and his companion were grinning like kids. With a laugh, ZZ turned to her and said, "See? She's withhim, like I told ya."
Except I wasn't. Not really.
And now I felt just a little awkward – until Ryder called out, "Damn straight, she is!"
It wasn't true.I knew this. And yet, I couldn't stop the smile that spread over my face.
During the past few minutes, I'd learned more about Ryder than I'd learned about myself.He was sweet and chivalrous and a terrific kisser.
Of these three discoveries, only two were a surprise. And just for the record, itwasn'tthe kissing. On that, my instincts had been annoyingly right.
So of course, I wanted to kiss him again.
But as I moved toward him, he stepped back to say, "Come on. I'll walk you home."
I swallowed. "Home?" I glanced up toward his hotel room. "I mean…isn't this where you invite me in?"
"Nope."
Seriously?I blinked up at him. "Nope? Again?"I snuck another glance at the hotel. "Why not?"
He searched my face. "You really want me to?"
"You mean…invite me up? Well, it could be just for drinks or something."
