“If this were my house, I’d be up here all the time. I might even sleep up here every once in a while,” she said, turning toward him.
He’d never slept up there, but more than once he’d lain on the sofa and stared up at the stars while listening to the ocean. Right now, though, it wasn’t the view or the sky that held his attention.
After tucking the strands of hair that had escaped her loose ponytail behind her ear, Matt trailed his fingers across her jaw and lowered his head toward hers. “I do spend a lot of time up here.”
Liv’s gaze briefly shifted away from his eyes to his mouth, and he knew the moment she realized his intent. When she didn’t move away, he eliminated a little more of the space between his lips and their intended target.
“I’d love it if you spent some time with me out here.”
Matt touched his lips to Liv’s before she could reply. A tiny part of his brain insisted he should keep the kiss brief and urged him to back off. He ignored it, because now that he’d felt her lips against his, stopping was impossible. And when Liv’s arms slipped over his shoulders and her fingertips brushed against his neck, he took it as a sign that she didn’t want him to stop either.
Sooner than he’d liked, she ended the kiss and looked at him. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say she studied him. He didn’t need to read her mind; her expression and eyes told him it was working a mile a minute—on what precisely, he didn’t know. He just hoped he liked whatever conclusion she reached.
She shoved the hands that had been caressing his neck moments before into her pockets and nodded toward the ocean. “I’d have to be crazy to pass up an opportunity to enjoy this view.”
He was used to women throwing themselves at him. Women who didn’t care how long their involvement might last as long as they could walk away saying they’d had sex with him. Not that he had a lot of one-night stands, but there were a few in his past. He was also familiar with women who used their association with him to further their careers. And don’t get him started on the handful of women he’d gone out with, both in college and since his music career took off, because of the dollar amount in his bank account. Any of those types, he knew how to deal with.
Liv didn’t fall into any of those categories, and he didn’t know what to do about the uncertainty vibe she was giving off.
“This view was what sold me on this place. The one from the deck off the kitchen is almost as spectacular. Why don’t we go check it out?”
He could practically hear the gears turning in her head as she looked at him, and he expected her to turn down the offer and leave.
“Sure.” She brushed away the same piece of silky blonde hair he’d tucked behind her ear, and before Liv could put her hand back into her pocket, he reached for it.
Once they were in the kitchen, he paused. “Interested in some ice cream?”
He wasn’t hungry, but dessert would keep her there longer. Not to mention, whether he was hungry or not, he was always up for some ice cream.
“Depends. What kind do you have?”
“Name a flavor and I probably have it.” If he had one weakness, it was sweets, and ice cream was his favorite, no matter the flavor or the temperature outside.
“Coffee.”
“Got it. Do you want one scoop or two?” he asked, opening the freezer.
“Wow, I don’t think you have enough ice cream in there. Are you planning on opening a stand for the summer?”
She wasn’t touching him, but he could sense her standing mere inches behind him. If he turned and took a step or two, he could wrap his arms around her and taste her lips—something he fully planned to do again tonight. But something, maybe the memory of her uncertainty upstairs, told him now wasn’t the right time.
“Don’t tell anyone, but I might be addicted to ice cream.” Matt turned in time to see Liv grin.
“Your secret is safe with me, my friend. And I’ll have two scoops, please.”
Before his return to Orchard Harbor, he’d considered Liv something between an acquaintance and a friend. Now he wanted to be more than a friend, and he knew exactly when his feelings had started to change—the night she’d returned his car and brought him dinner.
“Coffee isn’t a flavor most people buy. Is it your favorite too?”
Liv’s question brought his thoughts back to the here and now. “I’d say it’s in my top five.” Matt filled a bowl with coffee ice cream and added a spoon to it.
“I said two scoops, not enough ice cream for two people,” she said, accepting the bowl he’d filled.
“Looks like two scoops to me.”
Liv’s smile seemed to fill the kitchen with warm sunshine as she shook her head. “You need a smaller ice cream scoop, then.” Bowl in hand, she leaned her back against the counter. “If coffee isn’t your favorite flavor, what is?”
“If I’m having a cone or a bowl like this, then my favorite is pistachio, followed closely by strawberry. When I get a sundae or banana split, it must be made with vanilla.”
