George barked out a laugh. ‘Christ, that’sworse. How’s it going? From where I’m sitting, you looked utterly enthralled by him.’
‘I’m considering defenestrating him or myself. Either would work.’
He looked behind me to the window next to the table I’d just come from. ‘I’d go for him; it’s started to rain. Don’t want you to get wet.’
His words were perfectly innocent, so why did my orgasm-deprived brain convince me he paused before saying the word wet?And why did my thighs immediately clench?Questions we will never know the answer to until someone gives me a lobotomy. Which, if I’m forced to go out on any more dates, might be sooner than anticipated.
‘Why specifically are you considering pushing him out a window?’
I scowled. ‘He likes cricket.’
George smirked. ‘That’s not a character flaw.’
‘It is to me. He also ordered my drink for me.’ I hated quite a few things when it came to the opposite sex, but when they insisted on treating me like I was incapable of making a decision about basic things, it was an instant red flag.
‘Maybe he thought you’d appreciate a man who could take charge?’
‘There’s only one place I like that.’ I paused suggestively. To my dismay, George didn’t even so much as blink. ‘Anything outside of that is infantilizing.’
He nodded. ‘So this won’t be the five-date, man, then?’
A groan built in my throat, my instant reaction to remembering the stupid bet. ‘He’s barely making it through the first date.’
George glanced over my shoulder before adding, ‘I believe his patience has run dry.’
My head snapped to see Michael, a thunderous expression on his face as he stared at me, getting up from his seat. Dread made me pinch my eyes closed and look back at George, who wore the same infuriating smirk. I placed a hand on my forehead, the feeling of utter defeat sagging my shoulders. ‘Oh God, I can’t do it. This is torture. Please help me.’
George’s eyes widened at the note of pleading in my voice.
Several people moved behind me, forcing my body closer to his. Like a ticking bomb, I could feel Michael make hisway across the room—no doubt to ask me why I’d abandoned him to talk to someone else.
‘How would you like me to do that, sweetheart?’ George tilted his head, brow arched in question. But I swore I saw a flash of heat cast a shadow over his eyes.
I flung my arms in the air. ‘You said you’d be around if I needed someone to save me. And if I have to go back to that table?—‘
My words were immediately cut off. A large hand grabbed my waist and hauled me close, positioning me between his spread legs. Because of our height difference, he was still taller than me, even while seated. George lifted his other hand and threaded it through my hair, gripping the back of my neck firmly. Without pausing to let me breathe, he sealed his lips over mine.
Every muscle in my body liquified. His hot mouth wasn’t gentle as it slid over mine, and it took me a split second for my brain to catch up, but when it did, I returned his fevered kiss with my own. He tasted like the beer he’d just sipped and of something else, something sweet.
And just like the first time we’d kissed, everything around us faded into the background. There was only him. His warm body pressed up against mine, hands digging into my neck and waist, not worrying about leaving marks with how tightly he held me. George didn’t kiss like a gentleman. His mouthownedmine. Dominated it in a way that had my stomach coiling tight and skin flushing bright red.
He took control, not letting up even when I struggled to draw in enough air. And fuck, it was amazing. A rumbled grunt rolled up his throat. That noise penetrated through the lust currently consuming my brain cells.
My palms found purchase on his hard chest—why did I have to notice how hard he was? Stupid brain—and pulled my head back. A little hard to do when he had completecontrol over my body. Our faces were only inches apart, and his grip on the back of my neck loosened a fraction. I took greedy lungfuls of air, doing my best not to show how affected I was by the kiss.
‘Is there still solid ground under my feet? Because I’m kinda worried that if I move, I’m gonna fall through the floor,' I panted, my fingers digging into the checkered flannel of his jacket. The soft material made me want to bury my face in it.Get a fucking grip.
A low chuckle that sent a shiver up my spine reverberated from him. ‘Still on solid ground, sweetheart, and it looks like your problem went away.’ His eyes peered over my shoulder. I followed his gaze in time to see Michael storm out of the pub with a look of outrage on his pasty face.
Reality, as it often did, yanked me full force back down to earth.
George had kissed me to get rid of my date. Precisely what I had asked him to do. Well, notexactly.I asked him to save me from going back over there, and his methods had been surprising but effective. Feeling my skin flush for an entirely different reason, I wiggled out of his hold and took some steadying breaths. George’s brow knitted together as he watched me smooth out the ruffled ends of my hair, putting a safe distance between us.
Squaring my shoulders, fitting back on my confidence like a second skin, I exhaled a light laugh. ‘That’s one way to do it.’
10
Jesus Christ,this woman. Thirty-five years of living and nothing could rattle me down to my core like she did. The first time we met, the chemistry between us ignited like a lit firework, nearly exploding when we kissed. I had almost convinced myself that it was a fluke.
