“Yeah.” She nodded. He didn’t move his hands, so her cheeks just kind of brushed up against the rough palms.God.“I’m a big girl. I know how to take care of myself.”
He cocked his head.
“Well, you know, with how to handle an allergy attack. Not so much the whole kidnapper threatening me thing.” She tried to smile, but he was soclose. “See? I haven’t sneezed once since I got out of the shower.”
“Yeah, an improvement, but your eye’s still swollen.” And then his thumb swept under said eye, and she forgot all about the pounding in her temples, that swollen feeling when she blinked, how much her eyes itched.
Because he was touching her with such gentleness and touching her atall. Even though she knew he was doing it in like a first responder, worried about her health way, she couldn’t get that message through to all the pleasure receptors in her body.
“Well, uh, the allergy meds will take a little while to kick in. But I already feel ten times better. And learned my lesson that I did not, in fact, grow out of my terrible dog and cat allergy.”
She should move her head. Step away. She knew she should, but her body wasn’t listening.
Andhewasn’t moving. His hands were still on her face. His expression had changed slightly. He didn’t look…concerned.
He looked intent.
Stop. Dreaming.
But she didn’t heed the warning in her head. She stayed very still. She was afraid to move. If she moved, he might move. And she wanted to stay right there for as long as humanly possible.
What happened to not imagining things?
But then he was closer. His head tilting toward hers, his hands still on her face. She could feel his breath across her mouth, the warmth of his body. She could smell…something on him. Soap or cologne or…
His mouth was just a whisper away from hers, and she could think of no rational reason for it. Checking her pulse? Making sure her eye hadn’t fully swollen shut?
No, none of that made sense, the only thing that made sense…even though itdidn’t, was that he was…going to kiss her.
And he did. Kind of. His lips touched hers. She barely felt the contact. It was so light. Like a test. For both of them.
She’d always enjoyed acing tests, so she moved to her toes, touching her hands to his chest as balance.
And then it wasn’t light at all. His grip on her face changed, somehow firming and gentling at the same time. The kiss wasn’t…wild, but she didn’t know what it was. Serious, like him. Intent and thorough and absolutely mind-emptying.
And it just seemed tolast. He lingered, and she lingered, and surely she was just hallucinating or something, but she’d take it. If it felt this good, she’d sure as hell take it. Especially since she could feel the unsteady beating of his heart under her palm.
He eased away, but for a moment their lips still faintly brushed, their breath a little ragged, mingling. She inhaled deeply, opened her eyes. To his blue ones staring intently at her.
Then he kind ofsighed, slowly dropping his hands. Then stepping back, leaning against the wall opposite her.
Franny didn’t breathe. Her skinbuzzed. And there was not one useful thought in her head. Notone.
Hehad kissed her, and she could not rationalize that simple fact away.
Royal cleared his throat. “I… I should apologize.”
Apologize.Right.The humiliation continues.“Okay.”
“It’s just… I shouldn’t be…” At least he seemedalmostflustered. He wasn’ttryingto humiliate her.
Just succeeding at it.
“You don’t have to explain,” she said, proud of how…calm her voice sounded. “You didn’t like it. You don’t have to manage my feelings.” She even smiled at him, because hedidn’t. That was her job. And she was damn good at it.
But he didn’t move out of the way. He frowned down at her. “Didn’t like… That’s not why I’m sorry. It was a good kiss, Franny.”
She opened her mouth, but…no, she had absolutely no words ready to respond to that. He’d really emphasized the wordgood.
