Kelly considered this, surprised to realize that the frantic pace of her earlier thoughts had indeed slowed to something more manageable.
"Yes," she said. "It is."
She didn’t know when they shifted position, couldn’t have identified the moment that they abandoned the ends of the sofa and moved toward the middle.
But wasn’t that what they’d been doing since they’d met? Moving back and then moving closer until eventually they were sitting next to one another, watching a predictable rom-com where the conflict could have been solved with a simple five-minute conversation between her and the hero.
Yet, it wasn’t all that unrealistic. In her experience, communication between the sexes was either poor or almost non-existent. It wasn’t out of the realm of possibility that these two characters just sucked at speaking honestly to one another.
More of those pesky insecurities about answering tough questions.
At some point, she’d leaned into him, her head almost, but not quite, resting on his shoulder. The plot of the movie wasn’t all that interesting, so her mind was now thinking about how warm and muscular he was, sitting beside her.
Damn, he smells good, too. I’m only human here.
The problem was Ben. He was too handsome, too funny, too mature, too good of a listener, and far too understanding. If he could act like a jerk, even for a few minutes, all of this wouldn’t be a problem. She’d put him down as the same as everybody else and forget how good he smelled.
Doubtful. Be honest.
She tried thinking about any of his negative qualities…anything to get her mind off of how wide his shoulders were.
He hadn’t told his parents the truth about his business yet. He hadn’t been honest, and that had to be an entry on the “con” side of the list, right?
When did I start a list? There’s no list. I’m not here to lure him into my bed.
Bed. That’s where she ought to be. Tucked up all alone.
She still didn’t move, not wanting to break the spell that had been woven over them. Right now, even for only this brief moment, there was peace and comfort. She was safe with Ben, of that she was sure. She could lean on him, and he wouldn’t judge. Or if he did, he wasn’t saying anything about it.
Her mind drifted back to their almost-moment in the car earlier, when he'd asked if she would say yes to a date. She hadn't answered then, caught off guard by the directness of the question and her own unexpected reaction to it.
Without any conscious decision in her head, her fingers had started absently pleating the soft cotton of his t-shirt, creating small folds that she would smooth flat again before startingover. The repetitive motion was soothing, giving her restless hands something to do while her mind raced with new thoughts entirely unrelated to the case.
Her fingers accidentally brushed against the warm skin of his arm, and he tensed slightly beside her. Something electric had passed between them at the contact, and Kelly's breath caught in her throat.
Stop touching him. He didn’t ask for this. You can’t go around touching people. It’s rude.
"Sorry," she murmured, pulling her fingers back as if she’d been burned.
"Don't be," Ben replied, his voice lower than before.
Don’t be? What did that mean? Does he want me to do this?
Kelly lifted her head, intending to gauge his expression and mood, but he was already looking down at her. His eyes were narrowed and his gaze intent, studying every inch of her face as if to memorize it.
The moment stretched between them, filled with possibilities. This wasn’t the best of ideas, after all. They hadn’t known each other long, and the timing for any sort of relationship sucked.
All of that dissolved in the face of this immediate, undeniable attraction.
She’d been fooling herself that she could ignore it. She was beginning to think that’s what she excelled at…pretending reality wasn’t a thing.
Without giving herself time to second-guess, Kelly wound her arm around his neck and pulled him down toward her. Their lips met in a kiss that started tentatively but quickly deepened as Ben responded, his hand moving to cradle the back of her head, his fingers winding into her hair.
His lips were warm and sure against hers, the kiss neither hesitant nor overly aggressive. It was just right, like everythingelse about this maddening man. Kelly leaned into him, her body seeking closer contact as the kiss intensified.
Then, just as suddenly as it had begun, Ben pulled back. His eyes searched hers, a question in their depths.
"Kelly," he said, his voice deep and gravelly. "I want to make sure this is happening for the right reasons. I don’t want you to have any regrets later."
