Shit, her lips were soft. And her body molded to his like she was made to fit against him perfectly.
She moved her lips across his mouth, and when he tugged her that bit closer, she gasped. He took advantage and slipped inside, tangling his tongue with hers.
The sound of her moan competed with the whoosh of wind in the trees around them. She tasted like popcorn, kind of sweet but also salty—fucking amazing.
Her fingers whispered across the back of his neck, making the hairs on his skin stand on end and his cock twitch.
He was ready to step inside, slam the door closed and press her to the wall, lose himself in her, when her palms pressed to his chest again and pushed.
When he looked at her, color had returned to her cheeks. But she frowned at him like she was confused about what had just happened.
And yeah, itwasfucking confusing.
Never had a kiss tasted or felt like that before. It had made him forget. About the day and the body and the meeting. About everything outside of her.
“I should go inside.” She stumbled back, stepping into her house. “That was… We shouldn’t… I’m sorry, I can’t think. Bye.”
The door closed with a click, and it took him a solid thirty seconds to move. And even then, he could still feel her lips on his. But he’d probably be feeling them for a while.
6
She’d kissed Joel Dawson. Polly had kissed Joel Freaking Dawson.
Goddamn her and her terrible self-restraint.
Sure, she’d been in the throes of the biggest shock of her life. Jenna was dead. Killed on the same day she’d overheard Polly talking about a missing woman’s phone, which was suspicious as hell.
But that was no excuse for kissing Joel. Sheshould nothave done it. He was too…charismatic and cute and smart. And he’d be far too easy to fall for.
The door to Bloom opened and Raven Price, the new manager of the community center, stepped in.
Okay, pull yourself together, Polly.
She plastered a smile on her face as she stepped behind the counter. “Hi. Raven, right?”
The woman pushed a lock of blond hair behind her ear. “Hi. Yes. Have we met?”
“No. But we did go to high school together. I think you were a grade or two below me.”
“Oh, hi. Sorry, I’ve been away from Deep River for so long I’ve forgotten a lot.” Her voice was soft. She fiddled with her purse, almost as if she was nervous.
“You moved to North Dakota, right?” Polly asked, trying to make small talk. “You were engaged to your high school sweetheart?”
Some of the color drained from her face. “Yes. We were engaged. Not anymore.”
Okay, there was definitely a story there. But everything about her body language and tone told Polly it wasnota topic she wanted to discuss. Fine with Polly. She didn’t want to talk about a certain guy in her life either. “What can I get you?”
“How much is a small coffee?”
Polly pushed a menu across the counter. “All prices are marked.”
Raven’s gaze ran over the menu, her bottom lip now disappearing between her teeth. She almost looked…disappointed?
Polly’s gaze flicked to her menu, even though she knew all her prices were on par with industry standard. Heck, they were probably cheaper.
Could Raven not afford a coffee? Surely, she was earning enough at the community center?
“I’ll have a small latte, please,” she finally said.
