For the thirdtime since they walked out of the Masonic lodge, Mia gave Ross a sideways glance. She wrapped her wool coat closer to her body. There was a chill in the air as winter inched closer every day. A chorus of chirping, invisible insects escorted them on their path across the parking lot.
She insisted Ross didn’t need to walk her to her car, but she suspected he wanted to make his escape from the event as well. She wouldn’t have minded dancing with him some more, enjoying being held close, but she also didn’t push her luck. After all, she’d requested the one dance.Dammit!She should have asked for three and bargained down to two. She was losing her edge.
Even after she reminded herself about Placerville being a pit stop for the hundredth time, this did nothing to prevent the old wants from needling through her carefully constructed barrier. There were the classics:See me. Like me.To make it more interesting, a few new ones made their debut.Kiss me. Want me.At first, this shocked Mia. Ross wasn’t going to kiss her. According to all the evidence, she was more than optimistic to even declare friendship with the man. And, yet, the record player needle was stuck at this exact point on the vinyl.Kiss me. Kiss me. Kiss me.She wanted to experience his lips against hers.
“And here’s my car,” Mia exclaimed too cheerfully when they arrived. “I don’t think we’ll have any dangerous black bear encounters tonight.” She leaned against the driver’s door, fixing her eyes on him.
“Don’t get cocky. You never know when a bear will show up, especially when there’s the smell of food in the air.”
“If the bear pays twenty bucks, it should be able to eat as many mini quiches as it wants.”
“Mini quiches go well with man-flesh.”
She laughed. “Thanks for walking me to my car and keeping me safe once again.” Feeling brave, Mia reached out and ran a light hand down his arm to his fingertips. Her gaze rose to his, and his eyes were dark with intensity. The snap of electricity had been sparking between them all evening.
Ross slipped his hands into the pockets of his jeans and squinted at the inky night sky scattered with stars glittering like gold flakes. The faint music from the country band drifted through the air. “You know, I’ve been formulating a hypothesis,” he said after a moment.
“Really? Now you definitely have my interest. Please continue.”
“I get the feeling you’d like me to kiss you.” His obsidian eyes found hers again, a slight smile on his face, the expression as dangerous as it was exciting.
Well, Mia had never been good at being subtle. Still, she would prefer to keep him guessing a little. With all the calm she could muster, she adjusted the sleeve hemline of her wool coat and replied, “That’s an intriguing hypothesis. But I need to ask if this is based on any sort of scientific study, or is it just wild speculation on your part? Maybe you’re trying to boost your own ego.”
“I don’t know yet. That’s why it’s called a hypothesis.”
“You could ask me if I want you to kiss me.”
Ross drew nearer. “I could. But then I wouldn’t be following the proper stages of the scientific method, and I imagine the experimental stage is the fun part. So maybe I’ll run a test and end up with a theory. Am I doing this correctly? You are the know-it-all, nerd-girl, after all.”
He was close with one minor correction. Mia was the know-it-all, nerd-girl, but she was transforming into averyturned-on woman. She swept a hand of permission toward him. “Please proceed. You seem to know exactly what you’re doing, but, for posterity’s sake, I’ll be taking my own notes on your experiment. Sort of like a peer review, but no pressure.”
With this, Ross took another step closer. Despite her projected calm demeanor, Mia was feeling anything but calm. She wouldn’t have been surprised if the rapid, loud beating of her heart was interfering with the echolocation relied on by bats in the area. A gentle hand brushed across her chin, tipping it. His fingers slid along her jawline. She may have stopped breathing at this point. She worried she reeked of coffee and wanted to avoid overwhelming Ross with the scent. His face dropped nearer, but stopped inches away. If he didn’t kiss her soon, she’d pass out from a lack of oxygen, which would be unfortunate because she didn’t want to miss this.
“Is there something wrong?” she murmured after growing impatient.
“No, I was waiting to see if you were going to push me away or tell me to stop. I’m a very cautious scientist who’s suddenly concerned about his own personal bias.”
“For the love of all that is scientific and holy, I wish you’d proceed already.”
And Ross did.
If she was baking soda and he was vinegar, childhood science experiments would dictate there would be a Mount Vesuvius eruption of bubbles. This was the best way to explain what happened when their lips met, but the explosion was contained inside the confines of Mia’s body. Her soul burst like a firecracker. A fizzle of euphoria began at her lips and snaked its way to the edge of her toes.More. When she sensed Ross may be planning for an early departure, Mia took control of the situation. She rose on her toes, her hands traveling the length of his chest, staking a claim around his neck. His lips were hers, and vice versa. Mia pushed the kiss even further, opening up to him. Ross’s hands latched on to her hips. He used his body to press her against the car, deepening the kiss even more as his tongue slid along her bottom lip before tangling with hers. A satisfied hum vibrated in her throat.
Mia could have kissed him forever.
But it didn’t come close to forever. In an instant, he stepped back, cutting himself loose from their grasp. His eyes were dark and wide, appearing rattled. It was supposed to be a ridiculous experiment, except there was nothing at all ridiculous about the kiss. Even worse, it may have led to more in-depth experimentation. Mia knew it, and, clearly, Ross knew it as well.
“Mia…I- I’m not looking to start anything. I have a lot going on with the shop…and with Hermes.” The words tumbled from his mouth, his expression muted. “It’s just that—”
“Ross, it’s fine. I’m leaving eventually, so I’m not looking for anything either. Whatever. It’s not a problem.”
He released what seemed to be a sigh of relief, which did an excellent job of transforming her attraction into annoyance. She wasn’t supposed to bethatconvincing.
But Mia slipped into a quick smile, wishing to convince him the truth of her words, regardless of how much she craved his closeness again. “Well, you know what they say,words can be weapons of war or love. Perhaps you should wield yours a little more carefully next time. You should know how all that nerd jargon can really set me off.”
Mia fished her keys from her purse and unlocked her car.
He held the door, putting his other hand on the car’s body, keeping her centered to him. “But I’ll see you around?”
