“Youstuck around. Why haven’t you settled down yet?”
He didn’t have a good answer for her. Not really. He had dated a bit and even had a couple of serious relationships, but nothing ever quite felt right. Beyond that, his mom and her health issues sometimes seemed all-consuming. Between work and dealing with her on his own, he didn’t have a lot of emotional bandwidth left to pour into a relationship.
He decided to give her the simplest explanation. “The usual reasons, I guess. I’ve never found the right person.”
“Maybe because you work eighteen hours every day? Where would you fit in a relationship?”
“I don’t keep that schedule all the time. Only when I’m in the middle of a project.”
“Which I suspect is all the time.”
She was not precisely wrong. He worked too hard, probably because he was always aware of a compelling need to prove himself. He never felt quite good enough, which he didn’t doubt he could trace back to school years, when he had struggled so hard academically.
“What about you? If Olive’s father hasn’t been in the picture since before she was born, surely you must have dated during the intervening years.”
“Not really. Nothing serious, anyway. I was too busy going to school, working and caring for her.”
“I’m in awe you were able to juggle all of that. You’re amazing, Emma. I’ve always known it.”
She gazed at him, eyes filled with an expression he couldn’t read. “I wish that were true. All I can see are my mistakes. All the chances I wasted.”
“Your mistakes don’t define you. They’re part of your journey. Every challenge you have overcome, every struggle you have faced. They’ve all shaped you into the incrediblewoman you are today. Your strength, your resilience, your compassion. Those are what truly matter.”
As he spoke, something shifted in the air between them. Emma’s gaze softened, a mix of vulnerability in her eyes... and something else. Something that made his heart race. Before he could second-guess himself, question what the hell he was doing, he leaned in, unable to resist for another instant this woman who had fascinated him since he was a punk kid.
Their lips met, and it was everything he had dreamed of for years. She was soft and yielding against him, her lips tasting faintly of cherry lip balm. He felt her tremble slightly in his arms, and he pulled her closer, wanting to protect and cherish her always.
The world around them seemed to fade away, leaving only the two of them in this perfect moment he had longed for as long as he could remember.
At first, the kiss was gentle. He cupped her face with one hand, his thumb caressing her cheek as he savored the feeling of finally,finallybeing able to taste her, touch her. When she didn’t pull away, he deepened the kiss, pouring years of longing into their embrace.
He felt her tremble slightly in his arms, and he pulled her closer, wanting to protect and cherish her always. Her hands came up to rest on his chest, and he could feel the warmth of her touch through his shirt. It sent a shiver down his spine, igniting a fire within him that threatened to consume them both.
As the kiss continued, he marveled at how perfectly they fit together. It was as if all the years between them had been leading to this. The taste of her, the familiar vanilla scent of her shampoo, the softness of her skin beneath his fingertips.Every sensation was seared into his memory, a treasure he would hold on to forever.
Just when he thought the sheer wonder might overwhelm him, Emma broke the kiss, gasping for air.
“Whoa. Whoa.Whoa!”
He would have stopped at the firstwhoa. He eased away, his heart pounding, hoping desperately that he hadn’t ruined this tentative friendship they had been building since she returned. Or any chance he had of something more.
Had he misread the signals? Moved too fast?
She looked as astonished as if he had suddenly sprouted wings and taken flight right out of the bookstore. Her eyes were wide, lips slightly parted, a flush creeping up her cheeks. He had never seen anything more beautiful.
He held his breath, waiting for her reaction, terrified he’d crossed a line they couldn’t come back from.
“What was that?”
“I thought it was a kiss. A pretty great one, from my perspective.”
She looked dazed and aroused but he could see the softness beginning to give way to a kind of stunned annoyance.
“What the hell, Bryce. We’re friends. Why did you have to ruin everything by throwing sexy times into the mix?”
That kiss wasn’t evencloseto the kind of sexy times he wanted with her. Bryce took a ragged breath, his body hard and aroused.
“It was only a kiss. It’s not like we banged in the middle of the self-help section.”
