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She turned and jabbed her finger into his chest. “I’m not here to talk about Doug. I’m here to talk about you.” The fire in her eyes made him swallow hard. “Tell me the truth. What is going on between us?”

Shit. He absolutely could not under any circumstances give an honest answer. “Nothing. We’re friends. I swear I was just trying to help. If I played the part a bit too well, I’m sorry, but I was only trying to do what you asked. I thought this was a bad idea from the start, and I was right.”

She pursed her lips into a thin line. “That’s a load of Bull Durham, and you know it. Admit it. You almost kissed me during my first driving lesson.”

“That’s… I didn’t… I would never have… That’s not what happened.” It was exactly what happened. How could he walk this back?

“Look me in the eyes and tell me the truth, Jack Thompson.” Her tone of voice brooked no dissent. She crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes. “Do you want to kiss me?”

He gazed helplessly into her golden-brown eyes, a drowning man with no life raft in sight. Her pink cheeks matched her pink lips, which he’d imagined kissing more times than he ever wanted to admit aloud. Yes, of course, he wanted to kiss her. What man in his right mind could look at her and not be tempted? And she was right there, daring him to do it.

What would be the harm in kissing her just once?

Except that he knew damned well what the harm was. He didn’t want to kiss her just once. He wanted to kiss her for days, years. And that wasn’t all. If he gave in, even the slightest bit, how would he hold back the raging torrent of desire that tortured him every time he saw her? How would he keep himself from touching her, tasting her, taking her, and making her his once and for all? Because he wanted everything, and that absolutely could not happen.

Her gaze softened, and she bit her lip. Oh God. She bit her lip. That little sign of vulnerability and uncertainty did him in. All his good intentions crumbled as he whispered, “Yes.”

Unable to restrain himself, he reached out and cupped her cheek, pulling her flush against him with his other hand. “Yes, I want to kiss you.”

Her eyes went wide, and she tilted up her chin, luscious lips parted. “Then do it.”

Time slowed as he leaned down, the magnitude of what he was about to do making his heart pound in his chest, but there was no more resisting. She fit too perfectly against him, and everything in him screamed to close the distance. But she’d never had a proper kiss before, not one that counted, so he held back from crushing his lips to hers like he wanted to. Instead, he took it slowly, nearly groaning aloud when his lips brushed hers, all warmth and sweetness.

She reached up and ran her fingers through his hair, letting out a little murmur as he deepened the kiss.

It was too much to bear and not nearly enough. As her tentative tongue touched his, he lost control, and tenderness gave way to a torrent of need. He’d wanted this for so long, far longer than he wanted to admit. Her breasts crushed against his chest, pressing the carousel ring that he still carried in his pocket against his heart. Truth be told, he’d been hers all along, though he never wanted to admit it to himself. He’d been so anxious to hide it from Ernie and to treat her with the respect she deserved. He’d almost managed to hide it even from himself for years. And as long as he thought she didn’t know, his secret was safe.

But now that he was kissing her, there was no going back. This couldn’t be undone. They had to find a path forward despite the obstacles. Because he wasn’t letting her go, not now that he’d tasted her, touched her, breathed in her subtle scent of vanilla and spice. He wanted everything she would give him—every kiss, every touch, every glance, every hour of every day.

She arched into him, and he started kissing along her jaw and down her neck. The heat of her ran through his veins like strong drink, addling his head even more than it already was.

Which was why he didn’t hear the doorbell or the furious knocking at first.

But Constance pulled away. “There’s someone at the door.”

For God’s sake. who could possibly be at the door at this hour? It was the middle of the night, for heaven’s sake! But the pounding continued.

“Jack, open the damn door.” Ernie.

Constance stiffened and then ran for the back room before he could say a word.

Goddammit. Did Ernie find out she came here? Well, he might as well face the music. He was well and truly caught.

Walking to the door as if it was the gallows, he opened it slowly. “Ernie, it’s one in the morning.”

There was still a meager chance he could bluff his way out of this. He wasn’t going to admit a thing until he had no choice.

“Constance ran away, and I need your help to find her.”

Relief flooded Jack as he took in his wild-eyed friend. It took all his concentration to assemble his expression into one of surprise and concern. “What do you mean she ran away?”

“I stayed over because I was worried about her, and I woke up and went to get a glass of water. When I passed her bedroom door, it was open, and she wasn’t there. Pop and I searched the house top to bottom but can’t find her. We think she went out and need your help to search. You know as well as I do that it isn’t safe for a young woman to wander around Brooklyn on her own at this hour.”

He couldn’t argue with that. And maybe if he went searching with Ernie, it would give Constance a chance to sneak back into the house without being noticed. “Let me grab my jacket. I’ll be right out.”

He headed for the back of the house, hoping to find Constance, but as he looked out the back door, he caught her climbing down the rope ladder from his treehouse into her own back yard, just like she’d done a million times when they were kids. He chuckled and shook his head. She really was something else, and he couldn’t wait to see her again.

Grabbing his jacket, he headed for the front door, determined to put on the performance of a lifetime for Ernie. Because even though everything had changed with that kiss, he wasn’t ready to confess. He needed to talk to Constance again before they told anyone. So, for the moment, it had to stay secret. And when the time came, he’d just have to hope his best friend wouldn’t abandon him forever.