Page 8 of Undoing the Grumpy Guy

“I know what you meant. Perhaps we could have gone out sooner if one of us had taken the time to say hello.”

His voice turns husky, the fingers grasping my face trembling slightly. “Winnie, I would very much like to kiss you right now.”

Is this really happening? Things like this don’t happen to me. Not too shy, plain little Winifred Benton, who didn’t even get her first kiss until she was twenty.

Those deep blue eyes of his loom closer, and I realize he’s still waiting for my answer.

“Yes, please,” I mumble, as anticipation rocks through me. When his firm lips press against mine, I can’t help the sigh that slips from me as I welcome his kiss.

Reed is no novice to kissing. That much is obvious as his mouth moves over mine, coaxing a response from my trembling lips. His tongue dips within the slight parting of my lips as he deepens the kiss. Joyfully, I open wider, thrilling at the slick heat of his tongue.

The flame of desire becomes a raging forest fire within me, consuming everything and leaving me with the taste and feel of him alone. His mouth and tongue taste strongly of mint while the scent of his cologne, something wonderfully sharp and tartly male, invades my senses.

I’m still clutching his right hand while his left angles my face, keeping me a willing captive to his delicious kisses. The drag and swirl of his tongue steals my breath, leaving me feeling both light-headed and weak-in-the-knees. I never knew kissing could be like this.

After my first kiss, I went on to have many others and even had two serious boyfriends since then, but nothing has prepared me for the maelstrom of emotions Reed is drawing forth from my eager body.

The rub of my pebbled nipples against the thin material of my dress feels downright scandalous, as does the ache in my pussy. Reed’s body is so hard that I can’t help thinking about other hard parts of him.

A needy little whine escapes my lips and Reed’s mouth pulls away. I grasp his jacket and arm, desperate to keep him close and bring his mouth back.

Regretfully, he puts some distance between us, dropping his hand from my face to clutch at my arm. The feel of his warm fingers against my bare skin sends ripples of pleasure through me, leaving me achy and wet.

I’m not one to jump into bed with a man on the first date, especially not one I barely know, but if we were at my place or his, I could see myself breaking that personal rule in a heartbeat.

Reed’s chest rises and falls rapidly. The blue of his eyes is almost completely eclipsed by his black pupils, letting me know he isn’t unaffected by our kisses. Not one bit.

Satisfaction makes me want to strut like a peacock. Guess I’m not so dull after all, if I can get a man like Reed worked up.

“That was…” he trails off, shaking his head as his gaze dart between my dewy, freshly kissed lips and my eyes.

“Great!” I chirp, eager for another taste of him.

A rumble of laughter shakes his wide chest. “I suppose that’s one way of putting it. Is there anything else you wanted to see here?”

Disappointment chips away at some of my joy. “Oh, you’re ready to go?”

His lips part and he looks on the verge of saying something but then shakes his head again before saying in a soft voice, “No, I was curious what else you wanted to see in the gardens.”

For a lawyer, he’s not a very good liar. Then again, if he doesn’t like flowers, the gardens must be boring for him. Though I don’t understand how anyone can not like flowers. I’m so thankful for spring and nicer weather.

All winter long, I’m miserable because of the gloomy gray days and dealing with the ice and snow. If I had a man like Reed to cuddle with near the fire or snuggle with under a blanket on the couch, maybe I would think differently. I do have a hard time imagining him cleaning snow off my car, but I could live with doing that if I had him to warm me up afterward.

Picturing all the ways he could warm me up isn’t helping the achy need still throbbing through my body. Remembering that he wants to leave does the trick even better than a dip in the frozen pond behind Mimi’s old house would. “You don’t have to stay if you don’t want to.”

His thin nostrils flare as he heaves a sigh. “I’m not going anywhere until you’re ready to leave, Winnie.”

The gardens are a favorite place of mine and I’ve seen everything dozens of times before, but I’m eager to experience them with Reed, so I rattle off several of my favorite spots.

Not only do I get a kiss after he walks me to my car, but I get his number as well.

To say I’m floating on air when I walk into my cozy little apartment doesn’t even come close to the jubilation I’m brimming with. Grabbing my childhood teddy bear from his place of honor on my bed, I spin around the room with him.

“Oh, Bear, I met the most amazing man!”

I’m sure most twenty-five-year-olds don’t talk to teddy bears or even still have their cherished stuffed animals from childhood. I feel bad for those people.

Bear was given to me by Mimi when I was two and I’ve had him ever since. He’s seen me through various heartaches over the years as I grew and went through school and college and the real pain of losing my mom to a car accident six years ago. Sometimes it’s nice just to have a friend that gives comfort instead of advice.

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