Page 33 of Whatever You Want

It didn’t take us long to get everything wiped down and put everything away. The time passed quickly, and I found myself not wanting this night to end.

“This is such a horrible movie.”

I smirked over the rim of my wineglass. “Are you not a fan of Kevin James?”

“Kevin James is all right, but this movie is stupid.”

“I wanted to learn more about what you do for a living,” I said, trying and failing to keep a straight face.

He set the bowl of popcorn down on the table. “I think there has been some miscommunication here. I’m a few levels above a mall cop, sweetheart.”

“So, what movie would you have suggested?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe Training Day, The French Connection, or Dirty Harry. Any of those would have been better than this crap.”

“Oh…I would definitely pick Denzel Washington.”

He narrowed his eyes. “You mean Training Day?”

I nudged his leg with my foot. “Sure.”

“You do realize that he’s as old as my grandfather, right?”

“Shut your mouth.” I laughed. “He’s still hot and so is Clint Eastwood.”

“Do you have a thing for older men, Ava?”

I stuck my tongue out and threw a kernel of popcorn at him.

“Real mature.” He rolled his eyes, scooped a handful out of the bowl, and tossed it at me.

“Hey.” I laughed while plucking a few kernels out of my hair. “That was uncalled for.” I started to inch toward the bowl to get my revenge when he snatched it off the table and held it out of my reach. The hem of his shirt lifted, showing off his tanned stomach. Holy shit, was he hot. My breathing picked up; there was no way he didn’t notice it. His eyes dropped to my lips, and instead of leaning back like I should have, my body slanted forward. It felt like there was no space left between us. I didn’t want to rush things, but the urge to kiss him grew stronger by the second.

Very slowly, I moved closer, searching for any signs of hesitation. He took a deep swallow, and I could tell he was just as nervous as I was. I took the bowl out of his hands and set it back on the table. He looked like he was holding his breath as if he wasn’t sure this was really happening.

I rested my hands on his shoulders. “If I kiss you right now, will you pull away like before?”

“Ava,” he said with a tortured look on his face. “Don’t think for one second that I didn’t want that kiss. Hell, if I had my way, we would have done a whole lot more than kissing that night.”

“What if I want you to have your way tonight?” I pressed my lips softly against his.

His hands framed my face. “I’ll give you whatever you want, if you’re sure this is it. What I don’t want is for you to regret it.”

I wasn’t sure about anything other than I would hate myself later for not exploring these feelings. With a sense of bravery I had never felt before, I dropped my mouth to his and blocked out whatever doubts I had lingering in my head.

He hesitated at first, but slowly moved his lips in sync with mine. I closed my eyes and tried not to think about how different his lips felt. I tried not to compare how he threaded his hands through my hair, instead of how Drew would glide them along my back. I tilted my head as he brushed his tongue tentatively against mine. He let me take the lead as I skimmed my hands along his chest. It surprised me how easy it was to kiss him. How much I wanted to be kissed by him. His muscles were tense, and I could feel his apprehension. Whatever thoughts and worries I had faded into desire. His tongue delved deeper into my mouth. Everything felt like it was too much and not enough. There was a mixture of desperation and self-control in his touch. A million thoughts raced through my mind, but there was no regret, no remorse. This kiss was everything I needed. Everything I wanted and certainly wasn’t what I expected.

I pulled back and gazed into his eyes. “Thank you.”

“For what?” He swallowed, holding my stare.

I held his face in my hands, hoping he would be able to understand how much this meant to me. “For making tonight one of the best nights I’ve had in a really long time.”

A smile tilted his lips. “You don’t have to thank me. Do you know how long I’ve been wanting to do that? I’ve wanted to kiss you since the second I laid eyes on you.”

I played with a lock of his hair. “I don’t know what I’m ready for, but I know I want to keep seeing you. I like having you around and spending time with you.”

He pressed his forehead against mine. “Why don’t we take it one day at a time? The last thing I want to do is push you into something you’re not ready for. But I would like to keep kissing you.”

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