Page 58 of His Curvy Distraction

“I made my choice when I asked to meet you. When I decided I wanted to meet you. Of course, I wanted to meet ThisIsAwkward so I’d stop thinking about Natalie Edwards, but karma is funny.”

“What are you saying?”

He exhaled a long breath and met my gaze. The depth and emotion in his surprised me. “I’m saying nothing about you has scared me off. I want to see where this can go. I liked talking to you online. And I was drawn to you in person. Putting those two people into one package did not make me want you less.”

“Omar,” I breathed.

He shook his head. “You get to decide because I’ve already decided, Natalie. I wanted you to stay when you walked into O’Kelley’s. But I wasn’t going to chase you down.”

I put my hand on his cheek, and he nuzzled against it. I moved closer, pressing my body to his.

He took the hint and slid his hand around my back. “Natalie, you need to tell me what you want. I don’t want to do the wrong thing here.”

“You’re not.”

“I want to kiss you again.”

“I think we’ve established that I’m on board with that.”

He nodded and moved slowly, waiting for me to stop him.

I had no intention of doing so.

He kissed me slowly, like the cold and the outside world would stay away forever. He licked my lips and gained access, swirling his tongue through my mouth. His fingertips tightened on my back, drawing me closer and closer until I could feel the effect our kisses had on him.

He groaned and thrust up. His hands held me tight and encouraged me to rock against him.

God, this man. He didn’t flinch when I mentioned panic attacks. He didn’t say a word about anxiety. He just proved I was a fool to walk out on him.

When I pulled back, I waited until he blinked his eyes open and looked at me. His gaze was fuzzy and loaded with desire.

“Will you go on a date with me?” I asked.

His gaze brightened. A smile curled his lips. I could feel his answer before he spoke. “Yes. I would love to.”

“Good.”

“I’m really happy I ended up here today,” he said.

I chuckled. “So am I.”

“Thank you for defending me to the reporters, Natalie. That really meant a lot.”

“You already thanked me for that.”

He nodded. “Yeah, but I wanted to thank you again. You know… You know about my ex-wife. You know more than anyone else in MacKellar Cove, and knowing you still feel that way makes a difference.”

“I meant what I said. You’re good for this town. You’ve put the town ahead of yourself a lot of times.”

“I always liked the idea of giving back. There are a lot of people who go into politics for the wrong reasons, but I wanted to help. To make a place better.”

“And you are. I know your job isn’t easy, and I’m sorry for the times I got upset with you. Especially a few weeks ago when I didn’t provide you with the information you wanted.”

He laughed. “No, you were right that day. I wanted an excuse to see you. I do want to make sure we’re following all the rules with this place, but not because I don’t trust you. It’s important.”

“It is important. I know that. That’s why I’m doing what I’m doing here. Saving money for the things we have to pay people for.”

“What about the fundraiser?”

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