Page 61 of Mistaken Impression

“After a kiss like that, I damn well hope you’re not an enemy.”

I place my hand behind her head as I’m speaking and pull her in, renewing our kiss. She responds just the same as she did the first time, my touch igniting something inside her. She clasps my face, her fingers delving through my hair as she rolls her hips against mine. I’ve kissed a few women in my thirty-three years, but I’ve never kissed, or been kissed like this, and I’m just wondering how much more I can take without stripping us both out of our clothes, when the doorbell rings, and Ella jumps back, startled.

“Hey… it’s okay. It’s just our takeout.”

She nods her head, catching her breath, and climbs off of me so I can get up to answer the door. I don’t feel happy about the interruption, or about leaving her behind, but I’m only gone a few minutes. When I return, she’s sitting back on the couch, a blush on her cheeks, and she doesn’t look up at me.

What’s wrong?

I put down the takeout bag next to our drinks and sit beside her.

“Ella? Are you okay?”

She nods her head, but still won’t look up.

“Are you sure?”

She raises her head, her eyes connecting with mine at last, and sucks in a breath. “I—I’m just not very hungry.”

I’m suddenly overwhelmed with fear that she wants to leave, that she’s embarrassed about what we’ve been doing. “I—I’m sorry. Did I go too far?” If I did, I wouldn’t have been alone, but maybe she’s embarrassed by that, too.

“No.” Her voice is soft, her eyes sparkling. She looks sexier than she ever has, and I wonder if maybe I didn’t go far enough… yet.

I take her hand in mine, moving a little closer. “Would you prefer to eat later?”

“Y—Yes.” I can’t help smiling and I stand up, pulling her to her feet. I’m just about to start towards the stairs when she pulls me back. “What about the food?”

“What about it?”

“If we’re going to eat it later, we need to keep it warm. I can’t think of anything worse than cold Chinese food.”

I’m not sure I care, but I shrug my shoulders, looking down at the bag. “What should we do with it?”

“We can put it into a low oven,” she says, confusing me.

“A low oven? What does that mean? My oven is quite low down as it is.”

She shakes her head, grinning. “You’re an idiot sometimes, you know?”

“Why? What did I say?”

“The word ‘low’ refers to the temperature of the oven, not its height.”

“Oh… I see.”

I grab the bag and, keeping hold of Ella, we go through to the kitchen, putting the Chinese food into the oven. I wait while she sets the temperature, and then as she stands, I capture her face between my hands, bending my head and kissing her again.

Without warning, she jumps up into my arms, wrapping her legs around me, and I hold on to her, not breaking the kiss as I carry her back through my living area and up the stairs.

My bedroom is completely open, up on the mezzanine floor, and I’m relieved I thought to make the bed this morning,even though there’s a pile of folded laundry on the chair in the corner that I haven’t had time to put away. Not that Ella seems to notice. As I break the kiss and lower her down my body, she keeps her eyes fixed on mine.

I bring my hands up between us, unfastening her blouse, noticing as I do that she’s shaking. I stop, putting my arms around her and hold her close.

“We don’t have to do this if you’re not ready. You’re allowed to change your mind.”

She shakes her head. “I don’t want to change my mind.”

“Are you sure?”

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