Page 74 of Mistaken Impression

“I’m not talking about our misunderstandings, Ella. I’m talking about the sexual tension… the fact that I wanted to kiss you from the moment I first saw you, and that after we’d resolved our differences, I wanted so much more.”

“You did?”

“Yes. Why wouldn’t I? I thought you were the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen.”

She chuckles. “That’s funny.”

“Why?”

“Because I thought the same thing.”

“That I was the most beautiful woman you’d ever seen?”

“No, silly. That you were the most beautiful man I’d ever seen.”

I move a little closer, so our bodies are touching. “Did you want to kiss me, too?”

“No.” I lean back slightly, unable to hide my disappointment. “But I wondered what it would be like to be kissed by you.”

I smile, pulling her close again. “I hope I haven’t disappointed?”

“Not at all.”

“And did you want more, too?”

“I don’t know that I was experienced enough to understand what ‘more’ entailed. But I know I wanted to find out.”

“With me?”

“Naturally.”

I tip her head back, covering her lips with mine. I keep the kiss a lot more brief than I’d like, knowing someone could walk through the door at any moment, and I pull back again, looking down into her eyes.

“Would you like to come back to my place?”

She nods her head with irresistible enthusiasm, and it occurs to me that, if I keep asking, and she keeps saying ‘yes’, we can turn this into forever without even trying.

“I’ll need to go home to get some clothes,” she says, after just a second’s pause. “I can’t keep wearing the same outfit every day.”

That sounds like she’s thinking of forever, too, and I nod my head in agreement. “Okay. Why don’t I take the bus back to my apartment and meet you there later on?”

“Perfect. I’ll probably be about an hour behind you.” She leans up, kissing me, and I take a chance, deepening the kiss for a moment or two before I release her and she smiles up at me, breathless and beguiling.

We finish clearing up and gather our things together.

“Shall I leave before you?” she says.

“No. It doesn’t matter if we leave together. We’ve done it before.”

She nods her head, and I open the door, letting her walk out ahead of me. There are a few people in the corridor and we take care not to walk too close to each other, until we get to the elevators, where we join two other people, who are also waiting, and I turn to Ella.

“I’m not in the mood for this. I’m gonna take the stairs. See you tomorrow.”

She frowns slightly, like she doesn’t understand, and I give her a surreptitious smile, before turning away and heading for the stairwell. I had a good reason for doing that, but I wish now that I could have explained it to her. She looked so confused, but I don’t even have her number, so I can’t call her to justify why I parted from her before absolutely necessary.

I make my way down, ignoring the sign above the door that says ‘lobby’, and continue on to the one that leads to the car park. I can’t leave Ella in the dark, not knowing why I did that.

I yank open the door, heading out into the fume-filled space and curse under my breath when I see her car pulling out and heading for the exit.

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