Page 31 of When Hairy Met Stella

“No. Do you?”

He shook his head. “I meant to, but I was…” A pink hue climbed up his cheeks as he swallowed. “…distracted when we were leaving the room tonight.” His teeth raked along his bottomlip, and she wasn’t even sure he realized he was doing it. He watched as his foot traced the octagonal shapes in the carpet.

“I was too.”

His head snapped up, and the other corner of his mouth joined the party, treating her to the closest thing to a full smile as she’d ever gotten from him. And it was all because of their almost-kiss. Wasn’t it? It had to be.

“What happened earlier…”

“Don’t worry about it, Stella.” He peered up from the floor, pulling off his scarecrow hat and tossing it on an empty table. “You deserve better. I hope you know that.”

“Oh,” she said softly, disappointment tingeing the single word. This was his way of letting her down, wasn’t it? Of course it was. He was reluctant to do this whole relationship thing when it was fake. No way did he want anything real to come from this. And oh goodness, now the three of them were going to be stuck in this room until the janitor decided to drop by: Nate, her, and her humiliation.

“Your ex…you didn’t deserve that.”

Oh.Ooooooh.So, he wasn’t talking about the near-kiss. She had no confirmation he was agreeable to it, but at least he wasn’t turning her down. Yet.

“I’m sorry he didn’t see how amazing you are. I’m sorry he didn’t support your dreams, even when they changed. And I’m sorry he couldn’t see what made you happy. Because you deserve to be happy. Like,realhappy.”

She covered her face with her hands. “So, not only did you see my dancing the night I punched you, but you also heard the song I was singing.”

“We’ll use the wordsingingloosely.” And there it was—another smile. “But seriously…the guy you’re with should know how lucky he is to have you, and nothing should stop him from?—”

“Dressing like a scarecrow?” The room fell silent, save for the hum of the fluorescent lights overhead, and they both stood there, frozen in place, like they had just realized the same thing at the same time. At least, she prayed that was the case for Nate. She took a step toward him, and then another, before he did the same.

He cleared his throat. “I was going to sayshowing up, but…”

“But what?” She had to know. For as hard as Nate was to read, for as locked up as he kept his emotions, she needed to hear him say that he was starting to have the same feelings she was.

“But I’m starting to think I’d dress like a scarecrow any day you asked just to make sure you knew there was always someone in your corner. And not because we work together, or because I’m supposed to look like I’m your boyfriend.”

“Then why?”

“Because I just want to.”

She took another step, one he matched. And now they were standing close enough that his chest brushed hers with each breath he took. “Do you know what I want, Nate?”

His throat bobbed before he spoke. “What’s that?”

“I want you to kiss me.”

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea.” His breath was warm as it tickled her face, and the rasp of his voice sent a shiver down her spine. But he didn’t move back. “You don’t want someone like me to kiss you.”

“Absolutely, I do.” She grabbed his hand with one of hers and brought it up to their chests. “You care about me. And you keep me safe.” She reached for his other hand and did the same. “And above all, Nate…you’re a good man.”

He narrowed his jet-black eyes at her as his thumb fiddled with the ring on her finger. “Do you really believe that?”

“With my whole heart.”

He sucked in a deep breath as his eyes moved to the side, and before she had a second to let doubt fill her mind, he kissed her.

No, that wasn’t right. He wasn’t kissing her—he was devouring her, savoring every second of their bodies pressed together and their lips doing something it seemed they were meant to do from the moment they first met. He wrapped his arms around her, running them up her back, pressing her into him. Any other time he’d held her, he’d felt stiff, solid. But right now, as their mouths moved in sync as though they were part of a choreographed routine, his body melted into hers, a warm soft caramel she sank into.

“Stella,” he growled between kisses and gasps for breath. She’d never heard her name with such urgency, such passion before. They broke apart, both needing a bit of air. He touched his forehead to hers. “I’m sorry I didn’t go along with the fake dating thing when you first asked. I think I was afraid this might happen all along.”

She smiled softly as she shook her head. “Thisis what you were afraid of? Kissing me?”

“Alright, kids. Time to break it up.” A rotund man shined a flashlight on them, which was really quite unnecessary since the room wasn’t dark. Nate put himself between her and the man dressed as a forest ranger. “Oh,notkids, I see. Maybe you two should get a room.”

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