Page 45 of Sweet Somethings

As he looked into her fiercely beautiful blue eyes, he felt the ice around his heart start to crack. Juliette wasn't like anyone he'd ever met before. Was she telling the truth? Was the date with Doug about him? Or did he just want to believe that?

"Friends, huh?" he muttered, not exactly happy with the description of their relationship.

"I think so. Don't you?"

"I don't know." Actually, he did know. The last thing he wanted to be was her friend.

Driven by a mix of emotions and a desire that had been smoldering since he met her, he impulsively leaned forward and kissed her parted, surprised mouth. She tasted like sugar, vanilla, and coffee—three of his favorite things. He wanted more.

He cupped her head with his hands, taking another kiss while he had the chance.

Her surprise turned to acceptance, to passion. Her arms came around his neck, as she kissed him back with the same kind of enthusiasm she brought to every other part of her life.

Now he was the one who was surprised…and maybe a little rattled. He'd crossed a line he probably shouldn't have crossed. He should pull away, but it wasn't easy to end the best kiss of his life, even though he knew it would only lead to liking her more than he already did—which was probably too much.

But all he could think about was how long he could go on kissing her before he had to come up for air.

Finally, she pulled away and they stared at each other with the heat of their breath creating swirling clouds in the cold night air.

She put a hand to her mouth. "That was—unexpected."

"Was it? I've been thinking about it for a while," he murmured.

"You have?" Wonder filled her blue eyes. "I didn't know."

"Didn't you?" he challenged.

"I—I don’t know what to say."

"Well, that's a first," he said dryly.

She made a face at him. "Really? You kiss me like that, and then you're sarcastic?"

He grinned, liking how real it always was between them. "Sorry, but you usually have plenty to say."

"You surprised me."

"It was just a kiss—a kiss between friends, right?"

She stared back at him. "Right. Friends. I have to go to the bakery. I ran out of cookies. I was on my way there when…"

"Do you want me to go with you?"

She immediately shook her head. "No. I'll see you later."

As she walked away, he let out a breath, nowhere near as unshaken by the kiss as he'd implied. He'd definitely never had a friend like her. Only problem was he wanted to be far more than her friend.

* * *

Doug was charming and handsome, and having dinner with him Sunday night at probably the most expensive restaurant in Fairhope made Juliette feel a little like she was back in New York again. The food at Gladstone's was excellent. Her date was more than a little attractive in slacks and a charcoal-gray shirt, his light-brown hair styled, and his face cleanly shaven.

She looked better than she had in a while, too, putting on heels and a dress for the first time in forever. She'd even worn makeup and curled her hair a bit. It was all so sophisticated…but also a little dull.

Doug was happy to talk about himself: his law firm, city council business, and his upcoming run for mayor, which she found somewhat interesting. She always liked getting to know what made people tick, and it was clear that Fairhope's future was a big part of Doug's future. She supposed it was a big part of hers, too, so she should probably be excited to get the inside scoop from one of the more powerful people in town. But their conversation felt more business than personal, and they couldn't seem to find any other subjects to talk about.

She wanted to bring up what had happened years ago between Doug and Roman, but so far Doug had stayed almost deliberately away from his past, from his childhood. Because he didn't want to talk about being a kid in Fairhope, he also didn't seem to be that interested in her life before she'd come back. If she was going to find out Doug's side of the fire story, she was probably going to have to force an unwanted trip down memory lane. And as the waiter set down coffee and a dessert menu, she knew she was running out of time to do that.

"They make an excellent chocolate lava cake here," Doug said. "Want to try it?"

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