Page 37 of A Little Tempting

With a low laugh, I take the squirming puppy from her hands and put her back in the kennel.

“Speaking of stealing, did you ever figure out who your Cinderfella is?”

“Not yet,” she mutters. “And how does my Cinderfella relate to stealing?”

“I had to bring him up somehow.”

Lips bunched, she studies me for a second, then says, “You’re not one for subtlety, are you.”

It isn’t a question.

Grinning back at her, I counter, “What do you think?”

Her eyes hold mine. Those long lashes bat slowly, and she looks down at her feet instead. “I think we both know what I think.”

She’s right. I know exactly what she thinks. That I’m bad news, and I’ll only break her heart. She’s probably right, but it won’t stop me.

I like her. More than I expected. I like how genuine she is. How I don’t have to question her smiles or whether or not she’s hiding something or faking shit—in general, or when it comes to me. Growing up, I honed my bullshit meter long before most of my friends, and, for some reason I still don’t fully grasp, it doesn’t alarm when I’m around her. It’s like she has nothing to prove. Nothing to hide. And for a guy who’s told more lies than he can count—both good and bad—it’s puzzling. Addictive, even. As if her simplicity is leading me to so much…more. And even though I have no doubt it will bite me in the ass with my roommates, I can’t help but want to peel a few more layers from her to see how deep her genuineness goes.

“Tell me, what made it so special?” I ask, unable to hide my curiosity.

“What?”

“The kiss,” I clarify.

A light blush spreads across her cheeks, and I know she’s replaying the moment as she tucks her hair behind her ear and stares at the grass surrounding her. “I, uh, I don’t know?”

“Aw, come on,” I push. “You have to have kissed more than a few guys in your life. What made this one so special?”

“I think you overestimate my experience with kissing.”

“No shit?”

“Don’t make it weird,” she begs as her cheeks heat even more. It’s innocent and fucking adorable.

“I’m not. I’m…surprised, is all.”

“Why is it so surprising?”

“Because you’re gorgeous, and I’m not the only one who’s noticed you around campus. Or at parties,” I add knowingly. “And, yeah, sex is one thing. I get it. But a kiss is just a kiss.”

“For you, maybe.”

“And it isn’tjusta kiss for you?” I challenge.

Toying with her fingers in her lap, she murmurs, “I mean, it can be. But those are all forgettable, right? No chemistry. No meaning. It’s two mouths smashing together and swapping spit.”

My nose wrinkles. “Nice picture.”

Her gaze connects with mine. “Hey, you brought it up.”

I laugh. “Good point.”

“Those are the kisses I could do without for my entire life. But the kiss I shared with…the masked dude…”

“Cinderfella,” I finish for her.

“Yeah,him. Well. I dunno. The chemistry was definitely there, and when I don’t usually feel chemistry with many people, feeling it with him was…refreshing. I guess it made an impression on me.”

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