Page 27 of One Touch

“No, it’s my fault,” I said.

“Daddy, what’s going on?” Ava asked.

“Nothing, sugar. You go inside. I’ll be right in.”

She nodded and headed in.

“I shouldn’t have done that,” I said. “You’re on the rebound. Possibly still slightly concussed.” Why was I saying all this out loud? I cleared my throat. “It’s me who’s in the wrong.”

“It’s okay. I think it was fine.” She bit her lip. “Better than fine.”

I sighed. “Lily, I really think we should leave it. The nanny gig. It’s just . . . I can’t risk it. I have to put Ava’s needs first.”

It was her turn to sigh. “I understand. Well. See you around, Ethan McCoy.”

As she turned and walked away, for just a moment, I imagined how it would feel to let her into my life.

Good. It would feel good. No, it would feel fucking fantastic. And that’s why I couldn’t do it.

Chapter 7

Lily

What makes the perfectfirst kiss?

As I moved around the bookstore, thinking back over that kiss with Ethan yet again, I found myself wondering if the kiss had beenbetterthan “better than fine.” If it had, in fact, been “perfect.”

There were all kinds of first kisses out there, but when I looked back on the millions of romance novels I’d read, a few things stood out.

Firstly, it should be forbidden. Not necessarily explicitly forbidden—although that definitely helps. There should be something about the kiss that makes a tiny part of you curl up with worry and think, “Uh oh. These two should not be doing that.”

Secondly, it should be unexpected, but completely natural. When it happens, you want it to take you by surprise, but you also need to think, “Well, obviously these two are kissing!”

Third, it has to be hot. I’m talking tongues. I’m talking hands. I’m talking rainstorms, power outages, near-death experiences,lusty tussles, and, of course, a lot of dirty moans and trembling whimpers.

I swallowed, trying to focus. It wasn’t normal for me to get all hot and bothered first thing in the morning. Then again, this was the first time I’d put together an “Unforgettable First Kisses” display table in the store. I took a copy ofThe Kiss Quotientby Helen Hoang and placed it face out on an acrylic stand. That was a good first kiss, but it could have been a little spicier for my taste.

Like the way Ethan had kissed me.

Over the past few days, ever since he’d kissed his way into my dreams, that moment had been playing in my head like a dirty video stuck on loop.

Ethan’s confidence had taken me by surprise. He knew what he wanted, and it had been like he knew whatIwanted, too. I mean, I’d made it obvious.

Gosh, you’re so much more muscly than Vlad.

I hadn’t meant to say those words, but it just felt so solid and good in his arms. So sexy. It ignited something in me that I hadn’t felt in a long while, actually: pure, animal attraction. I mean sure, I was quick to fall for people. To fall in love with the image of someone I had in my mind. To fall in love with the romance of it. But that moment with Ethan? It wasn’t based on love or romance or a carefully constructed fantasy of my own making. It was based on his big biceps and his manly scent and his hard . . . area . . . that kept pressing into my stomach and making me quite literally drip with desire.

I bit my lip as I grabbed a copy ofThe Notebookby Nicholas Sparks. Now that was an iconic first kiss. A summer storm during a canoe ride. Reconnecting after years apart. Two souls finally admitting the endurance of past love. I sighed thinking about it.

Just then, the bell above the door chimed.

Ethan?

No. I glanced up to see Ida McCoy strolling in with Ava in tow. My cheeks colored a little.

“Welcome!” I said, hastily checking my blouse buttons were all done up for some reason, as though I had been caught in the act of undressing in the middle of my store in broad daylight.

Get it together, Lily.

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