Page 49 of The Secret

“Yes, you did.” I scraped a spoonful and stuck it in my mouth. “Oh my God, this is good ice cream.”

“I know.” He dug a spoon into what looked like chocolate chip.

“Do you always eat ice cream before actual dinner?”

“I think you can eat ice cream whenever you want to. It’s one of the perks of being an adult. Same as pizza.”

He leaned back on the couch, inching closer with the way he twisted his body toward me, his eyes roaming my face before focusing back on mine. “How was your day before I rudely interrupted you?”

I laughed. “You saved me from shopping with Payton, which is my nightmare. But apart from that, it was fun.”

“Yeah? How was spinning? Whose class did you do?”

“Mikey’s. It was good, really hard though,” I grinned. “Do you go there?”

Before I could stop it, my entire body came to life at the visual of seeing him in action, dripping with sweat as he worked his muscles until they strained under his shirt. I took another giant scoop of ice cream, hoping to cool myself down from the inside.

“Sometimes. I helped Emerson set it up. Her husband, Drew, is a good mate of mine. He used to play with Jas and Coop.”

His brothers-in-law had been over to the apartment a couple of times since the first day I’d arrived, although I hadn’t spoken to them much because I was usually locked in conversation with Diane or Wolf or Freddie. I’d never been a huge hockey fan, but I did remember them from my college days, and I definitely remembered Drew Crawley. He’d been very popular among the girls on campus during hockey season, and between him and Felix Cleverly, they were probably responsible for why the local bars were so full on game nights, because it had nothing to do with the guys watching, and everything to do with the girls.

“That’s pretty cool. My dad’s actually a big fan of the apparel. I sent him some.”

He grinned. “Oh really? I’m glad to hear it. Now if only he’d leave Nike, and come work for us here.”

“I think you’d have an easier time convincing Penn to give up my baking.” The teasing smile I offered him dripped in saccharine, because for some reason, it annoyed him that I baked for Penn. Or that Penn enjoyed my baking.

His eyes narrowed in challenge before they flared white hot, “I can be pretty persuasive when I want to be.”

The speed at which my core constricted almost winded me, and then I watched him lick another mouthful of ice cream from his spoon, his pink tongue removing all trace of it along with my self-control.

Sweet Jesus.

This was bad.

Reallybad.

My thighs began trembling with adrenalin and I shifted uncomfortably to ease the pressure. Yet instead of easing, like a piece of flint against a stone, it created a spark, the tiniest friction. And suddenly I had a fire burning between my legs.

I dug my spoon in again, hoping he hadn’t noticed, but my shaking hands as I scooped my ice cream was a dead giveaway.

He reached out, swiping a drop of ice-cream from the corner of my mouth with the pad of his thumb, his pink tongue darting out to lick it off the end. I remained unblinking as his perfect lips suctioned on; removing all traces as though it was blood from a pin prick. And my life began moving in slow motion… Except my heart, which was beating through my ribcage and hammering out of the prison my chest was holding it in, until I bit down hard on my cheek so I could focus on the pain of that instead.

His gaze dropped to my lips, and I held my breath with the absolutely certainty he was about to kiss me.

His hand returned to my cheek, his fingers brushing along my jaw, until they reached my pulse point beating harder than it had in my morning spin class, and there was nothing I could do to hide that from him.

“Kit…” he breathed out, leaning into me.

I knew I was about to experience the best kiss of my entire life, the air, intense and thick with tension, practically sealing the deal.

Except for two things…

A piercing shriek from the baby monitor and a loud buzzing from the intercom signaling the pizza had arrived.

Either one would have been enough to break up the moment and bring us back to reality, but we clearly needed both.

I coughed and jumped up. “I’ll sort out Bell.”

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