Page 28 of Outside The Wire

“Gin or vodka?”

“Gin,” she grinned.

I raised an eyebrow at her, surprised by her choice.

“What?”

“I didn’t take you for a martini girl.”

“We are at a jazz club. I figured I should live a little.”

That was about the extent of our conversation because the music picked up, making it impossible to hear anything she said. So, I watched her, every single smile, the way her eyes lit up, the way she drank her martini.

And by the end of the night, I knew I was a goner.

7

HOLLY

I yawnedas we walked up the steps to my house. It was past one in the morning, well past my bedtime, but it was so worth it. I had such a good time with Asher tonight. Every second with him was so much fun.

Even in the club when I couldn’t talk to him, I could feel his eyes on me, watching me intently. At first, it was a little creepy. I kept averting my eyes, wondering why he was staring. But after a while, I started doing the same to him.

“Thank you for coming out with me tonight.”

I smiled up at him. God, this was such a fantastic date. And he didn’t care about my frizzy hair from my hat or the fact that I face-planted putting on my shoes. It was just so easy.

“It was great. I had a really good time.”

God, was that too cheesy sounding? Didn’t everyone say that? What else could I say? I stopped at my door and fiddled with my keys. Was I being too obvious that I wanted him to kiss me? I really, really wanted him to kiss me.

He leaned in, pressing me back against the doorframe and I sucked in a breath. It was going to happen. I looked up into those smokey eyes and held my breath. My heart hammered in my chest and dizziness washed over me in anticipation for whatI knew would be the kiss that would change my life. He gripped my chin between his thumb and forefinger, leaning in. My eyes fluttered closed…

Warm breath caressed my skin just before his lips met mine and tingles shot down my spine. I gasped as he pulled back for a moment. I peeled my eyes open, gazing into intense eyes that I knew would draw me in and never let me leave if I allowed it. And then his lips were on mine again in a bruising kiss that was so demanding I could scarcely breathe. My fingers slid up into his long, thick locks, shoving the hat from his head as his fingers mimicked mine.

There was no denying he felt the same spark as me. I could feel it in the way he kissed me, the way he held me as if he couldn’t get close enough to me. I felt like I would combust if I didn’t have him right now, but before I could explore those feelings, he pulled back from me and shoved his hand through his hair, chuckling lightly.

“Uh…sorry. I did not mean to maul you on your doorstep.”

I was breathing hard, my chest rising and falling as if I’d run a marathon. “It’s…fine. Totally understandable…you know…given the circumstances.”

He cocked his head to the side. “And what are the circumstances.”

Hell, I didn’t know. I waved my hand around. “You know, jazz and late nights.”

His lips tilted in a smile as he bent over and picked up his hat that had fallen to the ground. Then he stepped toward me, and just for a moment, I thought he was going to kiss me again. But all he did was tug down the sides of my hat.

“Thank you for coming out with me tonight.”

I nodded way too many times, unable to come up with a logical response.

“Would you allow me to check out your house before I go?”

See, in my mind, that was totally his way of saying he wanted to see inside my house and check me out. So, I nodded. When I didn’t move, he snatched the keys out of my hand and unlocked the door, stepping aside to let me into my own house.

He walked through, flipping on lights as he went. I watched him curiously with mild disappointment. He really was checking out my house. When he came back only a minute later with no intruders, it was clear the night was coming to an end.

“So, did anyone break in?”

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