Page 19 of One Night Only

Dr. Cross holds up a card in his palm, face down. “How about we guess for the other? I think that’s what this one’s about.”

I turn it around. “Favorite show or movie or series.”

“Might not work for us unless we answer for ourselves.”

“Star Wars, the original three movies,” I say with a satisfied smirk. “You like to ignore the later prequels. And I agreewith you. Padme deserved so much better than whiny, angsty Anakin.”

He grips his lower lip with his teeth as if to keep the laughter inside. But his eyes overflow with it. Laugh lines crinkle out from the ends, and his nostrils flare.

God, the man’s absolutely gorgeous. And suddenly, I realize that if all we did tonight were sit here and talk, it would still be the best night of my life. Already, I feel transformed at a cellular level. Now, my body, heart, and mind know that it’s possible for me to be happy with someone.

What that means come tomorrow morning, I don’t care. I will not ruin this in anticipation of not having it again.

“How do you know?” he finally says.

“You went off on that rant with Arthur on May fourth, and he put you on speaker. Martha and I couldn’t stop giggling. It’s the first time I realized what a nerd you are.”

“You’re sneaky.”

I pull my knees against my chest and tuck my chin on top. “No way you can guess mine.”

His eyes sparkle. “The 1992 Bollywood filmDDLJwith Shahrukh Khan in it.”

I gasp, feet sliding to the floor. “Oh my God!”

He shrugs. “Mom told me how much you gush over it. So I watched it.”

“Yeah?”

“Not a bad movie. Although I’d say it’s the heroine that steals the show.” He flicks his fingers together, trying to remember the actress’s name. “Kajol.”

I’m so excited that I skate to the edge of the armchair and grip his thighs. “Right? I mean, people attributeThe Mummymovie to their bi-awakening, but mine was totally Kajol. She’s hot. Then there’s this French actress that stars in this detective show, and she’s…” I blow a kiss with my fingers.

Slowly, I realize what I just blurted out. I mean, it’s not a big deal. Unless someone makes it.

Moving slowly, as if to not spook me, Dr. Cross wraps his fingers around my nape and pulls me close. “So, what you’re telling me is that I have double the population to fight for your attention?”

This close, his breath feathers over my lips and the tips of our noses bump. “No.” I can’t fight the shiver that zings down my spine. By the time his hands drift to my shoulders and upper back, I’m practically vibrating. “You’ve got it all now, Dr. Cross.” I rub my nose against his playfully. But I can’t quite cut through the tension that surrounds us. “Honestly, between the one toxic girlfriend who dumped me for not beingambitious enoughand the guy I ran out on tonight, you’re winning. Except…”

“Except what?”

“Except I thought you would ask for more by now.” I sound a little whiny, but I don’t care. This is my last chance to see how this kind of chemistry translates into sex before I willingly walk into purgatory in a few weeks.

Long fingers sift through the tangles in my hair, gaze sweeping over my face. “I did say I want to spend the night getting to know you.”

My stomach bottoms out at the gravity with which he says this. As if it were a very reasonable suggestion and not the most bizarre thing ever. I want to tell him that my attraction quotient goes down the more you get to know me. But I don’t. Not when he looks at me as if I’m the most interesting woman he’s ever met. “Yes, but—”

“Because you want to know…” he says, releasing me and coming to his feet. I feel desolate without his touch. Moving around, he sorts the cards into different piles with a calm intensity. “How it feels to live out that forbidden fantasy you’ve read about in romance novels?”

I’m so busy tracking his movements that I hear that edge in his voice a little late. But all I care about right now is that he’s not touching me, and the damned coffee table is between us again.

Feeling reckless, I step onto it. It wobbles, one leg sticking up and then the other. With a squeal, I sort of plunge my torso forward, hoping he’ll catch me. Or I’ll break my head open, and it will truly be a Valentine’s Day unlike any other.

“Fuck, Ani,” Dr. Cross shouts as he catches me. “You could’ve gotten hurt.”

Even in that gravity-less state, his stern voice sends tingles straight to my core. The impact of his body against mine isdivine. At the risk of sounding like a serial killer, I want to wrap myself up in his skin.

“I knew you’d catch me,” I say, wrapping my legs around him. “Plus, I saw it in a movie once.”

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