Page 48 of Sweet Harmony

“Do what?”

“Kiss me in theparking lot.”

“We’re dating.People who date kiss.”

“Youspecifically said that you were against PDAs. You basically made meswear that I wouldn’t do anything more than hold your hand inpublic and then you-you had your tongue shoved down my throat inthe parking lot of the Thirsty Beaver. That’s one hell of a PDA,Connor.”

His nostrilsflared. “Why were you alone in the parking lot with Daniel?”

“What?’ Sheblinked at him.

“You were alonewith Daniel.”

“I… he wantedto talk to me.”

He didn’t replyand she licked her still swollen lips. “Why did you kiss me likethat?”

“Because we’retrying to make Daniel jealous, remember?”

“Yes, but…”

“But what?” Hegave her an impatient look, his hands gripping the steering wheel.“You’ve asked me to help you make Daniel jealous. I’m doing whatyou asked me, Kira. Is there a problem with that?”

“No,” she said.“Stop being a jerk about it.”

He sighed andrubbed his temples. “I apologize. It’s been a long day and I’mtired.”

He stared outthe windshield and when he didn’t say anything else, she climbedout of the car. “Good night, Connor.”

“Good night,Kira.”

She climbed theporch steps, her knees were shaking and she was weirdlydisappointed that she was alone. She glanced behind her as sheopened the door. Connor was still sitting in the driveway and shegave him an awkward wave before stepping inside. She closed thedoor and leaned against it, staring up at the ceiling.

She couldn’tstop thinking about that kiss in the parking lot. Had Connor reallyonly kissed her just to make Daniel jealous? And if so, why didthat bother her so much?

Chapter Nine

Connor studiedhis cell phone before hitting Kira’s number. His knee was throbbingagain. It had felt better when he got up and, stupidly, he’d gonefor a run. He should have known better. He rubbed it absently as hesat in the kitchen chair.

He’d been areal dick last night and he’d spent most of today feeling guiltyfor how he’d treated Kira. But when he walked out of the pub lastnight and saw Kira alone with Daniel, that weird jealousy hadimmediately reappeared. He hadn’t thought about his actions. He’dbeen driven by a primal need to show Daniel that Kira belonged tohim. His stance against PDAs had disappeared into thin air, whichboth perplexed him and worried him a little if he was beinghonest.

He’d alwaysbeen a bit standoffish with his parents, with Lisa… hell, witheveryone in his life. He didn’t think he was cold or distant likeLisa would sometimes point out, he just liked his personal space.Only, that seemed to go out the window whenever he was near Kira.The urge to touch her, the need to feel her soft skin was almostimpossible to resist.

He gulped downthe rest of his water as the phone rang in his ear. He was beingaffectionate and touchy-feely with Kira because he was playing apart, that was all. He was getting all tied up in knots aboutnothing. He would apologize again and ask her if she wanted to hangout. He really should learn more about her if he wanted to be aneffective fake boyfriend.

Oh yeah? So,you’re telling me you’re not planning on asking her if she wants topractice kissing again?

No, he wasn’t.If she brought it up again while they were hanging out, then yeah,maybe he’d be up for some practice sessions, but he wasn’t callingherspecificallyfor that. He was calling because –

“Hello?” Kira’svoice spoke into his ear.

“Hey, uh, it’sme.”

“Oh, hi.”

There was amoment of awkward silence and he cleared his throat. “How areyou?”

“I’m good.You?”

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