Page 49 of Since We're Here
I have the best idea ever.
“Hey, just go with this, okay?”
“Go with what?” The spot between his eyebrows crinkles.
I do the only thing I can think of. The thing that seems perfect for this moment. I put my other hand on his face and pull his mouth to meet mine.
I kiss him.
12
MADDIE
Ikiss him because his ex-fiancée is watching, because she stomped all over his heart, and because,damn, I want to. Because he’s hot, and he’s been kind to me, and the way he looks at me sometimes melts my underwear right off.
He doesn’t pull away. Has he been waiting for us to do this again, like I have? I’ve lived that hallway kiss over and over again, countless times a day. Has he, too?
Lordy, his lips are warm on mine, and I lean further into the kiss, sliding my hands from his cheeks onto the sides of his head, burying them in his hair like I’ve fantasized about.
He breathes into me and kisses me back, pressing our lips together while turning his head, as if he wants better access to my mouth. A hand slides on my thigh, already pressed up against his, and an electric current shoots up my leg into my hot center. A flick of his tongue between my lips and the breath leaves my body. My whole soul might be gone with it as well.
I let out a soft moan and I feel him pause and smile against me.
“What?” I whisper.
“Maddie. What are you doing?”
I can feel the words against my lips. And the answer is that I’m doing much less than I want to. I want to pull him into our dark hallway and let him do dirty things to me. I want to?—
Shit. We’re in the middle of the pub.Hispub.
I pull back and catch my runaway breath. Patrick’s eyes are hooded, and his lips remain parted, eyes locked on mine. Flames dance in his pupils.
“You kissed me.”
“Mmm-hmm. I did.” I suck in my lips, which are tingly. “You kissed me back.” There’s a slight edge of defensiveness in my voice.
“Trust me, I’m not complaining. But why?”
I sigh lightly. His Irish accent is more pronounced with a pint in him. And maybe, after kissing me. I could drown in his lilting words. I rip my gaze from his and glance back at the bar in time to see Cara swing her head away, face crumpled.
He looks over at Cara, then back at me, then snorts out a laugh. “You kissed me so she would see?”
My eyes widen. Is he mad? Offended? He might be. That was petty. Maybe he still has a thing for her. Exes are weird.
I should know, I have a lot of them.
But not an ex-fiancé. That might be different. What if he didn’t want to kiss me in front of everyone at his place of employment? What if he didn’t want to kiss me again at all?
But given his response, I’m pretty sure he did.
Still. I crossed a huge line.
“Yeah. I did. Is that okay?”
He’s examining me, a weird look on his face that’s a combination of a smirk and a grin and maybe a grimace, when both Ian and Saoirse come back at the same time.
“All is good!” Saoirse plops back down. “Just a question about how many books sneaky Niamh gets before bedtime. You know how she is.”
