Page 30 of Accidentally Yours
Paige pursed her lips—those lips that were entirely too distracting—and tapped a finger against them, as if giving his suggestion serious thought. “I guess we might find ourselves in a situation where a kiss could be expected.”
He forced his gaze from her mouth to her eyes. “Yeah, sometimes people kiss when they date.”
She grinned. “Shocking.”
“What about a code word? Something that would tell me if you’re okay with a kiss.”
Paige nodded. “Something random? That neither of us would usually say?” Paige’s gaze flicked around the train, looking for inspiration. “What about backpack? Turtleneck? Ham sandwich?”
Ethan arched a brow. “You want me to ask you if I can kiss you by bringing up ham sandwiches?”
Paige winced. “Okay, that sounded better in my head.”
He chuckled. “It should be something we could slip into conversation. That wouldn’t sound suspicious if someone overheard us.”
She paused, thinking. “You got any ideas?”
He tilted his head, considering, while he took in her glowing skin and curious stare. Today, she wore leggings and a tank, and her intelligent smirk. The way she looked at him, expectant, waiting—the words slipped out before he could stop them. “Have I told you how beautiful you are today?”
“Huh?” Paige’s head snapped back. Her eyes went wide. For a second, she said nothing, and Ethan had the sinking feeling that he’d just stepped completely over the line. The air between them shifted, heavier now, and charged.
He cleared his throat, forcing an easy shrug. “That could be our code question.”
“Oh.” Paige relaxed, clearly unaware of how easily those words had come to him. “Yeah, that could work.”
“Then you’d tell me ‘yes’ if you’re okay with me kissing you, and ‘no’ if you’re not.”
“Yeah, yeah. Good idea. That sounds natural.”
The train slowed again, shifting Paige even closer, and her gaze dipped to his mouth. A flicker of something flashed across her face, gone before he could pin it down. Would it be too soon to use their code question?
Before he could entertain the idea, a new crowd bustled into the car, filling the surrounding space. A group of teenagers stood directly in front of them, laughing and talking loudly.
Ethan settled deeper into his seat, his fingers absently stroking Queenie’s soft fur. “Alright, I think we’ve covered the basics.”
“What?” Paige mouthed, not hearing him over the noise.
He shifted closer. “The basics. The kissing.”
“What?” Still, she didn’t hear.
Ethan leaned in further, lips just beside her ear. “The kissing. We’ve got a plan now.”
Paige tilted toward him. A curl of hair brushed his cheek. Her scent twirled around him, a mix of citrus and sugar.
“Yeah, I’m glad we’re on the same page.” Her voice was soft, and it sent an unexpected shiver through him, straight to his toes.
Then one teenager started talking—loudly—about his friend’s body odor, and Queenie growled. Paige let out a laugh, and they shared a grin, settling back into their seats. The intimate moment passed, even though it lingered on his skin like her whisper.
They stayed quiet, listening to the teenage banter until the train approached the next stop.
As the crowd unloaded, Paige turned to him. “Any more ideas about the clue? Any breakthroughs?”
They’d been texting back and forth about the clue and even had a late-night phone call discussing it. But so far, they hadn’t come up with anything concrete.
Ethan shook his head. “No, but I’m going to look through some old photo albums with my grandma later today. See if I can find something that sparks an idea.”
Paige’s expression softened. She tapped the top of her closed laptop. “I’d really love to meet her sometime.”
