Page 31 of The Billionaire's Kiss
“I’m going to make sure I have time. You’re only going to be here five more days. I’m sure I can take some time off. I haven’t taken any thus far. I’ve earned it.”
I liked that I’d rubbed off on him somewhat. “If I’m the reason that you get to stop and smell the roses, then I’m glad. We’ll have lots of fun, I promise you.”
“I know we will. Just being with you is fun for me.” He stopped and looked at me. “I mean that, Orla. I’ve never enjoyed anyone’s company more in my life.”
Sighing, I wished this would last much longer than it could. “Me too, Warner. I mean that. Just being with you makes me happy.”
He looked at me for a moment. My lips trembled as my heart raced, hoping he would kiss me. But then he sighed and turned away. “We should get going. We can get something to eat, and then I’ll take you to check out that piano bar I told you about.”
One little kiss won’t take too much time.
But he was off, and I knew the kiss would have to wait until later. It was insane how much my body craved the man. Every cell in me screamed out for his touch. I’d never felt such sexual frustration.
I wasn’t usually the one to make the first move. Perhaps it was from a fear of rejection. I had no idea, but I always waited for the man to make it.
I followed Warner as he took a path through the trees, making it impossible to walk beside him. I thought about why I didn’t just kiss him myself instead of waiting for him to do it.
What did it matter if I did it?
I wasn’t home where I would have to worry about my reputation. No one would be telling anyone I knew that I had made the first move. There wasn’t anything I would have to live down or feel ashamed of doing.
And why did I feel that kissing him first would be a shameful act anyway?
Was I not a liberated woman? Did I not believe in the equality of the sexes? What sort of woman was I?
I couldn’t blame it on being shy, as I was far from shy. I couldn’t blame it on being prudish, as I wasn’t that either. Then it clicked as I heard my mother’s voice in my head.
A lady waits for the man to offer her his kiss—not the other way around.
Is that really the only thing stopping me from kissing this man?Those long-ago spoken words seemed so insignificant compared to the broad shoulders and the manly scent wafting off him.
But I found it hard to stray from my mother’s brainwashing. I didn’t go for it as we made our way to his truck. I didn’t go for it after we’d eaten a dinner of fish and chips. And I didn’t go for it while we sat, singing along with others at the piano bar.
“I’ve got friends in low places, where the whisky runs and the beer chases the blues away,” I sang loudly as the beer had done its job limiting my inhibitions.
“How do you know the words to so many of these songs, Orla?” Warner asked, then took a swig of his beer.
“I listen to American country music at home.” Sipping some of my Guinness, I watched his eyes light up and loved the way that looked.
“That’s my favorite genre of music.” Placing the mug on the table, he leaned in close enough for me to smell the beer on his warm breath. “We’ve got a lot in common.”
“That we do.” It was a common theme throughout the night. First, we kept ordering the same foods. I’d ordered my food while Warner had gone to the men’s room to freshen up. And when he got back, he ordered exactly what I had. He’d even gotten a sweet tea just. Although when I’d looked around at the other tables, I saw that many of the other patrons also had the same beverage in front of them.
Tea and Texas seemed to go hand in hand the same way a pint and Ireland do. As I looked into his eyes, I saw more in them than I’d ever seen in anyone’s eyes. I saw hope, excitement, even frailty.
Gulping, I realized a knot had formed in my throat. Without even meaning to, I felt empathy for the man, remembering how he’d lost his parents. Of course his heart would be affected by that. But the hope in his eyes told me that it was beginning to grow larger than the vulnerability and fear he had become so comfortable with.
At the end of the night, as he walked me to my room, we held hands, and I leaned my head against his arm. “That was fun, Warner. Thank you for coming up with all these fun things to do. I truly appreciate it. If you want to see me tomorrow—”
“I do,” he quickly interrupted.
I laughed, loving how open he was with me. “Well then, let me make the plans. You should get a break from making them for at least one day.”
“I don’t mind making them for you.” We stopped in front of my room, and he pulled me around to face him. “I love spending time with you. You make all the plans you want for tomorrow, and I’ll give you all the time you care to spend with me.”
Running my hands up his arms, I moved them around his neck, clasping them together behind his head. “What a lucky girl I am.” I bit my lower lip as I looked into his eyes. “I’ll have to really give it some thought if I’m going to come close to comparing my date to the ones you’ve taken me on.”
“I’ll love anything you decide to do, I can assure you of that. Hell, I’d be happy doing absolutely nothing. As long as it’s with you, I’m good.”
