Page 66 of The Mistakes I've Made
“I feel that way, too,” she admitted. “Like I’m just holding my breath, waiting for my real life to begin.”
“And has it?” I asked.
“I’m starting to wonder.”
The air seemed to crackle around us, making my skin prickle and my heart race.
God, I wanted to kiss her again. What I wouldn’t give to feel those lips against mine, to slip my hand under that short, little skirt, and to finally give in to all those fantasies I’d been having of us together.
But, instead, I opened my mouth and asked her a question, “What about you?” I felt like the ultimate loser. I’d never been one to beat around the bush when it came to making the moves on a woman. But, Leilani was different.
Leilani was more. “What are some random facts about you?” I asked.
Her eyes blinked several times before she answered, obviously still stuck in the moment I’d just yanked us out of, “Um…oh!” She grinned, moving her leg so that her ankle was in plain view. “I have a tattoo!”
I leaned forward, running my finger on the tiny lightning bolt that adorned the inside of her ankle. Her breath caught the second I touched her, which only made me want to linger there longer.
Her gaze met mine. “That’s a rule-breaker,” she managed to say but only just. She was so caught up in my touch she could barely get a word out.
Grinning, I pulled back. “Which house?” I asked, nodding to her tattoo.
Seemingly impressed, she replied, “Ravenclaw. You?”
“Take a guess,” I said.
She looked at me, her lips scrunched to the side as she took an appraisal of me.
“Gryffindor?” she said.
“That’s correct! Or at least, that’s what my niece told me when she made me take the test one day in the office. I actually bought the first book, but I haven’t had the time to start it yet. Lizzie—that’s my niece—and her mom are obsessed with all things Harry Potter. Well, that, and a whole plethora of things I don’t understand.”
“Well, the fact that you’re willing to take the time to learn about something for your niece is pretty cool.”
“Lizzie’s pretty cool,” I said adamantly. “You’ll have to meet her sometime.”
Her smile held warmth. “I’d like that.”
“What’s another one?” I asked, liking this little game we’d started. It was fun to get to know her a bit better, and as an added bonus, it was an easy distraction from wanting to tear her clothes off.
Well, almost.
“Oh, um…” I could see the wheels spinning as she thought of another random fact. Suddenly, her eyes went to the waves nearby. “I haven’t been swimming since I was a teenager.”
“What?” I exclaimed.
Her hands found her face. She melted into them, covering her head in shame. “I know; it’s horrible.”
“That’s…” I couldn’t even find the words. “Like, a decade!”
“I know!”
“Why? And are we talking all kinds of swimming? Pool, ocean? Not even a quick dunk in a Jacuzzi?”
She just shrugged her shoulders.
Her eyes finally met mine, and I couldn’t help the grin that tugged at my lips. It only grew when her adorable face appeared, so bewildered over her silly confession.
“I was kind of a nerd in college,” she explained. “And I guess I just forgot?”
