Page 99 of The Checklist
Mike slid his arms around her. Looking down at her, he said in a voice so low only she could hear him, “And, I think your lists are sexy. That is the honest truth.”
Dylan laid her head against the solid muscle of his chest and laughed, the warmth of him seeping into her body as she returned his embrace. As the laughter slowed, Dylan turned her head back toward him, her neck elongating with the angle of her chin.
“So what do you say? Want to give it another try?” His question seemed simple; despite everything that had happened between them, there was no hesitation in his voice.
The idea coaxed a smile from her. “I sure hope you know a couple other slow-jam-and-sushi spots in town.”
“I’m sure I can think of a few.”
Her smile spread as the perfection of the moment sank in. Sliding her hands up Mike’s chest, she felt the fine texture of his suit glide under her palms until she could clasp her fingers around his neck. Stretching up, she could practically taste the champagne on him as he drew her up to him.
Out of the corner of her eye, a flash of gold caught her attention, and she paused, turning her head slightly to the left.
Mike’s patient sigh fell on her neck. “What is it? That yelling guy back?”
“Worse,” Dylan said, dropping from her tiptoes. “We are being watched. By our families.”
Mike laughed. “Are they waving or filming?”
Dylan peeked around his shoulder. “No cameras. Technically, only Stacy is waving, but Neale is giving me finger guns, which I think also counts.”
“Let me guess: my moms are there clutching each other,it’s adorableglued to their faces?”
“Pretty much,” Dylan said, peeking around his shoulder one more time. “How did you know?”
Tilting his head back, Mike chuckled. “Neale is the worst secret keeper ever.”
Dylan groaned, leaning against him, his shirt muffling her words. “She’d make a terrible spy.”
“You’re telling me. Mom and Ma have literally been asking about it for days. I knew the moment they walked in they’d be watching all night.”
“And you were going to kiss me anyway?” Dylan said, smiling up at him.
“Well, yeah. They are already working on a seating chart for the wedding,” he said, smirking and leaning in close to her.
Dylan tensed as the band shifted to a lush number, the night sky twinkling overhead. Mike bent close enough that she could smell his aftershave and whispered, “Joking.”
Rising up on her toes so she was near enough to brush his lips, she said, “As long as they don’t need me to organize anything, they can arrange all they like.”
If smiles had a taste, this kiss was it. Whether it was the end of old habits or the promise of new things, Dylan could have sworn that this kiss felt like the first she had ever received. In that moment, she knew that wherever the person on the other end of that kiss went, as long as she was near him, she would be just fine.
She could check the perfect kiss off her list.
