Page 73 of Spotlight
“Come on.” She takes his hand, and he lets her lead him to her room. I follow behind, giving them some space.
She goes to her bookshelf and picks up Sweetie, the stuffed horse he gave her. I place a hand over my mouth to keep from laughing. The horse has been upgraded with a tiara, pink beaded bracelets as necklaces, and a tutu.
Flynn’s expression is filled with amusement as she hands it to him.
“Isn’t he cute?”
“The cutest,” he confirms. “It looks like you’ve given him a great home.”
His gaze roams around the rest of the room, finally landing back on the bookshelf.
“You like books like your mom, huh?”
Greer nods. “Want to see my favorite?”
She doesn’t wait for his answer before pulling out a stack of books and sitting on the floor with her legs crossed.
To my surprise, Flynn sits down with her. He looks adorably tall and big in the small space between her bed and the bookcase. She opens the book and holds it out to him. My chest squeezes as I watch them interact so easily. He’s a good sport and she’s completely enamored with him. I stay in the doorway, letting them have a moment. Flynn looks up and meets my gaze, then winks at me.
After Greer has flipped through three books, making him read each one to her, I finally intervene.
“Okay, let’s give Flynn a break. You need to get to bed,” I say.
Greer opens her mouth and looks like she’s going to object, but Flynn holds up Sweetie and says, “I think he needs his beauty sleep.”
Greer giggles. “Will you come back tomorrow?”
“Sure,” he says, then glances at me. “If it’s okay with your mom.”
She gives me those big, pleading eyes. I nod and she lunges forward to hug Flynn. I think it takes him by surprise, much like my hug at the door had, but a second later, he wraps one arm around her back.
When she pulls away, Flynn gets to his feet and helps her put away her books.
“Brush your teeth,” I tell her.
She rushes out of the room, leaving me with Flynn.
“She only has one speed, huh?” he asks.
“It’s running or asleep,” I confirm.
His smile stretches wider. “She’s a trip. I can see why Archer is wrapped around her finger.”
“She’s pretty great.”
He crosses over to me, stopping a foot away. With one hand, he reaches out and takes my hand, interlacing our fingers. “So is her mom.”
My heart races faster when his gaze drops to my mouth. We’ve spent two nights together now and still haven’t kissed. I feel like if it doesn’t happen soon, I might die.
“How long does it take her to brush her teeth?”
An odd question, but I answer it without thought. “A couple of minutes. Why?”
He tugs me to him with our linked hands and his other hand moves to the side of my neck as his mouth crashes down on mine. His fingers glide around to the back of my neck. My lips part in surprise and invitation, and Flynn doesn’t waste any time sweeping his tongue in to play with mine.
My heart leaps in my chest. It isn’t a typical first kiss. It’s filled with months of anticipation and longing. He isn’t soft or gentle, and he doesn’t hold back. Neither do I.
I step closer, pressing my body against his. My pulse races as he groans softly. He nips at my bottom lip and his fingers at the nape of my neck tangle in my hair. He pulls gently, tugging my head back to give him better access. Our height difference means he’s leaning down, so I lift onto my toes and bring my free arm up to rest against his shoulder to help him out. He’s hard and warm and smells faintly of some sort of crisp citrusy soap.
