Page 27 of All's Fair in Love and Blood - A Romantic Comedy Novel

“There are no details.” Tears stung my eyes while I tried to keep any emotion out of my voice. I wanted to be brave, like the woman Naomi and Kane saw in me. I was seeing glimpses of her, but this was all so new and unexpected.

“So, he doesn’t come into your office to make out or back you up against trees in the middle of the day in the courtyard?” She sounded disappointed.

Not as disappointed as me. “That’s what people are saying? They have it all wrong. I mean, yes, he does come into my office, but all we do is talk.” The tree thing was Ophelia blowing things way out of proportion, though there was no need to mention that.

“Right,” she oozed sarcasm. “Kane doesn’t look like the kind of man who uses a lot of words.”

Well, he did. He used a lot of beautiful words. I could listen to him talk for days, but that was beside the point. “I’m serious; we haven’t even kissed,” I whispered, like I was trying to keep a secret. “And for the record, he’s not my stepbrother,” I said rather snippily. I didn’t mean to, but I was having flashbacks of Tyler and Danielle—teasing me because no one had asked me to the prom. To make it worse, they’d found the dress I’d bought with Naomi, just in case by some miracle I was asked. They’d laughed so hard at me that Tyler shot milk out of his nose. I was sure they were laughing at me now.

“I’ve upset you. I’m sorry.”

“It’s not you. I have a hard enough time believing it’s true, and I don’t want people making fun of me.”

“No one’s making fun of you, in fact they’re . . .”

“Shocked,” I finished what she was too afraid to say.

“Maybe.” She elongated each syllable.

“You’re not fooling me. Believe me, I’m more shocked than anyone.”

“Well, it’s not shocking that he’s attracted to you, but he is a lot older than you, and you are kind of related. Does your dad know?”

I shifted to sit more upright against the wall. “Oh, he knows.”

“Let me guess; he’s not too happy about it.”

“Not at all. But seriously, Kane isn’t trying to seduce me or anything like that. We’ve only held hands and hugged.” In fact, Kane was all about the hugs. We hugged hello, we hugged goodbye. Long breathing-in-and-out-together hugs where I listened to the pounding of his heart, trying to memorize every beat while inhaling his yummy, spicy ginger scent. Just thinking about it was making me hungry for gingerbread cookies and him.

“If it wasn’t you, I wouldn’t believe it.”

“I know. Actually, I wonder if he even wants to kiss me.”

“Why wouldn’t he?”

“Well, you know, I’m not exactly experienced.” Mindy was the only person who knew I’d been kissed only once. And like I said, I was pretty sure Brady Jones did it on a dare and was paid by his friends afterward. I tried not to think about it. Not only because it was embarrassing but because it had been gross. It was wet and sloppy, and he’d just eaten onion rings. I swear I could still taste them. The thought made me queasy.

“Well, I’m sure Kane has plenty of expertise. Who better to show you the ropes?”

I tipped my head to the side and groaned. I worried about all his expertise. He was probably a professional kisser, along with having his PhD in unzipping dresses. And there was no telling how many women had benefited from his skills. I had no intention of asking. Though I’ll admit to stalking his Facebook page, and wow, his ex-girlfriends were gorgeous and skinny. Not to mention they probably had PhDs in all things romance. “What if I do it wrong?” Assuming he ever tried. Like I said, he hadn’t even intimated he wanted to kiss me. I had a feeling he was avoiding it. My guess is it was the reason for all the hugs.

She laughed. “It’s kind of hard to screw it up.”

“Believe me, if there is a way, I’ll be sure to do it.”

“Scarlett, you’re too hard on yourself. Live a little. I mean, you’re dating one of the sexiest men alive. I’m happy for you—though jealous—so lay a big one on him for me.”

“A big what on him?”

“Kiss, silly,” she giggled. “Maybe you should watch some YouTube videos or something. There have to be some kissing tutorials out there.”

Could that be true? Why had I never thought to look? Probably because I’d never had the need to before now. That made me feel pathetic. No wonder Kane didn’t want to kiss me. I bet he had a sixth sense about these things. He must know I’ve had zero experience. Or worse, maybe he wasn’t attracted to me that way.

“Well, I better get back to work; I have some research to do,” I hastily said.

---