Then There Was You(77)

“Thank you, Salem. Thank you more than words can say,” he whispered, then tilted my head down.

I waited. My eyes slipped closed, and I waited for that soft pressure to touch my lips. But it didn’t come. Instead, he pressed a tender kiss on my forehead, and I tried to stifle the disappointment that strangled me.

His lips were soft and supple against the delicate skin of my forehead. I could still feel the tingle of my nerve endings as he pulled away. I imagined what they would feel like on my lips, and felt an urge deep inside me too strong to ignore.

“You saved me too,” I reminded him. “You didn’t know it back then, but you did. So, thank you…”

I didn’t know what I was thinking. I didn’t even try to stop myself. With every ounce of courage I had, I leaned in fast and crushed my lips against his. He seemed shocked at first, unmoving and frozen stiff. Those sexy lips that I had imagined touching mine were as delightfully delicious as I knew they would be. Instinctively, I pressed myself against him and reached up to grab the back of his head. Immediately, Chris’s stiff posture dissolved and his control snapped as he entangled his hands in my hair, hungrily kissing me back. His urgent kisses shot darts of desire zinging throughout my body. Chris pressed his hips into me, rocking against me as his tongue delved for a deeper connection. Our tongues wrestled, twisting and turning in our mouths, hungry for each other. I melted into his body, allowing him to explore my shoulders, back, and face with his hands. He ran his strong, capable hands over my body, making my stomach quake. Every nerve ending was ignited with energy, and the strangest sensation overcame me. A feeling of pure euphoria—the kind of euphoria that felt so good it hurt.

Releasing my hair and once again cupping my face, he softened his kiss. The eager frenzy of lust slowed down to a sweet, tantalizing tease of yearning instead. I welcomed this passion—a passion that had been absent from my life for quite some time. I relished the moment of Chris’s lips on mine, giving into my aching desire. Running my hands across his chest, I felt those sculpted pecs that were beckoning me earlier under that fitted shirt.

“Mmmm,” Chris moaned. Within a moment, he pulled his lips away from mine, leaving me breathless and craving more. He stared at me, drinking me in with his eyes. “What… what is this?” he struggled to say.

“What is what?” I asked innocently, though I knew what we’d just done was anything but innocent.

“This?” he asked again, clasping my hands and taking a step back, indicating the space between us.

My face flushed hot. Oh god, I overstepped my bounds. What an idiot! Why did I kiss him? What was I thinking?

“I’m sorry… I… I’m sorry,” I stammered, starting to blush.

“No,” Chris rushed. “No, don’t be sorry. I just. Wow. I…” He grimaced, fumbling for words as badly as I was.

I pulled away from him and pressed a hand to my forehead. “Oh, god. I’m so embarrassed. I don’t know what I was thinking,” I said, too humiliated to look him in the eye.

He reached for me, pressing me close to him. I took a ragged breath, inhaling the cool, woodsy scent of sandalwood and cedar. “Salem, don’t. I mean, don’t be sorry. That was… that was amazing.”

He sounded so sincere. I relaxed a little and smiled, glancing back up again. Thank God.

“I thought you were going to have me escorted out by your bodyguards right about now,” I said sheepishly, staring at the floor.

“Are you kidding me?” He smiled, laughing softly. “Wow. I just… well, I didn’t know you felt that way about me.” He voice got quiet at the end, like he was admitting something he never intended to admit to me—that he’d been thinking about me and wondering if I did.

My eyes shot up. “Oh, I didn’t!” I said, embarrassed, assuming he meant I’d felt like that about him since I’d known him. “I didn’t, I swear. It was nothing like that.”

He lowered his eyes with disappointment. “Oh.”

I cringed and continued, “I mean, I didn’t feel like that about you years ago or anything, but seeing you here now… I don’t know… something changed. I can’t explain it.” He gazed down at me, and I tried to convey the truth with my eyes, hoping he’d believe me.

He exhaled, his shoulders drooping a little. “Trust me, I get it. I felt it too. I’m just glad you made the first move.” A shy grin spread across his face. Then without warning, he crashed his lips into mine, coming back for more. I melted into him, allowing him to encapsulate me in his arms. He pulled me tighter, moving his lips in rhythm with mine, just as the next song began to play. The lyrics to Parachute’s Kiss Me Slowly couldn’t have been a more perfect fit at that moment, especially with the city lights and the skyline in the background.