Chapter 27 #2
We walk toward my truck. Our shoulders bump. She tips her head toward me, signs with her free hand when we stop at the crosswalk and uses her phone.
Bayleigh: I had an amazing time.
Her expression is earnest enough to make my chest ache.
“Me too,” I say. “Best night I’ve had in… a long time.”
She bites her lower lip, holding back a smile. Then flashes me her screen.
Bayleigh: You’re… kind.
My throat tightens.
“Only with you,” I admit.
She blinks like she’s filing that away somewhere important.
The ride back to her house is quiet, but I can’t help stealing glances at her. This is the part where I’m supposed to say goodnight. Be a gentleman. Walk away. Instead, I sit there like an idiot when we pull into her driveway.
She looks up at me, eyes searching my face. Then her fingers move, slow and deliberate so I won’t miss it.
Can I kiss you?
For a second, the world tilts. I’m glad I practiced this phrase in my room last night, or I might have been lost on what she said. But I wanted to be prepared for it if the moment came.
I’ve been kissed before. I’ve kissed more than my share of women. But nobody’s ever asked like this—straightforward, shy and bold at the same time, giving me the choice even though I’m the one who could easily take it.
My answer comes out a little rough.
“Yes,” I say, voice low. “Please.”
She smiles, just a ghost of it, and shifts her body as she leans closer. Close enough that her scent hits me full force—mint, green tea, and something softer underneath it that’s just her.
She lifts one of her hands, placing it against my shirt at the chest, and presses her mouth to mine.
Soft at first. Testing.
I keep my hands at my sides for half a heartbeat, every muscle straining not to move too fast. Then I can’t not touch her. My arms slip around her, fingers splaying over her soft sweater and her back.
She exhales against my lips, the tiniest sound. My control thins to a razor’s edge.
I tilt my head, deepening the kiss. No rush. Just pressure and heat, and the soft drag of her mouth against mine. Her fingers curl tighter in my shirt, pulling me closer. When her tongue brushes my lower lip, curiosity and invitation in one, a low noise rumbles in my chest before I can stop it.
Fuck.
I part my mouth for her, meeting her halfway.
Our tongues touch—just a light stroke, a teasing flick—and my whole body lights up.
Need slides down my spine, pools low in my gut.
My hands tighten on her waist, pulling her flush to me.
Her body fits against mine like she was made for this spot, like the space between us never made sense in the first place.
For a second—just one second—I imagine what it would be like to pin her against the car, to taste her until she’s breathless, to scentmark every inch of her and drown in her slick—
Stop.
I drag the thought back, hard. I am not Joseph. I am not some asshole using her body.
I force my grip to loosen, thumbs stroking soothing circles instead of gripping. I slow the kiss, gentling the pressure until it’s just lips on lips again. A few last lingering pecks, softer, sweeter.
When I finally pull back, her forehead rests against mine. Our breaths mingle in the cold air, both of us breathing a little harder than before. Her eyes flutter open. They’re darker now, pupils blown wide, cheeks flushed. She lifts her hands between us, fingers trembling slightly.
That was… good.
I smile, stupid and helpless. “Yeah,” I breathe. “Yeah, it really was.”
She hesitates. Then pulls out her phone and texts.
Bayleigh: I’d love for you to walk me to the door. But Benton may be home, and I don’t want tonight to be tainted with any of his drama.
“I understand.” As much as I want to be a gentleman, I’m going to respect her wishes. “But I’m not leaving until you’re inside.”
Bayleigh: I love that.
She hesitates for a moment, biting on her plump lip before her fingers start typing again.
Bayleigh: I want… more. But… not tonight.
Something in me that didn’t even realize it was braced, relaxes.
“Good,” I say, serious now. “Because I want a hell of a lot more. But only when you’re ready. For all of it.”
She searches my face as though she’s testing me, weighing the words.
Whatever she sees there must pass, because she smiles—a small, private thing—and nods.
Goodnight, Lincoln, she signs.
“Goodnight, Bayleigh.”
She opens the door, slides out, and closes it behind her. I watch her walk up the pathway to the porch, stopping when she gets to the door. She looks over at me once more and gives a little wave.
I stay there for a few minutes before she disappears inside, then I pull off. My heart beats way too fast for a simple first date. Except there’s nothing simple about it.
I’m already in deep. Deeper than I should be this early. Deeper than makes any kind of rational sense.
And I don’t care.
By the time I get home, the nerves have burned off. I kick my boots off and step into the living room.
Milton’s on the couch, Gold Rush on the TV, phone in his hand. Korbin’s in the armchair with one ankle propped on his knee, ice pack balanced lazily on his wrist from practice.
Two sets of eyes swing my way.
Milton’s mouth curves. “Well, well. Look who survived enemy territory.”
Korbin’s gaze flicks from my face to my neck like he’s checking for hickeys out of sheer reflex.
“Shut up,” I say automatically, but there’s no bite in it. I probably still smell like her.
Milton’s grin widens. “So?”
“So, what?”
He makes an exaggerated little heart with his hands. Dick. “How was it, Romeo?”
I drop onto the other end of the couch, stretching my legs out. “Good,” I say, and the word feels too small for what it was. “We talked. Ate. Didn’t get into a bar fight. That alone makes it a miracle.”
Korbin snorts, but it’s softer than usual. “She seemed okay? After… what happened?”
My chest tightens. He doesn’t say the word attack, but it hangs there anyway.
“Yeah,” I tell him. “Shaken up, but she’s tough. Talked to security. Got escorted back to her car. Tonight she was…” I search for the right word. “Brave.”
Milton watches me, something complicated flickering behind his eyes. “You kiss her?” he asks, half-teasing, half-genuine curiosity.
I could lie. But if tonight has taught me anything, it’s that I don’t want lies anywhere near this.
“Yeah,” I say quietly. “I did.”
His throat works as he swallows. A small, crooked smile tugs at his mouth. “Bet it was good.”
My mind flashes back to the feel of her pressed against me, her fingers in my shirt, the way she tasted like mint and fresh green tea.
“Yeah,” I say again, voice lower. “It was.”
Korbin looks away, jaw flexing, like he’s fighting with himself. “Just… don’t hurt her, okay?” he mutters. “She doesn’t deserve another asshole making her pay for shit that isn’t her fault.”
It’s the closest thing to approval I’m going to get from him, and we both know it.
“I won’t,” I say, with no hesitation. “I swear.”
He gives a short nod, like he’s accepting terms of a deal he never wanted to make, then turns his attention back to the TV.
Milton nudges my leg with his foot. “Text her,” he says. “Tell her you got home safe. Girls like that shit.”
I roll my eyes, but I’m already reaching for my phone.
Me: Home. Had an amazing time tonight.
Three dots appear almost instantly.
Bayleigh: Me too.
Bayleigh: And the kiss was… pretty great.
That grin I thought had finally worn off snaps right back into place.
Me: Pretty great? Just pretty?
Bayleigh: Don’t get cocky, Scorpion boy.
Bayleigh: …Okay. It was really great.
I bite back a laugh, toss the phone lightly in my hand, then clutch it to my chest for one ridiculous second, staring at the ceiling.
She’s not just a crush. Not just a distraction. She’s the first thing in a long time that feels like it could actually be mine. Rivalries. History. Scent matches. All of it can wait. Because right now, all I know for sure is this:
Bayleigh Lennox kissed me back. And I’m not about to stop chasing that feeling.