Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
rowan
“So, how about that coffee?” I ask Claire when we make it back to the waiting room.
She bites her lip. “Guess I could use the caffeine boost, since it looks like I’ll be up all night.”
I clear my throat and try to ignore the fluttering in my stomach as I direct her toward the hospital cafeteria.
My heart quickens when I guide her around the corners with my hand over the small of her back, and she glances up at me with a coy smile while the machine groans and releases a trickle of coffee into a cheap paper cup.
I gesture toward the sugar packets and creamer cups, but she shakes her head.
“It’s no Starbucks,” I admit, bringing our cups over to an empty table.
“Community Coffee’s better, anyway. But all that matters right now is that it’s hot.” She shivers as soon as her hands wrap around the cup.
“I’m sorry you’re so cold,” I tell her. “I promise I’ll get you that jacket as soon as Tiana picks us up.”
“And you said this wouldn’t be romantic?” she poses with a smirk before leaning over to blow on her coffee, giving me an exemplary view.
I blink lazily at the sight of her pursed lips and her shapely figure, her sun-kissed skin a beautiful contrast to the deep plum of her dress and the hair cascading over her shoulders a near-perfect match to the coffee in her cup.
I know I should look away, that it’s wrong to objectify her like this, but I can’t stop myself from indulging.
Her eyes drift up to mine, catching me in the act, and my pulse throbs in my ears as I wait for her to call me out.
Instead, she holds my gaze as she straightens and takes a sip, the lipstick stain she leaves on the rim making me wish I were that paper cup.
And I’m starting to worry she’s actually capable of giving me a cardiac arrhythmia or a neural disruption.
“How are you feeling, Benadryl Boy?” she rasps after a while.
“Warm,” I say without thinking. “And a little tingly.”
She laughs, and so do I.
“You’d better get some of that coffee in you before the pink drink takes over. Otherwise, I’ll be forced to track down this Dr. Reed and have him take you home instead.”
“I’d much rather a bedtime story from you,” I mumble and take an obedient sip, sighing when the caffeine works its way through my system. She watches me carefully, looking amused.
I’ve never been much of a drinker, and I’ve certainly never done drugs, but this blend of medication and Claire’s attention is giving me the best buzz I’ve ever had.
Then again, maybe that’s her phone vibrating on the table.
“Tiana’s here,” she announces, and we chug the rest of the coffee and make our way outside, this time with Claire leading me by the hand.
“So, how’s it going?” Tiana intones as soon as I lower myself into the back seat.
“Warm and tingly,” Claire answers for us, and I squint an eye when Tiana squeals too loudly.
I find my jacket from earlier and drape it over Claire’s shoulders. She looks really, really pretty when she says thank you.
The car lurches forward while Claire and Tiana start chatting, their voices mingling in a way that makes it hard for me to follow. I glance down and notice Claire’s palm resting in the space between us, and I cover it with my own.
“I like holding your hand,” I whisper, and she turns to smirk at me while Tiana keeps talking. She flips her hand over beneath mine and interlaces our fingers. It makes me smile.
“Looks like I’ll have to drop you off a few blocks away from that pharmacy,” Tiana announces after a while, her voice sounding clearer than it had a few minutes ago.
“Are you okay to walk?” Claire turns to ask me, squeezing my hand.
I blink at her. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
“You sure? You’re looking a little glossy-eyed,” she muses.
I straighten and tug my hand free, realizing I can add “being a lightweight” to my list of emasculating moments tonight. “I’m good. The coffee helped.”
“Wait, is that it?” Tiana protests as Claire and I step out of the back seat.
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“She saves your life and spends the past couple hours by your side in the ER, you’ve got sparks flying between all the whispering and the handholding and the gazing, and you still haven’t kissed her yet? What are you waiting for?”
Claire snorts, and I realize I’m frowning. “To be fair, this isn’t exactly a real date,” I grumble defensively.
“Dude, this whole situation is one big rom-com meet-cute!” Tiana cries out. “Just kiss her already!”
“She doesn’t want me to kiss her now, not while I’m covered in hives and hospital germs,” I argue, turning my eyes back to Claire’s. But the way her shoulders sag and she bites her lip as she looks away seems to disprove my claim. “Right?” I add low enough so that only Claire hears.
She shrugs and crosses her arms over her middle before she looks up at me. “I don’t want to be kissed by someone who doesn’t want to kiss me, that’s for shit sure.”
“But I—I never said … I didn’t mean …” I trail off as I consider my next move. Do I want to kiss Claire?
My gaze zeroes in on her mouth and roams over her barely parted lips, and a very telling surge of heat courses through me. The diphenhydramine may have gotten the best of me for a minute, but I certainly don’t need to worry about the long-term side effects of those vasoconstrictors around her.
Okay, so I definitely want to kiss Claire, but that doesn’t mean I should kiss her. Because I shouldn’t be kissing any woman unless there’s real potential for us in the future, and Claire is most likely a dead end.
Then again, procreation is a pretty vital function of marriage, at least for me, and it’s not like I haven’t used kissing to vet my dates for compatibility in the past.
I clear my throat, considering the possibilities with the woman in front of me.
She may not be a great candidate on paper, but she’s already garnering a better physical reaction from me than my last few dates, maybe even better than anyone I can remember.
And since kissing the others helped me determine we weren’t well-suited, I should probably kiss Claire, too, even if only to make absolutely certain I can rule her out.
I take a step closer and reach for her arm before I attempt to speak again. “Then, would it be okay—”
“Not if that’s how you’re asking,” Claire interrupts me to declare with her chin lifted tauntingly. “In fact, I think I’m pretty transparent most of the time. So I’m gonna go ahead and say you shouldn’t have to ask at all.”
My heart quickens again, but I think it’s a fight-or-flight response this time.
Because she’s right—what a lame approach to the woman I’m practically dying to kiss, especially after she’s been so open and honest about her feelings.
And while my default move in this situation has always been flight, I think I want to stick it out and fight this time, for her.
Before I know it, my feet are moving of their own volition and taking her up on that dare. My arms are next, dragging her body flush with mine as I close my eyes and let my instincts take over completely.
Her hands fist into my shirt when I tip my head down to whisper beside her ear. “Fair enough. As much as I’d like to kiss you right now, you deserve to be kissed by a man who doesn’t have to question whether he’s earned it. And I don’t think I’ve done enough to earn a kiss from you just yet.”
The first thing I see when I open my eyes is her pulse thrumming beneath her skin, and she lets out a breathless sound as I graze my lips over the spot.
“Yeah. I should make you work for it,” she rasps, contradicting herself with the way she bends her neck to give me more room.
I swallow hard, practically salivating over her suggestion. Have I ever wondered what a woman tastes like before? Have I ever been this desperate to kiss anyone, much less a stranger?
My tongue involuntarily darts out to wet my lips, answering the question for me.
“You should,” I confirm, my voice deep and gravelly, and I brush my nose over her skin this time. She doesn’t smell like the artificial and overly floral perfumes I’m used to. Instead, her woodsy, smoky scent clouds my brain and somehow elicits a growl from my chest.
Who am I right now?
What is she doing to me? How is she so easily dismantling decades of practiced self-control? I watch her teeth sink into her bottom lip, and I grip her arms tightly, afraid I might combust.
“Are you even the kind of guy who kisses on the first date?” she whispers, the reminder knocking me back into reality.
I cringe and let out a quiet groan before dropping my forehead to her shoulder. “Don’t make me answer that,” I mumble, and she huffs out a laugh.
“Ugh, fine! Take it slow, then,” Tiana calls out mockingly. “But one of you better find me on Instagram later and give me an update. You owe it to me!”
I lift my head to find her pointing a finger at me. “Hey, I’m doing my best here, but I’m still working with a slight disadvantage,” I say and raise my hands in surrender.
Claire’s laugh grows bigger, and I beam at her as I absorb another scolding from Tiana. Eventually, our driver bids us a good night, leaving Claire and me alone on the sidewalk.
“Shall we?” I ask, gesturing in the direction of the pharmacy, and she nods before we begin walking in silence.
“Hold on, my feet are killing me,” she groans after the first few steps and pulls us to a stop, using my arm for leverage as she slips off her shoes.
“You’re not going barefooted out here?”
“I don’t have much choice, do I?”
“I’ll carry you,” I tell her, my stomach dipping at the prospect of her wrapping her arms around my neck while I lift her.
She frowns, obviously not finding the idea as exciting as I do. “No way. You’ll drop me.”
“I’m fine, I swear. But if it makes you feel better, you can ride on my back,” I offer.
“Have you seen how tight this dress is?” She opens my jacket to reveal her curves, and I gladly accept the invitation to peruse her body again.