Chapter 16 #3
“Yes. You!” I toss both my hands up, the purse smacking against the side of my face, but I go on, “You’re not who I thought, and I’m so happy to have been wrong.
Funny. Sweet. Considerate. Dorky in a sexy way.
A little unsure and totally confident about it, which doesn’t make sense, but it makes sense to me. But my life is messy and?—”
My mini-rant is silenced by Davis’s lips pressing against mine. His strong arms band around me, pulling me close. The way I melt into him is akin to ice cream left in the hot sun, and he licks up every last drop of my kisses.
“Did you mean to kiss me?” I pull back, a little breathless.
“Yeah… I hope that’s okay. I should have asked, first,” he murmurs as his palms rub slow, soothing circles down my spine.
“No… I liked it.” I smile. “But why did you kiss me?”
“You think I’m adorable.” Playfulness sparks in his ashen eyes. “And as adorable as I think you are, especially when you sputter like that, I thought kissing you would get you to stop spiraling.”
“Makes sense.” I lick my lips. “I may require more intervention, because I’m about to spiral again.”
“Gladly.” With an almost wicked grin, he takes my mouth.
Dropping the purse to the floor, my arms encircle his neck. Pleasure zings along my spine with the press of his body against me. Somehow, he’s both the coziest place to land and the sturdiest support all in one.
His kisses make me a little drunk. There’s no thought about anything but this moment.
No worry about my unfinished book, the wedding, or the three fictional men whose futures are wrapped up in mine.
In this moment, I submerge myself into the idea of just being with this very real man with no script of anything beyond right now.
“Yes,” I whimper as his hands slide down and curl around my backside.
“God, this ass. It’s featured heavily in my daydreams since Friday.” He squeezes, eliciting a little giggle from me. “Did you just giggle?”
“Maybe.”
He kisses below the shell of my ear. “I like that sound. I want to hear it again,” he murmurs, squeezing my backside again.
“Davis.” I bury my face against his chest to cover my giggles.
Blinking away the giddiness of this moment, I tip my head up. Our gazes meet in quiet debate. It would be so easy to just remain in his arms, letting go of all the responsibilities I have to my book boyfriends. To only think of my wants and needs with no concern for theirs.
“I am the worst.” I close my eyes and slosh a hard breath. “I just did it again.”
“In fairness, I think we both did it.”
Eyes now open, I straighten and lower my arms. He releases me and steps back.
A shiver jolts through me with the loss of my cozy spot in his arms. It’s cold in the shadow of what just happened. True to the queen of bad ideas crown I wear, there’s no regret about my impromptu public display of affection with Davis. The only regret I feel is that it can’t happen again.
“This isn’t fair to you. I shouldn’t have kissed you,” I say, wringing my hands.
His mouth quirks. “I kissed you first.”
“But I shouldn’t have kissed back.”
“Did you not like the kiss?”
“Quite the opposite.”
“And you said you like me. That I’m adorable,” he says, his kiss-swollen lips tick up into the boyish grin that makes my heart flutter.
“True.” I bite back the smile that wants to creep across my face.
“But you can’t be with anyone right now.” He sighs.
“I’m so sorry… God, I wish…” I clamp my mouth shut.
Wishing is what got me into this mess. If only I hadn’t made that wish, none of this would have happened.
Davis just would have been another bad date, and I’d still just be “Georgia” to him.
Only that Georgia wouldn’t have played with his emotions.
She also wouldn’t know the loveliness of being in his arms or the harmony of his laughter.
But this Georgia has responsibilities. Until those are met, I can’t give in to this. I can’t steal my book boyfriends’ happiness to secure my own.
“I don’t want to make you promises that I may not be able to keep,” I murmur.
It wouldn’t be fair to fall into something with Davis without any guarantee of a future. To do what his dad did to him, or Will did to me, make promises that aren’t kept.
“Friends?”
“What?” I arch one brow.
“Just because we can’t be together, doesn’t mean we can’t be friends?” A hopeful expression lights his face.
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea…” I bite my lower lip.
“Why not? I like you, and you like me. That’s pretty evident, but if it’s not the right time for more than friends, it’s not the right time. And it may never be, but it doesn’t mean we have to say goodbye to each other. We could be friends.”
“Friends…” I say the word slowly, as if putting on a pair of new shoes. They’re not the right fit, but I still want to wear them because a piece of Davis is better than none at all. “Friends, but of the non-kissing kind.”
“Good idea.” Smirking, he puts out his hand. “Friends.”
I take it. “Friends.”
“Why don’t you stay. Have dinner with us.” A coaxing expression fills his features. “We grabbed food from Café Amore. We got the mushroom risotto.”
“From their GF menu?” My gaze flicks to where my hand remains enfolded in his long fingers.
“ Yeah . Nan mentioned you’d be visiting, so I thought… Just in case you wanted to stay, you should have options.”
Oh god, trying to just be friends with this man may be the hardest thing I ever do.
But picking up my purse, saying goodbye, and getting on this elevator holds no allure for me.
Right now, I want to climb into his arms and forget all my promises to everyone, even the one to him that we could just be friends.
He lets go of my hand and bends to pick up my discarded purse. “Unless you need to get home to Wentworth.” He smiles, his voice a little quiet.
“Jackson is taking him to the park, so he’s good.
” I take my purse. “I could stay for a little bit. They do have the best risotto,” I add, as if Café Amore’s food is the only reason I’m staying.
Clearly, I’ve learned nothing and am still choosing to sit next to the flames.
My only hope is that I’m the only one who gets burned.