Page 26 of When the Walls Come Down
Laughing, I shook my head. “Y’all sound a lot like me and my family.”
I realized my slip before the sentence had fully escaped my mouth. I’d like to blame it on the wine and the exhaustion involved in being up way past my pathetic bedtime of ten, but the truth was, as much as I tried to deny it, I was from the South. Y’all was a necessary noun every now and again.
His eyes lit with mischief as he shoved off the counter. “Well, I’ll be, Peach,” he said with a cringeworthy Southern accent. “I thought you didn’t say ‘y’all.’”
I looked down at my glass, fighting back a grin. “Shut up. It slips sometimes.”
He prowled toward me. “I told you I liked it. Feel free to let it slip anytime you’d like.” I spread my thighs when he got close, and Shane slid between them, resting his hands on the counter on either side of me. “So, are you going to finish that last sip of wine, or do I need to start charging you rent?”
I laughed. “You kicking me out?”
“Not at all. But if you are staying, I feel like I should at least give you a tour of my apartment. Maybe put a note on your door for the movers that you mentioned were coming in the morning, letting them know you can be found next door.”
I let out a loud groan. The movers. Fuck.
With delay after delay, I’d been waiting for what felt like a million years to finally get my stuff. Specifically my bed so I could stop sleeping on the damn sofa. However, tipsy, wide awake, and damn near smitten, I would have done anything to postpone them for one more day.
I was out of options though. My new job started on Monday, and the majority of my clothes were packed in those boxes. If I was lucky, I might not have to wear the same skirt every day my first week. Though, thanks to Shane, I did know where to find a good dry cleaner in case of emergency.
Lifting my glass between us, I drained the last sip. “There. You happy now?”
His lips thinned as disappointment hit his face. “Not in the least. I was really looking forward to that tour, and I can’t even wow you with my expert penmanship without writing that note.”
The random shit Shane said.
No, wait. That wasn’t even the crazy part: The random shit he said somehow turned me on. I didn’t have a fetish for calligraphy or anything. But this guy—this quirky, say-anything, sarcastic guy—could make me laugh with nothing more than a pointed glance.
Yeah. He did things to me.
And I was hoping, with a little coaxing, I could do a few things to him too. I knew he was into me, but short of that shoulder kiss that had been ricocheting in my brain since it’d happened, he hadn’t made another move.
Subtle clearly wasn’t going to work with Shane.
Gripping the front of his shirt, I inched to the edge of the counter, my thighs hooking around his hips. “Can I tell you something serious? No bullshit. No jokes.”
He rumbled deep in the back of his throat and rested his hand high on my thigh. “I’m not sure. Is your smart mouth capable of that?”
I smiled and gave his shirt a tug, bringing us nose to nose. “Serious, Shane.”
“Right. Serious. Sorry.” He licked his lips. “I’m listening.”
I swallowed hard, my nerves suddenly breaking through the buzz of alcohol. “I had the most incredible time tonight. You’re funny and witty and sweet. I like how you don’t seem to realize how sexy you are, and you’re not afraid to make a joke at your own expense. I like that you bought me my mom’s favorite flower and the way you were concerned about whether I had a library card or not. I like that you can’t open a bottle of wine and that you called in your sister to help you make the most incredible spaghetti with tomato cream sauce because you remembered I said Italian food was my favorite. Most of all, I really like that I’ve known you for just over twenty-four hours now, and there hasn’t been a single minute of that time when I wasn’t thinking about you, spending time with you, or wishing that I was.”
“Maggie,” he breathed, his eyes heating.
My breathing shuddered, and I offered him a tight smile. “So, yeah. Since you seem to have missed all of the dear God, please kiss me vibes I’ve been throwing out all night, I’ve decided my best course of action is to just come right out and say it.” Looping my arm around his neck, I threaded my fingers into the back of his dark hair. I brushed my nose with his, ghosting my lips across his as I whispered, “Kiss me.”
