Page 51 of The Payback Adventure
“I forgot.”
Henry studied her. The circles under her eyes were less noticeable. The rosy glow on her cheeks made her look younger. She was smiling and radiant. Telling her to go out had been the right thing, even if her date was with Gabe.
“How were the kids?” she asked.
“Great.”
She arched a brow. “Even Sam?”
“Especially Sam. He enjoyed the game system I rented. We played after the girls went to bed.”
“I wasn’t sure about you renting that, but it was thoughtful of you to get something Sam would enjoy.”
“He did and beat me badly,” Henry admitted ruefully. “How was your date?”
His jaw clenched. He hadn’t meant to ask, but he was…curious. He sat on the couch.
“It wasn’t really a date.”
Good news. Great, actually. Though he realized whatever she called tonight shouldn’t have mattered. “What did you do?”
“We drove to Dundee for dinner. It was a great place neither of us had ever been to. The food was delicious. Then we went to The Vine to hear a new band. They were good but loud.” She sat next to Henry. “The evening was nice. Gabe treated me like a princess.”
Henry’s hands clenched. “You deserve to be treated like a princess.”
By me. Not him.
“Did he kiss you?” The words rushed out before Henry could stop them.
“Gabe kisses everyone.”
So did Henry. That was a red flag.
His gut told him Gabe Logan was not the man for Elisabeth. Henry had already decided not to play matchmaker, so finding someone else wasn’t an option. What else could he do? He rubbed his chin.
“You okay?” she asked.
“Fine. I’m just fine.”
“Me, too.” Her smile reached her eyes. “Thanks for suggesting I go out. I needed it more than I realized.”
“I’m happy you had fun.” But he wasn’t happy. Not really. And that bugged him. He was her friend, her fairy godfather, and he should be happy she’d enjoyed herself. She had needed tonight. She needed more.And if it turns out she needs Gabe—
She leaned forward and kissed Henry. On the lips. Hard.
She tasted like wine and chocolate. His heart slammed against his chest.
Wanting this kiss was wrong. He didn’t care. Because it felt right. And he wanted more of her kisses and more of her.
He was crossing the line and had jumped without a thought. But she’d been the one to initiate the kiss. Not him. This was her doing. Not his.
And he enjoyed kissing her. A lot.
Still, he held back. Somehow, he managed not to touch her anywhere except on the lips. It wasn’t nearly enough, but that was all he dared.
Achingly, the kiss came to an end.
A slow smile spread over her face. “I thought so.”
