Page 80 of Heartbreak & Cupcakes
“No, I know. I wasn’t saying that you would ever...I’m just...” This was the other issue I had. It seemed whatever the chip was that filtered your thoughts from coming out of your mouth, I was missing it. It got me into trouble more times than not. “Look at all the women who were at the event tonight that were so obviously vying for your attention. They are allsobeautiful.”
“You are beautiful,” he rasped.
When he said it I almost believed him. The heat of his stare, the growl in his voice, had me warming up from the inside out. I could feel my cheeks flush under his attention. He’d just said that I was beautiful, not proclaimed his undying love. There was no need to go full-on Scarlett O’Hara swoon.
I grinned, trying to make light of his compliment. “It took a team of people to make me look like this.”
“I’m not talking about tonight. The first time I saw you…” he inhaled and closed his eyes as if he was having a difficult time expressing himself. When he opened his lids, his stare was so intense it sucked all the oxygen from my lungs. “…I forgot where I was…what I was doing. Nothing else existed. I couldn’t think. I couldn’t speak.” He lifted his hand and brushed a rogue strand of hair that had been giving me trouble all night off my forehead and tucked it behind my ear. The roughened pads of his fingertips grazed the shell of my ear and a shock of bliss exploded low in my belly. “I still have trouble finding words when you’re around.”
If I’d thought thebeautifulcomment was swoon-worthy, what he’d just said was knock-my-romantic-socks off, epic love story level declaration.
Was this actually happening?
Had I passed out because the dress was too tight and was actually lying on the floor unconscious?
Was this a dream? It had to be.
I swallowed, suddenly aware of just how difficult that was to do when choking with lust. “I noticed you, too.”
Duh.Could I have stated something more obvious? Of course, I noticed him. Everyone noticed him.
I took a breath and tried again. “I looked forward to seeing you every day.”
He seemed just as surprised as I’d been at him saying he’d noticed me. “You did?”
“Yes.” He stared at me as if he was expecting me to say more. Which, unfortunately, I did because of that dang missing filter chip. “I used to wonder, every day, if I’d have a Mr. Smolder sighting.” As soon as the admission left my lips, I wished that I could suck it back in. Or that I had a time machine that could travel back thirty seconds and I could put my hand over my mouth. “Before I knew your name, I called you Mr. Smolder.”
My explanation did nothing to extinguish the flames of embarrassment heating my cheeks.
“Sorry.” I shut my eyes as humiliation swept over me and I blurted out another shortcoming. “Besides being a glass-half-full girl, I also tend to not have a filter.”
“I like that about you. I like that you say exactly what you’re thinking.”
I peeked my eyes open hopefully. “You do?”
He nodded and took a step toward me. “What are you thinking right now?”
I shook my head. “You don’t want to know.”
“Yes, I do.”
His gaze dropped to my lips and apparently, that was all the encouragement I needed because I heard myself admitting, “I’m thinking that I want you to kiss me.”
Had I actually just said that out loud?
Yep. That was me.
I waited for his response. Was he going to laugh at me? Was he going to be shocked and offended? Was he going to let me down easy?
So many options were playing out in my head and none of them were great.
“Iwantto kiss you.”
His response caused my hormones to throw a ticker tape parade. Tiny pieces of arousal confetti were whipping around my body in a snowstorm-like flurry. “You do?”
He nodded and lifted his hand to cup my jaw. “But I need you to know that’s all it can be. I can’t give you any more than that. I can’t offer you what you deserve.”
“What do I deserve?” I wasn’t being coy. I was honestly curious about what he thought I deserved.
