Page 97 of Always You (A Lilac Bay Novel)

I looked up at him through blurry eyes. “What stuff?”

“We don’t need to talk about that right now.”

I should have listened to him. Should have dropped it. But that same spark seemed to be dancing between us right now, the one I had felt in the alley that night. Only now, it didn’t really feel like anger.

“Why were you so upset about it? About me seeing him.”

He sighed, watching my face for a long moment. “You know why.”

“No, I don’t.”

“For the same reason that I kissed you in that stupid skit.”

“That was in the script.”

His eyebrow went up, a little hint of his smirking smile playing around his mouth. “Not the way I did it.”

“Andrew,” I whispered. I didn’t know what I was feeling, couldn’t even stop my thoughts from spinning. I felt like we were on the edge of something big and scary—so why was I so eager to jump? I had the sudden thought that I should be afraid right now. But the fear didn’t come.

He slid towards me a little on the couch. “Why were you so mad about Jill?”

I shook my head. “I don’t know.”

“I think you do.”

“I—”

His lips were on mine before I could even attempt to come up with an excuse. And they felt just the way they had on stage that day. Warm and strong and insistent and so very right.

Until he pulled away, and the entire room seemed to drop ten degrees in temperature.

“I shouldn’t have done that.”

Shouldn’t was just about the farthest thing from my mind. “Why not?”

He shook his head, his eyes intent on mine. “Because it’s the kind of thing that we can’t take back.”

I knew he had a point. I knew caution was the smart course, that there was way too much to lose by being reckless. But my mouth seemed to have a completely different agenda. “Maybe we won’t want to take it back.”

He swallowed, and I could see some struggle playing out on his face. “You’ve been drinking.”

“Not that much. I didn’t even finish my glass.”

He sucked in a deep gulp of air. “You don’t need to convince me, Riley,” he said, his eyes glued to my lips. “You just need to ask me.”

I didn’t pause to give it a second thought. “Kiss me, Andrew.”

And he did. He kissed me until I couldn’t breathe, until all thoughts of the show and my failure had been chased from my head.

“I think I get it now,” I whispered against his mouth.

“Get what?” His breathing was fast and ragged and it made me feel pretty damn amazing.

“Why you’re so popular with the ladies.”

He made a scathing sound in the back of his throat. “You know, I’m not nearly as promiscuous as you think I am.” I pulled back and raised my eyebrows. “You don’t have to look so incredulous,” he muttered. “It’s true.”

“Andrew, I’veseenyou.”