needed to see you,” he said in a rush, trying to sound nonchalant and failing miserably. He stood there staring at me, relief clearly flooding his face. I could tell he was holding something back, but I was in such shock, I didn’t even care. I had to will myself not to reach out and touch him and prove to myself that he was really there. As thrilled as I was, though, I was equally baffled by the expression on his face. I had no idea what to think, but I was glad that he was there… whatever his reasons were. I had been on edge since my conversation with Tony, and there was something about seeing Kane’s face that made me feel safe.
“You want to come in for a drink or something?” I offered.
“Sure. You got a beer?” he responded as he walked into the room and closed the door behind him.
“Yeah, let me go grab us one. Just make yourself comfortable,” I said before turning towards the kitchen.
When I returned, he was sitting on the sofa, his eyes glued to me as I walked over and handed him the cold beer.
“Is everything okay, Kane?” I asked again as I sat down beside him.
He looked over to me and said, “Yeah… everything’s fine now.”
“Well, good. I guess,” I replied with a confused nod. “So, do you want to watch a movie or something?” I asked.
“I could watch something,” he said with a slight smile. I was relieved to see him start to relax.
I picked up the remote and started flipping through the movie channels, trying to find something I thought he might like. I got flustered because I had no idea what to pick, so I finally gave up and handed it over to him. “Here, see if you can find something.”
He scrolled through several channels before stopping on some old thriller I’d seen several times before but couldn’t remember the name of. “Is this the one where the boyfriend goes nuts and tries to kill her family?” I asked.
“No idea, but it has Mark Wahlberg in it, so it can’t be all bad.”
As we watched the movie, I nervously fiddled with the label on my beer bottle. The butterflies in my stomach went wild every time I looked over in his direction. I still wasn’t sure what had brought him over, and I was feeling a little insecure.
“I’m glad you’re here. It’s a nice surprise. I’ve, umm… I’ve been thinking about you,” I confessed.
“Is that right? And what exactly have you been thinking about me?” he asked with his eyebrow cocked high.
Color rushed to my cheeks as his attention turned to me. “Just… you know, it was nice getting to meet you after all of our messages. I was relieved that you weren’t some psycho just trying to get into my pants.”
“No one said I wasn’t trying to get into your pants, All-Star.”
“Oh, really?” I asked playfully. I was teasing, but a part of me was curious to see what he would do.
“Yeah… really,” he whispered. A thrill shot through me, and I couldn’t stop the mischievous grin that spread across my face.
He brought his hands up and rested his palms against my cheeks, slowly brushing his calloused thumb across my skin. He looked at me for what seemed like an eternity. Damn. There was something about him that made my body tremble with need, and having his body so close to mine was enough to send me over the edge. I watched in wonder as he lowered his perfect mouth down to mine, kissing me softly… so gentle and sweet. His scent circled around me, a mix of cologne and fresh leather. Just being close to him enthralled all of my senses.
I couldn’t resist him, even if I wanted to. His pull was too strong… I was falling for him, and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do to stop it. As soon as I brought my hands up to his chest, the kiss changed, becoming more intense and heated. Goosebumps swept across my flesh as he delved further into my mouth, exploring every inch with his tongue. His fingers dug into my hips as he pulled me closer to him, forcing a light moan to vibrate through my chest. The