Lynne Marshall - Her Perfect Proposal

“Oh. Sorry,” she said, flush-faced, removing it and handing it to him.

Her hair stuck out every which way, and it made her look even cuter. He didn’t want to humiliate her, so he held back his grin, only letting one side of his mouth hitch upward the tiniest bit. He tried his best to make eye contact, but hers darted around as if planning a major escape.

What had happened to the bravado lady at the bar, the one who he could have sworn almost kissed him after one particularly successful shot?

Not wanting to make her uncomfortable, he backed off. He may be knocked out by the feisty Asian beauty, but the last thing he’d ever do was push himself on her. Or any lady. Hell, if history repeated itself, women always returned to Gunnar. He’d wait for her to come to her senses and make the next move, even though he wasn’t supposed to be doing that anymore.

“Okay,” he said. “So I’ll see you around, I guess.”

“Sure thing.” Her expression turned all earnest and he braced for something awkward to happen, like an apology, but something much better than that came next.

Lilly went up on tiptoes, hands balanced on his shoulders, and bussed his cheek—his reward for being a gentleman. He thought he’d been kissed by a butterfly and liked the way tiny eyelash-type flutters marked the spot. It surprised him.

She must have picked up on that “something more” reflex she’d caused, because he stole a glance into her eyes and an open book of responses filled him in on the rest of the story. She was interested. Very interested.

So was he, and he was damn sure she could figure that out. For a few breathy moments they stayed staring under the light of the street lamp, trying to read each other. He could still detect her fresh and flowery perfume, and resisted taking a deep inhale.

Having spent the better part of the evening in Lilly’s company, he’d already understood she liked to take the lead with questions, pool and drinking. If he read her right, and he liked to think that being a policeman had taught him how to read people, she’d prefer to make the next move. So he waited, counting out a few more breaths while taking a little excursion around her intelligent and thoughtful eyes...and getting lost. Her creamy skin contrasted the dark, straight hair and meticulously shaped eyebrows. And those eyes...

She wrapped her hands around his neck and drew him close. Her fingers cool on his skin, and with a twinkling glint in her night-like eyes, she carefully touched her mouth to his and kissed him as if she meant it. Her small but well-padded lips, soft and smooth, fit over his in petite perfection.

Beyond pleasantly surprised, he inhaled, catching that fresh scent again, found her waist and tightened his grip. The kiss felt right on-target and he liked that. Boy, oh boy, did he like it. His stout and her pale ale complimented each other perfectly as their tongues managed a quick touch here and there before going for more exploration.

Not stopping there, his hands cupped her face, his thumbs stroking those creamy cheeks, and he kissed her lips, the delicate skin beneath her eyes, her neck, cheeks and ear. He brushed her jaw with his beard stubble, sending shock waves along his skin, driving his reaction inward and starting a slow burn. Not wanting to overpower her, since the kiss had been her idea, he let up the slightest bit, but pulled her body closer. She settled into his embrace, curled up and stayed there for several long tantalizing moments, basking as he planted more soft-lipped kisses on the top of her head, along her hair, the shell of her ear.

She let him kiss wherever he wanted, so he went back to her mouth.

It didn’t feel like a first kiss. Nope. This felt more like a kiss that had been waiting a long time to be born and today was the day the right two people made it happen.

She tilted her head upward and their lips met again. Could she read his thoughts?

Things were working out just fine. He really liked his theory about the kiss taking on a life of its own, so he just went along with the sexy thrill...

Until she stopped kissing him.

“I’m sorry I got tipsy and that you had to give me a ride home.”

He’d been so swept up in the moment he hadn’t realized she’d been multitasking, kissing and thinking. And she’d finally gotten into her apology.

“You are? Because I’m really liking how things’ve turned out.”

She gave a gentle-lipped smile, her arms edging away from his neck. “The fresh air’s helped a lot. Oh, and thank you for not taking advantage of me.”

“Would never do that.” He wanted to make it clear he wasn’t anything close to smarmy if that was what she thought. He wasn’t that guy, not like his father, who’d say one thing then do another, and never would be.

Her gaze shifted from his chest to his eyes and registered some kind of sincerity. “I’m very grateful for that.” They stared at each other for a couple more beats of his pulse, which was definitely thumping stronger than usual.

“I don’t know what kind of guys they raise in your neck of the woods, but we’re a mostly honorable bunch here.”

“Good to know. Like I said, sorry for getting tipsy back there.”

He liked looking at her pointy chin and long, smooth throat, and it made it hard for him to read the moment. Was she cooling off? “Don’t worry about anything. You were fine.”

“I don’t want you to get the wrong impression about me.”

“I haven’t and wouldn’t.”

“Thanks.”

“But maybe stay out of bars for a while.” He thought a little teasing might loosen her up again. “Keep your nose clean. Stay under the radar.” He disengaged his hands from her small hips and used one to demonstrate flying under the radar.

“Hey, I’m an adult, remember?” She’d taken it good-naturedly. “And I didn’t exactly make a fool out of myself.”

“In the bar or just now?”

She nailed him with a disapproving stare. “I’m an emancipated woman and I kiss whomever I want, wherever I want.”

“Got it. In fact, you can do it again if you want.”

He’d done his job, made her laugh against her will. “Let’s make the next one a rain check, okay? I’m all kissed out for tonight.”

All kissed out? They’d just gotten started. Maybe she wasn’t as turned on as he’d hoped.

At least she’d said “the next one.” Yeah, that was the spirit. “Definitely.” He went along with the distancing process because he sensed she needed it, and underplayed his honest-to-goodness disappointment. Anything to make her comfortable with the fact she’d laid a pretty spectacular kiss on him right there in front of the Heritage Hotel entrance, yet didn’t want to take things any further. “Your reputation’s safe with me.”

“My reputation is just fine, thank you very much.”

Usually, after a kiss like that, the ladies invited him in, and even though she’d just asked for a rain check on the next one, she’d gotten her feathers ruffled over his playful comment, and it puzzled him. Maybe that’s all he could expect from a lady who was supposed to be a thoracic surgeon but hated the sight of blood.

Gunnar had a strong hunch getting invited into her hotel room wasn’t going to happen with Lilly the jaywalking journalist anytime soon. He wanted to let her know it was okay. He was fine with taking things slow. Especially if he could look forward to more spectacular kisses like that.

“Write some good stories for the newspaper, and no one will remember your pool-hall days.” Her head shot up. “You didn’t think I knew that, did you?”

Those pretty brown eyes lit up. “How did you know?”

Of course he knew she was a reporter. Hell, with all those questions about hush-hush meetings he’d have to be a damn fool not to figure it out. The lady wanted to know the secret so she could blab it all over the newspaper before the committee decided how best to handle things.