Page 34

"That no one has ever kissed me the way you do…"

"What are you feeling?" She nudged my chin up again and I realized I'd dropped my gaze for a moment.

I grew quiet while I attempted to formulate my answer. How could I tell her how I felt? What I wanted? My fingers toyed with the button of her blouse as I feared her moving away.

"That I like when you're close to me," I managed, and her hands lowered to stroke my arms.

"I enjoy being close to you very much." She placed a soft kiss on my forehead and I nearly melted on the spot. "Can I hug you?"

"Yes," I said, braver than before, and chuckled when she pulled me into a hug. I wrapped my arms around her and brushed my lips over the curve of her shoulder. Her arms encircled me, and the heat of her body soothed our connection. A soft sigh left me, and the buzzing ache of anxiety in my sternum faded when she squeezed me.

Samirah's lips grazed the space below my ear before she kissed it. "How about we settle on the sofa together under a cozy blanket while indulging in wine and dessert?"

"I'd like that," I said, leaning back when she did, my knees weaker than before. "What can I do to help?"

Samirah brushed her knuckles over my cheek. "Watch me."

"Watch you?" My brow furrowed and I searched her expression for clarity.

"Get comfy on the sofa and watch me as I pour us some wine, then bring everything to the living room," she said, gesturing to the sofa.

"You...want me to do that?"

She nodded as a smile curved her plump lips that I ached to kiss again. "I do."

"Why?"

"Because I really like the way you look at me," she confessed, and tucked my hair behind my ears. "Will you do that?"

"I'll watch you. But I feel like I should be helping." I twirled a tendril of her hair around my finger, noting how the two of us shared an affinity for each other's hair. Her thick, dark, silky strands weren't anything like mine.

"You can work on allowing someone to do something just for you, while I work on accepting that someone can look at me the way you do," she said, her voice soft. "How's that?"

"Meaningful," I agreed, nodding as we parted. I headed to the sofa, and sat on my knees while I gazed at her from over the back of it.

Samirah smiled at me, her eyes twinkling in the bright kitchen light as she poured two glasses of Riesling, then opened the bakery box to set the pastries on a small tray. The way she moved, with precision and grace, melted my insides and made me wonder what she looked like while at work. Did her feet sweep the floor while she wore scrubs and sneakers the same way they did in tight jeans and soft socks? Probably not. A scrub top wouldn't do her figure justice like her blouse. I leaned my chin on my hand and she let out a small laugh.

"You're so cute. Like a tiny little fairy I could pluck from a tree branch to kiss," she said, her grin broadening. "Did you know?"

"What kind of fairy?" I couldn't wipe the smile from my face while I listened to her.

"A nature fairy who spends most of her time illuminating the woods with her tiny spheres of light. They're shy and keep away from humans. Mainly interacting with animals and plant life. You're the type of fairy that, if I were lost in the woods, you'd help me to safety, but you'd keep hidden behind the trees to make sure you could trust me to keep your secrets." Her story left her lips while she carried first the wine, then the pastries to the coffee table. "I think your fairy color would be lavender."

"Your Irish is showing, Sam." I snickered when she dropped down to sit across from me.

"My daddy taught me all about the fairies so that I could pluck you from your hiding spot." She wiggled her fingers at me as if threatening a tickle and I squeaked, holding my hands up in front of me. "Just your reaction alone tells me you're ticklish."

"I am." I laughed and grabbed her hands before she could go any further. Her amusement matched mine and she brought my hands to her lips for a kiss.

"Me too. But only in some places."

"If I'm a fairy, what does that make you?" I asked, then looked at my feet when she pointed at my boots.

"A genie," she said. "Taking off shoes makes couch cuddling easier, you know."

"Does it?" I chuckled and pulled my knees up to unzip each boot before setting them on the floor. "My socks are purple. Maybe your fairy color was right."

"See?" She snickered and nipped my cheek before lifting a small éclair from the pastry tray.