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Sebastian’s eyes widened. “Never?”
“I mean, I was a bit of a tomboy growing up, so boys didn’t see me that way, I guess. I’ve had boyfriends now and then, but most were just casual, and we were more friends than anything else. None I ever wanted something serious with.” Her eyes widened this time, and she began stumbling over her words. “Not that … I wasn’t saying you and I …”
He started to chuckle as she lowered her head and looked down at the ground.
“This is coming out all wrong,” she muttered.
He touched her chin with the tip of his index finger and lifted her face until their eyes met. “It sounds just fine to me.”
“Tonight was wonderful.” The combination of light from the moon and the nearby streetlight sparkled in her eyes.
“It was. And I’d like more wonderful moments with you.” His pulse stuttered as he settled his hands on her waist then slid them around her, his fingertips pressing into her back as he drew her close.
She smiled up at him. “Me too.”
“Starting right now.” He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers, soft and gentle. Having her in his arms felt incredible, and the soft sigh she made when he deepened the kiss sent a thrill through him. He was kissing Genevieve. And she liked him as much as he liked her.
But there was still this little nagging in the back of his mind. She liked him. He was certain of that now. He knew he could trust her. And the regatta was getting closer and closer. It was time to tell her the truth. He had to come clean and just pray that she would forgive him.
When their lips parted, she lay her head on his chest, and he held her close. He never wanted to let her go. He rested his chin on the top of her head, terrified of how she would react when he told her what he’d been dreading telling her for weeks.
“There’s something I have to tell you,” he forced himself to say.
She lifted her head and gazed up at him. So hopeful, with that same captivated look as earlier.
“Uh …”
The blood began coursing through his veins, his palms were suddenly sweaty, and his stomach was tied in knots. What if she never forgave him? Now that he’d held her in his arms and tasted her sweet kisses, how could he ever go back to a life without her? Panic shot through his body, and he froze. As much as he tried to will himself to speak, the right words would not come.
“What is it?” she asked, her forehead creased with concern.
“We should fill out the paperwork to disclose our dating relationship to Human Resources,” he blurted.
She got a little twinkle in her eyes. “So this means we’re dating then?”
Feeling like a failure and a fraud, he leaned in slowly, placed a soft kiss on her cheek, and whispered, “If that’s what you want.”
She smiled and nodded. “Is it what you want?”
“More than anything.”
She threw her arms around his neck and gazed into his eyes. “I wasn’t expecting to find you, Kurtis Fraser, but now that I have, I’m not letting you go.”
He wrapped his arms tightly around her back and hugged her close. He felt exactly the same way, but hearing a name that wasn’t his come from her lips broke his heart. The guilt and regret were so great now, he was drowning in them.
But if he told her the truth, would she ever look at him the way she had tonight? Would she ever be able to call him Sebastian without remembering his lies? She’d made it clear that honesty was important to her, that she had no respect for liars.
A sudden realization hit him over the head. He’d just suggested signing a form at work to disclose their relationship. She would expect him to sign it as Kurtis Fraser, even though there was no employee by that name at Schultz Chocolate. At this point, he knew he was totally screwed.
TWENTY-TWO
Do you really have to go?” Genevieve hated the thought of being without Kurtis for ten days.
“I do. This trip has been planned for a while now.” He came up behind where she was standing by her office window and slid his arms around her waist. “But I don’t know if I can stand being away from you for ten days.”
The whisper of his breath against her neck caused her to shiver, but not because she was cold. She turned in his arms and rested her forearms on his shoulders as her fingertips slid into the hair at the base of his neck. “Me neither.”
He leaned into her, pressing her back against the glass, as his mouth descended on hers.