Page 27 of Reluctantly Yours

“What?” Barrett asks, his tone sharp.

“Now that the cat is out of the bag, you can kiss Chloe goodbye.” She smiles. “I don’t mind.”

“We’re not into public displays of affection,” he says. This conversation is surreal. No one’s even noticed that I’ve yet to say anything.

“That’s not what Marjorie’s stylist said.” JoAnna lifts her brows.

I think about all the affection I gave Barrett Saturday night based on following Frankie’s lead. The firmness of his thigh under my palm, the way his bicep flexed when I squeezed his arm, and how my hand smelled like his body wash after I rubbed the back of his neck.

“Besides, this isn’t public. It’s always proper form to kiss your special someone when you leave the room.” JoAnna’s voice is stern.

I’m standing very still, my hands clasped in front of my body. My legs are shaky, I’m barely holding it together here. I missed that last part. What’s proper form?

Barrett walks back the five feet to stand next to me. With one large hand on my lower back, he leans down to press his lips to my cheek. His lips are warm, but they’re a ghost of a touch against my skin.

“For goodness’ sake. Kiss her.”

Barrett grumbles under his breath, obviously displeased by the notion of placing his lips on mine. Which is completely fine, because that’s the last thing I want to do either. I get it, buddy, I’m right there with you.

But Barrett doesn’t back down from JoAnna’s prodding. Apparently, he’s not going to let something like his dislike for me stand in the way of playing out this farce. With one hand on my hip, his other hand reaches up to cradle my face. The pads of his fingers caress the shell of my ear and it causes a shiver to run through me. The air in my lungs escapes with a whoosh and before I can take another breath in, Barrett’s lips are on mine. It’s a soft, firm press, nothing more. That’s fine. It’s not real anyways.

But then something unexpected happens. Barrett’s thumb grazes the globe of my cheek bone, and his hand on my hip tightens.

I’m waiting for the kiss to end, for Barrett to retract his warm, firm lips so I can breathe. But Barrett’s lips dive in further, his fingertips applying firm pressure, causing me to lean into the kiss.

Time stops, but my need to breathe doesn’t. On a sharp inhale, I open my mouth.

It’s an invitation for air, but I get more than that. I get tongue. And what’s worse is I like it. Barrett’s tongue teases the seam of my mouth and I tease right back.

I don’t know how long it lasts, five seconds or five minutes, but when his lips retreat, I feel dizzy.

When my eyes open, Barrett’s face is right there. His hazel eyes, green with flecks of gold that I never noticed, studying me.

“I should go,” he says, his voice like gravel.

“Yup,” is all I can manage.

He releases me abruptly and I nearly fall backwards.

“Mother.” He nods in JoAnna’s direction before leaving me standing in the middle of her office.

When I turn to JoAnna, she’s smiling brilliantly.

“You two make an attractive couple. You always seemed to be at each other’s throats. Chemistry, I suppose it is.”

Her words flick on a light switch in my brain. There’s light now whereas before I was stumbling around in the dark trying to make sense of this situation. We’re a couple now. Wait a minute…

“JoAnna, will you excuse me a moment?”

“Of course.” She puts her glasses on and turns back to her computer, as if everything is settled and life can go on as usual.

While I arrived to work on nervous, shaky legs, now I feel like I could run a marathon. Adrenaline is flowing through my body. I tell myself it has nothing to do with Barrett’s kiss and everything to do with the situation he’s created.

The elevator ride to the building lobby is slow, but when the doors open, I manage to skitter out just in time to see Barrett exiting the front doors.

* * *

Barrett