One Little Kiss (Smart Cupid)

by Maggie Kelley

  His hand at her hip drew her closer. She looked up, and he was gazing down at her as if she, not the temple, was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. Her heart did an inappropriate flutter, kicking up a notch at the memory of the way he kissed. But he was leaving in two days. Two days. She bit down on her lip. And yet, her crazy, super-sized heart still wished for more.

  Smiling up at him, she took his hand. “Come with me.”

  Together they walked into the main sanctuary, where an enormous golden seated Buddha looked over the wooden benches. To the right, several visitors milled around a small shrine of boxes filled with scrolls of white paper. “Do you have a dollar?” she whispered.

  “A dollar?”

  “For a fortune.”

  He reached into his back pocket. “I don’t believe in fortune-telling.”

  “For a therapist, you are remarkably grounded.”

  He handed her a twenty. “For an independent woman, you are remarkably light on cash.”

  “Credit is easier,” she said, noting the twenty. “This is too much.”

  “Consider it a donation to the upkeep of the temple.” He pressed the money into her hand. “You need to carry some cash. For safety purposes.”

  Kate smiled up at him before sliding the donation into the box. “You really are a boy scout. Okay, now, close your eyes and pick one of the o-mikuji. ”

  “The o-mikuji?”

  A soft laugh escaped her. “O-mikuji,” she repeated. “Unrolling the paper reveals the fortune written on it, but you can’t think too much. The random quality is purposeful. Simply choose one.”

  With a skeptical expression on his heartbreakingly handsome face, he pulled a scroll from the box nearest the bell. She reached into a different box, selected an o-mikuji, and took his hand to lead him into a quiet corner. “Go ahead, open it,” she said in a hushed voice.

  Jake unraveled the scroll to reveal two Chinese letters. Kate peeked over his shoulder and pointed at the symbols. “The first one is a blessing. The second defines your fortunes regarding specific aspects of your life. You’ve received a half blessing in the area of tabidachi, which is travel.”

  His eyes narrowed. “And what about you? What is your fortune?”

  “I thought you didn’t believe in fortunes.” Kate slanted him a look of anticipation and unrolled the paper as her heart fluttered with a kind of hopeful expectation. Never failed. She loved this place. He slipped his arm around her waist, and the warmth of his hands at her hips sent a different kind of hopeful expectation through the southern regions of her body. Behind her now, he looked down at the paper, waiting for her translation. “Well, mine is a great blessing…” Her voice trailed off, nearly a whisper. “For the fulfillment of my negaigoto. My dearest wish. My desire.”

  His strong fingers tightened at her hips, angling her closer, and moved them deeper into the corner. She turned slowly in his arms. The shadows of this hidden corner played across his handsome face. He opened his mouth to speak, but she pressed her fingers to his lips. Maybe the heady scent of incense was making her light-headed, but she wanted to kiss him. Now. Right now. In this beautiful, sacred place, knowing it was as close to a promise as she’d get from this gorgeous man. She reached up and brought his lips down to hers, kissing him like she wanted him to know her wish. Like she wanted him to understand how much she desired him. Trusted him. Her lips moved over his, tender and yielding as he returned the kiss, giving as much as taking. Kate poured everything into that kiss, everything she couldn’t say, knowing he’d be leaving. But not knowing how she’d be able to let him go a second time. She drew away slowly, lingering in that kiss, a kiss she knew she’d never forget.

  Yeah, he wasn’t offering love. But she knew who she was. Where she was. What she had. And this—he—was pretty good.

  She just wondered if this would be enough.

  “Thank you,” she said, her breath heated and shallow, “for coming here with me.”

  An uncertain expression imprinted on his heartbreakingly handsome face, and he took her face in his hands. “Heck of a wish,” he whispered.

  Kate grinned up at him. “Heck of a wish.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  As Jake climbed the endless stairs from the sidewalk up to Kate’s walk-up apartment, the same question that had been on his mind all day muscled its way back to the forefront. What the hell am I doing? He was an island guy. She was a city girl. Relationships were her deal. He’d already tried and failed. But every minute of the day with her had been amazing. Interesting and challenging and fun. And every time he kissed her, she felt less like a friend—benefits or no benefits—and more like, hell, he didn’t know…a woman he could love.

  Which was bullshit, because he was incapable of love. Especially the kind a woman like Kate Bell needed. How had she described it? Star-spangled, bell-ringing love.

  Of course, she’d been heavily influenced by martinis at the time, but still. He was pretty sure she meant it. And after that kiss in the temple. He paused to check how many more flights he had to go and tried to shake off the memory, but that was one hell of a kiss. Sexy, yes. Illicit even, but more. Deeper. More than a simple benefit.

  Shit. This was not him. He was a guy incapable of succeeding in a long-term relationship. Emotionally closed off. Uninterested. Whatever the reason. He stopped to look up. Two more flights to go. Damn, August in the city is hot.

  Maybe that was the answer. The city. Back here. Spending time with her in his old haunts. Now he was in Brooklyn. Just an emotional roller coaster. He felt sure of it. He’d wrap up a plan for marketing the book. She’d finish the floors, nab her exclusive. He’d go back to Paradise. No harm. No foul. Because he didn’t want to hurt her, and despite the fact that she’d inspired all these feelings in him, and in a way, their “relationship” had given life to his new theory, he worried that—no matter what she said—Kate needed more. More than he could give.

  Outside of her apartment, he took a few breaths. He knocked on the door, still thinking his new theory was on the right track, but one look at Kate standing in the doorway of her Brooklyn walk-up knocked the wind out of him.

  “Come on in,” she said, leaning on the doorframe in a way that emphasized her curves and made him wonder if two more days with Kate Bell would be enough. “I’m almost ready.”

  As she disappeared into the back of the small apartment, Jake stepped inside, thinking she looked perfect already. Clad in a black T-shirt dress and the strappy kind of sandal a guy could get addicted to, she looked sexy and adorable in that sweet Midwestern way of hers. Lovely and undone. No jewelry, no so-called bling. Hell, the woman knew the specs on an F-series. A BMW, or worse, a Hummer, wasn’t on her radar. He loved that his celebrity status, or current lack thereof, never came up. She’d seemed to care for him when he was just an island guy. She’d be happy with a simple life but deserved the best.

  Hell, where did that come from? His heart shifted inside his chest, but he shoved away the short tug of emotion. Normally, he’d be in control of his feelings, but seeing her right now, looking the way she did, he was back on the damn roller coaster. He let go of a low whistle, watching her work her way back into the mostly unfurnished living area.

  A pretty flush colored her cheeks. “Ready for a little more research?”

  He took a few slow steps in her direction. “I’m thinking we should stay in and delve a little deeper into our original subject,” he said, glancing around the walk-up. “You’ve got a kitchen floor in here, right?”

  “My kitchen floor is off-limits.”

  “How about your closet?” he asked, nodding toward the door off the narrow entry. “Is that off-limits?”

  “My closet?”

  He chuckled, certain her mind was imagining all kinds of kink. He glanced down at the strappy shoes. “Those need to come off.” Along with the dress and the red lacy combination he hoped was tucked underneath there. He shook his head in an effort to keep his sexy imaginings at bay. “You
need sneakers.”

  “Sneakers?” she said, glancing down at the shoes,

  “I thought we were doing dinner and drinks. Isn’t that a traditional contemporary relationship type of date,” she said in a rush, as if she was nervous about the kind of alternative date he might have planned. “Or really, it’s better to go with just a drink first, and during a quick trip to the ladies’ room if a girl gets a friend’s approval via Snapchat, then the drink can sometimes lead to dinner. Traditionally.”

  Jake rolled his eyes. “Women are too complicated.” He gave her a pointed look. “Besides you did take me to a Buddhist temple, so maybe I’m thinking I need to step up my game. Better to mix it up a little.”

  “So we’re mixing it up?” Kate sat on her couch, one of a few pieces in the sparsely furnished space and traded her sandals for a cute pair of lace-up sneakers. He shook off the crystal-clear image of his hands skimming across her thighs, caressing those familiar legs.

  Get it together, Jake. Hell, the woman’s only changing her shoes. “We’re mixing it up.”

  “Sounds like fun.” Finished tying on the sneakers, she tossed him a flirty wink that caused more of the long-standing knot in his chest to ease. “So, this place we’re going—does it qualify as one of your secrets?”

  His brows knit together, not sure what she meant. “My secrets?”

  “Learn Your Partner’s Secrets.” She walked over, her curls cascading around her shoulders, reminding him of how she looked lying beneath him at the cove, her blonde hair fanned out across his old quilt. He shook his head and tried to snap out of it.

  “From The Sex Factor,” she continued. “Your so-called seduction plan. Your list of rules? I mean, I know the exclusive will be on your new book, but I thought linking it to the first would be a cool way to go. Thought I’d open with your rules. Be Spontaneous, Learn Your Partner’s Secrets…”

  Oh, right—his book. His rules of seduction.

  “No secrets here.” He shoved his hands deep into his pockets as a stab of guilt knifed him in the gut. Yes, he’d not told her how his latest theory extolled the virtues of no-strings attached, a concept diametrically opposed to her romantic ideals. Was he keeping a secret? Not the sexy kind from his book, but the kind that broke people apart. Probably. Did it matter?

  Despite the real joy he was finding with her, by the time this next book hit the shelves, he’d be back on the island. Content. Living in peace. He was only in New York to wrap up the sale of the apartment and fulfill his contract. A sexy exclusive with this beautiful, inescapably endearing woman—not part of the plan. Neither was the way he felt when he looked at her. Or his relentless need to kiss her. His gaze fell to that insanely kissable mouth.

  “Intimacy isn’t about secrets, or even revelation; it’s about the falling away of barriers.” Her dress drifted from her shoulder. He lifted it back in place, images of a star-spangled bikini strap and a sun-kissed shoulder filling his thoughts.

  He turned her hand over in his. Kissed her palm. Heard her soft intake of breath. “Intimacy is about knowing your partner, her needs and fantasies, and trusting her to know yours.”

  And damned if he didn’t want to know her. Not just one piece of her. All of her.

  …

  “Coney Island,” she marveled quietly beneath her breath, already anticipating one of her favorite foods in the city. “How did you know I love Coney Island?”

  Kate stood near the edge of the amphitheater and gazed up at the dark star-studded sky, as The Romantics rocked out a cool version of “A Night Like This.” Perfect song, perfect guy. In fact, she was pretty damn sure tonight was the best night ever. Jake was right; this kind of date was so much more fun than talking finance or business over dinner. He was so much more fun, she thought, lifting her face to the moonlit sky. Yes, he was leaving in thirty-six hours, and maybe he wasn’t The One, but he was still the best she’d ever had.

  “An underrated classic.” Jake appeared at her shoulder, carrying two Nathan’s hot dogs and a Cherry Coke. The Coney Island special.

  She accepted a dog and the soda. “Not your favorite rhythm and blues.”

  “But The Romantics? Totally my speed.” He dove into the hot dog like a little kid, and Kate’s heart melted like the ice in her drink. Last time he was here, he’d shared a day with his dad. One of the last. Kate thought about her parents and knew she was lucky, and her insides ached for him. For the boy he was, and for the gorgeous, guarded man he’d become. One day, she hoped he’d stop hiding. He’d seemed more open this afternoon than she’d ever seen him. Maybe this trip was his first step.

  “Best date ever.” She took a sip of her soda and gave him a slanted look.

  He laughed aloud, and she realized how much she was starting to love that sound. “Not saying much considering you suck at dating.”

  She bit into the hot dog. “Well, maybe I’m getting better.”

  He wiped a trace of the spicy mustard from her lip. “I’d bet you were always good.”

  Gazing up at him, she drew in a breath, counting seven seconds in her head in an attempt to stay focused on her career-first, love-will-find-you platform. Because no matter how sexy his laugh. No matter how fun the time with him felt. She was this close to her dream of a Cosmo byline coming true. But if she indulged in one night of great sex in Manhattan, would it be so bad? She could have him. At least for one more night. She wanted to be self-actualized, a woman in charge, rather than a woman swayed by charm and music and moonlight, she did, she really, really did. But she wanted to kiss him again, too. If she was honest, there was more than kissing on her mind. So much more. Could she handle it—another intimate night with him, a falling away of all her barriers?

  Or would it wreck her?

  As if attempting to answer the question, Jake laced his fingers through hers and gently tugged her away from the edge of the amphitheater. “Ready to up the ante on researching your exclusive?”

  Finished with her Coney dog and Coke, she tossed the wrapper into a nearby trash bin. “Depends on what you mean by ‘upping the ante.’”

  A wicked grin creased his impossibly gorgeous face.

  “We’re going to test the most important rule of navigating contemporary relationships.” He held onto her hand and moved expertly through the nighttime crowd.

  Following along as their footsteps fell completely in sync, she gave his hand a squeeze. “What’s the most important rule?”

  He threw her a smile that spelled trouble. “Be brave.”

  …

  “There’s no way I am going on that.” Kate took one look at Deno’s Wonder Wheel and decided the answer was no—no, no—definitely not.

  “Yes, you’re taking on The Wheel. Trust me, you’ll love it.” His hand pressed gently into the small of her back, ushering her forward. “Let’s get in line, or we’ll miss the best part.”

  Feet planted on the concrete walkway, she stared up at the beast. “There is no good part about turning circles in a fifteen story wheel of Bethlehem steel.”

  “This is critical to making your love life more fun.”

  “A carnival ride?”

  “No, being bold, stepping out of the comfort zone.”

  “I am very comfortable in the zone.”

  He chuckled and pulled her gently back against his chest. “C’mon, city girl, The Wonder Wheel is a New York landmark, the view from the top is incredible, and it’s an amazing piece of construction. Almost one hundred years old, and the Wheel boasts a perfect safety record.”

  She gave him a slanted look. “Perfect?”

  “Perfect.” Arms wrapped around her, he marched them over to the ticket window, “Besides, it’s either this or karaoke in the Mermaid Lounge.”

  “The Wheel it is.”

  He let out a laugh, a relaxed, happy sound that almost made her think a whirl around the giant wheel was worth it. At the window, Jake let go of her, and she missed the feel of him immediately—the warmth of his chest against her back
, the clean and spicy scent of his skin. He plunked down the money for two tickets, and when the pretty twenty-something in the booth gave him a flirtatious smile, a rush of misplaced jealousy ricocheted through her system. Jake turned away and settled his blue gaze on her, his sweet, lingering look making her feel wanted.

  He took her hand in his, and they made their way past the smiling clown that beckoned: More Rides This Way. As if they weren’t about to step into a gravity-defying death trap.

  As they snaked through the line beneath the blue-and-orange steel wheel, Jake kept her hand in his, dropping kisses on her lips, promising caramel apples and cotton candy while Kate tried not to hyperventilate. Be brave. Why can’t revitalizing a girl’s love life involve something a little less terrifying? Something on the ground?

  “Are you sure this monster has a perfect record?” She climbed into the swinging blue car and nodded at the yellow-and-black sign that read: Danger: Keep Your Hands and Feet in the Car at All Times. Like anyone was going to try and bust out of this cage.

  Jake climbed in behind her and tucked her in his arms. “I’m sure.”

  A loud clicking sound ratcheted up her fear, and the car swung out as the wheel turned, lifting them into the night sky. A small cry escaped her as they climbed higher, colored lights swirling all around them, the dark sandy beach disappearing beneath their feet.

  As the wheel approached the top, Jake brushed a kiss across her temple before the car tumbled over the edge, practically swinging into the car in front of them. Her heart leaped into her throat, and yet, she still felt safe with him. The park’s closing fireworks exploded all around them, and she turned to let her lips meet his, feeling brave despite her pounding heart, certain this terrifying moment, wrapped up in the arms of this nice guy, would be the most romantic moment of her life.

  “I need to kiss you again,” he whispered against her lips. “Not just once. All night.”

  “All night,” she said, wrapping her elbows around his neck, entwining her fingers deep into his dark hair, and melting into his arms.