“No, it’s fine. Really—I have to be somewhere.” I stood, ignoring the proffered hand I could see waving in the air. “I have to go,” I repeated.
Long fingers wrapped around my wrist, causing a curious warmth to run up my arm at the unexpected contact. “Please, let me look at your hand. I need to see how bad you’re hurt.”
I snatched it back, unsure why my skin was tingling. “No.”
Mr. Blurry’s voice took on a teasing tone. “I’ll buy you a whole bag of peppermints, if you let me check it out.”
That made me pause. I might need those candies. “The spearmint kind?”
“Any kind you want.” His voice was now persistent. “Please. I feel terrible.”
He sounded so sweet, I couldn’t resist any more, so I held out my hand. “Make it fast.”
His gentle fingers probed and checked, the strange heat running over my skin. “They aren’t broken, but they’re going to be bruised and hurt. I’m so sorry.” I winced as he moved the fingers again. “They’re going to be extremely sore.”
I pulled back my hand. “Too late—they already are. Now, my peppermints?”
He chuckled once more. I liked the sound.
“Impatient little thing, aren’t you? There’s a drugstore down the street. I’ll get a finger splint, too. Wait here,” he directed. “I’ll be right back.”
Then he was gone.
My phone buzzed again, and with a sigh, I kneeled down, found my glasses, and headed across the street.
I’d have to do without the splint and hope the peppermints weren’t needed. If Mr. Blurry even bothered to return—which I highly doubted.
I wished I had seen the face behind the kind voice and gentle touch. Somehow in those few minutes, I had felt very . . . safe
“What happened to you?”
“I dropped my peppermints and some guy walked on my hand.” I held out my fingers for inspection. “He crushed the last ones.”
Beth held up my hand, poking at my reddened, rapidly bruising fingers. Grimacing, I pulled back my hand to my chest. Mr. Blurry had been much gentler.
“Were his feet big?” she quipped.
I groaned. “When I fell, my glasses came off, so I couldn’t see his feet or his face, so I named him Mr. Blurry. His foot felt heavy, though.”
Beth snorted. “Only you, Avery. Go wash your hands and tidy up your mascara—you’re in room four.”
I swallowed, my throat dry. “Is he, ah, here?”
“He texted to say he was held up, but on his way. Go fix yourself up. I expect him any second.”
I hesitated.
“Don’t be nervous. It’s fine. I’ll be in the room.”
“You’re filming it?”
“I’ll oversee. Cliff will do the filming. I thought you’d feel better.”
I heaved a small sigh of relief. I would feel better with Beth there in the room.
She pushed me in the direction of the bathroom. “Go. We’ll do this, and I’ll get some ice for your hand after.”
“Okay. I’ll meet you there.”
Avery
I entered the room filled with nervous anticipation. Beth and another staff member were talking to a man whose back was to me. He was tall, towering over Beth. His shiny hair was a rich, chestnut brown under the bright lights, the bottom brushing the back of his collar. His broad shoulders were ensconced in a black leather jacket. Tight jeans clung to his long legs and framed a rather spectacular ass. He was laughing at something Beth said, his hands on his hips as he flung his head back in merriment. I hesitated as I watched him. He was incredibly tall. I wasn’t sure I would even come up mid-chest on him. I was going to have to go on my tiptoes, and he would have to bend way down, if we had any chance of kissing. This already had disaster written all over it.
Beth saw me and waved me over.
My fellow volunteer turned around, and I almost fell flat on my face. He was gorgeous. His vivid, blue eyes glowed behind thick, black frames. His face was all angles, accented by high cheekbones and scruff—the entire package offset by his wavy hair. Those tight jeans hung low on his hips, and before I could stop myself, my eyes dropped to his feet. His large feet, which were encased by a pair of black, dusty Doc Martens.
His very large feet.
Color flooded my cheeks at my thoughts. It was as if I was channeling my inner Beth. It was all I could do to look back up and meet his gaze. His eyes widened behind his glasses, a small smile playing on his full lips. Lips I would be kissing in a moment.
I swallowed, and unconsciously licked my own lips.
Somehow, I had the feeling I wouldn’t need the last peppermint for him. My fingers fished around in my pocket. I had already eaten six, but maybe a seventh would be a good idea. I popped the candy in my mouth, realizing too late maybe we’d be kissing before it dissolved so I bit down, chewing frantically. He watched me the whole time, his lips quirking, as if he were trying to hide his amusement.
I knew, without a doubt, when he smiled, it would be like the sun filling the room. I wanted to see that. I wanted to make him smile. Why, I had no idea.
Hesitantly, I crossed the room to join Beth and the mystery man. Ever the professional, Beth held out a clipboard to each of us, instructing us to read and sign. I grimaced slightly holding the board, my bent fingers protesting. Twice, I peeked over my clipboard, only to find his intense blue gaze fixed on me, a curious look on his face. Each time I felt my cheeks flare with color, and I dropped my eyes back to the paper I was supposed to be reading. I had no idea what it said, so I simply scribbled my signature and handed it back to Beth.
“Okay.” She grinned. “Here’s what is gonna happen. You two—stand over there.” She pointed to the empty area behind her. “Cliff will start the camera rolling. Do whatever you want. Talk, introduce yourselves, shake hands—whatever makes you comfortable. Or do nothing. You can kiss and leave, if that’s what you want. You have half an hour, but at some point, during your allotted time, I need you to kiss each other. Clear?”
Mystery man spoke up, his voice surprisingly nervous and low, and strangely familiar. “You’ll be filming the whole time?”
Beth nodded in affirmation. “We might use extra clips for the video. She held up the clipboards. “You gave us permission with these forms. Now, any questions?”
We shook our heads and moved to the center of the room where Beth had indicated us to stand. Under the lights, his hair showed some red in the chestnut waves. It was tousled and messy—the look suited him well. I had the craziest need to bury my fingers in it and see if it was as soft as it looked. We stared at each other in silence, his hand cupping the back of his neck as our eyes held. I wanted to lose myself in his eyes; deep blue and rich like the color of the ocean on a sunny day. The image of lying underneath him as waves swept around us filled my head and once again, I blushed.
Where were all these thoughts coming from?
All of a sudden, he had his hands buried in the mess of hair on his head, tugging and pulling, creating even more chaos. Then he stood straighter, and a determined look came over his face. He tugged off his jacket, dropping it to the floor in a pile of smooth leather, leaving him in a simple, white T-shirt, which hugged his chest and torso to perfection. Ink peeked out from under the sleeve of his right arm, and I had the irrational need to see the design.
He took a step closer and held out his hand, palm side up, his fingers curling in a silent invitation.
“Hello,” he spoke quietly, his voice a gentle caress to my ears. “I’m Daniel. Daniel Spencer.”
I stared down at his hand. His palm was wide, his fingers long and graceful. Hesitantly, I placed my palm on top of his, my entire body feeling a familiar rush of heat as his fingers closed, encasing my hand with his touch.
“Avery.”
“Avery,” he murmured. “It is indeed a pleasure to meet you.”
My legs started to tremble. Slow, torturous shudders ran through my spine as his hand tightened on mine.
“Can I kiss you, Avery?”
“If you want to,” I breathed out.
God, I hoped he wanted to.
His hand drew me to him, the shudders increasing as I felt the heat, his heat, radiating from his body. “Yes. Yes, I want to.”
His eyes never left mine as he bent lower.
Without thinking, I slid my hands up to his shoulders, and fisted his T-shirt, despite the pain it caused my fingers, and rose on my toes to meet him part way. My eyes shut of their own accord, a small sigh escaping as I felt his lips brush mine.
His mouth was tender, his touch light, his lips as gentle as a summer breeze that teased your skin in the heat of the sun. It promised relief, but only to leave you wanting more—so much more.
He eased back, and my eyes flew open, disappointment flooding my senses.
That was it? A small whimper of protest escaped my mouth. I wanted more.
His voice was a quiet hum in my ear. “Avery, can I do something?”
I nodded.
He could do anything.
Daniel
I was only gone five minutes. Seven tops. I raced through the drugstore, grabbed a splint, an instant ice pack, some Tylenol, and the biggest damn bag of peppermints I could find—the spearmint kind. I had no idea why she wanted peppermints so much, but because it was something she seemed to need, I wanted to get it for her. Standing in line, my fingers twitched with impatience. I needed to get back to the little Sprite I had trodden on inadvertently. I was in such a hurry, I hadn’t noticed her crouched down in the doorway or seen her hand until it was too late and I heard her gasp of pain.
Nothing prepared me for the rush of incredible desire I felt when I hunched down and saw her for the first time. She was the most unique-looking woman I had ever seen. Riotous white-blonde curls hung around her face. Her eyes were green—so lightly colored they were luminous as she stared up at me. Her pale skin was dotted with freckles. Tiny flecks of sand scattered over the bridge of her nose and cheeks. A prominent beauty mark sat on the top of her cheek to the left of her eye.
She reminded me of a picture in a book I had been reading to my niece the other night called The Woodland Sprite. The resemblance was uncanny. She was beyond adorable; even with her huge eyes watery with pain. She was all stubborn and independent, refusing my offer of help. Instead, she scrambled to her feet on her own, her pretty skirt flaring around her legs as she moved. Her tiny chin jutted out defiantly at my offers, my pleas, to let me examine her hand, but eventually she relented. When she finally, grudgingly, placed her hand in mine, the shock of heat that went through me at her touch was astonishing. I was grateful her fingers didn’t appear broken, and after some begging, she agreed to let me splint them—if I bought her some peppermints. Her bargaining tool amused me.
Except when I got back to the doorway, she was gone. All that remained were the crushed peppermints, the red and white swirls nothing but dust on the sidewalk. As I stood watching the breeze carry away the torn plastic and disintegrated candy, my phone buzzed, and I knew it was Beth from the studio questioning my whereabouts.
I had already texted her earlier to tell her I’d be late because of an emergency patient, and now I was even later because of walking over the woman hiding in the doorway.
Briefly, I wondered why she had been crouched there. Was she hiding from someone? Was she okay? Where had she gone? More importantly, how could I find her?
My phone buzzed again, and I pulled my glasses out of my pocket, sliding them on so I could tap out a message saying I would be there in a moment.
I should have never agreed to do this, but I had lost the last bet I made with my sister Caitlin, and participating in this study had been the wager.
She’d had the widest grin on her face when she pushed the newspaper my way, tapping on the advertisement. “You lose, and you have to sign up for this experiment, Daniel.”
I had barely paid attention to the ad and agreed because I was certain I would beat her playing the latest version of the video game we liked to play. We’d been doing it for years, and it was rare she won. While the idea of kissing a stranger didn’t appeal to me, it wasn’t any big deal, since I didn’t expect it to occur. If she’d lost, she would’ve had to arrive at an engagement party we were attending in a costume of my choosing—and it wasn’t a costume themed party. My elegant sister would have hated it. All I had to do was drop a kiss on a stranger and walk away. I thought she’d back out when I laid down my terms, but she agreed.
As we started to play, it became obvious why she was so confident. She had been practicing, and even though I called unfair, she refused to budge, insisting I was being a sore loser. Reluctantly, I offered to accept any other wager, but Caitlin held firm, so here I was to make good on my promise.
What seemed unlikely beforehand was now too real.
I crossed the street, throwing another glance back over my shoulder. I would rather have been following through with my plans of convincing the stubborn little Sprite to join me for coffee. I wanted to wrap her fingers in the ice pack and talk to her for a while.
However, it appeared my idea wasn’t happening. Tamping down my disappointment, I pushed the elevator button. I left on my glasses, remembering Beth told me I would have to sign a release form and I would need them to read the wording. I dug into the bag I held and grabbed a peppermint, popping it in my mouth.
I bought them—might as well make good use of them. I hummed at the sweet taste; they were very good. I stuck a couple in my pocket.
Maybe I would offer my kissing partner one.
When I turned to see the woman I would be paired with entering the room, I was elated.
My stubborn Sprite stood in the doorway looking utterly nervous. She now had glasses perched on the end of her nose that highlighted her wide eyes and their unusual color. She bit her bottom lip, and it took everything in me not to cross the room and pull it away from her teeth.
I wanted to kiss that lip. Stroke it with my tongue, then dip inside her mouth and see if she tasted as sweet as I thought she would.
Her eyes grew larger and her gaze dropped to the floor. She seemed to be looking at my feet, and I glanced down, wondering if she recognized the boots that had stepped on her fingers. Looking up, I frowned, questioning why she blushed and fidgeted with something in her pocket. I fought back a smile as she popped a candy in her mouth and almost immediately began crunching away on it. I had to bite back a laugh recalling her mutterings about halitosis and sharing. I shook my head in amusement, realizing I had crushed the peppermints she meant to give me.
For the first time since I had agreed to this craziness, I was looking forward to what would happen.
I was going to enjoy kissing my Sprite.
That was, if she didn’t recognize me first and kick me in the nuts in retaliation for stomping on her fingers.
I hoped that wouldn’t happen. Kissing her would be so much better.
I signed the form without reading it, unable to keep my eyes off her. I saw her wince as she held the clipboard, her fingers still red and sore. The way she squinted at the form, even with glasses, I knew she didn’t recognize me. I was sure she couldn’t see much without her glasses, whereas I only needed mine for reading and close up work, but I had to tell her.
As soon as the kissing part was over, I would confess and wrap her fingers. I owed her that at least.
Every time her eyes met mine, she blushed—it traveled from the top of her cheekbones, to her ears, and down her neck. The color staining her cheeks only added to the immense attraction I felt for her. I wanted to touch the heat of her skin under my fingers; I wanted to know how far down her body her blush went.
Beth gave us our instructions, and we walked to the middle of the room in silence, staring at each other. I knew we didn’t have to give our names. I knew we didn’t have to say a word. I could kiss her and walk out of there in thirty seconds.
That wasn’t what I wanted, though.
&nb
sp; I wanted to know her name. I wanted her to know mine. I wanted her to know the man in front of her. Then, when I finished kissing her for the camera, I could take her somewhere and find out all I could about her, so I could kiss her again.
Nerves hit me when I looked at her, and I tugged on my hair. The tension dissipated at the tender look in her eyes as she gazed at me. I shrugged off my jacket as heat filled my body, and rubbed my damp palms down my jeans. Determination replaced worry, and I held out my hand, silently pleading with her to take it.
She startled a little when I introduced myself, hesitating before allowing herself to put her hand in mine. As I closed my fingers around hers, I paused in amazement at how right it felt encased by my larger one.
I moved closer, liking how her hands slid up to my shoulders. She was so short I had to bend low to be level with her face. Her eyes shut, the sexiest little sigh escaping her mouth as I tilted my head, barely grazing her lips with mine.
Blistering heat shot through me at the slightest touch. Our glasses bumped, causing me to frown and pull back.
“Avery,” I whispered, “can I try something?”
Her eyes, those captivating pools of green, stared into mine—the same desire I felt, reflected back in wonder.
She nodded.
Avery
A slow smile, indulgent and sweet, curled Daniel’s lips. The lips that had ignited a fire inside me so hot, I was surprised I wasn’t a pile of ash at his feet. Those lips I wanted to feel back on mine. He stood up straight and pulled off his glasses, pushing them up into his hair.
“May I?” he murmured. “They were getting in the way.” Not even waiting for an answer, he reached out and tugged off mine, folding the arms closed. He looked around, no doubt for somewhere to put them, and I opened the deep pocket of my skirt, letting him drop them inside.
He wasn’t done with me.
Thank God.
It Started With a Kiss Page 2