I continued, “I know we had that moment after your surprise birthday party but…”
“You remember that?” His voice was hoarse when he asked.
I nodded, my cheeks heating.
I remembered.
More details than I probably should have since I went right back to someone else afterward.
“But it’s been a year and a half,” I continued. “And I’m not sure I remember everything right.”
I pressed my lips together and held my breath as I waited for him to respond.
Did he think I was crazy for suggesting it? Was he trying to think of a way to get out of it without hurting my feelings?
Or was he just as curious as I was about what might happen if we let go of our inhibitions for a moment and forgot that we were just friends?
After what seemed like an eternity, even though it was only a few seconds, he said, “You think we should kiss?” And his voice was so husky it made my stomach swirl and tighten.
“I think we should…” I said, sounding even more breathless than before. “…for research’s sake.”
“Okay.” He nodded. “For research.”
But as I leaned closer, he just watched me, his big brown eyes seeming like they couldn’t figure out if this was really happening.
“Just pretend I’m someone you really like,” I whispered, hoping it would coax him to come closer. “Pretend you just went on the best date of your life and can’t imagine going another day without the girl of your dreams.”
Our faces were only centimeters away from each other now, our lips a breath apart. And my whole body pulsed with anticipation as I waited for him to close the distance between us.
He glanced down at my lips, his chest rising and falling with labored breathing, and then his fingers curled into the hair at the nape of my neck as he mumbled, “I don’t need to pretend any of that.”
Then his lips were on mine, soft and light, the kiss slow and tentative, almost like he was afraid to really touch me. And when a tremor quivered in his fingers as he pushed them farther into my hair, I knew he was nervous.
The fact that this guy who played professional football with some of the strongest men in the country, and who could have any girl he wanted, was nervous to kiss me was kind of the sweetest thing ever.
But of course he was nervous.
Because the last time he tried kissing me, I’d pushed him away.
I’d be terrified if I were in his shoes.
So I reached my hand up to run my thumb along the slight scruff of his jawline, my fingers curling behind his neck and whispered, “You don’t need to be nervous, Cole.” But even as I said it, I didn’t know if I was saying it more for him or for me. Because I was suddenly a jumble of nerves, too.
“I can’t help it,” he whispered back. “I kind of have a lot riding on this one kiss.”
And my heart completely melted.
Like, puddle-of-goo-dripping-through-my-ribs kind of melted because I just couldn’t take how adorable this man was.
So freaking adorable.
“You don’t need to worry about anything with me,” I whispered back. “I just want to see what it’s like to really kiss Cole Kekoa.”
Before he had time to become any more nervous, I put my hands on either side of his face and pressed my lips to his.
It took a moment for him to kiss me back, a split second for him to realize that I wasn’t going to push him away this time. But when his lips started to move slowly with mine, tasting of mint, tasting of him, my pulse went haywire.
“Is this really okay?” he mumbled against my mouth, pausing the kiss for only a second.
“Yes.” I sighed, wanting more. “More than okay.”
And seeming encouraged by that, he slid a hand to cup my chin and deepened the kiss. It was just the slight flick of the tongue, but it was enough to make my insides swirl with heat and my nerve endings to light up everywhere.
I opened my mouth to his, and then I was lost in everything that was him. We pushed into each other, his hands sliding down my sides, squeezing my hips and smoothing along my back. His lips gave me slow, gentle kisses, and my entire body buzzed under his touch, electric at every point of contact.
I pushed the quilt to the ground and then wound my arms around his shoulders to pull