Kissing the Player - Maggie Dallen Page 0,48

her after being ghosted these past few days, that was all. She half turned while talking to one of her friends, and I knew the moment she spotted me.

I felt it. I could literally feel her gaze, I could practically touch her attention. It had always been that way with her, though.

It didn’t mean anything.

She had a power I wasn’t even certain she fully understood and the force of her personality was overwhelming. It was…beautiful.

I swallowed as she walked toward me slowly, her expression giving nothing away.

That charisma? It was also a little terrifying. Especially right now when I couldn’t tell what she was thinking or feeling. Was she happy to see me? Annoyed that I’d interrupted her meeting? Or was she just as confused by that kiss and wondering—

“You’re late,” she said as she drew close, a mischievous smile curving her lips as her eyes danced dangerously with laughter.

I tensed. This was…not what I’d expected. Not that I’d known what to expect. “I’m late?” I braced myself for the kiss on the cheek that I was starting to think of as the kiss of death. It was a kiss that said ‘hey, friend’ and it was a gesture she did to show a guy exactly where he stood.

Namely, in the friend zone.

But then again… She kept one hand on my bicep as she leaned back to meet my gaze.

“I’m late?” I said again.

Stupid. I sounded so stupid. I sounded like a braindead idiot and right now, I was. I totally was. Her hair was sliding out of a tight bun atop her head and somehow that tousled messy look made my mouth water. I wanted more than anything to pull her close and kiss her. Hold her. Tell her I was sorry for trying to get close to her for all the wrong reasons…

Although, maybe I wasn’t sorry, because Ryan’s stupid challenge got her back in my life and I’d missed her.

Crap.

I stared at her blankly as she tilted her head to the side and peered up at me.

I’d missed her.

How did I not realize that before?

She bit her lower lip and batted her lashes. “Yoo hoo, anybody home?”

“Sorry,” I said quickly. “I, uh…I wanted to talk to you and—”

“And you’re just in time,” she said, turning away with a swish of her hips. “We could use someone to help with the signs. Simone will be happy to have an extra set of hands.”

“No, wait.” I didn’t even mean to reach out for her, but next thing I knew I was holding onto her hand and she froze with her back still to me.

Her shoulders looked tense and her head dipped down but before I could say anything she whipped around again and this time she wore a brilliant smile. “What’s up?”

She moved in close. Too close.

“I was hoping we could talk,” I said.

“So talk.” She was doing that coy thing—the thing she did where she tilted her head to the side and looked up at me through her lashes. My chest grew tight and my throat grew dry…

I was nervous.

I was freakin’ nervous and more than that—I was wary. I didn’t like seeing her like this.

This was an act. I knew that now. I got it.

And I hated it.

But the real problem was—I had no idea how to get past it. Her whole demeanor vibrated with an energy I couldn’t understand. Warning bells were going off in the back of my mind as she leaned in close. “Don’t tell me you’re trying to bail on the kissing booth,” she started.

“What? No. I—”

She tapped her fingers against my chest. “Because I know someone who’s really looking forward to kissing you.”

I blinked. Wait…what? Did that mean…? I felt my lips twitching up, ignoring those stupid alarm bells because…

She wanted to kiss me again.

“Oh yeah?” I’d dropped my voice and moved in closer, making her giggle.

“Of course,” she said, her voice all breathy and high. “I know for a fact that you’re an excellent kisser.”

I felt a surge of relief. “So you’re not…I mean, you’re not upset or…” Oh crap. Who could formulate a sentence when she was batting her lashes like that, her eyes all wide and adoring?

“Then we’ll have to do it again sometime,” I said.

Her eyes flashed with something I couldn’t quite pin down and then she was back to being the flirty seductress of my dreams. “Of course we will,” she murmured, her fingers moving lightly over my arms, across my chest. She winked. “I’ll be first