Page 57 of A Crazy Kind of Love
The buzzer rang as I was heating some water for tea. I pressed the intercom. “Micah?”
“Yup.”
“What’s the magic word?”
“Uh.Alohamora?”
I buzzed him in. I stood in my open door until he climbed the stairs. He panted. “Is aerobics any harder than those stairs?” He had on a goofy pair of running shorts that looked like something from a middle school gym class. One leg said “Broo.” The other leg said “klyn.”
“Where’d you get those shorts?”
“You like them? I found them in this great store up the street from my apartment.”
I covered my mouth with my fist, hiding my smile. “Do you want some tea? I was fixing to make some.”
He grimaced. “Water?”
“In the fridge.” The water came to a boil, so I threw in my tea bag and then excused myself to change into my gym clothes.
The tea had steeped when I came out. I stood at the counter to discard the tea bag. Micah slipped up behind me and laid his hands on my waist. His lips grazed the back of my neck. I froze in place, wanting him to keep touching me. My chest rose and fell, and my heart rate sped up. His fingers dragged across my back and under the hem of my shirt. His hands on my skin sent tingles to the tips of my toes. But I wanted those lips on mine. I wanted to press myself into him.
As I turned around, he loosened his hands and pushed the teacup away. Then he lifted me onto the counter. We were face-to-face. He stopped and looked at me, and I looked at him. I was asking myself how I could have ended up with someone like him—a literal poster boy of rock star boyfriends.
He traced a finger along the side of my neck. “Has anyone ever told you how beautiful you are?”
I resisted the urge to laugh. It would have totally spoiled the mood. “Does Zion count?”
His head tilted. “No.”
“Micah?”
“Jo?”
“Do you think you might kiss me now?”
“What about step aerobics?”
I hooked my foot around his back and pulled him closer. “I can tell you’re not in good enough shape for that. You need to work up to it.”
“How about I lift weights first?” He placed his hands under my thighs and hoisted me up.
I wrapped my legs around him and laid my hand against his chest. “You’ll need to add some cardiovascular.”
His arms flexed and showed off his tight muscles. “Can we start now?”
Breathless, I whispered, “Yes.”
He carried me to my room and set me down on my bed, pushing the door closed with his foot. He sat beside me and took my hand. “Jo, am I rushing this?”
I brought his hand up to my face. “Would you just kiss me?”
He brushed my hair over my shoulder and bent down to kiss my neck. “Here?”
I shivered. “Mmm, yes.”
He ran his lips up to my ear and caught my earlobe in his teeth. He trailed kisses across my cheek. “Like this?”
My body was electric. “No. Like this.” I tangled my fingers in his hair and dragged my tongue across his lips, teasing and pulling away when he’d try to catch me in a kiss. Finally, I gave in, and we melted into each other. He grabbed me by my upper arms. But I moved my hands along him, finding out where I could cause a shiver or a rise of goose bumps. He loosened his grip, and I dragged my fingernails down his back.
