Page 53 of All For You

“Hello,” I said.

“I know you’re seeking inspiration for your next book, so I should suggest we try something new. But…”

God, he was gorgeous when he was playful like this. “But?”

He inched closer. “As a reader, I’d like to recreate that first kiss the couple had in your book, to ensure it feels as good as it read. How do you feel about that?”

My attention dropped to his full mouth, and the air between us felt charged. “That might be a good experiment,” I murmured.

A rasping growl sounded from him at my answer, sending a shiver through me. “As I understand, I’m supposed to lean over you, close enough that you feel a charge between us, an inexplicable pull toward me.”

I laughed with recognition, my amusement cutting through the tension. “That is almost exactly what I wrote.”

The way the words had flowed so easily this morning. That inspiration had been from him, how I felt abouthim. He was inspiring me creatively, not because he was incredibly hot and handsome, blue eyes steady with intent, shoulders that filled the space he was in, but because he wantedme, he sawme. The truth hit me low and sharp in my chest.

Darcy meant something to me.

“See? Iamtaking notice,” he said. “But do you feel that inexplicable pull?”

That unsettling emotional jolt of how I felt about him scattered my thoughts. “I-I’m not certain. How does it go again?”

His eyes flashed a storm-tossed ocean blue. My reply only seemed to interest him more. “I tip up your chin with my finger, so our eyes meet. Dark blue on brown. Not green, because that’s a trick of the light.”

He did that. His finger under my chin was soft, and his eyes when I met them were darkening and serious.

“Is that right?” he asked.

My breath fluttered. “Yes, that’s right.”

“You feeling that pull yet?” The catch in his voice signaled a high-stakes intensity to his question.

“I might be… Let’s keep going because I need to be sure.”

“The hero in your book, Ashford, says,I want to kiss you. And then Clara says…?”

I tilted my face to him, feeling everything my main character Clara felt on the page. “Yes.”

Darcy grunted. “Then Ashford lowered his head to her, cupping the back of her head, and…”

His lips gently brushed mine, and my eyes slipped closed. He swept his lips over mine again, and even though it was a small movement, I went light-headed. With a growl in the back of his throat, he slanted his mouth, so we fit. Time slowed, and my knees softened. Then, as though unraveling, he pressed harder, deeper. His kiss turned ragged, forceful, and his fingers scraped through my hair and along my scalp. I pressed closer to him, my hands dragging through his soft, short hair.

He lifted his lips from mine, his breathing short and heavy. “Lizzy, I know we only met two days ago, but I’ve never felt this way about anyone.”

“Sorry I had a different impression!” Jane’s voice intruded between us, making us jump apart.

A scuff of gravel drew my attention, and I turned.

Jane strode toward us, head down, carrying her overnight bag. She was in tears. God, what had happened? I leaped from behind the grove of trees, Darcy following.

I held out my arms to her. “What’s going on, Jane?”

Instead of falling into my arms, she skirted around me. Like she was avoiding me. What on earth? I put a panicked hand on her shoulder to stop her.

She turned to me, her cheeks streaked with tears, flushed so high it seemed like a fever. “It’s William. He says we’re not suited after all.” She gave Darcy a suspicious glance. “I don’t know what I’ve done wrong. It was perfect yesterday.”

Why was she looking at Darcy like that? Slightly accusatorily. Jane never gave those looks. Never blamed other people. To a fault. I searched Darcy’s face for the answer. His features went defensive, hard. Like there was something he wasn’t telling us.

I had to get to the bottom of this. Now.