Page 43 of Second Time Around

He held it higher and perused the cover, which had a picture of a man and woman posing seductively. “Not until you tell me what it’s about.”

“This is ridiculous! Give it here!”

She leaned over him on the bench, and they were so close that he could smell her shampoo. Not only that, but her boobs were enticingly close to his face. They both went still.

She’d kneeled on the bench and was poised over his lap, with one hand clutching the armrest behind him and the other reaching for the book. Mere inches apart, they locked eyes.

In hers, he saw a combination of frustration and desire, or at least, he hoped it was desire. If she looked closely enough, she’d see his desire too, and not just in his eyes.

“What do I have to do for you to give me back my book?” she said, her breathing ragged.

Is she as aroused as I am? “You could kiss me,” he suggested.

“In your dreams.”

How right she was! “You used to like to kiss me.”

“Used to is the operative phrase.”

“I’m still a good kisser.”

“Braggart.”

He smiled up at her, and her tongue darted out and licked her lips. Was she considering it?

“You’re thinking about it.”

She shook her head vehemently and started to pull back. He was losing her again, and he didn’t want to. His hand shot out and gripped her waist to keep her there. Even though his other arm was getting tired from holding up the book, he wasn’t ready to concede.

“Fine. I’ll tell you what the book is about,” she huffed. “But first, you have to let me go.”

“I don’t want to.” He hadn’t meant to say that aloud, but it had rolled off his tongue so fast that he hadn’t had time to stop it.

“Beckett,” she said, and it sounded like a warning.

Her use of his formal name meant his time was up. He reluctantly let go of her, and she sat back down. Then he handed her the book, which she clutched to her chest like a shield.

“So, tell me,” he prompted.

She took a deep breath. “It’s a second-chance romance. The couple fell in love, then they fell apart, and in the end, they get back together. Are you satisfied now?”

Not by a long shot. “I like the sound of that. Not the breaking up part, but that they end up together.”

She shrugged. “It’s a romance book. There’s always a happy ending.”

Who says that can’t happen in real life too?