Page 1 of Blame it on the Kiss
Chapter One
A girl knew her love life had hit a low point when adolescent kissing games got her hot and bothered.
Honor Mitchell leaned against the wall in the dark hallway closet and wondered which lucky guy would pick her location, and if his mouth-to-mouth skills would satisfy this sudden jolt of eagerness. This wasn’t exactly the way she’d envisioned breaking her dry spell, but since her entire focus the past few months had been on fulfilling her best friend’s wish and opening their new store; she hadn’t had much time for anything else.
She took a deep breath and ran her tongue over her bottom lip. A little innocent fun was just what the Stress Fairy ordered. The last time she’d wanted to kiss a guy… she blinked awaythatmemory and thanked her lucky stars he hadn’t arrived at Zane and Sophie’s combined bachelor/bachelorette party yet.
She’d been mentally preparing herself to see him for the past week, but needed a little more time. Another thirty years would be good, but she probably had more like thirty minutes.
Come on already.Where was her “One Minute Temptation” stud? With an equal number of single guys and girls someone had to show up to her spot. She thrummed her fingers against the sides of her jean-clad thighs. Under no circumstance would she leave the closet. Not until she fulfilled her end of the game. As one of three bridesmaids, she had an obligation to follow through on all tasks, requests, and activities.
Sophie’s future sister-in-law had planned the games for tonight, and Honor found it cute that she’d included ones Sophie hadn’t played as a teenager. Of course Sophie and Zane had slid into the same dark room and who knew when they’d pop back out, but that only made this party game that much better for her dear friend. Sophie had the guy of her dreams and in three days she’d be his wife.
Honor closed her eyes.Wife.Something she’d never be. She’d been super excited when Sophie asked her to be a bridesmaid, though, forgetting that meant being in close proximity to Zane’s best friends and groomsmen for the long weekend celebration.
One hurt-to-look-at groomsman in particular.
A few weeks ago, during a girls’ night in, Honor had confessed to Sophie how she knew Bryce. Lord, her cheeks still heated just thinking about that night eight months ago. Payton, Honor’s best friend since kindergarten, had passed away two months earlier and Honor had needed a distraction. She still missed Payton so much, and not a day went by that Honor didn’t say a little something to her BFF.
“I’m standing in a closet, Pay, waiting for a kiss and wishing so hard you were still here.”
She had a feeling she’d be celebrating Pay’s bachelorette party right about now if Payton hadn’t suffered from a rare lung disease that took her friend with little warning. Instead, her best friend had given Honor a list. Not a bucket list, but aThings to Do Before I Turn 25list. And just before she died, she asked Honor for one thing: make her wishes happen.
Honor had never followed through with anything in her own life. Ever. But the request was Payton’s last wish and Honor had promised her. Twice, since Payton had made her repeat her oath. The first thing on Pay’s list? A one night stand.
Enter Bryce Bishop.
One of Zane’s best men and the most delicious specimen of a man she’d ever laid eyes on. And Honor had laid eyes on lots of guys. But being the fun, flirty girl with a short attention span, she never let a guy stick around for very long. Her friends called her a serial dater. Not the Fruity Pebbles kind.
Bryce also happened to be Payton’s secret boyfriend.
Payton had been crazy about him, tossing out the L word after only two weeks. Because of the gossip mill in their small town and Pay’s previous crappy track record with guys, she’d kept Bryce to herself, the two of them spending all their time together in a bubble of happiness at his place about an hour away. A few days before Honor was supposed to meet the love of her best friend’s life, Payton got her diagnosis. Pay broke up with Bryce and ended all communication.
Closing her eyes again, Honor thought back to her first ever one nightstand and how she’d thankfully figured out who he was before—
The closet door opened and shut so fast she didn’t have time to catch a glimpse of her gentleman caller. All the guys were nice, though, so she could handle a minute of closed mouth kissing with any of them.
He didn’t say anything, but he smelled amazing. A little spicy, a little minty, and… her pulse sped up… a lot familiar. She’d thought about his scent more times than she cared to admit since that night at her dad’s law firm’s party.
“Bryce?” she whispered, grabbing a coat and pulling it in front of her, likethatwould somehow turn off her senses. Why hadn’t she chosen a bathroom or bedroom to wait in instead of a closet with little room to move? Or make an escape?
“Honor?” His deep, amiable voice sounded just as surprised.
“When did you get here?”
“Just now. Sophie greeted me and pushed me in here. What’s going on?”
That sneaky little bride-to-be. Honor never should’ve confessed her situation with Bryce. But after drinking one too many coffees with help from Baileys, her lips had let loose. She hated herself for having even the slightest inappropriate thought about Bryce. He’d been Payton’s. Should still be. And she’d made out with him! Honor couldn’t look at him without thinking about her best friend and how happy and in love she’d been with him.
“We’re in the middle of a game.” Honor let go of the jacket and tried to relax. Were the walls closing in? She fanned her sweater away from her stomach.
“A game?”
Honor’s eyes adjusted to the darkness and she could just make out Bryce’s broad shoulders and the outline of his head. She didn’t need any light to picture his soft, tidy brown hair, dark cinnamon eyes, and the cleft in his chin that made her insides go all lovey-dovey. “Yes, you know, an activity or contest often played during a party?” Self defense and shame dictated the flippant remark rather than a simple yes.
“Hmm…”
Before he could follow up that far too appealing sound, she continued. “And since you missed out on the rules and stuff, we can just head back to the party.”
