Page 75 of Blame it on the Kiss
Yes, yes, yes.
She did. She loved him.
In all honesty, she’d loved him the second she’d laid eyes on him. But getting stuck in a closet with him had sealed her ultimate fate. She blamed his kiss. One touch of his lips on hers and he’d cast a spell she couldn’t break.
He ended his speech and returned to the table. Pride overflowed inside her like a living, breathing thing. She couldn’t help but lean over and kiss his cheek, which freaked her out. Because his family and friends watched them.
Sophie touched her arm. “I’m not feeling very well so Zane and I are going to head out. I’m assuming Bryce will bring you home?”
All of a sudden the weight of Honor’s realization brought her blood flow to a crashing halt. Her palms got sweaty, her face burned. Her breath came at an abnormally rapid rate. She needed air and time to think.
“Actually, I’m not feeling that great either. Would you mind if I caught a ride with you guys?”
“Of course not.”
“Hey,” Bryce said softly. “Everything okay?”
She turned to face him. “Yes, but I’m feeling a little out of sorts so I’m going to head home with Sophie and Zane.”
“I’ll take you.”
“No.” She put her hand on his thigh. “You should stay.”
Disappointment marred his handsome features and she felt horrible for lying. But if she didn’t hurry and leave there was a good chance she’d blurt out her affection for him and she didn’t want to do that.
She wasn’t sure she’d ever have the courage to do it.
…
Bryce watched Honor walk away with Zane and Sophie and his heart hurtled to the back of his throat. She had made his evening better. She made every minute of every day better. And even though he wasn’t sure he could trust her not to break his heart, he didn’t care.
She’d kissed him in front of everyone. That had to mean something.
So she’d run.
He understood her fear. Hell, he felt it, too. His self control took a nosedive when he stood anywhere near her.
His parents and grandmother wrapped him in compliments and said their good-byes. “She’s a keeper,” his grandma whispered in his ear. The Bishop matriarch held the best judge of character of anyone he knew and he murmured back, “Thanks.”
Not “I think so, too,” because he didn’t want to get his grandma’s hopes up. Or his own.
“Bar,” Danny said. “We’re not through with you.”
“Now,” Olivia said, hooking his arm.
The two of them had always teamed up. He could say no, but they wouldn’t listen.
They sat at a tall, round cocktail table in the dimly lit bar. A waitress stopped to take their order. “Three vodka tonics,” Danny said.
“You got it, sugar.” Her southern drawl drew a smile from his friend. Danny was a sucker for a girl with an accent.
“Damn.” Danny watched her walk away.
Olivia rolled her eyes. And that’s all it took to get the competition on. They’d played the accent game countless times before, and Bryce was grateful for the distraction. Danny started with his best attempt at an Irish brogue. It sounded like he needed to be put out of his misery. Liv laughed so hard she had tears in her eyes. She nailed a Bronx accent next. Bryce did his Crocodile Dundee. They kept at it until a guy sitting at the next table ambled over and declared Liv the winner. He also asked for her phone number. Danny told him to get lost. Serious American accent.
An hour later they were home. Liv took Danny’s room, Danny the couch. Bryce thrashed around in bed as sleep eluded him. He couldn’t get Honor out of his head. He sat up and lifted his phone from the bedside table.
Legendsays when you can’t sleep at night it’s because you’re awake in someone else’s dream, he texted to Honor. She probably wouldn’t see it since it was well after midnight. But she’d wake in the morning and know he’d been thinking of her.
