Page 53 of Crossfire

Dammit. He totally noticed that.

Look at that smirk on his face; he enjoys making me blush. I hate how much I’m enjoying it, too.

We walked in silence for a few seconds, sipping our coffee and ambling among the buildings of the city. Pedestrians seemed happier than usual, probably on account of the warmer weather and the sun.

I couldn’t help but think how lovely this was, enjoying a walk with a handsome new love interest on a beautiful, fall day.

Such a stark contrast to a traumatic, near-death experience.

Without realizing it, we soon crossed in front of the medical building that housed my grandmother. I hadn’t consciously chosen to walk here, but my feet must have done it out of habit. After all, my impending conversation with their billing department played in the back of my mind, nerves settling into my chest.

I took a deep breath, steeling myself for the difficult conversation that awaited me inside. Little did I know, my world was about to be turned upside down once again.

23

IVY

I motioned to the building with my chin.

“This is where my Grams stays.”

Grayson followed my line of sight, and when he saw the sign, his head tilted back slightly, a flicker of something crossing his features.

“I have to talk to them before I start my shift, but…” I hesitated, gathering my courage. “I’d love to have coffee again tomorrow?”

The air between us crackled with an undeniable electricity as his attention drifted to my mouth. I felt myself falling into the magnetic pull between us, imagining his lips on mine, his strong hands pulling me closer, his fingers tangling in my hair as he claimed me with a searing kiss that would forever etch itself into my memory.

Based on the parting of his lips, he was imagining the same thing.

As a gust of wind tossed a lock of hair across my cheek, Grayson reached up and delicately tucked the strand behind my ear, his skin brushing against mine in a featherlight caress that ignited every nerve ending and settled in my core with an unbearable ache.

I could tell by the way he instantly stilled that he felt this connection, too. As the air seemed to crackle between us, I wondered,Did it threaten to consume him like it did me?

God, everything about him was intoxicating. His dark hair, tousled just so. The rough stubble shadowing his jaw and those full lips that promised both sin and salvation. With broad shoulders and lean muscles barely contained by his shirt, Grayson towered over me, deliciously tall and undeniably handsome.

His knuckles brushed down my cheek, leaving a trail of fire in their wake. I gasped as he traced my jawline, finally capturing my chin between his thumb and forefinger. He tilted my face up, our eyes locking in a moment of breathless anticipation.

Yes, I ached to taste him, to lose myself in his intoxicating essence.

Grayson lowered his head, his focus fixed on my mouth, and as the distance between us closed agonizingly slowly, each inch felt like a lifetime.

And then, finally, gloriously, his lips met mine. The world fell away, leaving only us and this perfect moment. His mouth was warm and impossibly soft, sending fresh jolts of electricity racing through my body. I pressed myself against him, one hand splaying across his muscular back as he deepened the kiss, his passion matching my own, stealing the very breath from my lungs.

I clung to him, desperately wishing this moment could last forever. But suddenly, his lips stilled against mine, then abandoned me. His face, now inches from my own, tightened, and a deep line invaded the space between his brows as he stepped back and dropped his line of sight to the ground.

Ice water raced through my veins. The physical space between us was nothing compared to the emotional chasm he’d just created.

“I shouldn’t be doing this,” he murmured.

“What?” I whispered, my voice a mixture of hurt and confusion.

What just happened? Had I imagined the electric spark between us? The way his touch set my skin ablaze?

My radar couldn’t bethatoff.

Could it?

Until this moment, I’d been swept away by hope. When you meet someone and justknowyou vibe with them, your heart can’t help but get carried away with possibility.