Page 54 of Just Ten Seconds

I dance with my body.

I move with my soul.

And I break free for the first time in three years.

I close my eyes and get lost in the song. One hand lowers down his chest, and I grind my hips against him. When I open them, I look up into the stormy darkness. His tongue dips out to lick his lip, and I feel his chest tightening. He’s holding back. He should.

And yet, I can’t. Moving my hand up his chest, I let it travel up to his neck, and then I caress his face, feeling the stubble of his jaw against my thumb.

Dean’s hand moves lower on my body as he inches forward.

My chest rises with an inhale.

He pushes up against me. I can feel his heart beating against his chest.

I run my thumb over his lower lip. It looks so soft and kissable.

I want his mouth on mine so bad.

I’m salivating with want, so I do the most selfish thing I could possibly do.

I kiss him.

On my toes, I lean up and take his mouth with mine. I kiss Dean Delgado, a man who walked into my café weeks ago, looking for someone to help him, and I ask him to return the favor.

He doesn’t take but a second to reciprocate.

His mouth claims me, our lips and tongues dancing against each other in slow, rhythmic movements.

Our kiss lasts seconds.

Our kiss lasts for years.

Our kiss is the only thing I can hold on to right now because despite all the pain of the past, I want nothing more than to live in this moment right now.

My fingers lace through his hair, gripping lightly.

One of his hands is grasping my back while the other cradles my head, seizing me with his entire being.

Yes, I love being held by a man. And as my lips become bruised by his stubble, I relish in how very manly Dean is. He’s all soft skin and hard muscle. He protects like a gladiator and kisses like a prince.

And if I were anyone else, I’d believe this was something more than it is.

I won’t believe that.

So, I’ll pretend.

I savor the kiss for a few more seconds before slowly backing away.

My chest is rising and falling quickly. I didn’t realize how worked up I had become. My heart doubles its pace as he looks down at me with that drop-dead gorgeous smile.

“I have to be at work early tomorrow!” I shout into his ear.

“I’ll walk you out,” he says.

His hand is on my lower back as we move through the crowd. I don’t see Lauren or Joey as I grab my coat from the table, and I don’t stop to find them.

I quickly walk down the stairs and scurry through the downstairs crowd and out the door.