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“Nothing’s funny.” On a whim, I reached across and grabbed his hand. After all, we’d already done a bit of hand holding in the restaurant. “I really want to see you again too. And the scars really don’t bother me. I can’t promise not to stare sometimes…but the more I look, the less I notice them.”

He looked doubtful.

“Honest. Can I touch?”

His head reared back, like I’d said something truly shocking. I stepped forward, a clear question in my eyes and eventually he nodded. I reached up, laying my fingers gently over the injured skin. It felt rough beneath my fingers. I trailed them gently across his cheekbone, before moving to explore his brow. Finally, I let my fingertips move to his chin, the scar tissue slightly more pronounced there. I gently touched the corner of his lips before following the ridges all the way down to his neck to where they disappeared inside the collar of his shirt. Justin had stood like a statue, all the way through my exploration. Finally, his hand came up to cover mine, holding it tight against his neck. “Thank you.”

“For what?” My voice came out as a husky whisper.

“Being you.”

I laughed. “You hardly know me.”

“Maybe. But what I do know, I like. And I’m really looking forward to finding out the rest.”

Touched by his words, I leant forward, my lips finding his in the briefest of touches. I pulled back, gauging his reaction carefully, ready to stop immediately if he gave even the slightest protest. When he didn’t, I moved in again, putting more into the kiss; our mouths opening and tongues tangling together in a mutual show of appreciation. I tilted my head, deepening the kiss, our hands still clasped together around his neck. It felt strangely intimate. The kiss went on and on, both of us oblivious to anything around us.

Finally, I was the one to pull away. I let my forehead rest against his, wanting to maintain as much contact as I could, enjoying the warm buzz of arousal coursing through my body. I’d never felt that connected to someone I’d only just met. I suddenly became aware of a familiar scent permeating the space between us. “What’s your cologne?”

He went still. “What?”

“Your cologne. It’s familiar. I’ve smelt it recently…somewhere else. I’ve been trying to remember what it is. But, I just can’t remember the name of it. What is it?”

He drew back, a strange look on his face, his hand dropping from where it had been covering mine. Did he resent me breaking the bubble of intimacy with inane questions about cologne? Now they were no longer being held there, it felt silly to keep my fingers on his neck, so I reluctantly let go. “It’s Aventus by Creed.”

I nodded. “That’s it! I knew I recognized it. I had a friend who used to wear it.”

Justin crossed his arms, his words stilted. “It’s very common. Lots of men wear it.”

Confused by the sudden change in mood, I sought to get us back on even ground. “So, anyway, you want to see me again. I want to see you. Where are we going to go for this second date?”

Much to my relief, Justin visibly relaxed. “Anywhere you want. We could go for dinner again. Or do something during the day? One perk to living off army compensation pay is I’m free anytime.” He held his phone up. “We should swap numbers.”

* * * *

In the cab, I replayed the kiss several times. As first kisses go, it had certainly made a lasting impression, and I was already eagerly anticipating the second. I fiddled with my phone, trying to think of a suitably witty message to send to Justin’s number. Everything I came up with though, I dismissed as being far too cheesy to send. I didn’t want to give the man second thoughts about us continuing to date. It had been over a year since I’d had anything even approaching a serious relationship and I didn’t want to blow it before it had barely begun.

My phone buzzed in my pocket and I pulled it out to examine the display.

I just wanted to say again how much I enjoyed tonight. Can’t wait to see you again. Sleep well, beautiful. Hope you don’t mind me calling you that? X

Justin was obviously far braver than I was. Smiling broadly, I typed my response while I walked toward the front door.

No. I don’t have any issues with that. Even if it’s not true. Looking forward to seeing you again too. Hope you sleep well too. X

The downstairs was in darkness. That meant I was saved from a Georgia interrogation about how my date had gone. At least until the morning anyway. She hadn’t been working so she was either staying over at Benedict’s or had taken herself off to bed early. I was relieved. It meant no one could ruin the warm buzz currently running through my veins. I climbed the stairs. It was fairly late, and I was ready to go straight to bed.

Pushing the bedroom door open, I did a double take at the unexpected sight of Georgia on my bed. She sat smack bang in the middle, her legs crossed like some kind of lurking garden gnome. So much for avoiding the interrogation. Her eyes widened dramatically. “Oh, thank God you’re on your own! I wanted to wait for you, but then, when you were coming up the stairs, it suddenly occurred to me that you might have brought your date home with you. But it was too late to get from here to my own room. So, I didn’t know what to do. I thought about hiding in your wardrobe. But then I’d have had to watch you get it on with some guy, and I didn’t want to be emotionally scarred. Then it was too late. So, I just sat here. But, you’re on your own.” She let out an exaggerated exhale of relief before falling back and sprawling across the bed. She bounced back up less than five seconds later, a big grin on her face. “So, how did it go?”

I shrugged nonchalantly, using the excuse of taking my jacket off as a delaying tactic. However, I couldn’t quite manage to hold back a smile. Her eyes widened. “That good? So, you’re seeing him again?”

I nodded. My smile growing even wider.

She lay back down again. “What’s he like?”

“He’s nice, really nice.”

She screwed her nose up like I’d said something distasteful. “Nice! Nice! That sounds incredibly boring. Is he boring?”