“What do you think?” Eric asked, tipping his head slightly to the side. “Do we look like an engaged couple?”
Jayla shrugged casually, trying not to let the question make her giddier than she already was. “I think we could pass.”
“You know I just realized something.” Eric stroked his chin as he thought for a moment. “For a couple engaged to be married, we should probably be comfortable kissing each other.”
Wait what? She didn’t hear that right. Perhaps her ears were playing tricks on her, saying something she wished she heard instead of really heard. “I’m sorry. I may have missed what you said. I was…I don’t think I…Say that again?”
“I said I think we should practice kissing. I mean, we’re supposed to be engaged and people would expect us to be comfortable with each other and all.”
Just what she thought she heard the first time around.
Jayla swallowed. She fought to keep her expression neutral from any emotion. Not disappointment. Not excitement. Just…neutral. She stared at him a moment, saying nothing but blinking a few times. It took her a moment of staring at his own blank expression to realize he was serious. “Oh, well…sure. Why not?”
Hoo boy.
Eric cleared his throat and slipped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer. Their eyes met and, for that moment, all she could hear was the sound of rushing water around them. Slowly he moved in and before she knew it, his lips touched hers in a soft kiss. Then he leaned back. “How’s that?”
Jayla frowned. “You kissed me like you were afraid of me or something. Come on, Eric. We’re about to be married. We’ve been engaged for months. We would definitely not kiss like that.”
Eric exhaled softly and nodded. “You’re right. That was just a practice of a practice.”
“Okay. Let’s try this again. Remember, think…engagement. Marriage.”
“Right.”
He met her gaze again and then something changed as he looked at her. An undercurrent of emotions so tangible she could almost taste it. His expression fell into something deeper than before. Something she couldn’t explain. He reached up, gently caressing her cheek as he leaned in. His lips teased the side of her mouth, inching toward her lips yet not quite indulging them. He moved closer, his body covering hers in a possessive manner that made her body his for the taking. His large, warm hand brushed the small of her back, pulling her closer.
He took a moment to kiss her lips, then moved away before she could respond to the touch. Their eyes met and then she saw it. Desire. Tension rose between them as he watched her like a predator ready to move in on his prey. She leaned in before he cradled her face. He nibbled on her lower lip, silently showing her that he was the one leading this dance. A soft exhale escaped her lips before he moved to claim her lips with his. She couldn’t tell where her breath left and his began as they both deepened the kiss. Her hands ran up the sides of his body, feeling each and every muscle constricting under her touch.
Then his hands shot out and clutched hers, stilling her movement.
Jayla opened her eyes and looked up at him. Did she do something wrong? Did she disappoint him?
Eric slid her hands down at her sides and quickly stepped away. “That was a bad idea. I’m sorry, Jayla. I didn’t mean to–– ” He didn’t look at her. Even with each step he took backwards he refused to even lift his head to look at her. “We should get back.”
With that, he turned on his heels and started back toward the waterfall, leaving Jayla to lean against the rocky wall with questions floating through her mind.
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