An awkward laugh slips out before I can stop it. I think my stomach just made friends with my toes. “That’s sweet but?—”
Payton’s grin turns downright evil. “Isn’t she adorable? And here you thought I was the shy one.”
The last thing I see is Sophie’s brows shoot up before Payton’s head, which I’m convinced grew four times bigger in the last hour, closes in, and his lips brush mine.
I have two choices. Lean away, making it obvious we’re not the happy couple they think we are, or let him kiss me and make him answer for it later.
His kiss is tentative at first. Almost cautious. Then his hand slides behind my head as he continues, not giving me a way out. But I can’t think of an escape because all I want right now is to explore his lips that taste like garlic and tomato and wine, and give in to all these exhilarating sensations rolling over me that leave me feeling wanted and…safe. Like I could let down my guard around him.
But I can’t—not and do my job well. However, I can even the score a little. After all, I’m the one who suggested we make this a competition. I lean closer and deepen the kiss. His spicy scent nearly intoxicates me, making me almostforget why I’m doing this, but I resist the pull and run my hand over his injured side. Not enough to seriously hurt him, but enough to make him jump ever so slightly and end the kiss.
I cover my mouth with my fingers with a gasp. “I’m so sorry, honey. Guess I got caught up in the moment and forgot about your ribs.” I mimic a contrite grin at the rest of the table. “Must be that honeymoon phase he mentioned.”
Sophie giggles while Mia fans herself with an expression of approval on her face.
Payton holds his side as he lowers himself into his chair. “No worries,dear. I’ll be fine.”
“I should get him an ice pack. Can I get anyone anything?” Before anyone can answer, I make a beeline for the kitchen on shaky legs.
Between the military and working as a bodyguard, I’ve been around a lot of men. Some are attractive, some are not. Some kind, others not so much. A few I admired, a lot I considered nuisances to be ignored.
I’ve always kept my guard up with little trouble. But Payton just blew all my pretenses out of the water and proved my walls aren’t as impenetrable as I thought.
Observation #5: Payton is mischievous, and his kisses are dangerous.
Maybe it’s time to set some boundaries before our competition turns my heart on end.
The thing about a dinner party—and that’s the only way to describe what this turned into—is there’s always the cleanup to look forward to. And I mean that in the most sarcastic way. Thankfully, Payton’s friends are as quick to help as they were to helping put this dinner on the table. All things considered—excluding the kiss—it was a nice evening.
Payton and Elias sit on the couch, chatting, while I’m loading the dishwasher with Mia’s help.
“Ethan and I have this agreement that whoever cooks doesn’t have to do the dishes.” She hands me the next rinsed plate to add to the rest.
“So you take turns?”
“No, I cook, and he cleans.” She giggles.
I laugh. “Then why have an agreement?”
She shrugs. “I figure if he decides he hates cleaning up, he’ll have to cook more.”
I stare at her. “You’re a sneaky one, aren’t you?”
“And proud of it.” She snorts, then laughs again.
As I’m about to add another plate to the dishwasher, I catch Luke and Sophie leaving the second bedroom. My breath catches as I search out Payton, but he’s in a deep discussion between Ethan, Mathéo, and Elias.
“I’ll be right back, Mia.”
“I’ll be right here.” She singsongs as I walk over to Luke and Sophie.
“Couldn’t wait until the honeymoon, huh?” I force a laugh, half hoping my joke is actually the truth and not something else.
Blushing like a banshee—do banshees blush?—Sophie glances at Luke, who nods and walks away. “Sorry. He was just trying to find the hockey stick he saved from the game when he proposed to me.”
He proposed at a hockey game? Was he playing? How would that even work? And there’s my point of deflection. “How did he propose?”
“It was the most romantic, yet somewhat terrifying, moment of my life to date.” She hesitates, leaving me to think I’d succeeded because she was about to launch into the entire story, but then she asks, “Are you and Payton okay?”
