No, no, no. That had better not be the reason I was sitting on this cliff. If it was, one of us was going down that hill.
“No,” I answered before he could ask.
His lips twisted into an amused smile. “I wasn’t going to ask you to marry me… yet.” His sparkling eyes belied his words. “But I was hoping this could be the spot of our first kiss.”
“Nope.” I hopped up. “That ship sailed. Our first kiss was behind the stacks of rental skates.”
He rose to his feet and gave me a smile that sent my pulse racing. “I was testing to see if you remembered.”
I smacked his arm. “That’s just wrong.”
He rested his palm on my cheek and ran his thumb over my lip, making my breath hitch. “I was teasing, but I am going to kiss you now.”
“This…we won’t work.”
“We already do.”
He inched closer, as if testing the waters for my reaction.
“I may bite.” My lips quirked.
“I’ll take my chances.” He covered my mouth with his. His hand tangled in my hair as I leaned into his embrace. The heat from his body pressed into mine. Ben’s kisses were like a forbidden fruit that steals memories and inhibitions. His touch, his taste, had a way of making me beg for more.
He slowed the kiss and rested his forehead against mine.
“I’ve missed you,” he whispered.
I struggled to calm my racing heart and remember why this wasn’t a good idea. God, I’d missed him too. “We can’t do this again, like ever.”
“I agree.” He kissed me again, more tender and less frantic. Caressing my mouth with his until I was once again on the verge of begging for more. “Never again.” His words were whispered against my lips before pressing tender kisses down my neck.
“This is a bad idea,” I said, tilting my head to give him better access as he continued on the path.
“The worst.” His lips disappeared from my skin, and his gaze met mine. “Marry me.”
“No.”
“Date me.”
My mouth parted. Had he asked the first question so dating him would be a less severe option? I shook the lusty fog from my head. “Why?”
“Because you want to. Because I want you to.”
“Not good enough.”
“Okay, then how about a counter offer? We’ll take it slow.”
“You don’t do slow. It’s not in your vocabulary.”
“You’re right,” he said, pulling something from his pocket. He held a diamond ring up for me to see. “So let me be honest with you.”
“Please. It will be a nice change.”
“This ring was my grandmother’s, and I have every intention of one day putting it on your finger.”
“You’re crazy. We’re exes for a reason.”
“A stupid reason,” he said, sliding the ring back into his pocket.
