Enchanter by Kristy Centeno

the couch behind him .
    “Don’t rush out yet,” he whispered. “You can’t take our
discussion too seriously, Leah, because I was only setting it as an example.”
    It became incredibly hard to remember that I was angry with
him when his intense gaze did interesting things to my pulse.
    “You used me as an example,” I corrected him.
    “Okay, maybe I did, but I didn’t mean to upset you in any
way.”
    “Then why did you—”
    “I thought we covered that ground already.”
    “Yes, we did.”
    His lips were so tantalizingly close to mine that all I had
to do was move in, tilt my head a little, and they would meet. I had, after
all, a curiosity to satisfy. “My opinion of you is rapidly changing, though.”
    “I’m curious to know whether that’s good or bad.”
    “Good, I think.”
    “Clarify that for me before I make a fool of myself.”
    His hands moved up my spine and my entire body hummed with
anticipation.
    “I like you, very much,” I finally admitted, more to myself
than to him. “I always have.” What was the point of denying it when he could
probably see it in my eyes anyway?
    “Is that right?” His voice was low and hoarse.
    “Yes. I thought you should know that I’m having a hard time
trying to pull away right now.” I was sure to be embarrassed by the confession
later on, but as the intensity behind his gaze increased, I came short of
giving a damn.
    “No one is rushing you off.” One of his hands reached up to
caress the right side of my face, gently massaging its way up to my bandage-covered
forehead. “And you’re definitely not bothering me at all.”
    “Does this mean we can be friends again?” I blurted, wanting
to change the subject before things got a little too serious. I was worried about
crossing uncharted territories. “Because I’d really like that.”
    He rewarded me with a smile. “That’s not really a problem
unless, come Monday morning, you decide that you want to continue disliking me
again.”
    Come on, Leah, kiss him before the magic spell breaks and
he pulls away, again.
    “Now, why would I ruin things between us a second time?” I
said right before I traveled the short distance that brought our lips together.

Chapter Ten
     
     
    Kissing Brandon broke through our walls of resistance. It
was as if all the previous tension forcing us apart melted away the second our
lips touched. However painful the memories of the past were, as we kissed, they
were instantly forgotten and that was just fine with me. Life was too short to
dwell on one’s mistakes and I was not about to build another wall to replace
the one I had just bulldozed down.
    There had been a reason why I had chosen to befriend Brandon
the first time I saw him. And although it had been lost on me years back, I was
absolutely certain that he was an amazing person. I just had to uncover what
hid underneath layers of dark clothing and those mysterious blue eyes, hopefully
including the meaning of that tattoo.
    As I quickly discovered, not only was Brandon sweet,
patient, and good-looking, but he was also an incredible kisser. One simple peck
and the man had me completely entranced and in the palms of his hands. And the
more he kissed me, the more I wanted him to keep going.
    If Vanessa could have seen me, I’m sure she would have said,
‘I told you so.’
    The second our lips met, a bolt of hot electricity shot
through my entire body, causing my toes to curl up. When his arms wrapped
around my midsection, pulling me tightly against his chest, my heart sped up
immediately. The force of his gentle caresses was nearly overwhelming and I
found myself startled by my reaction to him.
    When his tongue slipped in between my lips and he used it to
explore the insides of my mouth, I moaned, reached up, and tangled my fingers
in his long hair. With my eyes squeezed shut, the tsunami of emotions intensified,
and as our tongues clashed in a need to overcome the other, I became painfully
aware of my body.
    I