she could stop herself, she kissed him. She meant it as a thank-you on the cheek, but somehow she missed and hit his lips.
And he stood very still, his eyes open, the surprise clear.
She immediately stepped back. âIâm sorry,â she said. âIâm sorry. Iâm just soâ¦â
Her voice trailed off when she realized that his cheeks were red. He was blushing, and the blush made him more handsome than ever.
âItâs all right,â he said.
For a brief, almost surreal moment, she thought he was going to put his hand against her face again, pull her close and kiss her.
Then one of the stout booksellers, dripping book bags from all of his limbs, slammed into Charming, and sent him stumbling backwards.
Mellie reached for him, but he held up a hand, signaling he wasnât hurt.
âThis is quite the place,â she said, trying to cover up her mistake.
âYes,â he said, the flush still on his cheeks, making his eyes seem bright.
âYou promised to help me research,â she said.
âYes,â he said, then seemed to gather himself. âI did.â
He took her book bag, then put a hand on the small of her back, sending another tingle through her. Only this time, she didnât impulsively act on it.
Sheâd already made a fool of herself in front of this man, letting her emotions run wild. Sheâd been angry at him, nasty to him, and then when he was nice, she kissed him.
Women probably did that to him all the time.
Which explained why he had stood so still. He was charming . Charming. And charming people didnât tell you when youâd overstepped a boundary. They just pretended like it hadnât happened.
Like he was doing now, leading her through the crowd, pointing out books. He was helping her, even though he didnât have to. He had so many other things to do.
But she would enjoy each moment while she could.
And she would promise him that she would never ever try to ban books again.
The Rough Draft
Chapter 9
He couldnât stop thinking about her. That was the strangest thing of all.
Charming couldnât stop thinking about Mellie, and that sudden, unexpected kiss. In fact, that kiss had become his refuge, the way her soft skin felt under his hands had become his escape.
And he needed escapes.
Charming pulled his silver Mercedes into the parking lot of the most exclusive private school in Beverly Hills. There were countless other cars already parked, as well as a few limos. Some had drivers. Most of the rest werenât being driven by parents, but by nannies and au pairs.
He eased down the windows and shut off the engineânot that it made much difference to the interior noise. The car purred when it was on, so soft that it seemed less annoying than a background hum.
Then he rested his head against the back of the leather seat and closed his eyes, just for a moment.
If anyone had asked him how he expected his future to go after that book fair, he would have smiled. He would have said that he had an excuse to call the most beautiful woman he had ever met. He would invite her to his condo, or maybe out for coffee. He would talk books to her, talk writing with her, and gradually, talk about the Kingdoms and how hurt they both were.
Then he would kiss her, instead of pulling away.
He regretted thatâhis lack of response. He played that kiss over and over in his mind. He had been so stunned that he couldnât bring his arms up, couldnât quite lean in. He hadnât realized she was attracted too, and by the time he understood that one important fact, she had stepped away, acting embarrassed.
No matter what he did, he couldnât rekindle the moment. So he had exchanged phone numbers with her, and talked to her about writing, and set up their first meeting for the very next day.
Who knew he would have to cancel?
He pulled out his cell phone and looked at the time emblazoned across the screen. Ten minutes.
And he stood very still, his eyes open, the surprise clear.
She immediately stepped back. âIâm sorry,â she said. âIâm sorry. Iâm just soâ¦â
Her voice trailed off when she realized that his cheeks were red. He was blushing, and the blush made him more handsome than ever.
âItâs all right,â he said.
For a brief, almost surreal moment, she thought he was going to put his hand against her face again, pull her close and kiss her.
Then one of the stout booksellers, dripping book bags from all of his limbs, slammed into Charming, and sent him stumbling backwards.
Mellie reached for him, but he held up a hand, signaling he wasnât hurt.
âThis is quite the place,â she said, trying to cover up her mistake.
âYes,â he said, the flush still on his cheeks, making his eyes seem bright.
âYou promised to help me research,â she said.
âYes,â he said, then seemed to gather himself. âI did.â
He took her book bag, then put a hand on the small of her back, sending another tingle through her. Only this time, she didnât impulsively act on it.
Sheâd already made a fool of herself in front of this man, letting her emotions run wild. Sheâd been angry at him, nasty to him, and then when he was nice, she kissed him.
Women probably did that to him all the time.
Which explained why he had stood so still. He was charming . Charming. And charming people didnât tell you when youâd overstepped a boundary. They just pretended like it hadnât happened.
Like he was doing now, leading her through the crowd, pointing out books. He was helping her, even though he didnât have to. He had so many other things to do.
But she would enjoy each moment while she could.
And she would promise him that she would never ever try to ban books again.
The Rough Draft
Chapter 9
He couldnât stop thinking about her. That was the strangest thing of all.
Charming couldnât stop thinking about Mellie, and that sudden, unexpected kiss. In fact, that kiss had become his refuge, the way her soft skin felt under his hands had become his escape.
And he needed escapes.
Charming pulled his silver Mercedes into the parking lot of the most exclusive private school in Beverly Hills. There were countless other cars already parked, as well as a few limos. Some had drivers. Most of the rest werenât being driven by parents, but by nannies and au pairs.
He eased down the windows and shut off the engineânot that it made much difference to the interior noise. The car purred when it was on, so soft that it seemed less annoying than a background hum.
Then he rested his head against the back of the leather seat and closed his eyes, just for a moment.
If anyone had asked him how he expected his future to go after that book fair, he would have smiled. He would have said that he had an excuse to call the most beautiful woman he had ever met. He would invite her to his condo, or maybe out for coffee. He would talk books to her, talk writing with her, and gradually, talk about the Kingdoms and how hurt they both were.
Then he would kiss her, instead of pulling away.
He regretted thatâhis lack of response. He played that kiss over and over in his mind. He had been so stunned that he couldnât bring his arms up, couldnât quite lean in. He hadnât realized she was attracted too, and by the time he understood that one important fact, she had stepped away, acting embarrassed.
No matter what he did, he couldnât rekindle the moment. So he had exchanged phone numbers with her, and talked to her about writing, and set up their first meeting for the very next day.
Who knew he would have to cancel?
He pulled out his cell phone and looked at the time emblazoned across the screen. Ten minutes.
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