“I prefer to drive.”
“Okay. I’ll meet you there—”
“Wait.” She paused, then nodded. “I’ll ride with you.”
He stuck his hands into his pockets, unable to stop smiling as they walked to his car. Sure, this was Olivia. And they weren’t going on a date or anything. It was also nice not to have to go back to an empty house just yet. But that didn’t mean anything either. They were two friends who hadn’t seen each other in a long while, getting coffee after a movie. Simple as that.
* * *
Considering Dr. Kingston Bedford was highly successful at everything in his life, Olivia would have easily guessed he’d be good at kissing. That is, if she’d ever thought about kissing and Kingston in the same sentence. But as of two minutes ago—or was it three? She had no idea—she was discovering exactly how phenomenal he was. Not that she had anything to compare . . . him . . . to . . .
Whatever thoughts were left in her head, they disappeared.
Minutes or hours later—again, no idea—he finally pulled away and leaned his forehead against hers. “That was . . .”
“Amazing.” She sighed, her pulse hammering in her chest, throat, and everywhere else. Her clasped hands rested at the base of his neck. Every single second in his arms had taken her breath away, literally. And she found herself hoping he’d take it away again.
Then she blinked. Moved her forehead from his and looked around. How had she ended up sitting on the hood of his Audi? She barely remembered getting out of the car, because he had started kissing her the minute they’d returned to the Sunset parking lot and he’d opened the passenger door. Her face, already hot despite the thirty-degree temperature outside, flamed.
Kingston’s eyes widened, as if he’d finally figured out where he was and what he’d been doing. He dropped his hands from her waist at the same time she unlocked her legs from around him. He stepped back and threaded his hand through his hair.
Please don’t say you’re sorry.
“I’m sorry.” He shook his head and looked to the side. “I . . . I don’t know what happened.”
She kicked herself for being so stupid. When Kingston asked her to go to the coffee shop with him, she should have listened to her gut. Instead, she’d second-guessed herself, seeing his offer as a prime opportunity to stick her little toe out of her comfort zone and ignore her evening schedule of being in bed no later than ten thirty. It was well past that time, and all she had for her trouble was sheer embarrassment. She couldn’t even enjoy the memory of those amazing kisses, not when regret was splashed all over his face.
And now she had to come up with something to say, some way to explain why she’d been perfectly fine sitting on the hood of Kingston’s car, kissing him with reckless abandon, without giving a single thought to any repercussions. She had to clarify that this wasn’t her modus operandi. Not even close.
“I just want you to know—” they said in unison.
He chuckled, but it sounded awkward. Probably the first time in his life he’d ever experienced such a thing. Her feet dangled over the side of the hood as he moved a few yards away, putting plenty of distance between them.
Then he was suddenly closer, though not as close as he’d been a few minutes ago. Before she could decide whether she was relieved or disappointed, a half smile formed on his lips. “I want you to know that I don’t go around inviting women out for coffee so I can make out with them.”
“I didn’t think you were.” Which was true. She couldn’t imagine him being anything but the perfect gentleman. Although she’d just discovered firsthand that he was a little wicked around the edges.
“But . . .” He shoved his hand through his hair, leaving the ends messy and sticking out all over. She almost lost her mind and reached over to smooth them down, catching herself at the last second.
“I really enjoyed the movie,” he said. “And the coffee, and tea. I didn’t know you were an Earl Grey girl.”
She had to smile at that.
“And . . .”
If he apologized again, she was going to kick him. Softly, though. Just a light tap on the side of his leg. She didn’t want to hurt him. “And?”
He surprised her by cupping her cheek with his large hand, the palm covering half her face. “And I thoroughly enjoyed this.” He bent down and kissed her, lightly this time, before he drew back. Then he held her gaze. “Are you okay?”
If “okay” meant floating on a cloud while melting into a flustered, boneless puddle, then she was absolutely okay. She nodded.
He moved his hands to her waist. “Probably not a good idea for you to stay here,” he muttered, lifting her with ease and setting her on her feet.
“Thank you,” she said.
“You’re welcome.”
So formal, when less than a few minutes ago they’d been anything but. She glanced at her car parked next to them. And because she’d always believed being straightforward was best, she looked back up at him. “Where do we go from here?”
Confusion flashed in his eyes, then disappeared. He smiled again. “How about an official date?”
Surprised, her pulse tripped again. The idea of a date with Kingston would have seemed ludicrous even two hours ago.
But was it? The time they’d spent talking at the café had been nice, easy, and comfortable, even if she was still tingling from sitting next to him during The Quiet Man. But it wasn’t long before she’d forgotten her physical reaction to him and discovered they had a lot in common other than watching old movies. He was extremely smart and well read. Being a true nerd, she appreciated his interest in reading and learning. She already knew he was devoted to his family—when he had the time to be. And when he enthusiastically told her about his volunteer work—without revealing any patient information—he almost had her convinced that she should volunteer at the health department, too, even though the sight of blood made her feel faint.
Then on the drive back to her car, she’d wished the evening didn’t have to end so soon. She’d gotten her wish—and they’d extended their time in the best way possible.
“Olivia?”
His handsome face came into focus, the uncertainty in his eyes surprising her. Confident Kingston Bedford was worried she’d say no. She probably should. She’d gone out of her comfort zone enough tonight, and she didn’t want to end up hurt. But this was Kingston, the most upstanding man she knew.
Not to mention those kisses. “Yes.” She drew in a deep breath. “I’d like to go out with you.”
He grinned and pulled out his phone. When she realized her purse still sat on the passenger seat, she opened the door, grabbed her bag, and shut the door with her hip. Quickly she took out her cell.
“The earliest I have is next Tuesday,” he said, scrolling. “Will that work?”
“Our monthly staff meeting is Tuesday evening. I usually order takeout from the diner while we work. We won’t wrap up until eight thirty.”
He ran his finger over the screen. “Next Wednesday?”
“Church. And I have to be at the library early Thursday morning to set up our biweekly homeschool workshop.” She looked at her calendar. “What about a week from Friday?”