A Shot with Prince Charming

Chapter 7

Ruby

Up until that moment, I'd thought I'd known what a kiss would be like.

It wasn't too difficult to imagine what lips crushing together would feel like, and my imagination was nothing if not vivid. So, yeah, I thought I knew what was coming.

I was wrong.

In reality, a kiss was something entirely different and totally new. Warmth spread through my veins like honey at the first touch. His lips were warm and firm, gentle and patient, hungry and teasing all at once. His hands moved from my waist to my back as he drew me in closer so the world came down to just the two of us.

It was heady. It was delicious. And it was...well, it was like something out of a fairy tale.

It was official. My imagination might have been vivid, but it totally underestimated Jackson Messner.

He pulled back after what could have been hours or seconds—time had lost all meaning the moment Jackson's lips touched mine. All I knew was, I could have happily kept kissing him all night long.

"So?" I could feel that smile I loved so much curving his lips as he trailed kisses on my cheeks before dropping a light kiss on the tip of my nose like putting a cherry on top of the kissing sundae. "What do you think of kissing?"

"I'm a big fan." I opened my eyes to find him gazing down at me with such warmth, such affection...and just a hint of laughter.

Would I ever take this for granted? If he and I were to kiss like this often—look at me, getting ahead of myself—would it always feel like Christmas morning when I opened my eyes to see that look?

"Does that mean...?" His gaze flickered as if he was trying to read something in my eyes. "Does that mean you feel the same way too?"

I stared at him in stunned silence because...was he kidding? "Are you kidding?"

Yeah. Not the best response. I realized that the moment he started to pull away. I latched my hands tighter around his neck and held on. "No, I meant...you can't be serious. Of course I like you."

His eyes lit up with a glow that made my heart leap in his direction. "Of course? There's no 'of course' about it." There was laughter in his voice as he added, "I was starting to think maybe I'd done something to offend you because you always seemed like you were trying to avoid me."

Heat crept up my neck at the totally accurate assessment. "Probably because I was trying to avoid you. But," I added quickly. "Not because I didn't like you. Because I did."

Understanding gave that glow in his eyes a slightly cocky glow.

Good thing cocky looked amazing on him.

"So you were nervous?" he asked.

I shrugged. "Yeah. Nervous and intimidated and, as we've already established, completely blind to the fact that you had, um...feelings."

He chuckled softly at my awkward ending. I supposed it was a good thing he found my weirdness to be compelling. Who would have thought that what I'd thought was my fatal flaw was actually attractive to someone?

The thought made me grin, and he pulled back with a swift inhale that startled me.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

He shook his head, looking slightly dazed. "Nothing, just...you ought to give a guy warning before you smile like that. It's freakin' incredible."

His compliment was like kindling to the fire inside me that had started the very moment he'd admitted that he liked me. This warmth in my chest burned so bright it was hard to breathe. It was impossible to think. And coherent sentences? Forget about it.