Terms of Surrender by Leslie Kelly Page B

about how much you can have fun at theme parks now?” he asked, those amber eyes twinkling.
    She slowly shook her head.
    “What do you want to do?”
    She could tell the truth, just throw it out there on the table and see how he responded. They were waltzing around the subject like a couple on Dancing with the Stars.
    Besides, she’d already made the first move once today by asking him out. Why shouldn’t she take another shot?
    Because asking somebody to lunch is a little different than asking him to rock your world and give you many, many orgasms.
    “Ahem.” She cleared her throat, reaching for her water.
    “Oh,” he said knowingly.
    She swallowed, then eyed him over the glass. “Oh, what?”
    “Oh. Now we both have sex on the brain. I’m sorry, but I’ve been thinking about nothing else but kissing you for hours, I guess I should’ve stuck with that.”
    His voice was silky smooth, intimate. There was warmth in his eyes, but no humor. As if he, too, was ready to move past the light, friendly conversation they’d engaged in throughout lunch and get a whole lot more serious pretty damn quick.
    “Kissing?” she murmured, fascinated by the idea.
    He nodded once. Then, wordlessly, he leaned across the small table, touching his fingers to her chin to tilt her face up. The briefest of hesitations—to give her a chance to back away—then he moved his mouth to hers.
    Mari’s heart flipped in her chest, she was aware of that much. Then nothing, except the feel of his warm lips against hers, the warmth of his breath flavored with the sweetness and lemon he’d had in his iced tea. It was soft, tender maybe a little tentative as they both acknowledged the importance of this moment.
    A first kiss was a critical thing. It set a tone, lifted a bar. Mari had walked away from good-looking men who didn’t know how to kiss.
    This man did. Oh, God, did he ever.
    Not forcing her mouth open and thrusting his tongue down her throat, he instead nibbled lightly, seemed content with just the joining of their lips. A slow build. It was a quiet kiss…sexy in its very patience and innocence.
    Frankly, it drove her crazy. Mari wanted more, so much more. Groaning, she parted her lips, sliding her tongue out to taste his, not giving a damn about where they were or who might see. She just needed more of him.
    He gave her more, sliding his hand up to cup her cheek, tangling his fingers in her hair, tilting his head to deepen things. And then, he cooled down, going back to sweet and light, until he finally lifted his mouth from hers and pulled away.
    She heard her choppy breaths, and his, and knew he had been every bit as affected.
    It had been a good first kiss. A very good start to whatever this was. “I want to go on your boat with you,” she admitted. “To…see the sunset.”
    “We can just watch the sunset,” he said, his voice low and tight, as if the idea pained him. “No other expectations.”
    “I know.” Then, emboldened by the need still swirling through her after that kiss, she added, “Or we can kiss again.”
    He smiled. “That sounds like…fun.”
    Remembering what they’d been saying before that kiss—about how to have fun—she smiled back. “Yes, it does.”
    Their stares met and held, both of them knowing what they were really talking about. “You’re sure?”
    “Uh-huh. So sure I don’t even mind too much if you think I’m easy.”
    He reached across the table, taking her hand, squeezing lightly. “I don’t. Because, for the record, I’m feeling exactly the same way and I know I’m not easy.”
    That pleased her. She hoped what was happening between them was as unique for him as it was for her.
    “Okay then. Let’s get outta here.” He reached into his pocket for his wallet.
    She immediately shook her head. “Not only am I not easy, I’m not a welcher. It’s on me, remember?”
    Ooh. Shouldn’t have thought about anything being on her. Because that made her think of all the other things