Page 14 of The Perfect Secret

He ignored the frown on her face and the way she seemed to glance with some frequency at his leg. He didn’t need her worrying about him, although the pucker between her eyebrows made him want to smooth it out with a fingertip. Maybe it was good she was worried—it gave him something else to think about. As they headed toward the restaurant, Dan focused on walking. One he got there, he could sit and everything would be fine.

“Do you go to the rest of the museum as often?” Hannah asked.

Thank God she didn’t ask about his leg. “Not really. I used to take Tess when she was young…” Dan paused and gritted his teeth as an uneven sidewalk jolted his leg. Dammit.

She sidestepped away and faced him head-on, grabbing his arms and keeping him steady, although he’d never admit to the purpose of her action, not even under oath.

“What are you doing, Hannah?”

She stared at him. He wanted to tear his gaze away, but he couldn’t. Her eyes darkened until they were navy with concern. He wanted them to be dark with desire, though. “I know maybe I shouldn’t bring this up, but you look like you’re in pain. Is everything okay?”

He swallowed. So much for her desiring him. “It’s fine.” She arched an eyebrow and he relented. “My leg hurts. It always hurts. If I stopped doing things I enjoy just because it hurt, I’d never get out of bed.”I enjoy being with you. He wanted to say it, but he wasn’t sure he could risk it.

She squeezed his arm. “Carry on.”

He blinked. When she returned to his side and hooked her arm through his free one, he blinked again. She’d accepted his explanation. Was it that easy? Maybe he should tell her how much he was attracted to her. Maybe it wouldn’t sound crazy.

“What are we looking at?” she whispered out of the side of her mouth, pursing her lips together and giving him an insane urge to kiss them.

“What?”

“I assumed since we’re standing here you must be looking at something, and I wanted to join in the fun. Or did you not realize we weren’t moving?”

Her nostrils flared and she bit her lip. Dan realized she was trying not to laugh. Now he really wanted to kiss her, to capture her mouth with his, to make her his own. Before he could act on it, his stomach growled.

“Was that yours or mine?” She looked at him, an eyebrow raised.

His lips twitched. His breath hitched. He couldn’t keep his amusement to himself any longer. It bubbled in his chest and he let it out as he shook his head.

“Okay, while I am older than you, I’m not old enough to be senile. Yet. So yes, I did know we weren’t moving. But thanks for that. And yes, my stomach growled, because I’m hungry. Except I think I need to put eating on hold for a moment, because what I need, more than anything else right now, what I’ve needed all night long in fact, is to kiss you.”

He reached his hand behind her neck and drew her close to him. This was what he’d waited for, her body close to his, the warmth of her nape against his palm. Tilting his head, he angled his mouth and brushed his lips against hers. A groan started in the back of his throat. Her lips were more delicious than he’d imagined. They were sweet and soft and for the moment, his. He deepened the kiss as her arms wrapped themselves around his waist. Good, because he didn’t intend to stop anytime soon. Her body fit against his as if it was meant to—soft breasts against hard chest—he pulled her closer, wishing they could blend into one. When she sighed, he slipped his tongue inside her mouth. It was like honey, and he couldn’t breathe from the sweetness.

Her fingers swirled against his back, leaving trails of fire. Shaking, he pulled away, though he wanted to keep her close. He rested his forehead against hers. Her pupils were huge, like his he suspected, her breathing quick. Her hands hadn’t stopped moving and well, he wanted her to move them lower. But they were in the middle of the street and he wasn’t an exhibitionist. He pulled farther away, took her hand, and led her toward the restaurant.

“Wait,” she cried as he limped as fast as he could to Isabella’s.

“What?”

“What about what I need?”

Before he could ask what she meant, she grabbed his head and pulled it down to her. She kissed him, hard, and pulled away.

“I wasn’t finished,” she said.

Chapter Five

Hannah squeezed her hands together so hard they hurt. She’d just kissed him in the middle of the street. Demanded to kiss him, actually. And that was after dismissing his pain. She hadn’t meant to do that. She’d wanted to show him he didn’t have to worry about it with her. But maybe he’d misunderstood. Her stomach tightened as she followed him to their table. There was no way she could eat. Not with him. His hand on her upper arm, as he pulled out her chair, stopped her from sitting.

“What’s wrong?” His voice was low and made her stomach vibrate.

No point playing games. “I’m embarrassed.”

“Why?” He let her sit before he eased himself into the chair across from her. She watched his face smooth out in relief as he stretched his leg under the table.

“That kiss…”

“…was many things, but embarrassing wasn’t one of them.”