Fall With Me (Sugarland Creek, #3) (54)

“Because I didn’t want you to feel alone. Noah had just left and—”

“Why were you even there in the first place if I hated you?”

Leaning in closer, I slide my tongue along my bottom lip. “Because I never hated you.”

Her breath hitches at my closeness, and I know I affect her as much as she affects me.

“We’ve been textin’ all week like it was a normal thing for us.” There’s a hint of sadness in her voice like she’s desperate to put the puzzle pieces together and frustrated that she can’t. “It didn’t feel like I was talkin’ to someone I’d just met.”

“It didn’t feel like that for me either,” I admit. “Even though I have memories from the past four years, the way we talk now is new to me, too.”

“Then kiss me.”

Taking a step back, I meet her serious expression. “What?”

“I wanna test my theory. If we’ve never dated or kissed before, then there’ll be no instant chemistry or familiarity. If there is, I’ll know I’m right.”

I scrub my palm across my face, desperately trying to think of a way out of this. Ironic considering how long I’ve wanted to kiss her.

“Ellie…”

“What’s the harm?”

“We agreed to wait a month,” I remind her. “And I wouldn’t lie to you about this.”

“That agreement was for a date. This is just a kiss. One little kiss.”

“You’re sure about this? You’re not gonna tell Noah I took advantage or something to get me in trouble?”

“Of course not!” She flinches. “Why? Is that something the old me would do?”

I bark out a laugh. “The old you wouldn’t be standin’ here beggin’ me to kiss her.”

“I’m not begging.”

I smirk. “Kinda sounds like you are.”

She sighs. “If you’re a chickenshit, just admit it. Or maybe you’re a bad kisser…”

“That’s definitely not it…”

Her shoulders lift. “Alright, if you say so.”

She moves to walk past me, and without hesitating, I grab her arm and pull her back. My palms cradle her face as I lean in and brush my lips along hers. I’m cautious at first, but when she doesn’t pull away, I slide my tongue between them.

My fingers thread through her hair as I cup her head and pull her closer.

She moans against my mouth, her fists tightening around the fabric of my shirt as she takes everything I give her.

I’ve craved her this way for so long, and now that I’ve had a taste, how can I ever go without it again?

When my heart threatens to beat out of my chest, I pull away, gasping for air and seeking reassurance that she doesn’t instantly regret it.

“So what’s the verdict?” I finally ask, swallowing hard as I adjust myself.

“Damn, I was hopin’ that’d prove we were havin’ a secret affair,” she breathes out, but then her fingers touch where my lips had been. “Guess I was wrong after all.”

There’s a hint of deviousness on her face, and then it hits me.

“You played me.”

Her shoulders lift. “And you fell for it hook, line, and sinker.”

“Wow…” I say slowly and dramatically. “Now that’s something the old Ellie would do. Guess she’s still in there somewhere.”

“It was for a good cause, I swear.”

“Mm-hmm.” I fold my arms over my chest and wait for her explanation.

“I read that sometimes memories can resurface from any of the five senses. So I thought maybe touch could be kissing you and seeing if it triggered anything.”

Instead of feeling upset she used me, I do sympathize with her frustration. I’d hate having part of my memory blocked and feeling like I had no control over what I remembered.

“Okay. What’s the next sense you want to try?” I ask. “I wanna help.”

As much as I should dread her getting it back, it feels worse knowing she’s struggling.

“Maybe smell?”

I think back to the list Mom gave me. “I have to run to the grocery store. You could come with me and maybe something there will smell familiar.”

“Sure. Couldn’t hurt to try.”

She tells Ranger she’ll be back and then follows me out to my truck. Once we’re buckled in, she looks over at me.

“You don’t seem that upset about the kiss.”

“Should I be? I thought it was a nice kiss…”

“It was…very nice actually.”

“Great. Then what’s the problem?” I ask, backing out and driving us onto the main gravel driveway.

“I guess the problem is that even though I did it as an experiment, it kinda felt a little too real.”

The vulnerability in her voice has me glancing toward her and struggling to keep the smirk off my face.

“That is a real problem…” I tsk. “Because now you have to wait three more weeks for another one. Assuming I even kiss on the first date, which I’m kinda thinking I shouldn’t since I’m a gentleman and all.”

“Alright, I know why I kissed you, but you’re the one who grabbed me and devoured my face like your life depended on it. So how are you gonna wait that long?”