Unexpected

Teaser Excerpt

Excerpt:

When we got to my house, Alex helped me up the stairs of my porch. "Here you are, safe and sound."

"Thanks for walking me home; I'd likely be found tomorrow, passed out on the beach with no shoes on if not for your guidance."

"You're taking the piss, aren't you?" he asked.

"Excuse me? I don't speak British!" I laughed, having no clue what he meant.

"Do you mean English? Ah, I'll translate: Such a smart arse -- pardon me, smart ass," he said, smiling at me.

"Better a smart ass than a dumb ass, I always say," I quipped, then ruined it by hiccupping and somehow almost tipping over, despite the fact that I was standing completely still at the time.

"Whoa there, you ok?" He grabbed my upper arms to steady me.

"Yeah, why?" I asked honestly, smiling up at him, already forgetting my near collapse at his touch.

"Charlie, Charlie, Charlie, what am I going to do with you?" he said, shaking his head at me.

"I don't know, maybe...kiss me?" Even as the words left my mouth, I couldn't believe I'd said them.

"That," he said, stepping closer and taking my face between his hands, "is a brilliant idea."

He leaned over and kissed me, gently sliding his lips over mine. As it continued, I opened my mouth slightly and he touched his tongue briefly to mine before retreating. It was a sweet and perfect first kiss and under normal circumstances, I'm sure I would have been happy to say goodnight to him at that point.

But drunk Charlie was having none of that. When he moved to step back, I grabbed the front of his shirt with both hands, pulling him close again as I kissed him, much deeper than he'd kissed me, then slowly sucked his lower lip into my mouth...