Beyond Repair by Kelly Lincoln Page B

forever.
    Chris continued to look at me, his blue eyes thoughtful. After a moment, he said, “You’re the first person I’ve kissed in two years.”
    My mouth dropped open. I knew from Kyle that Chris was off relationships, but I really couldn’t believe he hadn’t gotten any action at all in the last two years. “Did you have a bad breakup or something?” It wasn’t fair of me to ask, since I’m the Queen of Secrets, but it slipped out.
    He nodded as he broke eye contact. “Yeah, that and some other stuff.”
    I didn’t press for more information. He just looked defeated, and I wished I could go back in time and not ask the question. “I’m sorry I asked.”
    I tried to think of something more than that to say while he looked down, as if he were mourning something. All I wanted to do was make him forget about her and for him to make me forget about my past. I took another step closer, the distance between us disappearing. He finally looked at me again and the sad expression melted from his face, anticipation taking its place.
    Feeling a mixture of so many different things, I was nauseated in the best way possible. I needed nothing more at that moment than to feel him against me, taking me back to last night when everything was perfect.
    I put my hand on his arm, letting out an involuntary sigh as I looked up at him. God, he was so frigging tall. He leaned down toward me. I stood on my tiptoes …
    And got the worst cramp in my foot ever. “Shit!” I exclaimed as I tipped over into him.
    Strong arms wrapped around me. “You okay?”
    “Foot cramp,” I replied through gritted teeth while I moved my foot, trying to relieve the pain.
    His arms tightened as he lifted me up, somehow unlatching the tailgate on the back of his truck at the same time. My flip-flops fell off my feet as he set me down. I instantly tried bending my foot against my hand, but Chris took over and started doing some weird massaging thing with his thumbs. The pain got worse at first but quickly dulled.
    I let out a breath. “Thanks. I’m sorry. That came out of nowhere.”
    “No problem.” He was still rubbing my foot, staring at it, and I suddenly got worried.
    “You’re not … into feet, are you?” I asked, my memory flashing back to the guy Zoey set me up with a few months ago.
    He dropped my foot. “No!”
    I covered my face with my hand. “Sorry. I suck at this kind of stuff.”
    “At getting cramps?”
    “No, at initiating stuff and saying stupid crap.”
    “Nothing you say is stupid.” He took my hand off my face and laced my fingers through his. “And I’m not into feet. Promise.”
    He was so frigging cute; I didn’t even care that he was holding my hand after touching my foot. “Good,” I whispered, cautiously putting my other hand on his shoulder. His eyes burned into mine, making me lose all my hesitation as I pulled him toward me.
    Our lips met less aggressively than they had the previous night. Everything was soft and gentle, until Chris’s hands knotted in my hair, coaxing my head closer to his. I responded by wrapping my arms around him, gripping him tighter. We broke apart to breathe and I lazily opened my eyes to find him smiling at me. “You don’t suck at initiating at all.”
    I grinned back at him. “So, we’ve kissed twice. The first time I was sitting on a counter, now I’m on your truck. Is this going to be our thing?”
    “I didn’t plan it; it just happened both times.” His eyes traveled down, then back up to mine. “Do you like it?” he asked in a low voice.
    I nodded because I actually did like it. Chris being strong enough to move me didn’t freak me out at all because he would never use it against me.
    “Then it’s not going to be the last time,” he muttered. He leaned in and gave me a soft kiss with just lips and rested his head on my shoulder. He took a breath. “You smell good.”
    I was still dazed from the “not going to be the last time” comment, so I started