A Brush with Love(30)

Dan’s jaw hit the floor. He was about to give her hell for cheating, when a bulky frat guy stumbled into her back, jolting her forward.

“Watch where you’re going, man,” Dan said, placing a hand on her arm. The guy gave a drunken laugh and turned back to his group.

The brewery was filling up with a rowdier late-night crowd. Dan saw the moment Harper became aware of the swarms of bodies surrounding them. A spark of panic ignited in her eyes as her gaze darted around the room. Her smile dropped and her cheeks lost their rosiness, a light sheen of sweat replacing it almost instantly. He watched as she sucked in a gulp of air that seemed to get stuck in her throat. She tugged at the collar of her scrub top then turned to the table, trying to fix the game with shaky hands. Dan placed his palm on her back.

“Do you want to go outside? Maybe get some air?”

Harper’s gaze shot to his and she nodded, panic flooding her features. “Yeah, that sounds good.”

They grabbed their coats and Dan maneuvered them through the bar, never taking his hand from Harper’s back. He didn’t understand why a small tremor hummed through her, or where the panic came from, but he wanted to help relieve it.

When they got outside, Harper stepped away from his touch and leaned against the brick building. She sucked in a huge breath, then another, before closing her eyes against the wind.

Dan stared at her. The tension in her body slowly uncoiled, muscle by muscle, the worried creases between her eyebrows relaxed, and the tight line of her lips eventually softened.

“You okay?” He took a step toward her and her eyes flashed open, landing on him. She gave him a soft smile, slow and sweet like honey. The movement of those full lips captivated him completely.

Something caught her attention, and she pulled her eyes away from him. Looking up, she let out a soft coo of excitement. “It’s snowing,” she said in hushed awe.

With her head tilted back, she moved away from the wall and turned slowly, watching the flakes fall around them.

Dan’s heart gave an uncomfortable squeeze. He felt too much at once. It shouldn’t make sense that the sight of her spinning in the snow made him feel like he’d been hit by a truck. It shouldn’t feel good to be dizzy with thoughts of her.

But somehow it did—like all the weird turns his life had made were to lead him to this spot on the sidewalk so he could watch Harper drop her guard and enjoy the snow.

He moved toward her and she spun into him, gripping onto his coat for balance. “I love the snow,” she said with a serene smile.

“Really? I hadn’t noticed.”

Dan took her fingers from his coat and chafed them between his palms, trying to warm them. He brought his mouth to their clasped hands and blew hot air against them, enjoying the familiarity of the gesture, the closeness it made him feel to her. He glanced at Harper’s face and noticed her parted lips, the reckless glint in her eyes.

“What is it?” he asked into their hands.

“You’re dangerous,” she said simply.

He cocked his head. “How so?”

She looked at him, her eyes traveling over his face, then slid one of her hands from his grasp and brought her fingertips to his temple. She stared at the spot where she touched him. Harper dragged her fingers down along the angle of his chin, causing his breath to catch.

“You distract me. It’s like everything else dissolves away with you,” she said, her index finger tracing the shape of his lips. “It’s different.”

His heart hammered in his chest, threatening to burst out and lay itself at her feet. He wanted to nibble her finger, take it in his mouth and kiss it. Claim it.

“Good different?” He couldn’t hide the self-conscious tone of his question, but he darted out his tongue, giving her finger a playful lick. She giggled and wrapped both of her arms around his neck, swaying them from side to side in a rhythmless dance.

“Hmmm, I don’t know,” she teased, a tipsy smile dancing across her lips.

Dan dropped his forehead to hers. He could smell the beer on her breath and the snow on her skin, all mixing with that sweet, floral musk that was uniquely Harper.

He brought his mouth a whisper from hers, every nerve in his lips hyperaware of the unbearable closeness. “Can I help you figure it out?”

He moved his lips even closer, so close it seemed impossible to hold the distance, the heat between their skin turning to fire. But he wouldn’t kiss her on the lips—not yet; he was saving that.

But he’d be damned if he wasn’t going to get a taste. He moved his lips to the corner of her smile and pressed them against her, dragging them along the beautiful line of her jaw. His mouth traced the curve of her throat, and he touched his tongue to the spot where her pulse pounded. Harper’s breathing hitched and Dan smiled against her.

“Any clarity?” he asked, his lips never leaving her skin.

She swallowed heavily before giving a quick shake of her head.

“No? Let’s see.”

He repeated the path up the opposite side of her neck, his lips dragging delicately against the softness of her skin. Dan felt Harper arch into him, and when he reached her ear, he gave the small lobe a playful nibble.

“Any closer to figuring it out?” he whispered, placing his hands on her hips and pulling her closer, the pressure of her body driving him wild. She shivered.

“N-no,” she said hoarsely. Her chest rose and fell with jagged breaths.