Consequences

Part 36

Isabelle was tempted to be a coward. But after a few seconds with a silent argument going on in her head she tipped her head back. "So, what is it?" She prompted when a few seconds had lapsed and all he had done was continue to look at her. It was as if he was taking inventory the way his eyes roved over her face.

"A kiss." Came the quiet response. His eyes showed he was serious.

"What?" She blinked. Kiss? Did he just say kiss? He could not be serious.

"A kiss. You know, lips touching and all that." He grinned at her astonishment. "Your heart is racing."

"What did you expect? You just said you wanted to kiss me!" She told him with a scowl.

"I do. Not to sound immodest, but most women would be delighted by the suggestion." He teased.

"I'm not most women!"

"I know."

She huffed. "I assume here and now." She tipped her head back to look him in the eye. "In front of all these people."

He grinned at her, enjoying the haughty tone in her voice, the cool challenge in her eyes, and the give away pulse at her throat.

"Yup. That about sums it up!"

"I don't think so." Isabelle raised her chin. There was no way she was going to let him kiss her, let alone let him kiss her here, in public. This was a temporary arrangement and if she wanted to emerge relatively unscathed from this relationship then she needed to maintain some degree of distance. A kiss was out of the question.

"Why not?"

Isabelle pursed her lips. She knew he was being deliberately provocative. "Because I am not cavorting in public like a sex mad nympo just to convince these people that we are engaged." She scowled at him, as if the reason was obvious. "I'll get a ring tomorrow. That should convince them." Though she really did not want to splurge any of their carefully garnered cash. A ring was an expense she could do without. Just because they were now debt free did not mean she should go around spending money unnecessarily. Her brow furrowed. She would look into getting something that could pass for the real thing.

Doug watched her eyes. There was lots going on in that head of hers. He wondered how much of that over thinking was to do with his request for a kiss. Once again he grinned at her tone. Then he said, "I suggested a kiss. One kiss. Not rampant sex." He grinned. "And to be honest, I've never had to ask a woman for a kiss!"

She didn't reply. She wasn't sure she knew what would happen if he kissed her. The way her heart was racing suggested that things were not going to be straightforward. No point making things complicated by introducing kissing!

"So?" Doug prompted when she hadn't said a word in response to his teasing.

"What?"

"A kiss? Just a kiss."

"I don't think it appropriate." Came the haughty reply.

The grin dissolved into laughter. "God, you are perfect!"

"And you are incorrigible." She told him with as much disdain as she could muster, but her smile ruined the censure. "You were just teasing me, weren't you?" The band stopped playing, Isabelle removed her hand from his shoulder and began to inch away.

"No." He murmured and the hand at her waist pulled her closer, his other hand gently cupped her cheek, his thumb caressed her cheekbone as he positioned her to receive his kiss. For a second their eyes made contact.

He read anticipation in hers. Excited anticipation. She read intent in his. Calm intent.

As promised it was a light brushing of lips. A bare whisper. Fleeting. But with the jolt of a supercharger.

Neither could make sense of what happened. It wasn't the fact that they had responded to that light, gentle brushing contact. They both knew they were attracted. So it wasn't that. It was the impact. One tiny, brief kiss, that had all but airbrushed across their lips, and it had shaken them to their core.

Without saying a word, Doug gently took her hand and as the band began to play he eased her into a gentle sway. Isabelle tucked her head onto his shoulder, and allowed Doug to lead. It took a while for their hearts to stop racing.

When the band stopped, they slowly disengaged and in silence walked off the dance floor. They had barely reached a table when they were joined by another couple. Isabelle made the introductions and Doug fended the questions.