He scrambles closer and drops to his knees beside the couch. “No, like, I have a lot of respect for her. I love her. She’s awesome and kind of terrifying and a lot inspiring. I’d love to be as cool as her one day, but I’m not actually in love with her.” He lets out a little laugh. “I’m not a complete idiot. We’d be terrible together. I’d drive her nuts, and she’d do nothing but put me down. I have a bit more self-respect than that.”

I’m struggling to latch onto what he’s saying, but relief is pooling in my chest. “Only a bit more?”

“That requires more soul-searching than I’m capable of.”

My gaze travels the length of his face. “You know, sometimes I think you might be smarter than you let on.”

He likes that. He doesn’t try to hold back the way his eyes light up. But that light slowly dims as he reaches for my hand.

“Sorry I upset you. And for whatever it means, I didn’t use you last night.”

I’m trying not to let his warm hand and bare chest take over my brain. I can still do the thinking of the things, dammit. “Would you have kissed me if you didn’t think you were going to die?”

He chews on his answer for a second. “No.”

At least he was honest, I guess, even if it proves I was right.

But Perry isn’t done. “And I would have missed out on the single best moment of my life.”

My eyes snap back to his, and I’m worried for a second that I hallucinated the rest of that. But he’s giving me that hopeful half grin, face so full of sincerity that I’m finding it hard to hold on to the delusion.

A laugh breaks from him. “Sorry, I’m being weird.” He looks down at where he’s holding my hand, thumb brushing along my knuckles. “Just saying … you’re a great kisser. Our kiss was great. Even the first one that you hated.”

“I didn’t hate it.”

“You hated it.”

Considering it was barely a kiss, there’s no point in arguing. “Only a little.” I give in to the confidence trying to take over. “The second was better though.”

“And the third?”

Thinking about those kisses has my mouth dry. “Definitely the third.”

My gaze drops back to where the dark hair stretches across his pecs before trailing down his torso and into his jeans. I didn’t get to see him last night, and if I had, I probably wouldn’t have lasted anywhere near as long as I did.