The bag of food in my hands and the warmth of my new apartment were completely forgotten. Suddenly, I was thinking of nothing else except what she might taste like.

“Is that something you’re looking to cross off your bucket list tonight?” I asked huskily.

She nodded, her eyes searching mine. She tilted her head up and her mouth looked like an offering. I leaned toward her instinctively, our eyes locked. I saw the open invitation in them and eagerly bent the rest of the way down until my lips brushed hers. They were warm and soft. The slight shiver that ran through her as soon as I touched her made me ravenous for more.

For someone so uptight, her lips tasted reckless.

I pressed into her, my mouth moving over hers as I lightly nipped her bottom lip. She tilted her head, parting her mouth and letting her tongue dance against mine. I lifted my free hand to cup her soft cheek before moving it to her hair and tangling my fingers in it.

The kiss was sweet and hot all at once. I’d had my share of meaningless makeouts in my life, but none had hit me quite as hard as this one. Maybe it was the fresh start in a new town. Maybe it was that everything about Frankie was still a puzzle to me. Whatever it was, I welcomed it.

She nibbled on my bottom lip before pulling away. I tried to lightly tug her back in with my hand, but she moved her face out of my grasp.

“Come home with me?” I asked, desperate for more.

She laughed breathlessly and opened her eyes. “I’ve got to get back to my sister’s.”

“Please?” I offered her my best charming smile. Somehow, I knew it was fruitless. I couldn’t change her mind, but I wanted to. “We don’t have to do anything—although more of this would be amazing. We can just talk. Or you can have some of my fries.” I held up the forgotten bag at my side. They must be getting cold, but I couldn’t have cared less. I’d happily let them freeze if it meant standing out here for a few more minutes with Frankie locked beneath my gaze.

But to my dismay, Frankie patted my chest and stepped away from me. Her absence left me cold, but I let her go without argument.

“I’ve got to get going. This was fun though.” She had already turned away from me. Just like that, whatever magical moment that had transpired between us had completely passed. She turned back around to point at me. “Think about this moment next time you call some woman you’ve just met in a bar rigid and unadventurous.”

“I don’t think I used those exact words,” I called.

When she kept walking, I tried again.

“Can I get your number?” I asked, even though she was already a quarter of the way down the block.

“No offense, Oliver, but I don’t think we have all that much in common,” she called back.