“Jesus.” I roll my eyes, plant my hands firmly on my hips, and give a shake of my head. “That’s not exactly the thought that came to mind. Seriously though, why would you say that?”

He shrugs as he rises from the booth. “I may have read a romance or two in my day.”

“You?” I cough the word out.

“Me.”

“I doubt it.” I go to move past him into the alcove where my booth is, and he catches me completely off guard when he grabs my arm. In a split second, he spins me so that my back is against the wall and his body is intimately close to mine.

Every fiber of my being stands at attention as our eyes meet, and the warmth of his body radiates against mine.

My heart stutters.

My head swims.

His nearness overwhelms me in every deliciously incredible way possible.

He runs the back of his hand down the side of my cheek before turning it to frame the side of my face with his other one.

And as my breath hitches and my senses take a momentary hiatus, Saint leans forward and brushes his lips against mine. For a split second, my whole body freezes, but when his hands direct my chin up, and his lips come back for a second one, I do the only reasonable thing I can think of—I kiss him back.

My hands fist in the waist of his shirt as his tongue coaxes my lips open. He tastes of mint and desire, and I can’t remember the last time I sampled such an intoxicating combination.

It feels like the world fades away as I sag into him and allow myself to enjoy the moment.

His kiss is demanding yet attentive. Soft yet hungry. Fleeting but all-consuming.

It’s his hands on my face, the heat of his body ghosting mine, and the soft hum of appreciation in the back of his throat, that hits my senses and brands them into my memory.

And when he ends the kiss and takes a step back with a devilish grin, there is raucous applause interspersed with a few whistles and shouts of encouragement that sound off from the crowd in the bar.

The world didn’t fade away.

I was wrong in having that fleeting thought.

Instead, they stopped and stared and watched Saint kiss me deftly.

I want to cover my face in embarrassment as it hits me that our little public display of affection just held everyone’s attention.

“Hey, Humbug,” Saint says, drawing my attention back to him.

Just meeting his eyes again has chills chasing over my skin and the urge to taste his kiss front and center. “Yeah?”