His head finally swiveled toward her—and her words died in her throat. Dark, hooded eyes stared at her, his expression intense and a little wild. A little dangerous. A thrill ran down her spine and her heart began racing inside her chest.

She didn’t know what he was thinking, but somehow she knew her words hadn’t upset him. In the least.

He liked what I said.

“Alice, I . . .” He dropped his gaze to her mouth. “I really, really want to kiss you right now.”

He seemed perfectly serious and rational, suffering no delusions of any kind that she could tell. Nevertheless, this could not be happening. Men like Kit did not find Alice appealing. “You do?”

“More than any damn thing in the world.”

“Because of what I said?”

“Because of who you are.”

Her breath lodged in her throat but she didn’t move, uncertainty twisting in her belly. Could she do this? Of course she wanted to kiss Kit—what sane person wouldn’t?—but this wasn’t part of what he owed her for the recipes. “You don’t need to kiss me as part of the lessons.”

“I am aware, and this has nothing to do with our bargain. This is because you have me tangled up in knots. I can’t explain it, but it’s like you’re this clever, fascinating puzzle and I need to dig deeper.” He exhaled and leaned closer. “Please let me show you. It’ll be so good, I swear. Better than good, actually.” He placed a hand on her armrest, his body angled toward her. “It’ll be perfection.”

He hovered close but didn’t push her, as if he were waiting for her to meet him halfway, and she was ready. More than ready, in fact. Her blood thickened, heated, with a slow roll of desire unlike anything she’d ever experienced. It was as if a line tethered the two of them together and she had no choice but to close the gap. Still, she did it carefully, so he could revoke the offer if he changed his mind. To her surprise, however, he didn’t speak or pull away.

Indeed, it seemed this was happening.

When their mouths were almost touching, she paused to linger, breathing him in. Anticipating the moment when she would learn what it felt like to be kissed. She licked her lips. “Show me, Kit. Please.”

“It would be my pleasure.”

He bent forward and his mouth met hers with a simple brush of his lips. Fascinated, she watched as he tilted his head and returned for another swipe. He cupped her jaw in his palm. “Close your eyes, Alice. Feel what I am telling you with my mouth—and tell me what you are feeling with yours.”

Oh. So, kissing was like communicating without words.