Lincoln’s mouth closed over hers, and Penelope’s eyes fluttered closed, as she assessed. Lincoln’s hand closed over her face, then gently but strongly…and wow, okay…she understood what he’d meant by the head hold. “Ignore him,” Lincoln said, drawing her attention back to him. His face matched his tone-incredulous and maybe a little…angry? Penelope glanced at him, surprised by the sharpness in his tone. “You can’t be serious,” Cole said, his voice pissed. No way she was going to turn that down, meaningless or not. And that same part of her was doing cartwheels because a handsome man was offering to kiss her-no, more important, he was looking at her as someone who deserved to be kissed. But that didn’t mean there wasn’t a tiny part of her that was tired of being one of the guys. She was comfortable with who she was-really. What the hell are you doing? This is so not you. “No, it’s okay,” Penelope said, holding out a hand to stop Jake’s objections. It’s just like when the guy over in the booze section brings in whiskey to taste-test. HR or no HR, you can’t just go around kissing her.” This is an office, Lincoln, she’s our colleague.

He got to his feet, then gestured for Penelope to do the same.

“Okay, that’s it,” Lincoln said, throwing his hands up before tossing his pen and notebook on the desk. “I, um-” Penelope bit her lip, wondering how the hell she could stay relevant in this conversation without betraying the horrible truth that she didn’t really have a favorite, because she’d always found kissing…overrated. So which is it? Do you like when a man holds your head? Your waist? Your back?” “You said it’s been a while, but surely it hasn’t been so long that you can’t remember how you like to be kissed. Penelope’s head whipped around toward Cole. “How about the last time you were kissed, Tiny?” He was handsome, and yet Lincoln wasn’t the one who sometimes made her heart beat a little too fast. They were both painfully good-looking.Īnd yet there was something about Lincoln…something about the way he held himself back and treated women with a deferential respect even as he charmed their pants off…Īt least, she assumed. Penelope hadn’t been here long, but she’d caught on pretty quick that Cole and Lincoln both had reps as ladies’ men. Still, Lincoln’s voice was more polite than it was enamored or lecherous, so she merely smiled. Penelope wasn’t sure if it was Cole or Jake.

After the Kiss by Lauren Layne