“Is that what you wanted to tell me? That you find me amusing?”

Vance gazed at her without responding for a few moments. And then he placed his hand over hers.

“I want to tell you a lot of things, Chanelle. Yes, I find you amusing. And kind. And dedicated. And—” he squeezed her hand gently “—and beautiful.” His eyes seemed to darken as they gazed into hers with such intensity that she caught her breath. And then he was leaning toward her, and the magnetic force that his eyes had ignited seemed to be pulling her toward him, as well.

When their lips touched, her eyes closed automatically and she was unable to process anything else but the instinctive need to respond. She felt Vance release her hand and a moment later both his hands were cupping her face, deepening his kiss until her whole body tingled. Has a kiss ever felt this sweet? This…delicious? When he finally pulled back gently to look into her eyes again, Chanelle felt like she was swimming in their darkest, deepest, most pleasurable depths.