23 What's Stopping You Then?

Huh. That wasn't what Cherry expected him to say.

Scott had mentioned before that his mentor liked to give him a hard time about things but did it from a place of caring. That had to be one of them.

She knew he was twenty-nine years old from his driver's license. If his father figure was on his case about dating, he probably didn't get out much. Which was a shame because he really was nice. Some lucky woman would snatch him up in a heartbeat if he put himself out there.

In that moment, she pointlessly wished it was her. But it couldn't be. Ever. She had lied to him too much and she could get in serious trouble if he found out what she was up to.

"Is that so," Cherry said, not knowing how else to respond to that.

"Yeah. Sorry for laughing. I think you're right about there being something about being stuck in an elevator because, honestly, I want to kiss you too."

"What's stopping you then?"

"Nothing."

Scott leaned forward and kissed her slowly and hesitantly, gently stroking her cheek as he did so. It started sweet and the sweetness didn't stop even as it got more heated. Cherry felt like she was on fire and he was both water that could put it out and gasoline that could make it bigger.

Eventually, she pulled away because she needed to catch her breath and she slumped against his shoulder. Her heart was beating in her ears and she had never felt more alive.

THIS was what she had been missing out on all the years she hadn't kissed anybody? Seriously?!

"Where did you learn to kiss like that?" Cherry asked breathily.

Scott let out a shaky laugh. "Nowhere. This is embarrassing to admit but that was my first time."

"You too?!"

No way. There was no way someone like Scott Harkin had gone twenty-nine years on this planet without being kissed and then was able to make her feel like that. That was insane!

"Oh good, I'm not the only one. Here I was worried you wouldn't like it because I had no idea what I was doing."

"Your having no idea what you were doing was amazing," Cherry said fervently.

That made him laugh harder. "That's reassuring. Thanks."

She really liked his laugh. She didn't hear it very often. He had laughed more in this elevator than all the other times she had seen him combined. It was probably a matter of context. There wasn't much to laugh about in an arcade but this whole situation was ridiculous.

They had both lost their minds! That was what being stuck in this elevator had done to them.

If Cherry was going to give in to the insanity, she may as well go all in. "Hey, Scott?"

"Yeah?"

"Think you can kiss me again?"

Scott did as she asked immediately rather than answering with words. The elevator had made her crazy. HE had made her crazy.

He had been making her crazy for a while, though she hadn't realized it at the time. She made all the rationalizations she could about why she was feeling weird to avoid admitting to herself that she liked him.

Cherry hadn't had a crush on anyone since she was a teenager. Before her life was turned upside down. Back when she still had dreams. She had been a different person then.

The woman she was now, in all of her many identities, wasn't allowed to like anyone. Yet here she was, stupidly acting on it despite knowing it was a horrible idea. Had she really been that lonely or was there something about Scott Harkin specifically?

It might be a bit of both. She was drowning in him but couldn't bring herself to break the surface and breathe. If she just stepped back for a minute, she would be able to talk herself out of this. But she couldn't. She was in far, far too deep now.

Cherry wanted him. She wanted him to care about her. The real her. And that could never happen.

Scott had seen more of the real her tonight than anyone had in years but it was still but a small piece of the picture. He didn't know what she did for a living. He didn't know about her lies.

He thought she was who she said she was. He had no reason not to believe it.

This wasn't fair! Why did she have to meet someone so wonderful who might be able to accept her if she wasn't a criminal and happened to be so involved in her escapades? He had been suspicious of her, which was why she had to stop hitting The Wolves' Den in the first place.

Scott could never know the truth. He wouldn't be able to accept it and then she would never see him again as anyone.

Cherry forced herself to stop giving in to the madness and pulled away. She needed to play this off as best she could. "Sorry. Got a bit carried away there."

"You aren't the only one," he pointed out.

"Right."

His shirt was half off and her dress was slipping from her shoulders. She cleared her throat and straightened it, praying her wig hadn't become crooked. She didn't think it had—she hadn't felt it slipping around—but she had been otherwise occupied.

"Don't apologize though," Scott said after a minute of silence. "I wouldn't mind getting carried away again. But, um, I should probably get your number first though. Maybe we could go to dinner sometime?"

Cherry would love to but could she get away with that? He had given Sherry his number but, since she had never called him, he didn't have hers. It wasn't like he would know they were the same person. No! She couldn't rationalize like this. Her cover was in danger!