Kiss Me Like You Mean It – Chapter One: The Last Person I Expected
The rain wasn't supposed to come.
Not today.
It was supposed to be a clear Friday night—the kind that made city lights glow brighter and possibilities feel endless. But instead, I was soaked to the skin, holding a broken umbrella, and standing in the middle of traffic outside the one place I swore I'd never return to.
The Red Lantern Bar.
I hadn't been here in two years. Not since him.
The neon sign flickered like it knew my secret, taunting me with every beat: He's inside. He's inside.
I should've turned around. I should've hailed a cab, gone home, curled under my duvet, and forgotten why I ever let a man like Jace Carter ruin me in the first place.
But instead, I stepped in.
And there he was—exactly where I'd last seen him—behind the bar, shaking a silver mixer, his dark hair messier than I remembered, eyes like storm clouds locked in their own war.
He looked up.
Froze.
And then that damn smirk of his slid into place like it'd never left.
"Didn't think I'd ever see you walk in here again," he said, voice smooth, too calm for the chaos rising in my chest.
I rolled my eyes. "Trust me, I didn't plan to."
"Let me guess." He set the shaker down. "Fate? Destiny? Missed me so bad you couldn't stay away?"
My jaw tightened. Same old Jace. Same cocky grin. Same infuriating confidence.
But his eyes... they searched mine like they were asking something deeper. Something dangerous.
"Actually," I said, lifting my chin, "I need a drink. And you happen to be the closest regret."
He laughed. A real one. And just like that, the air changed.
"What's your poison, angel?"
I hated that nickname. I hated that he still remembered it.
But I hated more how fast my heart was racing just from standing here.
"Surprise me," I said.
And as he poured, as the lights danced across his face, I wondered how the hell one man could still have this kind of power over me. After all the silence. After all the scars.
He slid the drink toward me, leaning close—too close—and said it so low only I could hear:
"Next time you kiss me, angel... kiss me like you mean it."