Mountains of Dawn

Her breath caught in her throat for a moment in a soft gasp. She lifted her wine glass and sipped, then coughed. "You were pretty sure of yourself."

He laughed. "I'd say women, in general, appreciate me."

"Well," she said, standing and pushing away from the table. "I can still breathe most of the time, but now I can't eat, so you came fairly close to your goal." She started to leave the table.

Kevin came close behind her and slid his arms around her, trapping her close to his body. "Yes, it seems I did." He paused. "I know I did, but there's a problem. You see, I fell in love with you, too."

Tanya turned slightly in his arms to look up into his face. "You did?" she asked, her voice no more than a breath.

He bent and kissed her with his softest kiss and lightly ran the tip of his tongue over her lips. "You know that." He hugged her close to him. "The one thing I don't like about you, Tanya, are your little secrets."