Whoa, a normal sized tag!
Was she really say that? It wasn't too late? James almost couldn't believe, almost didn't want to let himself believe. What would happen if he got his hopes up over a misunderstanding? But then... there was no room for misunderstanding. Not when she'd just said it. So no, it’s not too late at all. Did he dare to hope that she was right? Despite the small part of him that cautioned against it, he felt something stir in his chest. Was that what it felt like when your heart skipped a beat? It wasn't familiar. He'd only ever experienced it once, and last time, he hadn't said anything.
And for her to say that he'd always meant something to her... Slowly, his brain worked to comprehend everything she was saying, to make sense of all of this. It was the same feeling, and coming from anyone else, he too would have rolled his eyes. But it was Katherine and Katherine had never been anything but honest with him. It was that bluntness that had attracted him to her in the first place, all those years ago. That ability to speak her mind and not bothering to censor it, or try to find some politically correct way to say it. How could he ever have doubted this?
James wasn't sure what she was doing until the half second before their lips met, and even then, he could hardly believe it. He automatically stiffened, once again in total shock. But despite all that, he could feel his stomach flip-flopping in his abdomen, and was that his heart skipping a beat again? Vaguely he wondered if anyone had ever died from that feeling. But all such thoughts were dashed away as he softly returned her kiss, eyes slipping closed.
He could believe it now. Having admitted his feelings, hearing her voice hers and then this kiss... But then she was pulling back. His heart was beating too fast and James could only think that he didn't care if he never kissed another woman for the rest of his life. All he needed was right here, only inches from him. He just needed the courage to reach out and take it. Could he do that?
What a silly question. For a moment he did nothing, noticing that she hadn't stepped back. And then he kissed her again, for the second time that night. It was a far cry from the playful peck he'd given her downstairs, full of years of passion that he'd missed out on and again he knew that she was all he needed. His arms automatically wrapped themselves around her waist, pulling her closer as he kissed her. He noted how perfectly she fit in his arms, amazed at how natural and, well, right this felt. When he broke away, it was only to breath, and even then, he only lost contact with her lips.
Their were butterflies in his stomach and his brain felt like absolute mush in his head. It almost wasn't fair that she could do this to him. James didn't pull away to look at her, content with being this close, the tips of their noses just past the others. The words were falling out of his mouth, barely above a whisper. “Stay with me, Katherine.”