And Then He Kissed Me

by Southwick, Teresa

  She wished she could stay like this forever.

  She was lulled by the music, the atmosphere. Seduced by wine and song. Not to mention the man every other woman in the room kept staring at. And he was Abby’s.

  No.

  Not hers. Just her escort. Her friend. Her boss. She sighed. This was too complicated. She longed for the serenity of work. She wouldn’t venture out of her comfort zone again.

  Then she remembered Sarah’s party. She would have to venture out for that. Or rather let Nick in. Just once more. Then back to her ironclad rule.

  A few weeks from now, her commitments involving Nick Marchetti would be over and done with. End of fairy tale. Cinderella could go back to her corner without her happy ending. Life could get back to normal. Just the way she liked it.

  So why did the thought of that make her so sad?

  “How do you think it’s going?” Abby asked.

  Nick looked down at her, nervously twisting her fingers together as she watched the teenage party in her apartment. He stood beside her on the patio, monitoring the group through the sliding glass door. In her blue jeans and white sweater, she hardly looked older than the kids.

  A vision flashed through his mind, of her in that sexy black dress when he’d wined and dined her. He hadn’t planned to blurt out his secret, and ever since had analyzed why he’d done it. Maybe he’d just needed to finally unburden himself, and she’d been handy. Or more likely it was the fact that she’d been knocked around by life and his gut told him she would understand. Whatever. He hadn’t expected the night to be anything special, but he’d told her something no one in his family knew. Her bracing words had meant a lot to him.

  And as if that weren’t enough, he’d seen her in a way he never had before. More than once since then, the seductive image of her in that dynamite dress had skewed his train of thought. Usually at the most inconvenient time. Or he’d get a whiff of perfume that would instantly produce a mental picture of Abby—from her sweet smile that reminded him of her innocence and made him want to protect her, to her wicked grin that made him just want her.

  That night, Abby had opened up to him, too. She’d reminded him how gutsy she was, telling him a little more about her past. Like the difficulties of being a single parent to Sarah. What it had cost her to do the right thing. He found he was glad to have Abby in his life. He’d never thought about it before, but she’d come into his life right after his fiasco in Phoenix, when he’d sworn off women. Something about her had gotten to him. But he’d seen her as hardly more than a child who needed help. Now she was a woman. Was she ever!

  He stifled that thought. He valued her friendship. He admired her courage, as well as her determination to give her sister the carefree life she’d lost when her parents had died.

  As his thoughts turned to Sarah, he looked for her inside. A blond, blue-eyed younger version of Abby, she was huddled in the kitchen, whispering with three girls. Several guys sprawled on the couches in the apartment’s tiny living room. In all, he’d counted ten teenagers, six boys and four girls. Abby had asked him how he thought the party was going. He felt party was too strong a word for the activity he saw.

  But he said confidently, “I think it’s going fine.”

  Abby met his gaze and her forehead wrinkled with worry. “You’re right,” she wailed. “It’s a disaster. Girls in the kitchen, guys in the living room. A sweetsixteen extravaganza she’ll never forget,” she said.

  “It’s not that bad. At least we can see them all.” He quickly counted heads. “Except the pushy little twerp who’s on the phone in your bedroom.”

  “Yeah. James. If he’s on the phone to Japan, his mother and I are going to have a dialogue.”

  “He’s not the one Sarah has a crush on, I hope?”

  She shook her head. “See the cute guy on the end of the couch closest to the TV? The one with the adorable dimple in his chin?”

  “I have no frame of reference for ‘cute’ and ‘adorable,’ but I believe I know who you mean.”

  “That’s Austin Reese. He’s the one she’d like to be her main squeeze, or whatever terminology they’re using now for a significant other.”

  “I believe the term is ‘going out.’ What do you know about him?”

  “He’s an honors student and captain of the football team.”

  “Is that all? Maybe I should have Steve run a background check.” Steve Schafer was his best friend and his younger sister’s husband. Nick knew he would be happy to help. It was his business, and he made a good living doing executive background checks for major corporations. A teenage honors student should be a piece of cake.

  “I don’t think that will be necessary.” She frowned. “I’m more concerned about getting through tonight without breaking her heart. She’s been looking forward to this party for so long. She’ll be devastated if it’s a flop.”

  Abby put her hand on his arm, an uncharacteristically familiar gesture. Probably a testament to how anxious she was. Abby never forgot herself. Even when she’d been in his arms dancing, he’d felt her struggle to maintain distance. Something between them simmered below the surface and she kept throwing ice cubes on it. Although his head warned him away, her reluctance tweaked his desire to explore the feeling. But not now. This was Sarah’s night, and it was dying a slow death.

  “It’s time to bring out the big guns, Ab.”

  “No kissing, Nick.”

  “Who said anything about spin the bottle?” He opened the screen door and stepped into the living room. The teenagers hardly noticed. Godawful music blared from Sarah’s new CD player.

  Nick crossed the space to the corner of the dining room where he’d left his ultimate weapon. He pulled the cardboard-boxed game from the bag.

  “What’s that?” Sarah asked.

  “Twister,” he answered. He walked over to the couch and tapped Austin on the shoulder. “Help me move this sofa out of the way.” He pointed to the two teenage boys on the other couch. “You guys push that back, and the rest of you shove the coffee table in the corner.”

  A low-pitched grumbling started, but the kids followed his directions until the center of the room was empty. The game was nothing more than a plastic sheet containing four rows of different-colored circles and a spinner with corresponding colors that directed the participants where to put their hands and feet. The object of the game was to see how far and in what positions the players could contort their bodies before collapsing. Last one standing was the winner.

  “Who’s first?” Nick looked around the room and noted a general reluctance. This was unacceptable. He hadn’t sat through hours of motivational business seminars for nothing, he thought grimly.

  “If I don’t get volunteers, I’ll appoint someone.” Still no takers. “Okay. Sarah. Austin. You’re up.”

  Sarah’s eyes widened. “Nick, I—”

  “Let’s go for it,” the cute, adorably dimpled object of her affection said.

  Austin Reese might just pass one of Steve’s background checks after all, Nick thought approvingly. The two teenagers took off their shoes and stood on opposite sides of the mat while the rest of the group encircled them.

  Nick hollered down the hallway. “James? Get in here! This is a party.”

  When the sandy-haired teen sheepishly materialized, Nick handed him the spinner. “Twirl the arrow. Wherever it stops, read the color and words. Think you can handle that?”

  “No problem,” the boy said.

  “Good.” He looked around. “Go,” he said.

  James did as he was told, then called out, “Right hand green.”

  Sarah and Austin bent to follow the directive. The next move was left foot red. They struggled to position themselves and started laughing. The other kids closed in around them and started calling out strategy.

  Nick moved back to Abby, who was standing just inside the sliding glass door. The teenagers quickly got into the spirit of the game. When Austin fell, Sarah was the winner and another boy
and girl clamored to play.

  For the second time that night Abby put her hand on his arm. Instead of being anxious this time, she was grateful. “You’re a genius, Nick. What a wonderful icebreaker. And no kissing.”

  “Like I said, dial M for Marchetti. Problems resolved. Crises averted. Flops fixed.” He grinned down at her, but she was intently watching the game.

  Fascinated, she moved forward and worked her way between James and another boy so that she could see what was going on. Nick followed her.

  “Haven’t you seen this before?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “No. It looks like a lot of fun.”

  “It is,” he answered.

  Just then the two players fell, laughing. James looked at her and said, “Abby, it’s your turn.”

  “No. This is for you guys.”

  “Go ahead, Abby.” Sarah clapped her hands. “You and Nick try it.”

  Abby shook her head. “We’re just here to watch.”

  Nick thought it might be fun. “C’mon, pal. Spontaneity 100, the refresher course. Let’s show these young whippersnappers how limber us gummers are.”

  “Okay. You’re on.” She took off her sneakers and stood on the mat, staring at him expectantly.

  Excitement sparkled in her eyes and flushed her cheeks a becoming pink. The fragrance of her perfume surrounded him making his pulse skip. Before he had time to explore any more of the effects she had on his senses, James spun the needle.

  “Right foot green,” he said.

  They moved to obey and Abby grinned wickedly. “This is where sitting behind a desk all day is going to hurt you, Nick.”

  “Cheap talk, pal.”

  “Right hand blue,” James said.

  They squatted to comply, and he watched her blue eyes darken with determination. The teenager called out commands, and they followed his directions.

  “Hey, are you guys going out?” James asked as he spun the needle.

  “No,” Abby snapped, a little out of breath from the exertion of the game. “He’s my boss.”

  “Left foot yellow.” James watched them move, studying the intimate position of their bodies after that last command. “You look like you’re going out.”

  “Well we’re not,” Abby said breathlessly.

  “Oh. Okay.” He moved the spinner and called out, “Right hand red.”

  Abby groaned. The only way she could go without winding up a human pretzel was on her back. Slowly, she maneuvered her body, then waited for him. Nick assessed his best move, then hesitated. If he took it, he would be on top of Abby in a very intimate position. A sense of challenge to undermine the distance she put between them dared him. He’d never been able to resist a dare.

  He twisted his body over hers and put his hand on the dot. “There.”

  “James, spin the needle,” she ordered. “Quick.”

  To the kids, her desperate tone could be a reaction to her precarious position in relation to the game. Nick wondered if it was more about her closeness to him.

  He felt her breath on his cheek. Their mouths were half an inch apart.

  “Hey, Nick,” James said. “Why don’t you kiss her?”

  Abby looked at his mouth and her eyes widened slightly.

  Nick had thought a lot about her full lips ever since that night at dinner.

  “Yeah, kiss her.” It was a girl’s voice, but he couldn’t see which one.

  Suddenly, all the teenagers began to chant, “Kiss her. Kiss her.”

  He teetered between his need to protect Abby, his responsibility as a chaperone and role model and his macho standing with the guys.

  Abby stared into his eyes and shook her head slightly, but he could see the pulse point throbbing in her neck. Nick found he wanted very much to know the texture, touch, and taste of her lips. What harm could a chaste little kiss do?

  A lot, he decided reluctantly. “Sorry, guys. It’s against the rules.”

  Chapter Four

  “The rules?” Abby said, dazed and annoyed. Which was only slightly better than dazed and confused.

  “Yeah,” Nick answered. “Remember when you told me we have to put gay abandon on hold? A teenage party calls for a stick-in-the-mud mentality.”

  Abby knew there had to be a reasonable balance between stick-in-the-mud and gay abandon. Her heart hammered painfully. And if she could only catch her breath, she would figure out how to find that balance. Nick was right. She had laid down the “no kissing” rules. She had no right to be angry because he’d listened to her. But how was she to know that they would wind up in an intimate position and she would want him to kiss her?

  “Hey. You guys are hogging the game.” James looked at her.

  “I guess he told us.” She met Nick’s amused gaze. “From one game-hog to another, do you think we should give someone else a turn?”

  With one smooth, athletic motion he levered himself off her, got to his feet and reached a hand down. Automatically Abby grabbed it, then wished she hadn’t as the warmth and strength of his touch sent more tingles of awareness through her. She let him help her up and quickly pulled her fingers away.

  As soon as they moved, two of the teenagers took their place on the Twister mat. Turning her back on Nick, Abby walked to the slider, opened it, went out onto the patio, then firmly closed the door behind her. At first, the chilly November air cooled her hot cheeks. Then she started to shiver.

  Was it just the cold night? Or, more disturbing, the absence of Nick’s warmth, the loss of his masculine form pressed to her, the feeling of loneliness that crept in without his closeness? She stared at the lighted walkway that meandered past her apartment and through the entire complex. Things were beginning to spiral out of her control. When had that happened? How? Why?

  Behind her, she heard the door slide open, then closed. Without turning she knew who had joined her.

  “Something wrong, Ab?” Nick asked, his deep voice raising goose bumps from head to toe on her body.

  “No.”

  At least nothing that a double dip in a frigid stream wouldn’t cure. With a shock, she realized something quite astonishing.

  Nick was the first man she had ever almost kissed.

  Technically it wasn’t her first time, but the kisser had been a boy. Nick was a man. Somehow she knew he would have done the deed with confidence, finesse and thoroughness. He’d made her pulse pound, her heart race and stolen the breath from her lungs without even touching his mouth to hers. Oh, how she wished he had!

  If she wasn’t careful, he would see that. What if he took her up on the invitation? She would be out of the frying pan into the fire.

  How could she keep him from seeing how very much she wanted to feel his lips pressed to hers? You’re being stupid, her inner voice scolded. Why would he kiss her when he had Madison Wainright? She shivered and rubbed her arms.

  “You cold?” he asked.

  “A little. I think I’ll go back inside,” she said, turning.

  He pulled off his plaid flannel shirt. Underneath, he wore a black T-shirt that molded to the masculine contours of his chest and flat belly even as it pulled tight around the muscles of his upper arms. Casual clothes merely enhanced his considerable manly charms. And why did that T-shirt have to be black? It gave him just a hint of irresistible bad-boy appeal that made her knees weak. New rule—and it was now number one—never see him outside of work where it was okay to dress casual. And at work... All she could do was hope and pray that she didn’t see him much. And when she did, with luck, this puzzling attraction would be gone.

  He slipped his body-warmed shirt around her shoulders. “Let’s talk a minute.”

  “About?” she asked, permitting herself just a second or two to savor the wonderful scent of the aftershave that would forever remind her of Nick.

  “What just happened.”

  Did he mean the near-miss kiss? She hoped not. If he insisted on a discussion, she couldn’t possibly keep him from knowing she wanted him to do it. I
f only she was as good at maneuvering as he was. She needed a diversion, a smoke screen of monumental proportions.

  “There’s nothing to talk about,” she hedged. Wow. Way to go, Ridgeway. That was some impressive evasive action. The United States special forces could use you on covert missions.

  “I’d believe that if I didn’t think you were afraid of something. What is it, Ab?” His voice was gentle and kind.

  “I’m not afraid of anything,” she answered. This was no time for him to be nice to her. And vice versa, she thought. “I was just wondering what Madison would think about this whole thing.”

  “What whole thing?” he asked. She could almost hear the click of the On switch as his dark eyes ignited with interest.

  She thought for a moment. “To anyone looking on, it might appear that there was something of a personal nature between us.”

  “Is there?” he asked, his mouth quirking up.

  She decided to ignore the question. “Someone who didn’t know us might think we shared something besides a work relationship. We both know that’s absurd. But if Madison had been here, what would she have thought?”

  A wary look narrowed his eyes. “That we’re incredibly limber for two old people.”

  “Be serious, Nick.” It scared her that he didn’t look as if he was joking. That made her determined to put a lighter spin on this discussion, at least until she could get herself out of it without looking like a fool. “You don’t think that she might think that she might not be the right woman for you if you could almost kiss another woman?”

  One corner of his mouth lifted. “It’s scary that I understand what you just said. I kiss my mother and sister and she doesn’t think anything of it.”

  Abby breathed a sigh that was two parts relief and one part regret. Nick put her in the same category as the women in his family. She desperately wanted to believe that.