Stolen Kisses

by Annie Rains

  “Krista.” Karen stepped up behind her. Krista had successfully avoided the head nurse over the last few work days—ever since she’d been spotted having dinner with Chandler.

  “Hi, Karen. How are you?”

  Karen frowned, her skin pinching and sagging as she did. A smile would do wonders for making her look younger, Krista thought, holding her tongue. She needed to get back on her boss’s good side before she nominated her successor. “I’m good. So, you and Dr. Dale?”

  “Just friends,” Krista said quickly. And that was the truth, even if she wished to God she felt something more for the young doctor.

  Karen pulled up a chair beside her.

  Oh, God. Here it comes. “Krista, I’m concerned. As your friend, not your boss. There was a time that I, too, dated someone that I worked with.”

  Krista’s fingers froze on the keyboard. “Really, Karen, it’s not—”

  “Just let me speak. If you go down that route, there are inevitable repercussions. People talk in a place like this. Rumors happen fast and it’s not good, especially if you’re in a position that demands respect.”

  Like the head nurse position, Krista guessed silently.

  “It was just dinner and we probably won’t even go out again. Really.”

  Karen hesitated, then nodded. She laid the time-off sheet that Krista had put in this morning down in front of her. Krista already had the upcoming weekend off, but she put in for Monday, too, in case Noah was right and it took longer than expected to romanticize the cabin. “Head nurses don’t often get the luxury of taking long weekends.”

  Krista looked up. “Karen, this is the first time I’ve taken a long weekend in over a year. I never shirk my duties and I have the time off to take.” And she deserved to be head nurse more than anyone else on this floor. She’d been here the longest. She was the most qualified.

  “I just want you to be aware of the responsibilities that might come your way if you were to move up in the ranks. Not everyone is cut out for such a position.”

  Anger swirled like a dark tornado in Krista’s belly, funneling up through her chest. She inhaled deeply, still biting her tongue as hard as she could. Afraid to speak—because she would definitely say something she’d regret—Krista only nodded.

  “Okay.” Karen stood.

  Thank you, God!

  “Have a good night,” her supervisor said, patting Krista’s shoulder before walking away.

  Krista blew out a breath. Sucked in another and repeated. She did it until she wasn’t about to explode.

  “Everything okay?” Chandler stood at the front of the nurse’s station now.

  Krista shook her head, then her gaze jumped to make sure that Karen had left. “Not really.”

  “Want to talk about it?” he asked.

  “Not really,” she said again, clutching her pen. She did want to talk about it, but not with him. She needed to talk to Noah. He was always her sounding board.

  Chandler shrugged lightly. “If you change your mind, you have my number.”

  She smiled. “Thanks.” She watched him walk toward the elevators and disappear, searching herself for any inkling of attraction. Nope, nothing. She was so screwed to be single forever.

  Chapter 8

  On Friday night, Noah finished packing his bags for the weekend. He’d be leaving first thing in the morning to travel up to the North Carolina mountains where the Sawyer cabin was. It’d been a year and a half since he’d been there. He, Jack, and Sam had traveled up there right after Sam’s separation from Abby. That weekend, they’d discussed any- and everything except Sam’s crumbling marriage.

  Noah pulled out his phone and hesitated. Krista had told him she’d drive up separately, but that didn’t make any sense. And why would she want to? They were best friends, even if lately there’d been a wedge between them. One wedge being Dr. Dale. Noah snarled at the image of the doctor in his mind. He didn’t like the guy. Chandler Dale came off as smug and snooty—and not what Krista needed. Noah wasn’t what she needed either, though.

  On an inhale, he pushed dial and waited for Krista to answer.

  “Hello?” she finally said after five rings.

  “Don’t tell me you were sleeping already.” He glanced at his watch. “It’s only eight-thirty.”

  “I was out late last night,” she said, breaking into a yawn.

  Noah’s back teeth clenched hard. Had she been out late with Dr. Dale? “Oh. That’s great,” he lied. “You must’ve had a hot date.”

  “Um-hmm,” she sighed, sleepily.

  It was obvious she didn’t want to talk about Dr. Dale with him. Fine. He hadn’t called to talk about that, either. “So, uh, I’m all packed to head up to the cabin tomorrow morning. I know you said you would drive up yourself, but that seems crazy to me. You know how distracted and restless I get on long drives.”

  “Oh.”

  Noah could imagine Krista pulling her lower lip between her teeth and biting down softly like she sometimes did when she didn’t know how to respond.

  “And you like to sleep on long car rides. Wouldn’t that beat driving? Especially when you’re sleep-deprived.” Because of Doofus Dr. Dale.

  “I guess,” she finally conceded.

  “So I can pick you up, we’ll drive together, and then we’ll knock out all the cabin work we have to do as Best Man and Maid-of-Honor. It’ll be a breeze. Sound good?”

  Krista hesitated. “Well, I have to make a few stops to buy some, um, romantic items along the way for Grace, which is another reason I thought we’d be better off going separate.”

  Noah imagined buying rose petals or something for some other girly romantic gesture. They could find a florist shop on the way, although fake petals might be more practical since the wedding wasn’t for a few more weeks. “Fine by me. I’ll help you.”

  “Oh. Okay…Well, sleeping on the way up really does sound nice. Are you sure you don’t mind?”

  Noah’s shoulders dropped in relief. An old-fashioned road trip to the mountains sounded like the perfect way for them to get out of their funk. “I’m happy to drive. Pick you up at seven a.m.?”

  Krista groaned. “Another reason I wanted to drive myself. Even when you sleep in, you’re up way too early.”

  “But you can sleep on the way,” he reminded her.

  “Fine. I guess I should get up and finishing packing.”

  “Great. I’ll stop and get the muffins from the BB Café before I pick you up.”

  “And coffee. Don’t forget that,” she said.

  “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

  After hanging up with Krista, Noah stretched his arms overhead. He was tired, but reluctant to hit the mattress. Every time he did, Krista showed up in his dreams, wearing a little less clothing than the time before. He needed to see her as just one of the guys again, wearing a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. Except now when he saw her in those, she looked like sex on a stick. And despite himself, he wanted her like he’d never wanted any woman before. And that was his reasoning for why driving to the mountains and spending the weekend with Krista was a bad idea.

  —

  Noah honked his horn outside Krista’s townhouse at seven a.m. the next morning. She came walking out her front door, a yawn stretching her sleep-creased face as she opened the back door to his Jeep, tossed her overnight bag in, and then plopped down in the passenger seat beside him, smelling like lavender. Noah handed over her coffee. “Almond milk and four sugars.”

  “You’re awesome.” She took a sip, closing her eyes as if the coffee was liquid gold.

  Noah had to pull his gaze from her mouth, suddenly fantasizing that same look of satisfaction on her face with him. He cleared his throat, gripped the steering wheel tighter. “All right. Here we go. You just let me know when and where you need to stop to do those errands you were talking about.”

  Krista nodded. “The store is about two hours from here. I Googled it last night. We’ll be arriving there as soon as it opens.”
>
  Noah pulled out of the parking lot and headed toward the interstate. “What is the place called?”

  “Sugar and Spicy.”

  Noah nearly spewed the coffee he’d just sipped across the windshield. “What?”

  Krista burst into laughter. “I told you I had to get some romantic items for Grace. You said you didn’t mind.”

  “I thought you meant flowers or cute little heart-shaped candies or something.”

  Krista continued laughing, holding her side like she did when she found something hilarious. “You offered. It’s no big deal. I’m sure you’ve seen sex toys before.”

  Noah covered one ear, gripping the steering wheel hard with the other. “Jack is my brother. Grace is going to be my sister-in-law. Thinking about them with toys is extremely gross.” He shuddered.

  Krista swatted his shoulder. “Stop. Just don’t think about them. You can help me pick out what you would want if it was your honeymoon.”

  And that topsy-turvied his whole mood back from grossed-out to turned-on.

  “Not that you’d ever go on a honeymoon because you’re a forever bachelor.”

  He nodded. “That’s right.” He shifted uncomfortably, his pants suddenly getting snug in certain places.

  “Grace is too embarrassed to go inside a place like that herself, but she and Jack haven’t experimented yet…”

  Noah held up a hand. “I don’t need the details. Really.”

  Krista shook her head and sipped more of her coffee. “I’m not embarrassed to go in, but I’m also not experienced in things like that.”

  Noah glanced over. He really shouldn’t ask. “You’ve never tried toys in the bedroom?”

  Her cheeks flushed, and those places in his pants got even snugger. His imagination went wild.

  “Yes, of course.” Krista’s laugh was laced with nerves. “I mean, I’ve tried some stuff.”

  He lifted a brow. Don’t ask, Noah. Asking can only spell trouble. “Like what?”

  “A lady never tells.”

  Noah held up a finger and waved it at her as he drove. “Unless it’s her best friend. A lady tells her best friend everything.”

  She hesitated, then rolled her eyes with a sigh. “Well…you know those condoms that have little spikes?”

  Yeah, he should stop this conversation cold in its tracks. “That’s the extent of your experimentation?”

  Krista shrugged. “I haven’t had too many serious relationships, you know. Experimenting is for people you’re serious about.”

  He felt her gaze turn on him.

  “You’ve never been in a serious relationship that I know of,” she said.

  Noah glanced over. He’d never told Krista about the girl he’d dated during his brief stint in college. The one he’d thought he’d gotten pregnant for a millisecond before the extreme relief that it’d only been a false alarm. They’d been somewhat serious, but he’d never been in love with her. He cleared his throat and pushed the memory away. “I don’t agree that you have to be in a serious relationship to experiment. I think two consenting adults can do what they want.”

  “That’s the difference between you and me.”

  “Yep.” And he’d be wise to remember that. He didn’t do serious relationships. Not anymore. And Krista wanted serious. She wanted the whole kit and caboodle that he would never be able to offer her.

  After a moment of awkward silence, Krista pulled the pillow that she’d tossed in the backseat to her and wedged it between her head and the side window. “Wake me when we get there,” she said. “Since you’re so experienced, you can help me decide what Grace and Jack might enjoy on their honeymoon.”

  Noah grimaced. “Only if we can agree to pretend it’s not for people we know.”

  Krista smiled softly. “Deal.”

  —

  Krista awoke to Noah poking her in the side. She twisted around to avoid another poke, then moaned at the stiffness that had settled into her body as she curled in the seat and leaned against the passenger door and window.

  “Wake up, Sleeping Beauty. We’ve arrived at Sugar and Spicy.”

  Krista blinked away the tiredness and focused on the little store. The name was written in large red block print above the door. The window held mannequins dressed in skimpy clothing.

  Noah reached over and pressed the release on her seat belt. “Let’s do this.”

  Krista slid her feet back into her shoes that she’d kicked off before falling asleep and stepped out. Noah opened the storefront door and let her enter first. She’d never been inside a store like this—no way was she telling Noah that, though. She looked around as Noah stepped up beside her.

  “Did, uh, the person-who-shall-not-be-named mention what kind of items she wanted?” he asked.

  Krista grinned at him. “Just something sexy that will knock Jack’s socks off.”

  Noah acted as if she’d thrown egg at his face. His eyes squinted and his mouth soured. “No names, remember.”

  “Can I help you two find what you’re looking for?” A woman dressed neatly in a blouse and navy pants approached them. Her hair was pulled back on the sides and she looked like she belonged in a store that sold fine jewelry instead of sex toys and lingerie.

  “Hi. We don’t exactly know what we’re looking for,” Krista told her.

  The woman nodded. “Well, what do you two like to do together?”

  Krista opened her mouth and a series of dumbfounded sounds stumbled over her lips. She’d told Grace that she wouldn’t be embarrassed to come to a store like this one, but that was because she wasn’t shopping for herself. “No. Um…We’re not…Um…”

  Noah bumped along Krista’s arm. She looked over, hoping he’d save her.

  “We’re new at these kinds of things. What would you suggest?”

  Krista swallowed and started coughing now.

  “It’s okay. No need to be embarrassed, sweetheart,” Noah told her. “Right?” he asked the woman.

  Krista bordered between embarrassment and irritation, which Noah seemed to find hilarious.

  “Exactly. This is my job. You wouldn’t believe some of the things I see. If I were you two, new to toys and such, I’d start over here.” The woman started walking ahead of them.

  Krista took the moment to land a hard punch to Noah’s upper arm.

  “Ow,” he whispered. “This is fun. We might learn something.”

  “We?” she said. “I thought you already knew everything.”

  “I never said that.” Noah looked over, his gaze lingering on hers until she couldn’t breathe for a totally different reason. Stop that, Krista. Just friends, remember? She was moving on from her childhood crush. Who knows? Maybe this time next year, she’d be the one getting married. Not to Chandler Dale. He was a great guy, overlooking some flaws, but he wasn’t her guy. He didn’t make her heart skip in her chest or visions of white dresses and rings dance in her head. He was just a nice guy. Someone she’d like to have as a friend.

  The woman stopped in front of a display labeled WILDEST FANTASIES. There were handcuffs, whips, blindfolds, and other items that Krista couldn’t begin to know what they were for.

  “These are for exploring any fantasies you two might have.” She looked at them expectantly. “Have you done any fantasy or role-playing sex?”

  Krista felt like she’d fallen into another dimension. She talked candidly with Grace and Abby about sex, but never this candidly. What had she gotten herself into?

  “I don’t know. Do you have fantasies, sweetheart?” Noah turned to Krista.

  She was going to take her time when she killed him.

  “Oh, um…” She scanned the selection. “I guess the handcuffs look nice?” It was more of a question than a response.

  Noah nodded and reached for a pair. “What else?”

  Krista shook her head, pulling her lower lip into her mouth.

  “May I suggest one of these?” The woman pulled down a large pink feather. “The sensation is amazing
,” she told Krista. “You wouldn’t believe how arousing this can be in your lover’s hands.”

  Krista took the feather and ran her finger over the side of the feather. “Yeah, it is pretty soft.”

  “It’s not for rubbing against your fingers, sweetheart,” Noah said, winking at her.

  Krista felt her face grow hot. “I know that,” she snapped, although now she was blocking visuals of a lover—Noah—tracing this feather in places it had no business tracing.

  “What else do you have?” Noah asked the woman.

  Thirty minutes later, they left Sugar and Spicy with handcuffs, a blindfold, a large feather (not for rubbing against fingers), massage oils, and a box of ribbed, glow in the dark condoms “for her pleasure.”

  Krista was relieved to get back in the passenger seat of Noah’s Jeep and head to the mountains.

  “Do you think you got what Grace had in mind?”

  “I’m not sure what Grace had in mind, but if this isn’t right, I’ll give her the address to come here with Jack.”

  “The clerk there is more than happy to help clueless couples.”

  Krista giggled. “I can’t believe she thought we were a couple.”

  “Well, why not? We’d make a nice couple, don’t you think?” He glanced over. “If you weren’t my best friend.”

  “And if you were the couple sort.”

  “There’s that.” Noah reached for the radio dial and turned on some soft rock from the eighties.

  “You’re not going to make me listen to that for the rest of the drive up,” Krista complained.

  “I’m driving and I just took you to a sex toy shop. I think I’m owed some Chicago. Or we could do Sting. Were you hoping for Taylor Swift?” He glanced over as Krista rolled her eyes, but she was still giggling.

  “Fine. But on the way home, I’m picking the music.”

  —

  A little while later, Noah pulled into the driveway of the Sawyer cabin and blew out a breath. He’d loved coming here as a kid. The cabin was like one big tree house to him and his brothers. All of the walls were wood paneled. The floors were wood. In place of a ceiling were wood rafters. The brothers’ room was equipped with bunk beds. It was a kid’s dream.