by Violet Duke
“Well in this case, your dad made sure it was about all three of you.”
Abby remembered all the planning, how hard he’d worked to make Beth and Skylar’s day special. God, he really was such a good man.
The quick flash of car headlights coming up the driveway—and Skylar’s squealing—signaled the arrival of the man himself. “He’s here! He’s here! I’ll go get the door.”
While Abby had never been to a prom as a teen, she imagined this fluttering in her stomach and the humming excitement in her veins was exactly how she would have felt on her actual prom night. Then, when she saw Brian walk in dressed to the nines in his suit, she amended her thought—there was no possible prom date she could’ve ever had in high school that would ever compare to this one.
Not just because he was standing there looking drop dead gorgeous in a suit with an orchid wrist corsage picked just for her. But because he was wearing a smile that made her think of the one she’d seen on his face the first day she’d met him. The one that had convinced her that day that his heart was taken.
The smile he wore now was older, wiser, and yet just as filled with unmitigated love.
For her.
The sound of gleeful clapping from the foyer had Brian’s eyes crinkling at the corners and shifting over to his daughter. His expression changed then, softened into that affectionate dad-smile of his that served to suck up every last bit of air Abby had on reserve.
“You’re right, kiddo,” he said quietly as he came over to slip the corsage on her wrist. “She’s stunning.”
Abby practically melted into a puddle.
“OMG, you guys look so great together! Don’t move, I’m going to go get the camera!” And with that, Skylar scampered giggle-high off to go search through her overnight bags.
“Abby.” It came out a near-reverent sigh. Her eyelids drifted shut as Brian lightly brushed his lips against hers. “You look beautiful.”
BEAUTIFUL SEEMED FAR TOO INSUFFICIENT a word but Brian was having difficulty thinking, let alone speaking. Not just because Abby was in a gorgeous dress that fit her like a glove. But because she was looking at him as if he were the only man she wanted in the room with her.
“Batman in a tux.” He heard her murmur quietly, blinking as if surprised at hearing her own words voiced out loud.
Quintessential Abby—her thoughts were always so unique, just like she was. “That’s high praise, sweetheart. But don’t you mean Bruce Wayne?”
Biting her lip, she took in an unsteady breath and shook her head slowly. “No. Definitely Batman in a tux,” she repeated softly, her throaty voice as sexy as he’d ever heard it. “I’ve always had a thing for Batman.”
Well, damn. His slid his arms around her and tugged her close, only to be interrupted by a very loud throat-clearing from behind him.
“Geez, keep it PG-13 will ya?” Skylar tsked as she poised the camera for a shot. “Am I going to have to sit you two down for a no-hanky-panky on prom night talk?”
Abby buried her face against his chest and giggled.
Brian shot his daughter a look. “I’m going to remember this very moment on your prom night in a few years, I hope you know.”
Skylar lowered the camera, jaw dropped in panic.
Abby dug her elbow into his side. “No he won’t, Skylar. I’ll tackle him if he tries.”
A huge grin lit his face. Not over the idea of her tackling him, of course—though that would be fun—but at her assurance that she’d be standing right there with him in a few years to witness a milestone in his little girl’s life.
With Skylar still pouting worriedly as she raised the camera once more, Abby nailed him again in the gut for good measure. “Don’t worry kiddo,” she added firmly, “I’ll make sure he behaves.”
Not only was she promising to be a part of their lives, she was in full mama-lion mode about it, too. Something primal and male inside him responded to that, roared silently to the forefront, amplified his feelings for her ten-fold. Pulling Abby against him fully, he wrapped his arms around her waist and whispered in her ear, “Will you be able to make me behave on Skylar’s prom night? Possibly.” He smiled at the camera and waited for the flash before whispering again, “Tonight? Definitely not.”
ABBY WALKED INTO THE HOTEL BALLROOM of her first prom ever.
In a way, she was almost glad her teen years had been the mess that it was—she couldn’t imagine a better date for her prom night than the one she had now.
“If you don’t stop looking at me like that, you’re going to get us both into a lot of trouble,” warned Brian softly.
“Promises, promises.”
A quiet growling groan rumbled out of his chest and Abby chuckled, tugging him to the chaperone table before they really did get themselves into trouble.
“Are you okay sitting here alone for a bit? I’m going to go check in with the prom committee to see if they need help with anything.”
“Not to worry, I came prepared.” She flipped open her beaded purse—another great thrift store find—and pulled out her trusty e-reader.
Shaking his head, Brian bent down and placed a kiss to her temple. “You’re adorable. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
Abby opened up the ebook she’d been reading last night and was about a chapter in when she felt a light tap on her shoulder.
“Abby, is that you?”
Eyes wide with surprise, she quickly stood and reached up—way up—to give the lanky boy standing before her a hug. “Evan?” He’d barely been at shoulder-height last she saw him. “Oh my goodness! I can’t believe how grown-up you look! Are you a junior already?”
“Yep. It’s been over three years since you tutored me, remember?”
“How could I forget?” She smiled affectionately. “You certainly made my first year tutoring memorable.”
Evan shuffled his feet and blushed. “Yeah, sorry about that. I was kind of a punk back then.” He glanced up again quickly. “Hey, you’re tutoring my brother now aren’t you? Is he giving you a hard time? Tell me if he is; I can knock some sense into him for you.”
Laughing, Abby shook her head. “No, Justin’s been an angel.” She frowned then. “That reminds me—he mentioned some of the problems your folks have been having with their business.” The poor kid broke down one day just before the winter break and told her the whole story about his having overheard his mother crying about their business failing and possibly losing their house. “I didn’t get a chance to talk with him about it when I saw him last week. How are things? Is there anything I can do?”
“Actually, we’re doing a whole lot better. Mr. Sullivan came by the shop the week before Christmas and helped my parents out big time.”
Abby felt her heart rate kick up a notch. “Mr. Sullivan?” Did Saint Connor come to the rescue of another family in need?
“Yeah. He told them about all these ways to save a bunch of money, and gave them these great ideas that—” Evan looked over to her left suddenly with an awe-filled look. “Oh hey, Mr. Sullivan! I was just telling Abby how you helped out my folks. You know, like you did with Sandi’s parents, and Caleb’s uncle.”
Of course. Mr. Sullivan as in Brian Sullivan. Guilt coursed through her veins over not having even considered the possibility that it was her very own best friend who’d helped out Evan and his family. Of course it was. Business was, after all, Brian’s forte. Plus, he was that guy. The one who was clearly making it a habit to provide business assistance to every student’s family he could.
“So you mean I rushed over for nothing?” teased Brian. “Here I thought you were terrorizing poor Abby like you used to in your glory days.”
Evan shot her a horrified glance. “You used to talk about me to him?”
Abby smacked Brian in the chest. “He’s kidding, Evan. I’ve only said good things about you, mainly that you were rambunctious and very clever with your practical jokes. And the only reason I’d mentioned you at all was because I used one of your practical
jokes on Brian here.”
This time, Evan’s awestruck look was directed at Abby. “Seriously?”
“Yes,” grumbled Brian.
“Which one?” he asked curiously, visibly trying not to laugh because, let’s face it, he knew as well as Abby did that all his practical jokes were pretty legendary.
“Oh look at that, all your friends just arrived,” interrupted Brian, none too smoothly.
Evan, the wise kid that he was, raised his hands up in compliance and backed away without probing any further.
“I’ll find you and tell you later, Evan,” Ally stage-whispered, yelping in laughter when Brian tickled her ribs in retaliation.
“You’re just begging for me to head to ASU and show your students the picture of the practical joke I played on you to get you back,” threatened Brian with a completely evil arch to his brow.
Abby gasped. “You wouldn’t dare!” Didn’t she erase that picture from his phone?
“I backed up a copy,” he informed her.
Great, that meant there was still a photo out there with her having electric blue teeth from the food dye he’d laced onto the bristles of her toothbrush. Since she’d been running late for her date that evening, she’d brushed her teeth while getting dressed and completely failed to notice her alien teeth. Her date sure noticed, however...when she flashed him a huge nice-to-meet-you smile.
Worst. Blind date. Ever. She glared at Brian over the reminder.
Brian was struggling to keep a straight face. “To be fair, I didn’t know you were going on a date. I really was sorry about that one, honey.”
“Yeah, you sounded positively torn up about it that night.” Abby smothered a smile. Looking back, it was pretty darn funny…now. She’d been less than amused then, mostly because her date ended up canceling before they even got off her front step, which was how Abby ended up driving straight over to Brian’s and tackling him at the door. And somehow in the scramble, he’d managed to snap a photo of her and turn it into her caller id photo on his phone.
The ass.
“I was sorry for embarrassing you; but I wasn’t sorry for ruining your date—the guy was a tool.”
A major tool. “You think that about all the guys I’ve dated.”
He slid his thumb along her jawline. “That’s because none of them have ever been good enough for you.”
Holy swizzle sticks. There were those butterflies again.
True to his word, for the rest of the night, Brian gave her a genuine prom experience, complete with prom photos and everything. And wouldn’t you know, there really were a few token girls crying in the bathroom stalls at the end of the night—guess Hollywood got that one right. Luckily, she was able to help one of the girls stop crying by sewing up a huge rip she had in the seat of her dress using the teeny sewing kit she kept tucked in her wallet. After a huge, grateful hug, the girl was all smiles by the time everyone was leaving the prom and heading to their after-parties.
Entering the now empty lobby outside of the ballroom, Abby felt the wind get knocked out of her yet again when she caught sight of Brian lighting up the instant he saw her.
It never got old.
“Unfortunately, with my chaperoning duties, there is one thing we didn’t get to do to complete your full prom experience,” said Brian, hand held out for her to take. “Dance with me?”
“Out here?” She laughed even as she took his hand. Heck, she’d dance with him out in the parking lot if he wanted. He held her close and they slow-danced in place in the middle of the lobby. Even without a dance floor, without music, and all the hotel workers bustling around cleaning out the ballroom, it was still the perfect dance.
“So now that your prom is over, am I dropping you off at home with a chaste goodnight kiss on your doorstep, or are you going to invite me in?” His words caressed her neck, and did a number on her insides.
She shivered as his lips traced the curves of her ear and seriously considered what he was asking. No more holding back. “How about we start with an unchaste kiss on my doorstep and see where that takes us?”
His arms tightened around her like a vise. “What happened to making sure I behaved?”
She loved how he made her feel like the most tempting woman in the world. “I said I was going to make sure you behaved. I made no such guarantee about myself.”
Brian abruptly ended their dance and practically ran them both to the valet. She was laughing and out of breath by the time he lifted her into the passenger seat of his SUV. “Buckle up, I have a feeling we’re going to get back to your house in record time.”
As the streets passed by in a blur, Abby reflected again on just what it was they were speeding toward. Could she really do it? This was Brian. What if all their crazy chemistry didn’t actually translate to the bedroom? It would be worse than awkward. And they’d never be able to go back. Things would never be the same between them. Their friendship would be damaged completely—
“Don’t worry so much.”
Abby yanked her gaze up to meet Brian’s. As always, with just a look, he could see what she was thinking, with a touch, he managed to ground her back to earth. No one else had ever had that power over her.
Was she really ready to wager all that?
BRIAN OPENED THE CAR DOOR for Abby and walked her to her front porch. “You’re obviously still unsure about this, sweetie.” Though every male cell in his body was calling him seven kinds of crazy, he added, “So why don’t we just go in the living room and watch a movie or something?”
She studied him for a few long seconds before shaking her head softly, “I’m not unsure. Not really. I do want to spend the night with you, Brian. I just…want to go slow.”
He rested his forehead against hers and took in a jagged breath. Even the prospect of going slow with Abby had him revved up and ready to go. “Slow. We can do slow.” Pressing his lips to hers, he guided her through the front door and over to the couch, kissing her gently, almost chastely along the way.
More for his own sanity than hers.
Not wanting to mount her like an animal on the couch, he sat down over on the loveseat and settled her onto his lap, wordlessly telling her she could simply get up and put a halt to things whenever she wanted. As the skirt of her dress slipped up her thighs, Brian found it took far more willpower than he thought it would to keep himself from following that soft skin up under the satiny cloth.
Slow.
“I told you we’d keep things at casual high school dating for a while.” His voice strained in tandem with the zipper of his slacks. “So, no matter what, our clothes are staying on tonight, alright sweetie? I swear.”
Even in the darkness, he could see her eyes widen, her teeth worrying over her lower lip. “This is killing you isn’t it, Brian? I’m so sorry. I wish I could just jump into this but I can’t help but be a little afraid. You’re my best friend. I look at you and I see years of friendship that we could ruin completely the moment we cross this line.”
“Then close your eyes.”
Her eyes widened even more. “What?”
“If all you see when you look at me is your best friend, then close your eyes and see me the way your body does. As a man. As a man your body responds to me whenever I’m nearby.”
He smiled at the strained catch in her breathing. “See, you’re responding right now. So close your eyes, honey.” Kissing her eyelids shut, he teased lightly, “Or do you want me to blindfold you instead?”
The barely audible gasp she released nearly broke him then and there. “Is that a fantasy of yours, Abby? To have me blindfold you while I take you?” he asked softly in her ear, torturing himself as much as he was teasing her with his words.
Her entire body stiffened.
And so did his. “I’ve fantasized about you too, sweetheart,” he whispered roughly against her skin. Slowly, he slid her hair off her shoulders and placed soft kisses along her jawline. “But nothing I’ve ever dreamed has come close to the reality of what fe
eling you is like.” His teeth nipped gently at her earlobe.
“Brian—”
A whiplash of pleasure jolted through his body at the sound of his name on her lips. Raw need clawed at the base of his spine as he smoothed his hands up her torso, his thumbs just barely brushing the swell of her breasts.
She took in a quick breath and licked her lips. “Brian, please.”
“Please, what?” He slid her further up his lap, pulled her hips flush against his.
The moment he felt the heat of her core on his thigh, even through all the layers of fabric between them, he forgot the question he’d asked her. Hell, his own name was a distant memory.
Spearing his hands through her hair, he locked his lips onto hers, unable to go another minute without tasting her again. Heart hammering in his chest, he smoothed his hands down her back, groaning when she responded in kind and slid her hands under his suit jacket. When she spread her thighs even wider and pressed her mound flush against his arousal, he tore his mouth away from hers.
“Abby, I’m not going to be able to keep my promise if you keep doing that.”
“You wanted my body to respond; you wanted me to see you as more than just my friend…well you succeeded. It is and I do,” she replied breathlessly, sinking her fingers into the small of his back, pulling him forward, back between her legs, which were now fully exposed to his scorching hot gaze.
“We’re keeping our clothes on, Abby,” he said through clenched teeth.
She slid her calves up to lock around his waist, changing the angle of her burning-hot assault on his arousal. “So as long as I keep my panties on—”
He groaned. “Abby,” he exhaled, shuddering at how close he was riding on the edge of control. “Have I mentioned that I’ve been celibate for almost six years?”
That made her freeze. And then proceed to look at him as if her were an alien life form. “Six years?”
He tried for a nonchalant shrug. “I’ve only ever been with Beth. So…yeah, six years.”
She slid back, placing a gap between their bodies. A gap just wide enough for his to slip his fingers down and—