She opened the door looking frazzled and sounding breathless. Her eyes registered surprise, then relief, as she stepped back to allow him entry.
“Thank God,” she said fervently.
He lifted a brow. “I’m flattered to know that I’m the answer to your prayers.”
She rolled her eyes. “When I heard the knock, I thought it was Anna and Nick, and I’m not ready for them to be here.”
“What time are you expecting them?” he asked, with a glance at his watch.
“Six,” she replied, and then she frowned. “And you should be at the restaurant. What are you doing here?”
“I heard there was eggplant parmesan on the menu tonight and didn’t want to miss it,” he said.
“Didn’t want me to screw it up, you mean?” she guessed. Obviously, despite the trial runs, she was still feeling a little uncertain about the meal she’d prepared.
“I have total faith in you,” he assured her.
She managed a smile then, though it quickly faded. “I’m not sure it isn’t completely misguided, but thank you.”
“And since I’m here—can I give you a hand with anything?” he offered.
“The only things I have left to do are set the table and change my clothes.”
“I’ll set the table,” he said, since he shouldn’t be thinking about Erin stripping off the clothes she was wearing. And he definitely shouldn’t offer to help with that task—no matter how much he might want to.
“That would be great, but are you sure you wouldn’t rather be at The Home Station?”
“Giselle’s got everything under control there,” he said, because he was confident that his sous-chef could handle anything that came up. And because he’d checked the reservation book to ensure there were no VIPs whose meals would require the head chef’s personal attention.
“In that case, I’ll say thank you and leave you to it,” she said, and disappeared down the hall toward her bedroom.
He’d been in her kitchen enough times to know where everything was—he even found her good place mats in the bottom drawer beside the stove. When the dishes and cutlery were in place, he found a corkscrew and opened the bottle of cabernet sauvignon she’d left out on the counter so the wine would have time to breathe before the meal.
“I wasn’t sure about the wine,” Erin said, joining him in the dining room. “I’m not sure where Anna and Nick are staying tonight, or how far they have to drive to get there. But if we don’t have the wine with dinner, I’m definitely going to want a glass—or two or three—afterward.”
He chuckled at that, then he turned to face her—and the laughter died in his throat.
She hadn’t been gone more than ten minutes, but in that time, she’d effected an impressive transformation. She’d released her hair from its ponytail and replaced her T-shirt and jeans with a sleeveless dress that dipped low in the front—and even lower in the back—and a skirt that swirled several inches above her knees. She’d also added a touch of makeup—mascara that darkened her lashes and gloss that added shine to her lips.
“But thanks for setting the table. It looks great.”
“Yes, you do,” he said.
Erin blinked. “I’m sorry?” she said, obviously as surprised as he was that he’d said that part out loud.
“You look great,” he said again, because it was true.
“Oh. Um. Thanks.”
He should have left it at that. The gruffness of his tone and the awkwardness of her response were clear indications that they were treading on boggy ground. But for some inexplicable reason, instead of retreating, he pushed forward. “You don’t wear dresses very often.”
“I usually wear a skirt when I work at the restaurant.”
“But that’s part of your uniform, so it doesn’t really count,” he said dismissively.
Plus the modest style of her work attire didn’t draw attention to her legs the way this dress did. Or maybe it was the wedge-heeled sandals on her feet that ratcheted up the sexy factor.
Thankfully, he managed to keep those thoughts—and his tongue—inside his head.
“I’m not sure I agree with your logic,” Erin responded lightly, “but I appreciate the compliment.”
He nodded and clamped his jaw shut so that he didn’t ask how she could possibly be wearing a bra with a dress that dipped so low in the back—because she probably wasn’t, and he didn’t need to have that supposition confirmed.
Erin glanced at the silver bangle-style watch on her wrist. “When you knocked on the door, I was worried that they were early. Now I’m worried that they’re going to be late.”
“Do you want a glass of wine while you’re waiting? It might help you relax a little.”
“I can’t relax,” she said, smoothing her hands over the skirt of her dress. “As soon as they get here, I have to drop the pasta in the pot of water boiling on the stove.”
“Eager to feed them and rush them out the door again?” he teased.
“That and I’m worried the eggplant will end up overcooked and soggy again,” she said.
He poured the glass of wine anyway and pressed it into her hand.
“I’m being ridiculous, aren’t I?” She lifted the glass to her lips and sipped.
“I wouldn’t say you’re being ridiculous,” he denied. “But you do seem a little uptight.”
“I don’t have the best relationship with my sister,” she reminded him.
“And what’s your relationship with your ex?”
She shrugged. “We’re friends.”
“That’s all?” he pressed. “The flames of your first love aren’t still burning deep inside?”
Erin laughed. “No, I can promise you that any flames, if they ever existed, were completely extinguished a lot of years ago.”
“You’re one hundred percent completely over him?” he asked, wanting to be sure.
Needing her to be sure.
“One hundred percent,” she confirmed, nodding.
“Good,” he said.
Then he kissed her.
* * *
Erin jolted when Kyle’s lips brushed over hers.
And again, half a second later, when a knock sounded on the door.
She’d barely had a chance to register the fact that Kyle was kissing her before he was drawing away again. And as she exhaled an unsteady breath, she silently cursed her sister’s lousy timing.
But maybe she should be grateful for the interruption, because kissing Kyle was...
Her emotions were in such a tangle, she honestly had no idea how to finish that thought.
Kissing Kyle was...
A surprise.
A long-harbored fantasy finally realized.
A definite pleasure.
And the fleeting touch of his lips made her want more.
A lot more.
Again, her mind filled with possibilities: What if...
But she didn’t have time to sort through those possibilities now. And even if she did, she didn’t think she was capable of doing so while her head was still spinning from the effects of that all-too-brief, never-should-have-happened kiss.
A second—and louder—knock sounded.
“You should get that,” Kyle said.
She nodded. “Can you dump the spaghetti in the pot?”
“Don’t you think you should open the door first—to make sure it’s actually Anna and Nick?”
“Okay. Sure. Right.”
The corners of his mouth tipped up, just a little, in response to her apparent befuddlement, proving that she was the only one affected by their kiss.
She started to turn away.
Kyle, realizing that she still had her wineglass in hand, carefully plucked it from Erin’s grasp.
She pasted a smile on her face and opened
the door to welcome her sister and brother-in-law.
“It’s good to see you,” Erin said, surprised to realize it was true as she hugged her sister. “Congratulations.”
Anna fairly glowed with happiness. “Thank you.”
She hugged Nick next and offered her best wishes to him, too. “I’m so happy for both of you.”
“Are you really?” her sister asked, sounding worried.
“Of course, I am,” she assured her.
Anna smiled, visibly relieved. “We were a little worried that you might not approve of our marriage.”
Obviously not worried enough to talk to her sister before the exchange of vows, but Erin pushed that thought aside.
“Anna was worried,” Nick clarified with a wink. “I tried to assure her that you’d tossed me back like an undersized trout a long time ago.”
An analogy that wasn’t nearly as charming as he probably thought, Erin mused.
“As long as you’re happy, I’m happy,” she said, ushering her guests into the apartment.
“Oh.” Anna halted in her tracks. “Wow.”
Erin followed her sister’s gaze to see what had snagged her attention—and found her gaze fixed on the man in the kitchen.
“Major hot guy alert,” Anna said.
Her husband cleared his throat.
“Not as hot as you, of course,” she hastily replied.
“Of course,” he echoed dryly.
Thankfully, Kyle couldn’t hear the exchange over the hum of the fan over the stove.
“Please, come in and make yourselves comfortable,” Erin said. “Can I get you something to drink? Beer? Wine? Soda?”
“Water for me, please,” Anna said.
“I’ll have a Coke,” Nick said.
She retreated to the kitchen, where Kyle was filling a glass with water from the dispenser in the door of the fridge. A can of Coke was already on the counter.
“Apparently you can hear over the hum of the fan,” she noted.
He just grinned.
Before delivering the drinks to her guests, she grabbed her wineglass and swallowed a mouthful of cabernet sauvignon.
“Is the pasta on?” she asked Kyle.
“The water just came back to a boil,” he said. “Go ahead and drop it in.”
“You’re determined to make me make dinner, aren’t you?”
“You did make dinner,” he said, as she set down her wine and slid the premeasured spaghetti into the water. “And you should be proud of what you’ve cooked.”
“Thank you,” she said sincerely. “For everything, but especially for being here right now.”
“My pleasure.”
She gave the pasta a minute to soften before stirring to ensure the strands didn’t clump. Then she put down the spoon and picked up the drinks he’d readied. “And now it’s time to introduce you to the bride and groom.”
Kyle followed her to the living room, then shook hands with and offered his congratulations to the happy couple.
“We felt just a little bit guilty about eloping,” Anna confided. “So we sprang for the deluxe wedding package, including a video of our vows. Do you want to see it?”
“Oh. Um.” Erin glanced at her watch. “Actually, dinner’s going to be ready in less than ten minutes.”
“Could we eat a little bit later?” her sister asked hopefully. “I’m not really very hungry right now.”
“We were late stopping for lunch,” Nick explained.
“My fault,” his bride confessed, not sounding the least bit apologetic. “I desperately wanted to try an In-N-Out burger and wouldn’t settle for anything else.”
“I didn’t realize In-N-Out did a veggie burger,” Erin said.
Nick snorted. “She didn’t have a veggie burger. She had a double cheeseburger.”
Anna elbowed him in the ribs. “It had lettuce and tomato on it!”
“You’re right,” he said, placatingly.
“But...you told me that you’re a vegetarian,” Erin said.
“I am.” A slow smile curved Anna’s lips. “But the baby wanted meat.”
Chapter Four
Baby.
Erin shouldn’t have been surprised. Hadn’t both Kyle and Lucy suspected that a pregnancy was responsible for the hasty wedding? But she’d preferred to believe that Anna and Nick were simply head over heels in love. After all, she’d seen evidence of their mutual affection when she was in Silver Hook for Christmas.
Still, deep down, she’d suspected that her friends might be right. And once the initial shock of her sister’s announcement had passed, she felt a spurt of joy to realize that she was going to be an aunt...again.
Of course, that was immediately followed by a twinge of concern that Anna might have felt forced into a marriage she wasn’t ready for because she was pregnant—and then a teensy stab of envy that her little sister was soon going to have the family that Erin herself had always, albeit secretly, coveted.
“So you are pregnant,” she murmured aloud.
“Why else would we be in such a hurry to get married?” Anna asked.
“Congratulations,” Kyle said, when Erin remained silent. “Again.”
Anna beamed at the chef. “Thank you.”
Erin finally recovered her voice. “Well, let’s see this wedding video,” she suggested.
“Yay!” Her sister clapped her hands.
“While you get it set up, we’ll check on dinner,” Kyle said, grabbing Erin’s arm and steering her back to the kitchen.
Once out of view of her guests, she leaned back against the counter and let out a long, slow breath.
“You okay?” he asked.
She nodded. “Yeah. It’s just...a lot. My little sister isn’t just married, she’s going to have a baby.”
He lifted the pot of pasta off the stove and dumped the spaghetti into the strainer. “I hate to state the obvious, but your little sister is all grown up.”
“I know.”
“And having a baby with your ex.”
“I heard that, too,” she said.
“I just wondered if that might be the real reason your head is spinning,” he said.
“I told you before that I got over Nick a long time ago.”
Before her sister and brother-in-law arrived.
Before Kyle kissed her.
“You did,” he confirmed. “But I didn’t know if seeing him again might have stirred up any old feelings.”
She shook her head. “It didn’t.”
“Good to know,” he said, pulling open the drawer under her stove to retrieve a frying pan.
Why was it good to know?
Because he might want to kiss her again?
She certainly hoped he would, and that was the real reason her head was spinning.
Anna’s announcement would have thrown her for a loop anyway, but coming as it did so soon after Kyle’s kiss, was it any wonder Erin was feeling as if the ground was unsteady beneath her feet?
He, on the other hand, didn’t seem affected at all, she noted, watching as he moved around the kitchen. Of course, if his reputation was to be believed, he’d kissed so many women that the brief touch of their lips probably hadn’t even registered in his mind—and if she was smart, she’d push it firmly out of hers, too.
“What are you doing to do with that?” she asked curiously, as he found the olive oil in the cupboard beside the stove and drizzled some in the pan.
“We’ll use it to reheat the pasta when we’re ready to eat.”
“You mean I don’t have to start over again with fresh pasta?”
He gave her a look that she couldn’t quite decipher. “No.”
“That’s a relief,” she said. “Because I’m pretty sure that was my last box of spaghetti.”
�
�Everything’s going to work out just fine.”
“Are you referring to dinner? Or something else?”
He grinned. “Let’s go watch a wedding.”
* * *
“Did you hear what Anna said?” Her sister and brother-in-law’s car had barely pulled away when Erin turned to him, her hands on her hips.
“You’re going to have to be more specific,” Kyle said cautiously. “Your sister didn’t stop talking the whole time she was here.”
“The part where she said that she had a cheeseburger for lunch,” she clarified. “A double cheeseburger.”
He nodded. “I heard.”
“That’s two meat patties.”
“It is,” he agreed.
“I had the chicken parm nailed.” She paced across the floor. “Okay, it took me a few tries, but I did it—and then I had to start from scratch again because she told me she didn’t eat meat.”
“For what it’s worth, I think you nailed the eggplant parm, too,” he said.
“I’ve never been a fan of eggplant,” she confided. “Truth be told, I’m not a big fan of Anna right now, either.”
“Sibling relationships can be challenging,” he acknowledged.
“How would you know? You and Lucy have a great relationship.”
“Now,” he acknowledged. “But we had our fair share of battles over the years. My mom would probably say more than our fair share. Actually, though, I was thinking about my other siblings.”
Kyle so rarely talked about his father’s other family that Erin sometimes forgot he had two brothers and another sister.
“I guess you do know,” she acknowledged.
He refilled her empty wineglass, earning a smile of thanks.
“But how do you always seem to know what I need?” she asked now.
“Because I sat across from you at dinner, and it was exactly what I needed,” he said, pouring a second glass for himself.
She took her wine to the living room, where she dropped down onto the sofa and propped her feet up on the coffee table—drawing Kyle’s attention to the length of shapely leg stretched out beneath the hem of her short skirt.
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