Hunks Too Hot To Touch

by Marie Rochelle

  “How old are you?” she blurted out.

  Nash’s took his eyes off the road for a minute as he glanced over at her. “I’ll be thirty-nine the day after Christmas. Why, do you think I look old?”

  “No, you’re very good-looking,” Shauntie answered quickly making Nash’s face spilt into a huge grin.

  “Thank you. I think you’re quite gorgeous yourself, sweetheart,” he told her as he turned his eyes back to the road. “Is there anything else you want to know about me?”

  “How long have you been a roofer?”

  “I used to work in construction first while I worked to get my roofing business off the ground. After I got the money I wanted saved up I became a roofer full-time. So, I haven’t owned my business for that long, but it was my dream job and I wasn’t about to give up on it until I achieved it. What about you? Have you always wanted to be an eye doctor?”

  Nash used to be a construction worker. Suddenly, Shauntie had a quick flash of J.T. in her head, but she placed it where it should be in the back of her mind. He had no place on her date tonight.

  Shauntie crossed her legs and got more comfortable in her seat. “Yes, ever since I was a little girl I wanted to do this as my career. I think my parents didn’t think I knew what an optometrist was at eight years old, but I did.”

  “You were one of those brainy kids that never talked to me while all while I was going to school,” Nash laughed as he turned left at the corner and continued on down the street.

  “I wouldn’t consider myself a brainy kid, but when I got to high school I did have to take algebra, health and medical courses. I mean most of my time was put towards studying which kept me from going out a lot.”

  Stopping at a stop light, Nash gave her his attention again. “I can’t believe you weren’t a cheerleader and involved in all of those extracurricular activities after school. You seem like the girl I had a crush on in school, but she never noticed me.”

  “No, The cheerleaders never found the time to learn my name until we had a class together and they got put into my group. I wasn’t totally a nerd, but I think I was pretty close back then.”

  Nash raked his eyes over her body lingering on the slit in her t-shirt. “I can promise you that the girls might have thought you were a nerd, but the guys saw you in a totally different way,” he said, surprising her before pulling away from the green light.

  Shauntie was tired of talking about herself. She went on this date to learn more about Nash. “Enough about my past. Tell me more about yours. How were you as a kid? I can’t believe you weren’t popular. I bet you had girls following behind you wanting dates.”

  “I wasn’t the guy the girls at my school wanted to date. I was lanky with black hair that seemed to grow long and fall into my eyes no matter how many haircuts I got. I was a total outcast because I collected comic books and preferred to spend time by myself. I was a big introvert until I took up working out my last year of college.”

  “I can’t believe you went to college.” The second the words left her mouth Shauntie was embarrassed for voicing them. “I’m sorry, that wasn’t right of me to say about you.”

  “Don’t worry about it. My parents were surprised I got a full scholarship to go themselves and especially an academic one but since I didn’t have a huge amount of friends I took that time working on school work and graduated with honors.”

  “What was your major?” Shauntie asked, surprised to learn Nash had a college degree. He was proving to her more and more that looks could be deceiving.

  “Finance and business. I worked in the corporate world for about six years until I figured out it wasn’t for me. I got more pleasure from being outside in the fresh air than inside an air conditioned building. I left my six figure job and got hired at a construction site two weeks later.”

  Turning her head, Shauntie gave Nash another once over and she couldn’t envision him wearing a suit and tie. He came across like it would have been too restricting for him. “How did you get hired at a construction site? Did you have any experience working at one?”

  “Off and on I helped out my father at his construction site during college when I was home during the summers. I loved it then, but I never considered it a career because I was more invested in finance, but after I landed the job it got old after a while.”

  “Are both of your parents still alive?” she inquired.

  “Yes, they’re living in Florida having the time of their life in a retirement community. I usually go and visit them twice a year, but they stay so busy I have to work around their schedules. How about you? Are your parents still alive?” Nash asked her.

  “Yes...they moved away from here about seven years ago. My mother wanted to be closer to my sister when she had her baby. My nephew is a handful and loves everything Spiderman. I sent him a box full of Spiderman goodies last Christmas making me his favorite aunt in the world. Do you have any siblings?”

  “I’m one of six,” Nash answered, shocking her. “My sister lives here and the rest of my siblings are all over the place. We get together once a year for the holidays either Thanksgiving or Christmas. This year it was Thanksgiving and we had a blast, but I got teased about being the only one who wasn’t married with kids. My baby brother got married earlier this year and his wife is expecting their first baby.”

  “Your family sounds a lot like mine. My mother keeps telling me she isn’t getting any younger and she wants grandbabies. I keep telling her as soon as I find the right man she can have all the grandbabies that she wants.”

  Shauntie never had felt at such ease with another man as she did with Nash. He was making her comfortable enough to bring up her family. She usually kept her private life to herself on the first date.

  “Here we are,” Nash said, pulling up into a crowded parking lot.

  Glancing through the windshield, Shauntie spotted several couples spread out across a huge field sitting on blankets eating and drinking. There was a huge stage with equipment being set up by several people wearing black t-shirts.

  “What is this?” Shauntie asked, facing Nash.

  “Haven’t you ever been to an outdoor concert before?” The surprise was loud and clear in his voice. “They have them here every Saturday starting the first week in December. It’s like an annual Christmas thing to do, but the bands play 80’s, 90’s and some current music tossed in.”

  “No, I knew nothing about this.” Shauntie was beyond keyed up. She loved music and especially the older songs from the 80’s. Nash had absolutely impressed her with this surprise. She wasn’t expecting it.

  “I made us some sandwiches and brought some snacks along. I hope you like turkey club sandwiches,” Nash said as he turned off his truck. “I wasn’t sure what to make for us, but if you don’t. I can go and get you something else.”

  “No, I love turkey. I eat it more than ham or roast beef.” Shauntie was still trying to get over this outdoor concert surprise. A desire to rush out of the car was building up in her. She couldn’t wait until everything got started. “Can we sit anywhere we want to?”

  “We have a space near the front waiting for us. I know one of the guys performing here tonight and they got it blocked off for us. So, we’ll be the only two up there,” Nash told her. “I’m glad you liked my surprise. I was a little apprehensive that it might not be up to your standards.”

  “My standards aren’t as high and snobby as you may think. I love little settings like this. Thank you so much for thinking of it. Can we get out this car and get down there?” Shauntie asked, reaching for the door handle.

  “We can get going right now.” Nash opened the door and got out. He jogged around the front of the hood and opened her door before she had a chance to. Grabbing her hand, Nash helped her out of the car closing the door behind them.

  Pulling her close to his body, he stared down into her eyes making her get lost in their green depths. “I’m really glad you decided to come here with me tonight. The last couple of times I�
�ve come by myself and it’s not the same. I think hearing the music is better when you have someone to share it with you.”

  “I’m glad I decided to come too,” Shauntie answered, placing her hand in the middle of Nash’s chest. She heard his quick intake of breath and smiled. “How about we get to our spot?” she suggested removing her hand.

  “Fine, but anytime you want to touch me again feel free. I like the way your hand felt on my body,” Nash whispered by her ear then moved back and walked to the back the trunk.

  Shauntie spun around and watched as Nash removed a small cooler from the car. She wasn’t expecting to be attending an outdoor concert with him. When he told her it was a surprise, she never thought of anything like this.

  Sitting shoulder to shoulder and thigh to thigh on a blanket with Nash under the moonlight didn’t have her in a panic at all. Honestly, she couldn’t wait until she felt his body heat surrounding her. Shauntie liked having her hands on Nash’s body just as much as he did. Hopefully, she would have them on him a lot more before their date ended.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “Are you having a good time?” Nash, stretched out next to her on the blanket, whispered in her ear, his warm breath tickling her. The band was playing their next to last song and Shauntie hated that their night was almost over.

  Tonight was one of the best, if not the best, night she’d experienced in a very long time. Especially since the band played some of her top favorite songs from the eighties: Take on me, Livin’ on a Prayer, Call Me, Time after Time and Walk like an Egyptian. She couldn’t have dreamt of a better night with Nash. He showed her such an outstanding time.

  “Yes, I’m having a great time. You really outdid yourself with this,” Shauntie answered, glancing over her shoulder at Nash whose green eyes seemed brighter at night than they did during the day.

  “Would you like to take a walk in the park after the concert is over?” Nash suggested. “It won’t be that late. I think most of the Christmas lights and decorations should be on display by now.”

  “Yes, I’d love to.” Shauntie loved how the Parks and Recreations Department decorated the park every year for Christmas, but she seldom took the time to stop and enjoy it. She usually caught a glimpse of the lights here and there as she drove past after working late.

  “Wonderful.” Nash sat back up and pulled her back against his chest wrapping his arms around her waist as the band finished up another song.

  Looking around the park, Shauntie noticed how most of the other people here tonight with her and Nash were couples. They all gave the impression the outdoor concert was their date night too.

  Tonight Nash showed her how much she was changing since their first meeting. If another man had brought her to anything like this, Shauntie would have demanded he take her back home instantly. However, the outdoor concert felt right with Nash like it was the perfect date for them.

  She was actually looking forward to her walk in the park later with him. His suggestion was the perfect end to such a wonderful date and when he dropped her off at home, Shauntie hoped that Nash would give her more than a peek on her cheek.

  In the very back of her mind, Shauntie could still feel how Nash’s finger left the tingling impression on her lips. Now, he was making her wonder how her mouth would feel if he got up enough nerve to kiss her. With all of the mixed messages that she had been sending to him, Shauntie wasn’t sure Nash would even try.

  Confidence oozed from every pore of his body, but Nash might think she would reject him if he tried, which was the furthest thing from the truth. She might have to make the first move to get what she wanted tonight from him. She had to know how it would feel to kiss him. Nash had the most perfect mouth for kissing because his bottom lip was a little fuller than his top one.

  Just the thought of the talented ways Nash might be able to use his mouth on her body had Shauntie squirming around on the blanket. God, what was wrong with her? She was acting like a young girl out on her first date instead of a thirty year old woman. She was definitely too old to be this jumpy with a guy.

  “Shauntie, are you okay?” Nash asked by the side of her ear. “What’s wrong? Are you cold?” He pulled her closer to his chest and her nerves took a completely different turn. Instead of wanting to get away from Nash, he made her try to think of ways to get even closer.

  Nash’s intimate gesture only made her body shiver even more. “No, I’m fine,” Shauntie answered, hoping she sounded more convincing to Nash than she did to herself.

  “No, there’s something wrong. I can tell,” he said. “Why won’t you be honest with me?”

  She was torn between telling Nash the truth and thinking up something else entirely. Could she really just blurt out that she wanted Nash to kiss her? Wasn’t she supposed to be distant and shoving him away at every turn?

  Instead here she was fighting down her own instant desire to grab Nash by the front of his shirt and pull his towards her for a kiss. Sometimes, it was like she was two different women when Nash came within touching distance of her.

  “Tell me what it is.” Nash continued to encourage. “I want this night to be the best for you. Let me in.”

  “I was thinking about you kissing me,” Shauntie finally answered.

  Touching her on the shoulder, Nash slowly spun her around until she was looking him directly in the eye. “Sweetheart, you don’t have to wonder what it would be like to kiss me. I’m more than willing to show you.” He pulled her closer to him until their chests were almost touching but not quite.

  Nash tilted her head by holding her chin so they could maintain eye contact as his eyes searched her face. He secretly hoped that the more Shauntie was around him the more she was going to fall for him. How could she not with the sizzling attraction brewing between them.

  “You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting to do this,” he told her. “From the first moment I saw you I wanted you, but you didn’t even notice me. I’ve never felt so invisible in my entire life.

  “I know this is way too soon to tell you this, but I’m going to take this chance. I think I could fall hard for you, Shauntie Kane.” Nash’s voice was so soothing like a cup of hot chocolate with mini marshmallows on a cold winter night.

  Shauntie felt her heart jump in the center of her chest. It was like she had been caught doing something and she hadn’t gotten a chance to catch her breath yet. She closed her eyes as Nash lowered his head and was delighted by the first touch of his mouth on hers.

  Tentatively, Nash tested the waters by nibbling at her bottom lip and then with each passing second their kiss grew deeper until his tongue worked its way inside of her mouth. The tip of his tongue played around with hers drawing it in and out of his mouth until it became a little game between the two of them.

  The music faded into the background around them as Shauntie felt Nash’s hand move from her chin and slid behind her neck holding her in place so he could control the intensity of the kiss.

  Just as Shauntie wrapped her arms around Nash’s neck to pull him closer, he broke away pressing his face against the side of her neck. She felt his warm breath against her skin like he was trying to breathe in her scent as he planted kisses down her neck and over her collarbone.

  “Why did you stop?” Shauntie whimpered disappointed.

  “Baby, the band is done with their last song and people are leaving,” Nash said as he eased back from her.

  WHAT!

  Shauntie looked around and noticed how most of the people who were sitting behind them were already making their way back to their cars. Did she really get so lost in kissing Nash that she hadn’t realized the band had stopped playing?

  “I can’t believe I didn’t notice people were leaving,” she said, slightly embarrassed.

  “I guess what we were doing was more important than anything going on around you,” Nash teased as he got up from their checkered blanket. Reaching out, he grabbed her hand and pulled her up from the ground back into his arms.

>   “Wow...aren’t we being a tad bit arrogant,” Shauntie teased, smiling up at him.

  “No...not arrogant,” Nash quickly corrected, “just pleased that you got into our kiss as much as I did. Are you ready for our walk in the park?”

  “Yes. I am.”

  Shauntie picked up the blanket off the ground and folded it while Nash worked on cleaning up their empty containers and drinks tossing them back into the small cooler.

  After everything was cleared away from their area, Nash grabbed Shauntie by the hand and they walked back to the car together each lost in their own thoughts about how the night was turning out.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “Thanks for a wonderful night.” Shauntie tossed her keys down on the living room table while Nash closed the front door. “I had a fantastic time. The concert in the park was exceptional; it was something I’ve never done before on a date.”

  At first, she wanted to pretend that Nash hadn’t shown her a kick ass night, but Shauntie knew she couldn’t lie. Nash lived up to his promise ten times better than she imagined he would.

  “I’m glad you liked it.” Nash said, placing his hands on her shoulders and spinning her around to look at him. “I think my favorite part was the kiss we shared. I couldn’t get it off my mind all while we were walking through the park. Were you thinking about it too?”

  “Yes, I thought about it too,” she admitted.

  “I really hope that you’re feeling what I’m feeling right now and...” Nash paused for a moment and looked at her. He studied her like he wasn’t quite sure what he was going to tell her or even if he should tell her at all. “You are so damn beautiful. I don’t know how much longer I can fight off the urge to kiss you again.”

  Fight off his urge?

  Shauntie had been aching for another kiss. In all honestly, she hadn’t wanted the first one to end. All while they were holding hands walking around the trail looking at other couples in love and taking in the Christmas lights she secretly wished Nash would have stopped and finished what they had started at the concert.