"But you will," Lora assured her. "Someday."
When she didn't get a response, Lora sat down on the bed next to Cass and gently smoothed a hand over her soft, auburn curls. She'd always been able to talk to Cassie and reason with her in a way that Sydney couldn't grasp. Sydney was the strict one, the disciplinarian, and Lora was the softer, gentler voice of understanding. It was a good balance for Cassie, and she at least trusted Lora enough to open up to her, rather than keeping everything buried inside where it could build into the kind of resentment that drove a kid to do drugs or to hanging out with the wrong crowd in an attempt to rebel against a parent's rigid rules.
Flipping the last page in the magazine, Cassie tossed it aside with a sigh and finally looked up at Lora, her expression filled with teen angst and frustration. "Do you really think my mother will let a boy get close enough to ask me out?"
The sarcastic tone of Cassie's voice had Lora biting the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. Cassie didn't need her amusement, but rather her support and assurance, and Lora did her best to provide it. "Cass, hon, you're only fifteen. You're young and have plenty of time to date boys."
An indelicate snort escaped the younger girl, and she flopped dramatically onto her back and stared up at the ceiling fan above the bed. The position accentuated Cassie's figure, especially the round firmness of her breasts that most grown women would kill to possess. And those very adult curves were a big reason why Sydney felt the need to shelter her teenage daughter.
"Most of the girls in my classes already have boyfriends. I'm probably the only one who's never been kissed." She slung her arm over her eyes as if the thought traumatized her. "God, if my mother had her way, I'd die a virgin!"
A truer statement had never been spoken, but Lora wasn't about to add to Cassie's anguish by admitting that out loud. "Losing your virginity isn't all that it's cracked up to be, you know."
Cassie lowered her arm, her pretty hazel eyes brimming with a young girl's hopes and wishes. "I'm not looking to lose my virginity," she said adamantly. Then her voice turned soft and forlorn, "I just want to be able to say yes if a guy asks me out on a date. Is that so much to ask?"
No, it wasn't a whole lot to ask for at all, but unfortunately Lora wasn't the one who made those kinds of decisions in Cassie's life. All she could do was talk to Sydney and fight the good fight on Cassie's behalf. Maybe she could suggest a group date with friends, which would be far safer and not nearly as intimate as a single date.
As Lora mulled over that idea, a thought occurred to her. "Does this conversation about dating have anything to do with the Halloween party you want to go to?"
Cassie averted her gaze and shrugged. "Maybe."
Lora took her answer as a yes, but didn't push the issue for now. When Cassie was ready, Lora had no doubt she'd bring up the subject. Or, the boy she was interested in would garner up the nerve to ask her to the party, which would then send Cassie to Lora with pleas for help to convince her mother to let her go out on the date.
"Aunt Lora…" Cassie's curious tone drew her attention back to the young girl. "How do you know if a guy likes you?"
The question made Lora smile, as well as think about the initial attraction between her and Joel. The man's smoldering looks, shameless interest, and direct approach had been some of the first clues that he was interested in her. Then came the kind of arousing sexual tension that sparked between them whenever they were near one another. Heated glances. Unspoken desires. A subtle caress that made her entire body crave a more explicit touch.
Yeah, those were definitely some of the signs that a guy was into you. However, considering adult attraction was far more blatant and sexual than teenage infatuation, Lora did her best to try and remember back to when she was fifteen years old and in high school. She recalled her first crash and used those memories as a guide for Cassie.
"Well, it usually starts out with a glance your way when he thinks you're not looking," she said, watching as Cassie listened intently to her descriptions. "Eventually, he'll meet your gaze, and maybe even give you a smile. If he's confident that you like him, too, he might approach you, and talk and flirt with you. When that happens, you'll probably feel a tickle of excitement in your belly, and your heart will beat a bit faster."
A telltale blush swept across Cassie's peaches and cream complexion, but the teen didn't give Lora long to wonder about its source before she asked, "Is that how you feel about the guy you're going out with tonight?"
Lora nodded. "Yeah. Those kinds of feelings don't change as you get older." They just grew more intense. More tempting and deliciously seductive.
The doorbell rang, interrupting her talk with Cassie and jarring Lora into the realization that it was a few minutes after six. She jumped up and hurried over to her dresser. "Ohmygod! He's here and I'm not ready yet." She'd gotten so caught up in Cassie and their conversation that she hadn't been watching the time. "I still need to put on my watch and earrings and get my coat and purse-"
"That's okay," Cassie said as she quickly scrambled off the bed. "I'll let him in for you."
She was out the bedroom door before Lora could stop her, and it was obvious that Cassie wanted to meet her date. So Lora let her answer the door while she quickly put on her jewelry and stuffed her cell phone, driver's license, and lip gloss into her small purse. She heard Joel's deep, sexy voice, but couldn't make out what he'd said. A moment later, Cassie popped back into her room with a big grin on her face.
"Wow, Aunt Lora," she said in a giddy whisper, her pretty features alight with girlish delight. "He's so hot!"
Lora laughed as she grabbed a warm jacket from her closet-a dark brown faux-suede coat that was lined with fleece. "I can't believe you're checking out my date."
"I wasn't-" Cassie began, then cut herself off before the denial could escape. Then, an adorably sheepish look replaced her indignation. "Okay, I'll admit I was curious to see what he looked like."
"Well, I'm glad you approve."
Cassie grabbed the magazine off the bed and gave Lora a quick kiss on her cheek. "I do. I've got to get going. Thanks for, you know, talking," she said a bit awkwardly before adding, "Oh, and have fun tonight."
"I'll do my best," Lora said with a smile, though she planned to have more than just fun with the hot, sexy guy waiting for her in the living room. "Tell Joel I'll be right out."
"Okay." The young girl started out of the bedroom, but stopped and turned back around before reaching the door, her magazine hugged to her chest. "By the way, I didn't answer your earlier question, but I wanted to tell you that you look great, Aunt Lora. He's a very lucky guy to be going out with you," she said, then was gone.
Out in the other room, she heard Cassie tell Joel goodbye, then the front door closing as she left.
After one last check in the mirror, Lora gathered up her purse and jacket and went to greet Joel. She found him standing in the middle of the living room, wearing his classic black jeans, boots, and a T-shirt beneath a black leather jacket that was unzipped. His roguishly long hair was a rumpled mess around his head, which accentuated his disarming blue eyes and added to those too-appealing bad boy looks of his.
But instead of gracing her with one of those irresistible, breath-catching smiles that turned her inside out with wanting, his hands were braced on his hips and a deep frown creased his brows instead.
"Hey there," she said, unable to guess at what might have set him off. "Is everything okay?"
"Hi," he said gruffly, then hooked a thumb toward the front door, where Cassie had just exited. "Who was that?"
Good God, had Cassie said or done something to annoy Joel? "That was Sydney's daughter, Cassie. Since we live in the same apartment building, she's here quite often."
If possible, his displeasure increased. "Does she always open the door without asking who's on the other side?"
Lora stared at Joel, surprised at his question. "I knew it was you."
He cocked his head to the side and regard
ed her with a good measure of male arrogance. "What if it weren't me?"
"Who else would it have been?" she countered as she set her purse on the couch so she could slip into her jacket. "You said you'd pick me up at six, and it was a few minutes past six when you knocked on the door."
Still, he didn't let up. "Do you know how many defenseless women get attacked by opening their door to a stranger?"
"Ummm, no." She would have thought that he was yanking her chain if he didn't look so serious about the subject matter. "But judging by how upset you are, I'm guessing it's a pretty high percentage?"
"Higher than you might think." He dropped his hands back to his sides, but his entire body remained tense. "Just do me a favor. Always ask who it is before opening your door, and don't open it for anyone you don't know or aren't expecting."
She did her best to keep her amused grin from reaching her lips. "Okay."
As Lora straightened the collar of her jacket, she realized the source of his annoyance. The man obviously possessed a protective instinct when it came to women, whether due to having a sister or his time in the military, she wasn't certain. But she'd been on her own for a very long time, and as much as she appreciated his concern, she didn't need someone being her guardian.
As if he sensed her willful thoughts, he narrowed his gaze and added, "Promise?"
She refrained, just barely, from rolling her eyes at his insistence and gave him the reassurance that would hopefully put an end to the conversation. "Sure, I promise."
"Good." He released a breath and finally relaxed.
He looked relieved, but now Lora was slightly miffed by the fact that his interrogation, and that frown of his, had put a damper on the start of their evening together, instead of them leaving her place on a high of excitement and anticipation of the night's events. "Now that you've gotten that off your chest, do you think we might be able to start this date of ours over?"
He blinked at her in confusion. "What do you mean?"
When it came to romancing a woman, he was obviously a typical, obtuse man who didn't realize the importance of setting the tone for a date. Well, she'd just have to show him what she meant.
Closing the distance between them, she placed a hand on his chest, tilted her head, and brushed her mouth against his in a slow, sweet caress. His lips were soft and warm and slightly damp, and she caught the faintest hint of peppermint on his breath.
After a moment, she pulled back. The chaste kiss wasn't nearly enough to satisfy her desire for him, but it was sufficient to trigger a deeper longing and start their date off with a slow buzz of sexual tension. She figured the evening was still young, and the rest of the night still held a whole lot of promise.
She slowly smoothed her hand down his chest, relishing the heat of his skin radiating through his cotton T-shirt, and the way those well-defined muscles of his flexed beneath her fingertips.
Lifting her lashes, she met Joel's gaze and smiled up at him. "Hi," she said huskily.
"Hi, yourself," he murmured, an odd mixture of surprise and uncertainty in his eyes. "What was that kiss for?"
She shrugged. "I thought I'd get our first kiss out of the way. Now it's done, and you don't have to worry about making the first move, because I just did." Her meaning couldn't have been more clear, or inviting.
An amused smile tipped up the corners of his mouth. "I wasn't worried about making the first move, but I wouldn't want something like that to distract you all evening."
"Yeah, me either." She grinned and picked up her purse. "It was just something I had to do."
"I completely understand. Are you ready to go?"
She nodded. "As ready as I'll ever be."
They left her apartment, and once they were outside the building, they took the walkway toward the parking lot.
"Did you bring your motorcycle?" she asked hopefully.
"Yep. It's right over there." As they turned a corner, he pointed toward the sleek, black bike parked in one of the stalls.
Exhilaration filled her at the thought of riding on such a powerful machine, with the cool, crisp evening air on her face, her arms around Joel, and her thighs tight against his hips. "Remember, I like it fast and fierce," she teased.
"Trust me, sweetheart, that's something a guy's not likely to forget," he said in a low, seductive drawl as he unhooked one of the shiny black helmets from the bike and handed it to her.
"I just want to make sure you're up for the challenge," she said playfully, and slipped the helmet on her head, then buckled the strap beneath her chin. "Wouldn't want you to get performance anxiety, or anything like that."
He arched a brow her way at the double entendre she'd just issued. "You are a very naughty girl."
She laughed and had to admit, she was feeling decidedly naughty.
"Here, put these on, too." He retrieved a set of gloves from a small compartment at the back of the motorcycle and handed them to her. "It can get cold on the ride."
Grateful that he'd thought ahead, she pulled on the insulated gloves, while he did the same with a black pair that molded to his long fingers and strong hands.
"This too," he said, and wrapped a dark, plaid scarf around her neck, then tucked the ends into her jacket.
"Thanks." The soft material was warm, and when she inhaled she caught the arousing scent of Joel's aftershave. "So, where are we going tonight?"
He took her purse and put it into the compartment, then snapped the lid shut. "I thought I'd show you my regular hangout."
"You mean your regular hangout when you're not at The Electric Blue?"
"Yep. It's far more casual and you aren't required to dance on the tabletops." Grinning, he straddled the seat of the Ducati with ease, his long legs enabling him to keep his feet flat on the ground to keep the bike steady. He started the engine, then glanced back at her. "Hop on."
She settled herself behind him, her chest to his back, and braced her boots against the back footrests. He grabbed her hands, pulled her arms around his waist, and pushed her gloved fingers beneath his zipped-up jacket so that her hands were clasped firmly in his lap.
"Hang on tight," he said.
Those were the last words Joel spoke as he navigated the bike onto the street, then proceeded to accelerate and took her on the fast, exhilarating ride that he'd promised.
"JUDGING by those come-and-get-me looks Lora keeps throwing your way, I take it she finally fell for the Wilde Man charm, huh?"
Joel glanced at Ben-a good friend and one of Elite's partners-who was sitting with him at a table at Nick's Sports Bar. His two other partners had joined them for the evening, as well. At the moment Jon was flirting with a petite blond woman across the room, and Kevin had whisked Lora off to play a game of pool with him.
Joel shrugged evasively, refusing to let Ben's observation turn into a more personal discussion about his relationship with Lora. "Yeah, I guess you could say that. It makes keeping an eye on her a whole lot easier if she believes we're dating."
Ben leaned his arms on the table and grinned. "And considering the way you're watching her, like you wouldn't mind mixing a bit of pleasure with business, I'm assuming she's gotten under your skin, too."
Annoyed at Ben's persistence, along with his too-accurate presumption of the situation between him and Lora, Joel clenched his jaw. "I'm watching her because it's my job." His tone was clipped with impatience.
Ben held up both of his hands as if to back off. "Okay, if you say so."
Figuring that was the end of their conversation, Joel finished off the last of his beer and turned his gaze to the gaming area of the bar, where Kevin and Lora were playing their second game of pool-this time with a twenty-dollar wager on the table.
Kevin had made the mistake of assuming that Lora didn't know the specifics of the sport, but the sparkle in her eyes was a dead giveaway that she was playing along with Kevin's assumption. Currently, Lora was bent low over the pool table as she lined up a shot, giving Joel and every other guy in the place
a mouth-watering view of her rounded breasts pressing tight against her top. Joel's lips pursed and he narrowed his gaze as Kevin moved beside Lora and leaned way too close for Joel's liking as he oh-so-helpfully gave her advice on attempting a combination. She made the shot, not because of Kevin's guidance, but because of her own skill.
"You know, you really don't need to glare at Kevin," Ben said in amusement. "He's just teaching Lora a few shots. He's no threat at all to whatever is going on between the two of you."
Joel had had enough of Ben's ribbing and transferred that dark scowl to his friend. "Shut the fuck up, will you?"
Ben laughed heartily, not the least bit offended by Joel's brusque and rude comment, which was a dead giveaway of just how on edge Joel was over Lora. Instead, Ben picked up a potato skin from the appetizer platter they'd all munched on earlier and took a big bite.
Thankful that Ben's mouth was full, which meant Joel had a few minutes of peace, he redirected his attention to something more productive than the unaccustomed jealousy making itself known. Instead, he gave the filled-to-capacity establishment a quick look around to make sure that there wasn't anyone in the bar that looked suspicious or out of place. This was his turf, a place he was familiar with when it came to the patrons and layout of the bar, and that made him feel far more comfortable and in control than he did at The Electric Blue. And, here he had three other guys keeping an eye on Lora, too.
Joel's gaze slid past Ben, who smirked at him knowingly but didn't say a thing. Joel felt himself bristle all over again. He hated that Ben was able to peg his attraction to Lora when he was trying so damn hard to keep his desire for the woman under wraps.
This entire pretense with Lora was a double-edged sword as far as his libido was concerned, and it had gotten a whole lot sharper and more dangerous with that kiss she'd planted on him in her apartment. Despite how sweet and platonic it had been, he hadn't missed the underlying hunger in the way her lips had pressed against his, and the overwhelming temptation that beckoned him to take the kiss to a hotter, deeper connection. The kind that included open mouths, mating tongues, and wandering hands over warm, smooth flesh.
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