“I didn’t know he was married.”
Okay, did she expect a response from him? And if so, what kind? He parted his lips, although he had no idea what he planned to say. He didn’t get a chance to speak, however.
“The media is claiming otherwise. But I wanted you to know the truth. If I’d known Daniel was married, I never would’ve gotten involved with him.”
For the second time in the space of a few seconds, she left him scrambling for a response. “That’s….”
The signals traveling from his brain to his mouth paused when Juliette took a step closer to him, and her breasts brushed against his chest. Since his move back to Avon, he hadn’t spent a lot of time around women, but he recognized the intent on Juliette’s face. Aaron should move away, put a little breathing room between them. The hand suddenly on his shoulder kept him in place better than the concrete blocks he used to keep the swim platform in place in the lake.
Any neurons still firing in his brain stopped when her lips touched his. And every reason he’d given himself for not getting involved with Juliette evaporated as she caressed his lips with hers.
Sooner than he would’ve liked, she pulled her mouth away, but her hand remained on the back of his neck. Exactly when it got there, he couldn’t say, but her fingers continued to move across his skin much the way her lips had been moving against his a second ago. Unfortunately, the nerve endings on his neck seemed to be the only things working at the damn moment. His head certainly wasn’t—at least not the head on top of his shoulders. The one below his belt certainly had some ideas. Ones he had no intention of letting happen tonight.
Chapter 8
Over the years, Juliette had spent enough time around men to know when one was interested in her. Today as they discussed their favorite foods and played chess, she used the opportunity to watch Aaron. He’d quickly told her everything she needed to know for the moment.
She’d always believed waiting for someone else to take charge was a waste of time. That applied to both life in general as well as romantic relationships. So despite her earlier insistence that getting involved with a man right now was a bad idea, she made the first move and kissed him.
She’d shocked the hell out of him too. When her lips first touched his, she’d felt his whole body tense up. Even after he relaxed enough to participate in the kiss, he hadn’t tried to take control of it; instead, all he’d done was put a hand on her waist. A lot of men liked to be in control of everything from kissing to making love. Daniel had been that way. He always needed to set the pace and intensity when they kissed. She much preferred a man who didn’t mind sharing the driver’s seat. Her instincts told her Aaron would share no matter what activity they engaged in. Not that she wanted to engage in anything other than some more kissing tonight. But she was going to be here for a least another two months, maybe even longer depending on what happened with the old dance studio. A lot could happen in two months.
Moving away, she slowly let her hand fall away from his neck. “I didn’t come here looking to meet anyone.”
Honesty from the beginning made everything easier in the long run. Too bad Daniel hadn’t believed the same thing. If he’d told her from the start he was married, she would’ve said “nice to meet you, but I don’t date married men” and kept on walking.
“Actually, a big part of the reason I came was to get away from that.” She pointed over her shoulder toward the offending magazine. “But things change.”
Aaron nodded and leaned his hip against the counter. “And let me guess, you want to know if I have any friends I can introduce you to.” Laughter twinkled in his eyes, but somehow he managed to maintain a serious expression.
Hey, if he wanted to have a little fun and tease her, she’d give it right back to him. “Exactly. Wow, it’s like you read my mind. Do you have any friends I might enjoy spending time with? And just so you know, I’m partial to ones with dark hair and green eyes.”
His gaze dropped to her lips for a heartbeat or two before meeting hers. “I might.”
In one fluid motion, he pulled away from the counter and closed the distance between them again. Aaron lowered his lips toward hers far too slowly, but she resisted the urge to initiate their second kiss. She’d let him have control this time around.
“I’ll let you know later,” he said just before his mouth touched hers.
Off in the distance, she heard her cell phone ring. She ignored it because nothing except perhaps aliens landing in the kitchen would get her to move from this spot and put an end to their kiss, which, although closed-mouth, was making her a little weak in the knees. She’d been kissed by a lot of men—perhaps too many—but this, well, this was different. It was like all those other guys had been kissers in the minor league while Aaron was the major league’s star player. If he kissed this well, how did he perform in other areas?
Pulling away, he touched her cheek as he looked at her. “I think I heard your phone.”
She’d never been left speechless by a kiss. Clearly, there was a first time even for that, so she nodded.
“Do you want to go and check it? I can finish getting dinner ready while you do.”
Unless the call was from her sister or brother telling her aliens from Mars had landed on Earth, she didn’t care who had called or what they wanted. And since scientists had never found evidence of aliens living on any planet in their solar system, she doubted the phone call had anything to do with Martians or any other space dwellers.
“Nah, I’ll check it later. Let’s eat before the soup gets cold.” And then maybe you can further showcase your kissing skills.
The fingers on her cheek slipped away, and he reached for a bowl. “If you want to grab us something to drink, I’ll take care of this.”
“I can handle that. What do you want?”
“Get me whatever you’re having.”
When she sat down across from him, he thanked her for the water before digging into his meal. With his attention focused on his food, she turned hers to the bowl in front of her. She didn’t eat soup often, but when she did, it didn’t come out of a can with a shelf life of probably years. But at least she had a hot meal, and really, how bad could it be?
She alternated between bites of her sandwich and her soup, which turned out to be far better than she’d expected but worlds away from what Paulette prepared. Aaron, on the other hand, polished off his soup before pulling the plate with his sandwich closer to him. Why his eating behavior fascinated her, she didn’t know, but it did. Maybe it was merely because the man himself held her interest. Even if no one told her anything else about him, the fact he’d invited his sister and niece to live with him told her how much he valued family. His rescue of her today also suggested a streak of chivalry lingered inside him, a trait she’d never found in any of the men she’d dated. Actually, she doubted most even knew what the word meant.
But she wanted to know more.
What were his favorite movies? Did he prefer the winter or the summer? Did he have any favorite authors or movies? While she might have been able to discover those things from his sister or even his mom, she wanted to spend time with him and get answers to all her questions.
And who could blame her? The guy had opened his house to a woman he barely knew because she was cold, looked great in a pair of jeans, and kissed like a master.
“How often do you drive into Boston?” The only way she’d get to know him better was by spending more time with him after today.
He lowered the hand holding his sandwich and swallowed the food in his mouth. “Usually a couple of times a month. I was there last week, so most likely, I won’t go back until sometime in April.”
“Then, you’ll be around this week?”
Aaron nodded and took another bite from his sandwich.
If she was at home or even at her parents’ house, she could come up with a nice long list of places they could go and things they could do. Here, she had no idea. If the little of the town she’d seen was a good in
dication, there wasn’t much to do in Avon outside of hiking and using the lake. And at the moment it was too warm for ice skating and the water was far too cold for swimming, so that narrowed down her options even more. Still, when she wanted something, she went after it. Right now, she wanted to get to know Aaron—or as he should be known, The Master Kisser—better.
“I’m waiting to hear back from Caryn Ferguson. She’s supposed to set up some appointments for me this week.”
“The real estate agent?”
She should have known Aaron would know who Caryn Ferguson was. According to the internet search she’d done, the woman owned the only real estate office in town. “Mmm. I called her yesterday.”
He placed the last of his sandwich back on the plate rather than eat it. “You’re thinking about buying a house in town?”
She could’ve just told him she had proof aliens existed, and he wouldn’t have looked or sounded more surprised.
That’s usually why people contact real estate agents. Sometimes a conversation called for sarcasm, and other times it didn’t. Right now, it didn’t strike her as one of those times. “I haven’t decided 100 percent, but yes. I’m also going to look at the building where Dance Dynamics used to be.”
She hadn’t shared her idea of opening a dance school and moving to Avon for at least part of the year with a single person. She hadn’t felt any need or desire to since, at the end of the day, it was her life and her money. Now she not only wanted to share her possible plans with Aaron but sensed she needed to.
Resting his elbows on the table, he laced his fingers together. His expression gave her no clear indication of what thoughts were churning inside his head. And she wanted to know.
“So, you came here to get away from the media, and now you’re thinking about moving to town and opening a business.”
Well, when someone put it that way, it sounded nutty. But then again, the media hadn’t been her only reason for leaving New York. She’d also hoped to make some decisions about her future while away from her day-to-day life.
“Have you ever known you needed a change but not been sure what kind?”
His shoulders moved a fraction of an inch. “Yeah, I guess.”
“That’s how I’ve been for months now.” She’d never be able to explain it, but she found finally sharing her feelings with Aaron oddly liberating. “When Holly suggested Avon, it sounded like a good place to avoid the media and figure a few things out. I’ve always loved to dance. In high school, I got accepted to study it at Juilliard.”
“You got in and didn’t go. Isn’t Juilliard the Harvard for the performing arts?”
Juliette had never heard anyone describe it as such, but it was a good analogy. “My parents convinced me I’d be better off getting some kind of business-related degree, so I majored in marketing and minored in dance at Columbia. If I hadn’t already started modeling, they probably wouldn’t have been able to change my mind. But I’d been after my parents for years to let me get into it, and at the time, I enjoyed it almost as much as dancing. So, I caved and went where they wanted me to. I’m not sure who was more surprised when I did, my parents or me.”
She’d never shared any of that with anyone outside of her family. Not even Holly, who she’d known for years, knew she’d declined acceptance to Juilliard and done what her parents wanted.
“Can’t say I blame your parents. The job market for professional dancers isn’t huge. Not that you—” Aaron cleared his throat and reached for his drink. “—should’ve done what they wanted,” he said after he swallowed his water.
It could’ve been what he’d intended to say before going for his glass. The way he didn’t quite meet her eyes hinted it wasn’t. And she had a good idea of what words had been on his tongue before he stopped himself.
“You’re right. And if I hadn’t been able to find a job after graduating, I would’ve been fine. But in my family, it isn’t acceptable to lounge around and do nothing. My brother, Scott, works for Sherbrooke Enterprises, and my sister, Courtney, works for the Helping Hands Foundation in Providence. It’s the same with my cousins.”
He shifted uncomfortably in his chair, but his eyes met hers as he covered her hand with his. “I didn’t mean to insult you.”
It’d been a logical assumption on his part. She knew several people who had graduated from Phillips Academy with her and then gone on to Harvard or Columbia but now did nothing but spend money, travel, and party. Eventually, a few might move into the corporate world and take over the various companies their relatives had built, but until the need arose, no one expected anything from them.
Intending to kiss the frown off his face, she leaned toward him. “You didn’t.”
As tempting as she found the idea of teasing his lips apart and finding out what other parts of her body might get affected by a more intense kiss, she kept this one short and sweet. Later, when they finished dinner and moved to a slightly more comfortable location, though, she’d indulge. She didn’t anticipate getting any complaints from him either when she did.
Not long after sticking his size eleven foot his mouth, he’d finished the last of his sandwich, and they’d cleared the table together. He told her not to worry about it and suggested she return to the living room, by far the warmest place in the house. However, she’d insisted on helping. Even before he walked into her cottage earlier today, he’d suspected his initial opinion of her might have been a little off. Unlike some of the wealthy city guests they’d had in the past, she never called the office and complained. She was always friendly when she joined them for dinner, and when Mom offered to do her grocery shopping, she turned her down. Not to mention, both Candace and Mom only had nice things to say about her. In general, both women were good judges of character. Hell, even Tiegan’s comments about her were complimentary.
The past several hours he’d spent with her had driven home how wrong he’d been. After the power went out, she could’ve called and demanded firewood or extra blankets. She hadn’t. Instead, she’d made the best of what she had. Later, rather than complain when he offered her canned soup and sandwiches for dinner, she’d offered to help him. Then when he’d opened his mouth and almost insulted her, she’d kissed him.
Think before you speak. Usually, he didn’t need to remind himself of that. “You don’t enjoy modeling anymore?” If her future plans included opening a dance studio in Northern New Hampshire, it must not hold the appeal it once did.
Juliette didn’t look up as she reached for a pawn on the chessboard. Before she touched it, though, she dropped her hand back on her thigh. “Yes and no. Mostly no.” She tapped her fingers against her leg as she continued to survey the board. “Pierre would flip if he heard me say that. But I’ve been doing it for more than ten years, and I want a change. My mom wants me to join her and my sister at the Helping Hands Foundation.”
She reached out and moved her bishop, then looked at him. “I’ve thought about accepting the position, mostly because it would mean I’m closer to much of my family. But I don’t think it’s what I want.” Juliette raised her wine glass toward her mouth but spoke again before it reached its destination. “That’s not true. I know it’s not what I want. I think I’d go crazy sitting behind a desk all day. I’m not sure how my sister and brother manage it every day.”
At the moment, he was far more interested in their conversation than the chess game. So rather than examine the board and consider his next move, he studied her as she sipped her wine. “If you want to be closer to your family, wouldn’t it make more sense to open a dance studio near them?”
“Avon isn’t that far from them, and I like it here. Besides, there are plenty of dance studios in Providence and Boston. Candace said the closest one to town is over an hour away, so I think a new studio would do well here.”
He didn’t doubt it. Every time his sister and Sandy held classes through the parks and rec department, they filled up as soon as registration opened. Add Juliette’s well-known name t
o the already high demand for a new school, and she’d have no problem keeping the business afloat.
“I also really like the people I’ve met in town.”
Unfolding her legs and setting down her glass, she moved closer to him on the sofa, disturbing Clifford who had fallen asleep against her side. As if some doggy sixth sense kicked in telling Clifford to give them some privacy, he jumped to the floor and curled up closer to the woodstove. Later, he’d have to give the dog an extra treat.
“Especially one.” The fingers that moments ago held her chess piece traced his jaw before slipping around the back of his neck. Once there, they brushed across his skin, leaving a trail of goose bumps in their wake. What would happen if she brushed her fingers across other areas? Hopefully, he’d find out before she left town.
“Anyone I know?” Unlike women he’d dated in the past, Juliette didn’t wait for him to make the first move. He liked that. Far more than he’d ever thought he would.
She slipped her other hand over his shoulder and pressed a gentle kiss on his neck. “Possibly.” She moved her lips higher and kissed his jaw. “And I want to get to know him better.” This time her lips brushed against the corner of his mouth. “Assuming he’s interested in spending time with me.”
Before he uttered an answer, Juliette claimed his lips. Each pass of her mouth across his clouded his thoughts, pushing aside everything but the feel of her against him. In the kitchen, he’d let her keep the reins when she kissed him; right now he didn’t feel like being led.
Before she could do anything else, he traced her bottom lip with the tip of his tongue. On cue, she opened for him. His senses reeled as if struck by lightning when his tongue touched hers. Soon he no longer knew who was in control. And he didn’t care. The only thing that mattered was that the kiss didn’t end anytime soon.
His brain was too far gone to know whether she broke away first or he did. Slowly, his ability to form words returned, as did the knowledge that Juliette wasn’t like other women he dated. Yeah, it appeared as though his initial opinion of her had been wrong, but he didn’t want to rush into a relationship with her either—that was if she even wanted a relationship. She might just want a sexual partner while in Avon. While not opposed to the idea, he needed more than a single meal with a woman before sleeping with her. If you could even call canned soup and sandwiches a meal. The balance in his bank account didn’t even come close to hers, but he could treat his dates to far better meals than they’d eaten tonight.
The Billionaire's Kiss (The Sherbrookes of Newport Book 14) Page 10