Authors: Teresa Southwick

And Then He Kissed Me (6 page)

BOOK: And Then He Kissed Me

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For the second time that night Abby put her hand on his arm. Instead of being anxious this time, she was grateful. “You're a genius, Nick. What a wonderful icebreaker. And no kissing.”

“Like I said, dial M for Marchetti. Problems resolved. Crises averted. Flops fixed.” He grinned down at her, but she was intently watching the game.

Fascinated, she moved forward and worked her way between James and another boy so that she could see what was going on. Nick followed her.

“Haven't you seen this before?” he asked.

She shook her head. “No. It looks like a lot of fun.”

“It is,” he answered.

Just then the two players fell, laughing. James looked at her and said, “Abby, it's your turn.”

“No. This is for you guys.”

“Go ahead, Abby.” Sarah clapped her hands. “You and Nick try it.”

Abby shook her head. “We're just here to watch.”

Nick thought it might be fun. “C'mon, pal. Spontaneity 100, the refresher course. Let's show these young whippersnappers how limber us gummers are.”

“Okay. You're on.” She took off her sneakers and stood on the mat, staring at him expectantly.

Excitement sparkled in her eyes and flushed her cheeks a becoming pink. The fragrance of her perfume surrounded him making his pulse skip. Before he had time to explore any more of the effects she had on his senses, James spun the needle.

“Right foot green,” he said.

They moved to obey and Abby grinned wickedly. “This is where sitting behind a desk all day is going to hurt you, Nick.”

“Cheap talk, pal.”

“Right hand blue,” James said.

They squatted to comply, and he watched her blue eyes darken with determination. The teenager called out commands, and they followed his directions.

“Hey, are you guys going out?” James asked as he spun the needle.

“No,” Abby snapped, a little out of breath from the exertion of the game. “He's my boss.”

“Left foot yellow.” James watched them move, studying the intimate position of their bodies after that last command. “You look like you're going out.”

“Well we're not,” Abby said breathlessly.

“Oh. Okay.” He moved the spinner and called out, “Right hand red.”

Abby groaned. The only way she could go without
winding up a human pretzel was on her back. Slowly, she maneuvered her body, then waited for him. Nick assessed his best move, then hesitated. If he took it, he would be on top of Abby in a very intimate position. A sense of challenge to undermine the distance she put between them dared him. He'd never been able to resist a dare.

He twisted his body over hers and put his hand on the dot. “There.”

“James, spin the needle,” she ordered. “Quick.”

To the kids, her desperate tone could be a reaction to her precarious position in relation to the game. Nick wondered if it was more about her closeness to him.

He felt her breath on his cheek. Their mouths were half an inch apart.

“Hey, Nick,” James said. “Why don't you kiss her?”

Abby looked at his mouth and her eyes widened slightly.

Nick had thought a lot about her full lips ever since that night at dinner.

“Yeah, kiss her.” It was a girl's voice, but he couldn't see which one.

Suddenly, all the teenagers began to chant, “Kiss her. Kiss her.”

He teetered between his need to protect Abby, his responsibility as a chaperone and role model and his macho standing with the guys.

Abby stared into his eyes and shook her head slightly, but he could see the pulse point throbbing in her neck. Nick found he wanted very much to know the texture, touch, and taste of her lips. What harm could a chaste little kiss do?

A lot, he decided reluctantly. “Sorry, guys. It's against the rules.”

Chapter Four

“T
he rules?” Abby said, dazed and annoyed. Which was only slightly better than dazed and confused.

“Yeah,” Nick answered. “Remember when you told me we have to put gay abandon on hold? A teenage party calls for a stick-in-the-mud mentality.”

Abby knew there had to be a reasonable balance between stick-in-the-mud and gay abandon. Her heart hammered painfully. And if she could only catch her breath, she would figure out how to find that balance. Nick was right. She had laid down the “no kissing” rules. She had no right to be angry because he'd listened to her. But how was she to know that they would wind up in an intimate position and she would
want
him to kiss her?

“Hey. You guys are hogging the game.” James looked at her.

“I guess he told us.” She met Nick's amused gaze. “From one game-hog to another, do you think we should give someone else a turn?”

With one smooth, athletic motion he levered himself off her, got to his feet and reached a hand down. Automatically Abby grabbed it, then wished she hadn't as the warmth and strength of his touch sent more tingles of awareness through her. She let him help her up and quickly pulled her fingers away.

As soon as they moved, two of the teenagers took their place on the Twister mat. Turning her back on Nick, Abby walked to the slider, opened it, went out onto the patio, then firmly closed the door behind her. At first, the chilly November air cooled her hot cheeks. Then she started to shiver.

Was it just the cold night? Or, more disturbing, the absence of Nick's warmth, the loss of his masculine form pressed to her, the feeling of loneliness that crept in without his closeness? She stared at the lighted walkway that meandered past her apartment and through the entire complex. Things were beginning to spiral out of her control. When had that happened? How?
Why
?

Behind her, she heard the door slide open, then closed. Without turning she knew who had joined her.

“Something wrong, Ab?” Nick asked, his deep voice raising goose bumps from head to toe on her body.

“No.”

At least nothing that a double dip in a frigid stream wouldn't cure. With a shock, she realized something quite astonishing.

Nick was the first man she had ever almost kissed.

Technically it wasn't her first time, but the kisser had been a boy. Nick was a man. Somehow she knew he would have done the deed with confidence, finesse and thoroughness. He'd made her pulse pound, her heart race and stolen the breath from her lungs without
even touching his mouth to hers. Oh, how she wished he had!

If she wasn't careful, he would see that. What if he took her up on the invitation? She would be out of the frying pan into the fire.

How could she keep him from seeing how very much she wanted to feel his lips pressed to hers?
You're being stupid,
her inner voice scolded. Why would he kiss her when he had Madison Wainright? She shivered and rubbed her arms.

“You cold?” he asked.

“A little. I think I'll go back inside,” she said, turning.

He pulled off his plaid flannel shirt. Underneath, he wore a black T-shirt that molded to the masculine contours of his chest and flat belly even as it pulled tight around the muscles of his upper arms. Casual clothes merely enhanced his considerable manly charms. And why did that T-shirt have to be black? It gave him just a hint of irresistible bad-boy appeal that made her knees weak. New ruleâand it was now number oneânever see him outside of work where it was okay to dress casual. And at work... All she could do was hope and pray that she didn't see him much. And when she did, with luck, this puzzling attraction would be gone.

He slipped his body-warmed shirt around her shoulders. “Let's talk a minute.”

“About?” she asked, permitting herself just a second or two to savor the wonderful scent of the aftershave that would forever remind her of Nick.

“What just happened.”

Did he mean the near-miss kiss? She hoped not. If he insisted on a discussion, she couldn't possibly keep him from knowing she wanted him to do it. If only she
was as good at maneuvering as he was. She needed a diversion, a smoke screen of monumental proportions.

“There's nothing to talk about,” she hedged.
Wow
.
Way to go, Ridgeway.
That was some impressive evasive action. The United States special forces could use you on covert missions.

“I'd believe that if I didn't think you were afraid of something. What is it, Ab?” His voice was gentle and kind.

“I'm not afraid of anything,” she answered. This was no time for him to be nice to her. And vice versa, she thought. “I was just wondering what Madison would think about this whole thing.”

“What whole thing?” he asked. She could almost hear the click of the On switch as his dark eyes ignited with interest.

She thought for a moment. “To anyone looking on, it might appear that there was something of a personal nature between us.”

“Is there?” he asked, his mouth quirking up.

She decided to ignore the question. “Someone who didn't know us might think we shared something besides a work relationship. We both know that's absurd. But if Madison had been here, what would she have thought?”

A wary look narrowed his eyes. “That we're incredibly limber for two old people.”

“Be serious, Nick.” It scared her that he didn't look as if he was joking. That made her determined to put a lighter spin on this discussion, at least until she could get herself out of it without looking like a fool. “You don't think that she might think that she might not be the right woman for you if you could almost kiss another woman?”

One corner of his mouth lifted. “It's scary that I understand what you just said. I kiss my mother and sister and she doesn't think anything of it.”

Abby breathed a sigh that was two parts relief and one part regret. Nick put her in the same category as the women in his family. She desperately wanted to believe that.

“Now that I think about it,” she said, “why didn't Madison come to the party? You did ask her?”

He hesitated a moment. “Yes.”

“And?”

“She couldn't make it,” he said.

Abby tilted her head as she looked at him. “Why?”

“I don't know,” he answered. “She didn't return my calls.”

Her face took on a sober expression. “Oh, Nick. What happened? Did you have a fight?”

“Not exactly. We had a talk, and since then she's been avoiding me.”

“It sounds like she's trying to let you down easy,” Abby said.

“Could be.”

“But why? Madison Wainright is smart. She knows a good thing when she sees it.”

He crossed his arms over his chest, tucked his fingertips under his arms and studied her. She met his gaze almost defiantly.

“There may be a reason Madison is trying to let me down easy.”

“What could that be?”

“You.”

“Don't be ridiculous!”

“Some women think I'm passably good-looking and
reasonably intelligent, with an above-average sense of humor. What do you find so ludicrous?”

“It's not you. I'm the one who wouldn't pass muster.”

“Says who?”

Before she could answer the question, Sarah opened the slider and poked her head out. “Help, Nick,” she called in a loud whisper. “The party's dying. Did you bring any more games?”

He looked at Abby. “We'll discuss this later, at a mutually convenient time. Right now I have teenagers to entertain, a party to save.”

“Superman's got nothing on you,” she said dryly. “There's no phone booth handy. Feel free to use my bedroom to change into your superhero ensemble. A cape and tights.” She sighed and laid a hand on her chest. “Be still my heart.”

“You really have to get out more, Ab. The phone booth is ancient history. Now I use the old spin and switch.” He flashed her a grin before going inside to rescue the party.

A week later, Nick passed through the dining room in Abby's restaurant. He glanced at his watch and noted that it was 10:30 a.m. Not long before the lunch crunch. He'd seen her in action during the busy time. Perpetual motion. She did everything from seating customers to clearing off tables. No job too big or too small. He wondered if he'd subconsciously timed this business visit so that he'd have a chance to talk to her when she wasn't overwhelmed with customers. There hadn't been a mutually convenient time to continue the discussion begun the night of the party.

In fact, he hadn't seen her since that night. He wondered
if she'd given him a passing thought. He hadn't forgotten a single detail of that evening, especially wanting to kiss her. When he'd seen Abby under the stars, with the moonlight turning her hair to silver, he was reminded of what Madison had said. That he had decidedly unbusinesslike feelings for her. Is that why he'd confided something to her he hadn't shared with anyone else? He grinned, remembering the time he'd told her that guys always wanted what they couldn't have. He was living proof of that theory. Which was why he wanted to initiate a dialogue with the enigmatic Miss Ridgeway and not be interrupted by her dedicated work ethic and the lunch bunch. He planned to do his best to make this a mutually convenient time for both of them.

He figured he'd find her doing paperwork in the office and headed past the kitchen, with its delicious garlic and marinara-sauce smells, to the rear of the building. Even before he reached the doorway, he heard angry voices. Correction: one angry voice. Sarah was there and if the decibel level of her words was any indication, she wasn't a happy camper.

“You always say no without even thinking about it,” she wailed. “You want me to be like youâno friends, no fun, no life. A withered-up old maid.”

Nick was about to enter the room when the teenage girl hurried out, then turned into the hall and collided with him. He steadied her and she looked up at him, the sheen of tears in her eyes.

“What's wrong, kiddo?”

“Ask her,” she said angrily, glancing over her shoulder. “I want to go on a snow trip to the mountains on Thanksgiving weekend, and she said no without even thinking about it. She always says no. She never
lets me do anything. Help me, Nick.” Her tone was loud enough to carry into Abby's office.

“How did you get here? Aren't you supposed to be in school?” he asked, stalling. Abby might have very good reasons for saying no. If so, he didn't want to interfere.

“It's a holiday. They let us have them every once in a while. And as for how I got hereâ” She broke off and glanced over her shoulder again. When she spoke, her voice was lower, so that only he could hear. “Don't tell her or she'll freak. She thinks I came on the bus. But my friend Stacy drove me. She got her driver's license last week.” Anger suffused her blue eyes again. “I don't have a prayer of learning to drive a car.”

“Don't borrow trouble, kiddo.” He encircled her shoulders with his arm and gave her a quick hug. “I'll talk to Abby.”

“Convince her to say yes,” she said.

“No promises. I'm only going to talk to her.”

Sarah nodded. “Thanks, Nick. You're a lifesaver. You're the best.”

Before he could tell her not to count her chickens too soon, she was gone. He took a deep breath and walked into Abby's office.

“Hi, pal.”

Abby sat behind the desk, her blue eyes flashing with anger. She tapped a pencil so fast and hard, any second he expected it to snap. “Don't call me âpal.' A pal wouldn't have gone over to the other side. You're a traitor.”

Abby must be really upset to forget that it was politically incorrect to call your boss names. “You heard?”

“There's no way you're changing my mind,” she said by way of an answer.

“I said I'd talk to you. Did it ever occur to you that I might agree with your decision? Jumping to conclusions has reached epidemic proportions today. Or is it just the Ridgeway sisters?”

“She wants to go away for three days.”

“The impertinence! Off with her head.”

“It's not funny, Nick.”

“Okay. Is she going with a guy?”

Apprehension chased the anger from her eyes. “Oh, Lord, I never thought of that. She said it's a church group activity.”

“Then I'm sure it is. I didn't mean to supply you with grist for the worry mill.”

“She said there will be adult chaperones.”

BOOK: And Then He Kissed Me

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