“I’d offer you my jacket, but I don’t have one. Would you like my shirt instead?”
“Thanks, but I don’t think the world is ready for your pecs.”
Kurt broke into a laugh. He wondered if she was doing it on purpose, keeping the mood so light and airy to stop his thoughts from straying back to his mother’s predicament. The fact that Sara was only sixteen years older than he was and had breast cancer kept washing over him in waves. Even though he’d been unable to shake much of his long-held resentment in regards to her, he still loved her. He couldn’t lose her in the wake of losing Nana so unexpectedly. Neither could William. It just couldn’t happen. Hell, maybe this would be the scare that Sara needed to get her life together and stop chasing one loser after another.
This wasn’t just Kurt’s opinion of the guys she went for either. She was the first to say that if a guy had his crap together, there wasn’t a thing about him she’d find attractive. That might have worked when she was a teenager, but sooner or later, she needed to face the fact that she was in her midforties and start living like she knew it.
That’s what Nana would say, only in a softer tone.
Deep in thought, Kurt draped his arm around shivering Kelsey. She stiffened at the precise second he realized he’d done it. “Better than my exposed pecs,” he said, which made her laugh and relax.
They fell into step, and it felt so damn right to have his arm around her, to experience her curvy hips brushing inches below his, to feel the cool air sneaking in from the hourglass of her figure where their sides weren’t touching, to smell her citrus-mint body wash that made him want to stop and inhale. The wind picked up, sending her thick, silky hair blowing across his neck.
“It’s this next street,” she said, pointing. “If you’re still in the mood for a good cup of coffee.”
“I won’t complain if it isn’t good as long as it’s strong.”
“How about we make sure it’s both?” In the west, there was the distinctive rumble of thunder. “Shoot, I guess the storm was predicted to come in waves, but the sky looked so clear to the west before we left. Here’s hoping we make it home before the next round.”
Home. Again, he thought of his dream. The air had been light and breezy, and the house had smelled like apple pie. Kelsey had wrapped her arms around him, and he’d closed one hand over the back of her hair. How could he have known it felt like this? Her hair kept blowing across his shoulder and brushing the skin of his neck.
They made it to the corner coffee shop with only a few more cracks of distant thunder and the wind picking up slightly. Loosening his hold on her was harder than he would have anticipated.
“What do you like?” she asked, eyeing the chalk menu over the bar.
You. “Just a large black coffee will be fine.”
“Oh, come on, they have so many good drinks. While I’d bet my last dollar you aren’t the pumpkin-spice type, that doesn’t mean you wouldn’t like the rosemary–brown sugar or a mocha or even a simple latte.”
“Tell you what, I’ll run to the bathroom while you order for me.”
“Okay, but were you serious about the extra caffeine? Because I can have them do a double shot.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Hit me, lady.”
He headed for the bathroom and stopped in front of the sink. He was struck by the stranger facing him in the mirror, the one with the hint of a smile playing on his lips and the calm in his brown eyes. He might be a long way from not feeling the need to assess every crowd or jump to attention at every plate that crashed, but his tension fell away when he was with her. She’d felt so right against him that his muscles still felt like rubber bands. The implications sent his mind spinning. Should he risk it? Should he let her in?
No, idiot. Keep to the course you can handle.
For the first time in Kurt’s life, he wondered if that little voice he’d attributed to keeping him safe and alive always knew the best decision.
* * *
By the time Kurt stepped back into the shop, Kelsey was picking up their coffees from the barista. A flash of lightning lit the western sky.
“Seems like we’re going to get hit with another round. Want to make a break for it? It’s about a half a mile from here, isn’t it?” he asked.
“Probably closer to three-quarters.” She was still working to ignore the impression that his arm had left against her body. “Let’s step outside and check it out. There are awning-covered shops for the next quarter mile. We could get closer at least.”
“I hate to break it to you, but I don’t think awnings offer much protection from lightning.”
They stepped out into the dark, quiet street. On the way to the restaurant, the area had been bustling with people. Now, everyone seemed to have taken heed and headed home.
“So, may I ask what I’m about to have the pleasure of drinking?”
“Sure. I couldn’t decide, so I asked the barista, and she thought it was best to go with a basic mocha with whipped cream. And honestly, I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t enjoy a mocha. However, if you want, we can switch. I chose the rosemary–brown sugar tonight.”
“And here I thought for sure you’d pick pumpkin spice for yourself. And this is good.”
They walked in silence at a clipped pace. Kelsey missed his arm around her, but with the coffees and the speed they were walking, it wasn’t warranted. They’d reached the end of the shop-lined street and were about to turn onto a residential one when a flash of lightning lit up the entire sky and
