“How about some milk and cookies?”
“How about that French toast?”
“It’s for breakfast.” She bent over and leaned into the refrigerator, and his gaze just happened to land on her rump.
She looked over her shoulder and smiled. “Maybe I’ll bring you some of the French toast for breakfast.” She turned and handed him a beer.
When he reached for it, he slid his fingers across her soft hand. It felt like silk, just like he remembered. His stomach flipped and flopped like it had the first time he’d kissed her. “Your grandmother used to bring food by, and not just breakfast. But her timing had always been horrible. It was like she always knew when I had…company.”
“She said her timing was right on the money, that you just had horrible taste in women, and needed someone to keep an eye out for you.”
He stifled a chuckle by taking a sip of his beer. He studied her as she washed a couple of dishes and wiped up the counter. She had accused him of not noticing her, but the problem was he noticed her entirely too much.
He noticed her sexy body.
Her sweet voice.
Her kind demeanor.
He noticed every damn thing.
“She certainly took good care of me,” he said. He leaned against the counter, drinking his beer in silence while watching her pull out some big mixing thing, put in all sorts of ingredients, turn the switch, then pour in more things. He could watch her do this for hours. Part of him didn’t understand why he’d been so standoffish since she’d returned home. The other part thought the whole thing was weird. She’d been his high school sweetheart, so to speak. Well, not really. They had an odd relationship, best friends that necked. Now they were adults, so what the hell was his hang-up?
“Where will you live when Kelly moves back?” she asked. That honey voice of hers coated his skin as if he were a piece of warm bread.
“I’ll probably just rent a place in town or something.” He watched her butt jiggle as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other, then rose up on tiptoe to reach something. “Let me,” he said, setting aside his beer and stepping behind her. He rested one hand on her shoulder, while reaching for some box high in the cupboard. He paused, just for a moment, feeling her soft curves against his.
You’re lonely, and she’s perfect for you.
I’m not lonely, and she’s an old friend, which makes this even weirder than having a conversation with a female voice in my stupid head. Damn Halloween. Always makes me fucking crazy.
Watch your language, young man.
Yes, ma’am. He blinked.
“Not that one, the red one next to it,” she said, snapping his mind back to the here and now.
“This one?” His breath caught in his throat when her hindside rubbed against his front side. Blood rushed through his body as he ran his hand down the length of her arm.
She rotated her body so they were now face-to-face. Her soft-blue eyes held his gaze like a cobra. His muscles twitched when she splayed her hand across his chest, then glided it up his shoulder and through his hair, tugging him closer. Her lips parted, and her tongue darted across the fullness of her mouth.
He leaned in, pressing his lips against her full mouth. His heart pounded in his ears. It was sweeter than any confection he’d ever tasted.
More satisfying than he’d remembered.
Deepening the kiss, a spark exploded inside him. He held her as tight as he could with one hand, while the other nearly crushed the box that dangled half off the shelf.
Ding. Dong.
He jumped, and the box came tumbling down on them. Brown powder covered them from head to toe. “Shit,” he mumbled, trying to brush the powdery stuff from her face.
She smiled. “You like that word, don’t you?”
“What is this stuff?” He shook out his hands, then ran them over his face. The powder tickled his nose, but he enjoyed the rich smell, and he loved the way it covered her body.
“It’s cocoa,” she said, brushing it from her chest.
“Let me,” he mused, raising his hand.
“I guess you haven’t changed one bit after all.” She batted his hand away. “You used to try to feel me up all the time.”
“I didn’t try, I succeeded,” he said, contemplating how he might actually cop that feel without getting slapped.
The doorbell rang again before he could devise a proper plan.
“Expecting someone?” he asked
“Not that I know of,” she said as she scurried to the front door.
“Maybe you should let me get it.” An uneasy feeling washed over him. He knew someone had been in her garage and messed with her cake. But why? And who? Not to mention this trip down memory lane was messing with his head.
“I’m a big girl. Besides, I’d rather you clean up again.” She glanced over her shoulder and winked.
“Just look to see who it is before opening the door. If you don’t know the person—”
“I’ll call the cops.” She disappeared into the other room.
He sucked in a deep breath and went about trying to clean up the cocoa in his hair when he heard the voice of his deputy, Becky Hicks.
Wonderful. He made his way to the front of the house.
“I was in the area and thought I’d check things out since Chief McNally didn’t report back, and we’ve had an increase in burglaries lately,” Becky said, her fingers looped in the front of her belt.
“Becky, everything’s fine.” He entered the foyer feeling like he just got caught stealing candy. “Just a couple of raccoons.”
“Okay, then, I guess I’ll be on my way.” She tipped her hat and gave him a sideways glance as she turned on her heel and strolled toward her vehicle.
“I should be going too,” he said, holding the
