He groaned as she lightly touched her teeth to his strong lower lip. His response intensified her enthusiasm. She had better be careful. She might not be the most conventional girl around town, but she at least liked to go out on one date before she put out. This kiss threatened to undermine her rule. She ran her hand up the nape of his neck. His short razor cut hair tickled her palm. Her inner thighs squeezed in jealousy.
His fingers traced her ears before trailing down her neck. The light touch sent her nerve endings into overdrive and even the cool kiss of the evening air tickled in the best possible way. She hadn’t been kissed like this ever. And she liked it.
“Ewww. Gross!”
THEY PULLED APART AS rapidly as they had fallen together. James stood and looked over the hedges to get a glimpse of their unexpected guest so he could take the kid to task. He couldn’t identify him. All the neighborhood kids with their blue or red shirts, jeans or basketball shorts, and white sneakers looked alike. They only varied in height.
“Damn kids.” He muttered under his breath, but still loud enough his frustration came through. He didn’t like being interrupted, especially while kissing Claire.
“It’s probably as well.” She reached up, touching his hand and threatening to ignite the flames between them all over again.
He looked at her questioningly. Was she dismissing him after that incredible kiss? The one that rattled him to the core. One spontaneous moment had him rethinking how he wanted to spend his free time the next few months. Rather than parking in front of the television, he wanted to park with her. With her mussed hair and swollen lips lifted in a cocky grin, she appeared to have enjoyed herself too.
“You made me forget we were on the front porch.” Not breaking eye contact, she stood, but kept her distance. “Let’s hope it was only one pre-pubescent kid that saw us. Here’s another thing about small towns, City Boy—rumors spread fast. Especially if it’s something worth talking about. And your neighbor in the pale green house over there, Miss Jones, is the local morality police. Let’s hope she wasn’t peeking out her window now; otherwise, she’s probably already called the city to complain about public indecency.”
He stared at the house across the way. He hadn’t met his neighbors. He visited the local bars twice and didn’t see anyone his age. As for fostering warm fuzzies with the neighbors, he didn’t see much point. He would move on in a matter of months. And anyone with a connection to the energy company would take every little opportunity to infiltrate his life and save their job. He possessed little tolerance for schmoozers. His cousin, Danny, on the other hand, considered the efforts to court his good will one of the best perks of the job.
“Thanks for the warning.” He meant it. Knowing he had a nosy neighbor meant he had to watch his actions, making sure he kept sensitive phone conversations at work or at least inside the house. “I should be more careful about going outside.”
“Nah. You don’t want to miss sunsets like these.”
“That I don’t, although I could do without the noisy neighbors next time.”
“Without them, I wouldn’t have had a reason to stop by. They can’t be all bad. Although,” her eyes twinkled and her grin widened, “I certainly enjoyed the sunset from your porch and how you made me forget my mission.”
Phew. He hadn’t been the only one affected by that kiss. He stepped closer but she stopped him with her palm. Her touch amplified the thumping in his chest. Heat radiated throughout his body. He struggled to make sense of her words. She rolled her eyes skyward as she broke contact.
“Some other time. I do have to get home, but I wanted to warn you—well, whoever lived here.”
“About?”
“Miss Jones. I saw your garbage can on the street this morning when I went to work. She’s a stickler for the rules. Unless you want to pay a bunch of fines, you should wait until dusk the night before trash pickup to take your cans to the street. You should also have them off the street by dusk. She’s a fanatic about it. When she was more mobile, she used to spend hours stalking the streets and reporting all houses out of compliance with the town code. Now she just terrorizes her most immediate neighbors.”
“Did she ever get you in trouble?”
She laughed. “More times than I can count. I did a lot of chores to pay off the city fines my family accrued on my behalf. I’m trying to be a better citizen now.”
“I’m glad you’re not a saint, though.” Her cheeks turned a shade of pink that matched her lips. What else turns that color? With luck, he’d find out.
“Thank you for the warning, Claire. Are you free tomorrow? I want to show you my appreciation.” He shrugged, hoping to belie his eagerness to see her again. And to kiss her. He needed to repeat that experience.
“Not tomorrow.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“I have a previous appointment.”
“And I have to go to New York this weekend.”
“Why the sad tone, City Boy? I thought you loved New York.” The saucy minx made a heart with her hands at the word love.
“What about Monday? Here, or better yet, inside. I’ll make you a thanks-for-the-neighborly-warning dinner.”
“You said the magic word. Dinner. I’ll come over at seven.”
With a mischievous smile and a finger wave, she sashayed to her wagon. He liked the sway of her hips, and her confidence... and the taste of her mouth... and her. He liked
