Naughty Flings: Twelve Naughty Little Romps

by Alexa Silver

  When Nick had returned from college that first summer, he’d heard that Mr. and Mrs. Lowell had moved to Birmingham to be closer to family. Nick hadn’t had an ice cream sandwich, and certainly not a Neapolitan one, since the summer before college. He also hadn’t seen Amanda Lowell since then.

  The thing was, even though they didn’t get to talk to each other much—she was working and there were usually so many people around—he knew they had some kind of connection.

  Eight years in a row, spring through late summer, he’d looked forward to seeing her on almost a daily basis. She’d always had a smile for him and he’d always returned it. It was natural with her when it hadn’t been that way with any of the other girls he knew. Most of the time his shyness kicked in and prevented him from engaging with girls like he wanted to.

  There were times when Nick looked back and wondered what might’ve happened between them if he’d been able to get over his shyness before hitting college. Amanda had mostly ignored him the year they were in high school together, but he’d been okay with that. There was no way he could’ve said anything to her anyway with other students around, and besides, she’d been a senior while he was just a freshman. He’d understood enough about high school social politics to know she couldn’t ever acknowledge him in front of others, so he hadn’t let her behavior bother him.

  But then when the Lowells moved away and Amanda was suddenly gone from his life for good, Nick had spent a long time coming to terms with his inability to engage with the fairer sex. It wasn’t until college that he stepped out of his comfort zone and began talking to some of the girls in his college classes. He didn’t put pressure on himself to date any of them at first; he just wanted to get used to talking to them and with them. He’d always have Amanda to thank for that—she was the one who’d gotten away.

  After purchasing the one, ridiculously expensive box of pods, Nick left the store, humming the catchy little tune he’d heard inside. The music grew louder. Which wasn’t actually possible unless the store pumped their Muzak track outside to the sidewalk, and he really didn’t think that was the case. Plus, it wasn’t even Muzak he was hearing.

  He lingered outside the shop for half a minute trying to figure out what the song was and where it was coming from. Suddenly, the catchy little tune changed to a song that was not only catchy, but very familiar. Too familiar considering where his thoughts had just been. He turned in the direction of the music and froze.

  What the…? Now he had the ability to make things appear as soon as he thought about them? He thought of an ice cream truck and one appeared? Really?

  Hmmm. Maybe he should try that with Amanda. I wish I’d find Amanda Lowell manning the window of the ice cream truck.

  There. All done. Enough with that ridiculousness. Wishing was for teenagers and he needed to get back to work.

  It was all just coincidence that he happened to think of the ice cream truck today and one happened to be in town.

  For the first time in eight years.

  Crap. He didn’t believe in that much coincidence which meant he had to check it out. Work would have to wait.

  His long legs ate up the ground as he drew nearer to the truck. A group of kids stood in front of the service window and a woman leaned out to talk with them.

  The breath froze in his lungs.

  Not just a woman. The woman.

  The woman he’d just been thinking of. And wished for, dammit. The one he’d thought was the most beautiful girl at their high school. The one with the most perfect curves ever, at least in his opinion. With dark brown hair in a braid that hung down over her shoulder as she leaned forward through the window. The braid was much longer than it had been so many years ago.

  She’d had her hair braided in some kind of fancy ‘do at her Senior Homecoming game as well. He’d stood by the fence during half-time as the Homecoming Court had lined up to process onto the field. Amanda had been escorted by her dad, and when passing by, she’d cut her eyes toward him and given him a smile and a nod. He’d grinned and nodded back, and that was all the communication that had passed between them that night. Just that little bit, though, had sparked enough electricity in him, he’d been certain he could’ve powered the lights for the football field for the rest of the game.

  The heat between them flared up at different times after that, always outside of school, usually at the truck. Several times, Nick felt certain Amanda had held on to his ice cream sandwich a little longer than usual, just so he’d be forced to touch her hand longer when he took it from her. On those occasions, he was always surprised the ice cream hadn’t melted from the electricity sizzling between them. And he was always thankful he had something frosty to cool his overheated insides afterward.

  How often had he wondered what might’ve happened between them? Probably too many if he had to ask. And with that, his determination forced the last remnants of shyness that had plagued him for years to tuck tail and run. This was his chance to find out. If she was married, he’d be happy for her. If she wasn’t, he’d find out if the sparks of electricity they’d once shared still arced between them. And this time, he would do something about it if they did.

  Chapter 2

  Amanda Lowell maneuvered the large Kool Treats ice cream truck out from the rented garage she stored it in. It was the same garage her dad had used when he’d driven the route for so many years. But man, he’d love this truck. Too bad he hadn’t been with her when she’d taken delivery of it.

  She wondered if Kool Treats was acquiring updated trucks, with much more comfortable seats and easier handling, in order to make their drivers happy. Or if it was just that the old trucks broke down enough these days that it cost more to fix them than to buy new ones. Going with option A definitely gave them the benefit of the doubt. But she knew too much about the way businesses worked, and figured the latter was closer to the truth.

  She made her way to the center of town and took in some more of the changes that had been made in the eight years she’d been gone. Earlier in the week, Amanda had stopped by town hall to pick up her food truck business license, and had stopped by the garage to get the access keys. Other than that, she hadn’t had a chance to explore the main square area—there’d been too many boxes to unpack from her move.

  It was kinda weird seeing some businesses that had been regular stops for her and her friends now replaced with new ones. Updated store fronts with a much more modern look and feel lined parts of the square, and safer playground equipment filled the park area. The new streetlights added character with their ornamental style.

  Inhaling deeply, a strong feeling of peace settled through her. The changes to downtown had only increased Charolton’s charm for her. They were keeping up with the times, but they were still a small town. Her small town. And it was a far cry from her previous job where she’d been stuck in one of the many office buildings in downtown Atlanta.

  During her last visit with her brother and his wife and kids, Amanda remembered what her original plans for adulthood had been, and they weren’t sitting in a cubicle all day, every day. Those plans had included putting smiles on kids’ faces. Even if their baseball team had lost the game.

  Baseball.

  There was one thought she shouldn’t let her mind dwell on, but she had no control over her traitorous thoughts. And memories. Because somewhere deep in the back of her mind, she continued wondering if a particular baseball player wasn’t part of the reason why she’d loved working the truck, and why she’d come back after putting her plan into motion. He might have been at least a small part of her thoughts when she remembered the route. And the baseball games. And watching a teenage boy grow up and start taking on the shape of a young man.

  She smiled to herself and shook her head as she recalled the subtle sparks that passed between them over the years. He’d started out as the kid who always ordered the Neapolitan ice cream sandwich. Always. Even as he grew taller and eventually added muscle to his lean frame—and sometimes tal
ked with her when there weren’t too many people around—his order remained the same. And he was the only one. Amanda’s dad used to start making sure they always had two, but just two. One for the kid, and one in case someone ever decided to try one because of the kid.

  The fact that she now had exactly two Neapolitan ice cream sandwiches back there in the case was just because that’s the way her dad had done things. It had nothing to do with any hope that the grownup version of that kid might hear the ice cream truck music from the center of town and come check things out. Nope. Besides, surely he was happily married at this point with a couple of kids of his own. That’d be cool, but not for her.

  Amanda pulled into a food vendor parking spot and hit the switch on the music. Opening the food window, she saw she’d already drawn some onlookers. A couple of older kids—probably upper elementary grades—were making their way toward her. She pulled out the sandwich board with the different ice cream desserts she had available and lowered it to the ground just to the side of the window, hoping to stave off a bunch of questions that could be answered by just looking at the chart.

  It was the little kids’ questions she didn’t mind answering. They didn’t know how to read or didn’t quite know what to make of the menu, so she loved being able to explain it to them. The older ones? They needed to learn to look up information first before asking.

  “My mom says you’re selling ice cream,” one kid called out as the group got closer to the truck.

  “That’s right,” she said as she not so subtly turned the sandwich board at a slight angle so the kids could see it.

  “How much is the ice cream?” asked another kid.

  She gave a mental sigh. So much for her brainy idea late last night. Feeling like a game show hostess, she pointed to the sign with her left hand. “Here’s the list of items I have with me at all times, along with the price for each.” She motioned above and behind her head. “Up here I have a list of desserts that I don’t keep with me all the time because I just don’t have enough room, but if y’all see something you’d like to try, I can make a note of it and bring it the next time I’m here.”

  “So you’re coming back?” A third kid in the group spoke up from the back of the pack.

  “Yes, I’m coming back. Today’s my first day back on this route, so I’ll spend some time here, go by the ball fields, and then hit some of the neighborhoods. I’ll switch around the neighborhoods each day.”

  “Cool!” and the kid ran off toward a couple of women sitting on one of the benches.

  Amanda had already put a smile on one kid’s face and she was only getting started. A couple of the kids ran back to their moms and returned with money to purchase some items. Others pulled out money from their pockets and ordered some of the usual items.

  Another group walked up, this time with a few moms and probably younger kids, if her guess was correct. The kids ordered their items and paid without any problems, and yep, the smiles were totally worth quitting the cubicle-in-Atlanta job.

  A smaller girl came up to the window and Amanda leaned down to hear her soft voice.

  “My mom says I can have some ice cream but it can’t have peanuts or tree nuts in it. Do you have any?”

  Amanda thought her heart was going to break for the little girl. The nut allergies were getting worse and worse, and she was very thankful that Kool Treats separated the production and packaging of their products that contained nuts. Never had it been more real to her than at this moment with this precious little girl standing in front of her.

  “I sure do. If you look up here,” Amanda rolled to her side and pointed to one of the menus displayed above her, “this is the list of products that do have nuts in them, or they have a nut warning on the package. That means you can’t have any of those.”

  “Oh.” The girl looked crestfallen.

  Amanda quickly went on. “But wait. See the other three boards listing the other dessert items I sell? You can have any of those.”

  “Oh!” The look on her face was now one of wonder.

  Charolton had been without the ice cream truck for too long.

  “If you see any of those treats you think you might like, you tell me which one and I can get it for you. I can also double-check the package label to make sure it doesn’t have a nut warning on it. Would you like that?”

  The little girl bobbed her head and she began going through the list of desserts, describing them to herself in her sweet little-girl voice.

  Amanda glanced up and watched a woman who must have been the little girl’s mother mouth “Thank you.” Amanda gave her a nod in response.

  Her gaze continued out beyond the moms and kids, and the couples and people walking around the park, to land on a figure leaning against a lamp post. The stance was familiar. All too familiar, since she’d just been thinking about him.

  But that was probably just a guy stance. Any guy. Lots of guys probably stood leaning against a lamp post, or fence post, or edge of a dugout, or a shade tree with their arms crossed across their chest, one leg crossed over the other at the ankle, and a ball cap pulled low over the forehead.

  However, Amanda was willing to bet that it wasn’t just any guy who’d watch the goings on of an ice cream truck. Or more specifically, watch her. Somehow she just knew that under the bill of that cap were two steel blue eyes watching her as they used to do so many years ago. Observing everything that happened. And she knew, just as he’d done years ago, he’d figure out when the perfect time would be to approach her truck. In the past, the perfect time was when there were only a couple kids left and no one else looking as if they were headed in her direction. She’d watched him back then, and she watched him again now as he pushed away from the lamp post he’d been leaning against.

  There was more of a swagger in his walk now than there had been when he was in high school. His long legs encased in well-worn denim looked a lot longer to her than she’d remembered. How tall had he been in high school? How tall was he now? And realistically, when was the last time she’d stood next to him to really get a good measure of his height compared to hers?

  His jaw line was mostly the same—less boyishness to it and a more defined line. The slight dimple in his chin hadn’t gone anywhere except to hide under the little bit of scruff he had covering the area.

  He pushed the bill of the cap up and her breath caught in her lungs. His eyes were even more beautiful than she’d remembered, with eyelashes any female would die to have rimming those piercing eyes that changed color depending on what color shirt he wore. The gray t-shirt he wore today had his eyes looking more gray than blue; the color giving him a more intense presence.

  If she’d thought he was good looking as a teen, there were no words that came to mind other than devastatingly gorgeous to describe him as an adult. Amanda had been attracted to him as a teen, but she’d been able to ignore the attraction, stuffing it back behind the couch where no one else would go looking too closely. But now? Her heart rate sped up and she could hear her pulse pounding in her ears. That was animal attraction and she’d never reacted to a guy like this before. She couldn’t tell which was turning her on more: his looks, or him looking at her like he was ready to eat her up.

  “I’m ready to order,” a little voice below her said, jarring Amanda from the wild lust coursing through her.

  Amanda ignored the man ready to devour her, took in a deep breath to calm her overactive…everything, and looked down at the precious child looking up at her. Giving her a smile, Amanda responded, “Okay! What can I get for you?”

  “I’d like the Neoploon ice cream sandwich.”

  Amanda’s breath hitched, and out of the corner of her eye she saw him freeze. He’d obviously heard the little girl’s order as well, and she remembered joking with him back in the day about him being the only one who ever ordered that treat.

  “You would, would you? I take it you like vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry ice cream?”

  “I do. Mommy says I’m
special like that.”

  Amanda continued ignoring him and threw a huge smile to the girl’s mom. “You certainly are. I’ve only ever known one other person who loved the Neapolitan ice cream sandwiches, so you’re definitely in a special crowd.”

  “Only one? Wow.”

  The little girl handed over her money and ran back to her mom. Amanda watched them until she had no choice but to acknowledge the guy she’d thought of too often over the years.

  Nick.

  She looked directly at him and called out, “Hey. I know you.”

  Chapter 3

  “You do, huh?” It only took him four steps and he was right by her window, almost on eye level with her. That answered her question about how tall he was—very. “Then hopefully that means you have another one of those ice cream sandwiches packed away back there.”

  She tilted her head to the side. “What makes you think I’d have more than one since I’ve only ever known one person who liked ‘em?”

  “Because your daddy taught you to always make sure to pack two.”

  Dayum, he’d grown up. And filled out. His voice had gotten even deeper than it had been the last time she’d seen him. Or maybe her memory just hadn’t done him or his voice justice.

  “I do just happen to have one more. Would you like it?” Why was her voice so breathy? Why couldn’t she get a handle on her breath intake and get her vocal cords to work correctly? Stupid throat.

  “Definitely.” He stepped even closer, put his hands on the window shelf and leaned his head in. “I understand that makes me part of a special crowd.”

  Oh, lord. Did it ever.

  Grown up Nick was dangerous to her libido. Good grief. Why had it taken her this long to come back? For that matter, why had she not done a search on him years ago, found out he was still single, and done something about that?

  “The group is quite exclusive.” She swallowed, trying to get saliva to help her mouth work like it should. “As of today, a new member got added, bringing the total to two.”