Almost Never

by Amy Lamont

  Declan stuck the box of candy under his arm and held the bouquet of flowers in the same hand. With his free hand he steered Harper backwards into the apartment. The second he crossed the threshold, he pulled the door closed, leaned against the back of it and yanked her off balance so she fell forward into his chest. He was careful not to drop the gifts.

  "I think this is where we left things off yesterday."

  She giggled and then surprised him by stretching to her tiptoes to press a sweet kiss to his lips before pulling back. "Hmm, I'm not sure I remember that."

  He waggled his eyebrows at her. "I'll be more than happy to refresh your memory."

  "I'm sure you would, perv."

  "Hey, no name calling when I come bearing gifts.” He held out the flowers and candy with a flourish.

  Her laughter evaporated and she stared, wide-eyed at the things he held in his hands. She blinked and her gaze traveled up to his face.

  Her look had the impact of a punch. The sharp tug at his heart didn’t fade as she stared at him in wonder.

  “You brought me presents,” she whispered.

  "Of course I did," he teased, with a hint of tenderness. "It's like rule number three in the guidebook to first dates."

  She blinked up at him, her eyes shining. "Oh, well, if it's a rule, who am I to break it?"

  He handed her the candy and flowers and followed her as she headed to the kitchen. She paused by the counter, burying her nose in the bouquet of wild flowers and roses, inhaling deeply. When she lifter her head a small smile played over her lips.

  "Thank you, Declan. They're gorgeous," she said, quietly.

  "You're welcome." He had to clear his throat to clear the emotion. "They made me think of you--a little traditional, a little unexpected."

  She stared at him, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip. But then a mischievous smile stole over her face. "Why am I having a hard time picturing you picking out flowers?"

  "I don't know. No faith?"

  "No," she said as she put the flowers and chocolates on the breakfast bar and her head disappeared from sight as she bent to rummage through a cabinet. "I don't think that's it. You seem more the type of guy to send one of your lackeys out to buy flowers." She popped back into view, a white pitcher hand. "Tell the truth--did Drew pick these flowers for me? Because I have to tell you, it would be a tough call which would be a better present, you picking out flowers that reminded you of me or Drew having to go pick out a bouquet knowing it was for me."

  He laughed. "Sorry to disappoint, but I picked those out myself. But I'll keep the Drew thing in mind for next time."

  She beamed at him. "Awesome. Only...maybe don't ask him to pick out chocolates or anything food related. Me dying of food poisoning does not a romantic evening make."

  "I promise not to send Drew for food for you. And if I send him for flowers, I'll double check for thorns."

  "Sounds like a deal," she said on a laugh.

  "Speaking of deals," he said as she filled the pitcher from the tap, "we never did decide who was the winner of the little bet we made at the faculty party."

  She wrinkled her nose at him. "You mean the party where you ditched me? Gee, I wonder which of us won that one."

  He slowly shook his head. "Now, you seem to be forgetting that you had a good time up until then. And even after I got pulled away against my will, you managed to snag a recommendation from one of the most feared professors on campus."

  She narrowed her eyes at him. "I was a hair away from walking out and Professor XXXX just happened to come up next to me. I don't think you get any points for that."

  "You liked the food."

  "Uh, hello," she said as she stuck the two last stems into the pitcher, "free shrimp cocktail and bacon wrapped scallops. What's not to like?"

  He grinned. "So you're saying, any time I need to earn some brownie points, I should literally show up with brownies?"

  She lifted the lid from the chocolate box and checked the inside cover before wrinkling her nose and examining the chocolates. "For starters."

  "The chocolates not to your liking?"

  She shrugged and picked out one covered in dark chocolate. She took a bite and checked inside. "Mmm, caramel." She closed her eyes and popped the rest of the candy in her mouth. "Obviously I like them. I just like when they come with instructions."

  "You need instructions for your chocolates?"

  She nodded. "Yeah, you know when they have a map inside the cover of the box that shows you what all the chocolates are? That way you can enjoy your chocolates without the fear of biting into the dreaded orange cream."

  He threw his head back and laughed. He couldn't remember the last time someone had made him laugh like this. Grinning at the sight of her standing behind the counter, smiling smugly before gingerly taking a bite of another chocolate and checking the inside.

  He needed to kiss her. Immediately.

  Harper closed her eyes and slowly chewed the chocolaty goodness. This one had coconut. Her favorite. She let her eyes drift open and jumped, hand flying to her heart.

  Declan stood directly in front of her. His eyes were molten chocolate, even more delicious than the two she'd just savored. The intensity of his gaze sent chills skittering up and down her arms. She licked her lips and he growled.

  He growled.

  Then he closed the distance between them. His arms pulled her hard and close to his chest and his lips came down on hers with a ferocity she'd never experienced before.

  She was lost, every sense so overwhelmed, all she could do was melt into him. Her eyes shut as she tuned into him with every other sense.

  His tongue teased the seam of her lips until she opened for him. He plunged in, tasting her, exploring her, and pulling out only to plunge in once more.

  Her legs wobbled and her hands clutched his shirt, his arms the only thing that kept her from sinking to the floor.

  He tore his lips from hers and a moan escaped her in protest. A low chuckle came from him, and her eyes drifted open. Her hands slowly unclenched from his shirt, but she left her palms flat to his chest, not ready to try to stand on her own. She turned her head up and found him smiling down at her, his eyes warm and tender.

  “Why’d you stop?” She barely recognized the throaty, passion-clogged voice that escaped her.

  His smile turned into a grin and he pulled her into a tight hug, his face nuzzling into her neck before he pulled back. “If we kept that up for another second, there’s no way we’d get out of here tonight.”

  Her heart stuttered in her chest and her teeth nipped the tip of her tongue as she giddily took in the news that he was as caught up in that kiss as she was. She suddenly had a strong desire to stay in.

  She titled her head and gazed at him from beneath her lashes. She used one hand to smooth down the front of his shirt. “Maybe we should make this an at home date. We can watch a movie, eat chocolate…make out some more.”

  He growled again, this one more playful than the last, and leaned his forehead against hers. “As tempting as that sounds, I promised you a date and I’m not going to back out.”

  She resisted the urge to stamp her foot. As sweet as he was being, she suddenly had no urge to leave the apartment. She dropped her head forward to thunk against his chest.

  “Guess it’s not too tempting,” she grumbled, “or you’d take me up on it.”

  He squeezed her more tightly for an instant and then let his arms relax into a loose circle around her waist. “Any other time, I’d take you up on that, baby. But I want this to be special.”

  Harper went boneless against him as his words worked their way through her so sweetly it made it hard to keep breathing. She kept her cheek against his chest, but moved her chin up so she could see him. His face was tilted down towards her, his look warm and gentle.

  And happy.

  It struck her that as often as she’d found herself unable to look away from him over the last few years when she’d spotted him on campus, h
e’d never worn the expression he had right now. She’d seen him laughing in crowds of friends. Smiling down at some female—or three—hanging off his arm, fighting for his attention. He was rarely alone, rarely without a grin.

  But this was the first time she’d seen him truly look happy. And nothing beat knowing she was the one to put that look there.

  Unwilling to let him lose that feeling, she decided to give in gracefully to his desire to take her out on a real first date.

  She pulled in a shuddering breath and took a small step back. Despite the emotions coursing through her, she offered a small smile.

  “I guess if you insist on taking me out, I’ll let you.” She faked a very put upon sigh. “Since this date started with chocolates and flowers, is it safe to assume you planned the rest of our evening, as well?”

  He grinned. “Of course. Dinner. A walk through the park. Dessert. And a lingering good-bye at your front door.”

  She giggled. “Lingering, huh? Just what is it we’ll be doing that’ll cause us to linger?”

  Declan stepped away, his arms sliding away from her. He slid a hand down to capture one of hers, and he walked backwards, tugging her towards the front door. “You’ll just have to wait until the goodnight portion of this date to find out.”

  She took one step forward for each of his backwards steps. “What if I’m not that patient?”

  He grinned. “I promise to drop,” he stopped and leaned down to touch his mouth to hers, “a few hints throughout the night.”

  Harper laughed as he continued to pull her forward. But then she put on the breaks, digging her heels into the living room carpet.

  “Okay, okay,” she said, “you’ve convinced me to leave the house with you. Let me just grab my bag before we go.” She gestured over her shoulder back towards the kitchen.

  Instead of letting her go, Declan stepped forward and pulled her close. She held her breath, waiting for his lips to descend once more. But he didn’t kiss her. He held her a long moment before using his hold on her hand to spin her away from him, out toward the kitchen.

  She tottered for a second, as a gasp broke from her. But he pulled her back again and swung her out from himself. She dissolved into laughter as he danced her into the kitchen and dipped her right next to the kitchen island.

  “Smooth moves, Astaire,” she said, breathlessly as she snatched her bag from the counter.

  He bowed, smirking up at her. “Stick with me, kid. You ain’t seen nothin’ yet.”

  She wrinkled her nose at him and headed back towards the door. “Okay, it’s getting a little crowded in here what with you and your ego taking up so much space. Where is it you’re taking me anyway?”

  “Marcello’s.”

  Her step faltered and his hand came up to cup her elbow.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  She nodded and moved forward again. But now some of her enthusiasm for the evening dimmed.

  Stop. She was being silly. Lots of people went to Marcello’s. Especially couples out on a date. He wanted to take her somewhere special and that’s why he chose that place.

  It had nothing to do with the fact Marcello’s was two towns over and they were less likely to run into anyone he knew.

  Harper squared her shoulders and grabbed a jacket from the entryway hook. She wasn’t going to do this again. She wouldn’t run out on him and accuse him of trying to keep their…whatever this was…a secret.

  “You’re sure you’re okay?” He moved to help her on with her jacket.

  She turned her back to him and slid her arms into the jacket as he held it up. She flipped her hair out of the collar and made a decision in an instant.

  She was going to give him the benefit of the doubt. She was going to assume he chose the restaurant because it’s romantic and he thought she’d enjoy it.

  She smiled up at him. “I’m ready.”

  He held her gaze for a moment before he returned her smile. “Good. I’m starved.”

  She squashed her doubts and let him guide her out. She just hoped her new glass-half-full attitude didn’t get her crushed. Again.

  Chapter 9

  "Let's end things there for today," Professor Costa said from his spot in front of the room. Not to mention, directly in front of Harper. She tried to hold back the silly grin that was threatening to overtake her face.

  She'd done it. She didn't take her usual spot in the far back corner. Today when she'd gotten to class, she breathed in deeply and stepped to the front of the room, taking the seat directly in front of Professor Costa.

  Not only that, about half way through the lecture, he mentioned something about gene XXX that caught her attention. It was an area that interested her in her reading, so she'd done a little more research on it online. At that moment, she was bursting to share some of the information she'd read, but at the same time completely nauseous at the thought of raising her hand and speaking in front of all of the people she'd imagined had been talking behind her back the last two years.

  But it was that kind of thinking that kept her off of Professor Costa's radar before now. That kind of thinking that was keeping her from living her dream. She wanted the spot in the mentorship program too badly not to take every opportunity to get there.

  She'd raised her hand when her teacher paused for a moment. And spent the next five minutes in a lively debate over the future of genetic XXX before Professor Costa moved onto the next teaching point.

  "Miss Warden." Professor Costa's voice pulled her out of her thoughts to find him staring at her where she still sat at her desk.

  "Yes?"

  "Nice work."

  She allowed a small smile to escape. "Thank you. To be honest, I've been dying to talk to someone about that since I read about it the other night."

  He nodded. "I'm happy you decided to act on the impulse. It was a point worth mentioning, and I had forgotten to add it to my lecture notes."

  Her stomach turned in a happy, fluttery somersault. His knowing smile told her he knew exactly why she was making the extra effort. But who cared? The important thing was he noticed her in a positive way.

  "Happy I could help." She slid out of her seat and carefully zipped her laptop into its case before tucking it into her messenger bag. Slipping the strap over her shoulder, she turned toward the door.

  And her grin widened when she caught sight of Declan walking towards her.

  "Hi," she greeted when he reached her.

  He leaned down and dropped a quick kiss on her mouth. The brief contact made her toes curl.

  "Hi," he said, his eyes dancing. Of course he knew exactly the effect he had on her. She'd all but blurted it out during their...lingering...good-bye at the door two nights ago after their amazing date. All her worries about his choice of Marcello's had faded as he plied her with some of the best Chicken Parmigania she'd ever tasted and they'd talked like people who'd known each other forever.

  All of that before he'd brought her home and made good on his promise of a lingering goodnight at her door. After the make out session to end all make out sessions, he'd left her with promises to call her in the morning.

  And he had. And since then he'd had several more chances to test exactly how she reacted to all different kinds of kisses. They had a quick late lunch together at the coffee shop by her apartment the day after their date. And yesterday they'd spent a few hours in the library stacks doing research for his proposal for Professor Costa.

  She'd been pleasantly surprised by his easy affection. He always seemed to be touching her in some way or another--holding her hand, giving her a quick kiss, wrapping a strand of her hair around his finger. And both times he'd left her only after taking his time to kiss the breath from her.

  He'd told her he was stopping by at the end of class to give Professor Costa his proposal. But even with his words and his reassuring behavior, she couldn't help the surge of happiness that went through her at his public display of affection. Several of the students streaming from the room h
ad to have seen him kiss her hello.

  A quick glance around confirmed her suspicions. There were more than a couple of her classmates eyeballing them, mostly females.

  "Do you have another class after this?"

  His question brought her attention back to him. "No. This is my last class of the day. I don't have anything until I have to get to work later."

  "Good." He ran a hand over her shoulder, down her arm and eased her hand into his. "Let me just run this by Professor Costa and then we can grab some lunch before my next class.”

  "Sounds good." She pulled her hand from his and gestured to their teacher. "But I think you should do this part by yourself."

  He nodded and headed over to where Professor Costa stood behind the desk, packing up the last of his things.

  Harper shifted the strap of her messenger bag over her shoulder and leaned against one of the desks closest to the door. She kept her eyes trained on Declan and Professor Costa, ignoring the looks from the last of her classmates as they straggled out the door. She was starting to wonder why she'd ever argued with Declan about going public. Maybe being his secret girlfriend would have had some benefits.

  She shrugged. Too late now. And if she were being completely honest, she'd admit to feeling a little thrill over the looks she'd gotten from a few of the female students the last day or so. Word must have gotten out on their small campus.

  "Miss Warden." Professor Costa's voice broke into her thoughts, and she realized she'd been so lost in them that even with her eyes trained on the two men, she'd missed him beckoning her over to the desk.

  She moved forward, stopping at Declan's side. She nibbled on her lower lip, waiting to hear why he called her over.

  "Miss Warden, Mr. Cooper has just explained the details of his experiment. Am I to understand that you had no hand in helping him write this proposal?" He shook the typed pages he held, presumably Declan's proposal.

  She shook her head. "I asked him a few questions about the material he'd missed and what you were covering now. And I directed him to a few journals in the library to give him an idea of some of the current research in those areas. But the hypothesis and experimental design was all Declan."