“Was I drooling?” he asked, cracking open one eye.
“Nope.” She sat down on the coffee table. “Do you normally drool?”
“Not that I know of.” He scooted up into a sitting position and winced a little. “Did you just get here?”
“Yeah.” She narrowed her gaze. “And you’re not sending me away, so don’t even try.”
The skin around his eyes crinkled with amusement. Bossy.”
“When I have to be.”
He eyed her for a few seconds, then reached out and took her hand. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“Me too.” The skin beneath his touch burned and tingled. “So, are we going to talk about why you were freaking out?”
His gray eyes appeared as dark and stormy as the sky had looked when the tornado hit. Her stomach clenched with apprehension. Maybe he wasn’t afraid; maybe he just wasn’t that into her.
“I wasn’t lying when I said you scare me.” His grip tightened as if he needed something to anchor himself to. “I don’t want either of us to get hurt.”
Of course he had fears. His marriage had been filled with distrust and betrayal. She was scared too. This man could definitely do some damage to her if he decided she wasn’t what he wanted, but she was willing to take that chance. She just needed to find out if she was worth the risk to him. An idea about how to find out formed in her mind. However, she wasn’t entirely sure it was a nice thing to do. And she really hoped he didn’t agree.
“You told me before that you wanted us to be friends, right?”
He nodded his head.
“Then let’s keep on developing our friendship.” She removed her hand from his. “We can hang out with each other, but not exclusively. And to keep things simpler, let’s limit our physical contact, like no handholding and no kissing.”
A line formed between his eyebrows. “No kissing?”
She pressed her lips together to keep from smiling. Her wicked plan just might work. “Yep.” She lifted one shoulder up into a shrug. “That way we won’t feel any pressure, and if we want more than that, we can talk about it when the time’s right.”
Luke held her gaze and the muscle in his jaw tightened. Taylin wasn’t sure what he was going to say to her plan and decided it would be better to let him stew about it.
“So.” She stood up. “As your friend, I’m going to make you the best chicken and dumplings you’ve ever tasted.”
She started to walk away, but he reached out and banded his fingers around her wrist, preventing her from leaving. “I don’t think I like your idea very much.”
His voice was low, and his eyes blazed with an intensity that sent her core temperature up a few degrees.
“You don’t like chicken and dumplings?” she asked innocently.
“Not sure. I’ve never had them before.” His lips twitched in a slight smile. “But that’s not what I’m talking about.”
“Oh? What part didn’t you like then?”
“I don’t want you dating anyone else.”
Keeping her expression neutral, she nodded her head. “Okay.”
He loosened his hold on her wrist and slid his fingers between hers. “And I like holding your hand.”
“I like it too.”
He tugged on her hand, pulling her toward him until she sat on the edge of the couch. “And your no kissing rule needs to be nixed.”
Taylin couldn’t keep up the pretense any longer, and she smiled victoriously. “I’m glad you feel that way.”
Luke slanted forward and Taylin leaned into him until their mouths touched. His lips were warm and sweet on hers as he gave her a series of slow, shivery kisses. The clean scent of soap and his spicy deodorant filled her senses, making her head spin and leaving her so breathless she was glad to be sitting.
He gave her one last lingering kiss before drawing back to look into her eyes. “There’s one more thing I forgot to say,” he said in a husky voice.
A satisfied light came into his eyes when Taylin was too dazed from the fantastic kisses to say anything more than one word. “Yes?”
“Hanging out and dating are two different things, and we are not hanging out.”
That he knew the difference was impressive. Jared never got it that Taylin coming over to his apartment to make dinner while he played Xbox live was not a date.
“Wow…” She leaned in and gave him a quick kiss. “I like your rules much better than mine.”
He grinned. “I’m pretty sure you just used reverse psychology on me.”
“Did I?” she asked sweetly before standing up.
He laughed and then pressed a hand to his side. “Dang, I forgot about my ribs.”
“Do you need more pain medicine?”
“Not yet. I’ll take some before I go to bed.”
Taylin nodded her head and then started supper. Without having to ask, she found where Luke stored his pans. They all looked brand new, and he admitted he wasn’t much of a cook. It made cooking for him even better.
Luke watched her work from his place on the couch, and she could almost swear his smoldering eyes were hotter than the stovetop. They talked while she boiled, chopped and mixed to create the meal. It wasn’t the first time she’d cooked for a boyfriend, but somehow this felt different. Not like she was playing house or anything, but it brought her a level of contentment she’d never experienced.
When supper was ready, Taylin joined Luke on the couch to eat. He had Philip Jacob’s playing softly in the background. It would’ve been quite romantic if not for the constant interruption coming from both of their cell phones, continually dinging incoming messages.
“Whoever has the most text messages by the end of the night gets to plan our next date,” Taylin said after Luke got a series of texts from two unidentified numbers.
“Okay.” He placed his phone facedown on the coffee table. “But I think you’ll win. You have a lot more Facebook friends than I do.”
She glanced at him sidelong and grinned. “Really? And how do you know that? I don’t recall you issuing a friend request.”
The tips of his ears reddened. “I may have been Facebook stalking you.”
“Why Mr. McKay, I think you really do like me.”
He turned to look at her. “I’m pretty sure we’ve already established that fact.”
Those eyes of his were dangerous and said much more than Luke was willing to admit. She was a breath away from kissing him when her cell phone blared out the tone of an incoming FaceTime call.
“You better get that,” he said. “It might be your dad, and he already doesn’t like me.”
“He likes you just fine.” He did like Luke. He just didn’t like the way Luke looked at his daughter. Her daddy wasn’t ready to let go of his babies, even though his babies were twenty-four. And he highly suspected Taylin was about to be swept off her feet. She sure hoped so.
Taylin reached for her phone, but accidentally pushed it onto the carpet, forcing her to get off the couch to answer it. “It’s my sister-in-law,” she said when she picked up her phone. “I really need to take this. My brother was doing a mini concert for a corporate fundraiser, so they didn’t find out about the tornado until about an hour ago.”
Luke smiled. “I don’t mind.”
Sitting on the edge of the coffee table, Taylin tapped her finger on the screen to connect the call. Instead of Addie, the cute little face on the screen was her niece, Isabelle. “Izzy! Hey, baby,” she said waving at her favorite three-year-old. “It’s Aunt Tay Tay.”
“Show Aunt Tay Tay your silly face,” Addie said from off-screen.
Isabelle obeyed by opening her mouth with her little fingers and sticking out her tongue. Taylin laughed, knowing Chase had to be the one to teach his daughter this new trick.
“You are so adorable.” She turned the phone around so Luke could see the screen. The soft smile he gave her niece melted her heart.
Taylin turned the phone back toward her just as Addie came onscreen. “S
o how’s my famous sister?”
“Grateful to be alive.”
“Seriously! Chase and I about died when we finally read Mom’s text.”
“Where is my brother?”
“Changing Izzy’s diaper,” Chase hollered from the background.
“You have him trained so well,” Taylin said to her sister-in-law.
“Yeah, gotta love a man who will take on poopy diapers, especially since Izzy refuses to go number two on the potty.” Addie wiggled her eyebrows up and down. “Enough talk about potty training. I want to hear about the hot guy Dad caught you making out with.”
Taylin glanced at Luke and smiled at the embarrassed look on his face. “Hot Guy is sitting right here,” Taylin said. “And we weren’t making out.”
Addie’s eyes widened. “Is he really with you right now?” she whispered.
“Yep.”
“Sorry, Hot Guy,” Addie said on a laugh.
“He has a name.” Taylin turned the phone toward Luke again. “Addie, meet Luke McKay.”
Luke was a good sport and lifted his hand to wave at the screen. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“You too,” Addie said, still clearly amused by the situation. “By the way, I’ve caught Mom and Dad Nichols making out in the kitchen plenty of times, so don’t feel too bad.”
“Thanks,” Luke said dryly. “I feel so much better.”
“Cute and funny,” Addie said. “I think I like you, Luke McKay.”
“Again, thanks.”
His deadpan delivery sent Addie into another round of giggles. Taylin pointed the screen back in her direction just in time to see Chase come up from behind his wife. “Would you stop flirting with Taylin’s boyfriend?” he said, snatching the phone out of Addie’s hand.
The screen was a blur of white, and Taylin heard Addie complain that she wasn’t done talking. There was more laughter, and then finally Taylin’s handsome brother appeared on the screen.
“That woman,” Chase teased. “I never know what she’s gonna say next.”
“I heard that,” Addie said.
“I miss y’all so much,” Taylin said, suddenly feeling very emotional. She wished Chase and Addie would move to Georgia. “Christmas is too far away.”
“Yeah, it is.” The screen went blurry again, and she heard Isabelle asking to hold daddy. Her tiny voice was so cute. When Chase came back onscreen, his daughter was snuggled up against his chest.
“Ah, y’all are killin’ me.” Taylin wished she could step through the phone so she could hold the little girl. The last time she’d seen Izzy was six months earlier when they’d made a short visit for Chase’s birthday. “Hold still while I take a screenshot.”
“Done?” Chase asked a couple of seconds later. “Because it’s my turn to meet… I refuse to call him ‘hot guy’.”
“Luke,” Taylin said with a laugh. Her brother and his wife were always very entertaining to talk to.
Raising her eyes, she found Luke watching her closely. “Sorry,” she mouthed.
He gave her a sexy smile that sent her pulse racing. “I’m okay,” he said in a low voice.
Instead of turning the phone around again, she decided to resume her position on the couch next to Luke. “Chase,” she said, holding up her phone. “Meet Luke McKay.”
Chase was usually a big tease, but he refrained from saying anything embarrassing to Luke. The two men said hello, and then Luke asked Chase about his music. It was a good move on Luke’s part. Her brother loved talking about his music.
Taylin enjoyed listening to them converse, talking like they’d been friends for a long time. She handed the phone over to Luke and then leaned her head against his shoulder. He smelled so good, and the warmth of his body made her feel a little sleepy.
She closed her eyes, perfectly happy to stay right by Luke’s side and never leave. The conversation turned to fishing, and Luke promised to take Chase out on the lake when they visited in a couple of months. Taylin loved that he’d extended the invitation, as if he knew they would still be together.
They talked about other good fishing spots near Mitchel Creek, and Taylin made a mental note to ask her brother about the place their daddy used to take them.
The next thing she knew, Luke was whispering in her ear, “Taylin, you need to wake up.”
Her eyes fluttered open, surprised to find the room so quiet. “Are you done talkin’ with Chase?” she asked sitting up.
The corner of Luke’s mouth lifted. “About an hour ago.”
“I’ve been sleepin’ for an hour?” She tipped her head to the side, trying to get the kink out of her neck. “I’m so sorry.”
“I didn’t mind.” He winked at her. “I think your brother did though. He made it very clear he’s calling you back after he helps get his daughter to sleep.”
“That sounds like my big brother.” She stifled a yawn. “What time is it, anyway?”
“Almost eight.” He handed over her phone. “We both just got a text from Jennifer saying our cars will be delivered around eight-thirty.”
“Oh, that’s great.” She pressed the home button on her phone to bring up her missed messages. “Wow, I have thirty-seven texts.”
“You won.” Luke pressed closer to show her his phone. “I only have seventeen.”
His warm breath tickled her ear and she felt her skin prickle with goose bumps underneath her long-sleeved shirt. The air crackled with awareness as she turned and faced him, bringing them only inches apart. “That means I get to plan our next date.”
“Yes you do.”
“Have any requests?” she asked and felt her cheeks go hot when his eyes dropped to her mouth.
“I can think of a few things.”
Taylin didn’t have time to ask what those might be as Luke closed the distance between them and pressed his lips to hers. The soft and slow caresses he delivered sent endless endorphins rushing through her veins, giving her a natural high. Intoxicating warmth wrapped around her like a warm blanket on a cold day.
The incredible kiss ended when the doorbell chimed several times in a row.
Luke pulled back with a groan. “Does your dad know where I live?”
Taylin held up her phone. “I share my location with my family, so maybe?” She doubted it was her daddy, though. He trusted Taylin, plus, his good manners would never allow him to ring the doorbell like that. “I’ll check it out.”
The incessant dinging suddenly stopped as Taylin reached the entryway. She peeked through the peephole, but didn’t see anyone. The doorbell sounded again— this time accompanied by a child’s voice claiming it was her turn to ring the doorbell.
Taylin swung the door open to find a little girl pressing the doorbell and a little boy, who looked to be about the same age, vying for a turn with the buzzer.
“Hi there,” Taylin said when both children stopped their fight to stare up at her.
“Who are you?” the little girl asked.
“I’m Taylin,” she said, quickly scanning the area for an adult. The kids weren’t very old, and it was dark outside.
“Where’s Mr. Luke?” the little boy asked.
Well, at least the children knew Luke, which meant they must be one of the neighbors. Taylin glanced around again, wondering where their mother was. A sudden bout of possessiveness hit her when she also wondered how old the mother was and whether or not she was single.
“Mr. Luke is inside.” Before Taylin could ask for their names, the little boy darted around her, calling out for Luke. The little girl was right behind him.
Taking one more look around, Taylin closed the door and returned to the family room. Luke had one arm around the little girl, while the little boy was attempting to use his crutches.
“You have visitors,” Taylin said with a smile. “Unsupervised visitors,” she added on.
One of Luke’s eyebrows lifted. “Hey guys, where’s your grandma?”
Grandma? Taylin’s fleeting jealousy for another woman abated just
as quickly as it had hit her.
The little girl shrugged her shoulders. “She was in the bathroom.”
“And you didn’t tell her you were coming over here?”
“No, sir.”
“That must be her,” Luke said when the doorbell chimed again.
Taylin rushed to answer it, knowing the woman must be worried about her grandchildren. “They’re inside,” she said when she opened the door.
“Thank the Lord,” the woman panted, placing a hand over her heaving chest. “I’m too old to run that fast.”
“I’m sorry,” Taylin said, opening the door wider. “Come on in.”
“Thank you, but I’m the one who should apologize.” She waited for Taylin to close the door. “I’m Iris Bradford, Luke’s neighbor.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Bradford.” Taylin shook the woman’s hand. “I’m Taylin Nichols, a friend of Luke’s.”
“I recognize you from the pictures on the news.” The woman’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “I reckon you’re more than just a friend,” she said with a wink.
Taylin smiled and followed Iris into the family room. Both kids waited for their grandma with wide eyes.
“Y’all are in big trouble,” Iris said sternly. “I nearly had a heart attack when I couldn’t find the two of you.”
Taylin watched the little girl’s eyes widen, and then her lower lip started to tremble. “You’re gonna have a heart attack like Papa did?”
“No, sugar,” Iris said, opening her arms. “Nana didn’t mean to say that.” She hugged the child close. “Y’all just scared me.”
“Hey, Mrs. Bradford,” Luke said. “You’re home early from the beach, aren’t you?”
“Yes, young man.” Iris let go of her granddaughter, who seemed to have recovered quickly. “I won’t say out loud what seein’ you on television did to my heart, but we rushed home to make sure you were okay.”
Taylin heard the catch in Mrs. Bradford’s voice. It shouldn’t surprise her that Luke had already endeared himself to his neighbors. He was a good guy.
She couldn’t help comparing him to Jared, who didn’t care how loud he and his friend’s got when drinking and playing games. The neighbors had complained about it more than once, but Jared didn’t change.
Just a Kiss in the Moonlight: Georgia Moon Romance Book 2 Page 19
