by Misty Simon
“Once you find the same heart, we’re going to take it down a notch and have a dance. Dillon has the music all queued up and ready to go, so make a line, get a heart, and get to stepping!”
There was no way to know what heart Caleb would get, so Lore didn’t try to guess. She just left it up to fate, which had seemed to have abandoned her years ago but was maybe shining on her again right now. No matter who she got, she would still look forward to seeing Caleb afterward.
All this thinking put her at the back of the line. Oh, well, there was no right place to be, anyway, except maybe in Caleb’s arms again before the night was through. That thought alone made her shiver in anticipation.
She stepped up to Melanie, who winked at her as she handed over the small cellophane package. “Good luck, girly-whirly!”
And then they were off.
Sixty people milled around the great room situated at the front of the house. The chairs and table had all been moved back against the wall, and there was a general happy murmur throughout the space. Melanie would be happy knowing so many people had had fun, even if they didn’t all pair off on this most romantic night of the year.
Lore looked down at her wrapped package and could make out the words “One Kiss” through the pale pink hearts on the plastic. One kiss? She’d had one, six weeks or so ago, and she wouldn’t mind another. His lips had looked so soft when he was talking, and his bulk would make her feel tiny, as it had before. Maybe he’d walk her home and kiss her again at her front door, and it could be the beginning of something real and good. This time she would relish the kiss and make it last instead of being so stunned that she let the crowd whisk her away.
Then again, she was spinning fantasies when she should be trying to find the guy with her heart.
She saw Caleb across the room, his head above nearly everyone else’s. They made eye contact, but he was awash in ladies. At least twenty of them were stacked in a circle around him, all holding out their packages to see if he was the one. She stood back and smiled, figuring he would come to her when he was done, or he’d find the right one before her turn.
A few men came to see if she had the right heart, but they never matched. She’d seen Play Time, Call Me, Crazy 4U, You’re Sweet, Say Yes, and Be Mine, but no One Kiss.
The crowd thinned out around Caleb, each woman turning away with either an angry or a sad look on her face but immediately brightening as the search continued. Connections were made, some hugs and kisses were exchanged, and through the whole thing Melanie clapped her hands like a small child on Christmas morning.
Finally there was no one else standing in front of Caleb. He took a step toward her and hesitated. Maybe he was worried she wouldn’t have his candy heart, though he might already have a fingertip grip on her real one.
She walked to him instead of waiting for him to come to her. Meeting halfway was one of the things she hadn’t wanted to do in a long time, and yet now it felt right.
“Tell me you have One Kiss,” he said with a smile.
“I sure do.”
“You think Melanie set that up?”
“I don’t think I care if she did.”
He enveloped her in his arms, and she stepped in closer. That same feeling—of contentment, of peace, of security, of desire—washed over her with a tinge of what-if and lust. He was a big guy, and feeling her breasts pushed up against his rock-solid chest made her tingle in places she hadn’t in years. The tingle spread, and she held on so he couldn’t see the way she was blushing and the yearning that was surely shining in her eyes.
Chapter Five
Caleb would have been fine with dancing with one of the other ladies for a three-minute song. But when “Stairway to Heaven” came on, he laughed into Lore’s sweet-smelling hair. Eight minutes and two seconds could be a long time to sway with the wrong person.
“What’s funny?” She stepped back.
He pulled her to him again and explained about the length of the song. “We play it some nights on the radio because it’s slower at the beginning, and I have this one guy who requests it every night at 11:30 to go to sleep by.”
“Do you get a lot of regular listeners?” Her cheek moved against his chest, sending crackles down through his body.
“Yeah, a lot of insomniacs or third-shift workers spend their nights with me.” He dropped his hands to her waist, and she circled her arms around his neck. Maybe he should whip out some of the dance moves he’d learned in college for formal occasions, instead of this shuffle like they were in middle school.
But she felt so good against him. He didn’t want to create a frame for her, he wanted to hold her.
“I might have to stay up after work from now on, instead of going right to bed.”
He smiled into her hair. “I’d love to know you’re out there listening.” He bent his head a bit and placed a kiss on her cheek. “You smell like cherries. I love cherries.”
She laughed, but softly this time, the sound reverberating between his chest and hers. “That’s good to know.”
Just as he was about to go in for a real kiss, the song ended, and his phone alarm went off at the same time. “Damn.”
She stepped back quickly and crossed her arms.
“No, wait.” He blew out a breath. “I just forgot I still have to go to work tonight.”
Her smile was like magic. “What time do you have to be there?”
“In an hour.”
“And it only takes fifteen minutes to get there. Why don’t we get our coats, and you can walk me home?” A smile graced her red lips. “Then I’ll listen to you tonight and hope we might be able to meet again tomorrow once you wake up.”
He would like nothing better. And appreciated that she was the one to suggest it. This way he didn’t feel like he was chasing when she didn’t want to be chased.
Melanie yanked him aside as Dillon went to get their coats and Lore grabbed some kind of leftovers tray Melanie sent her to the kitchen for. “Do not, under any circumstances, mess with her,” she growled at him.
“I won’t. I promise.”
Her face was fierce, and she didn’t let go. “Because you won’t see another ad ever come across the waves if you break her heart.”
“Back off, Melanie.” Lore tugged the other woman away from him with a smile and a hug. “I love you, but I’ve got this. He does not need the warning.” She kissed Melanie on the cheek. “Thank you for the party. It was much better than I expected.”
“Okay.” Melanie continued to eye him and then made the universal sign to let him know she was watching him.
That was fine with him.
He helped Lore with her coat, and she smiled at him over her shoulder, those mismatched eyes twinkling.
Stepping out into the cold, he tucked her under his arm, where she fit like perfection. They talked about inconsequential things, but he listened to her every word about her love of music, especially old stuff like Shirley Temple songs and tunes from the play Annie, and the kids she helped. In turn she listened to his story about leaving Wall Street and the divorce from his wife. They were making progress on the getting-to-know-you path, but it felt natural.
After five minutes they arrived at the side door to the art gallery.
“You live above here?” He craned his neck up to take in the four stories of the building.
“Yep.” She turned to put her key in the lock of the door leading to a small open area and a lit stairwell.
Once she had the door unlocked and pulled open, he tugged her against him. If this was where they were going to say goodnight, then he wanted it to be a good one. He quickly brought her back into the circle of his arms. For a moment he simply stared into her eyes. What was it about her? She was smart, funny, kind, sexy as hell, and giving. She laughed with him, at him, and at herself. All things he valued, and he could see himself falling for her hard in the not-too-distant future. He wanted that more than he’d wanted anything in a long time.
“I still need th
at One Kiss,” he said as he closed the distance between their faces, keeping his gaze on hers until her eyes drifted shut when their lips were an inch apart. He tilted to his left and she to his right.
But he wanted the anticipation to last and build. So he kissed the eyelids that covered her beautiful eyes. He kissed her cheeks that had bloomed with color earlier when they were dancing. He kissed the tip of her nose that was getting cold. And, finally, he settled his lips on hers in a whisper of a kiss. He nibbled on her lips, licked the corner of her mouth, tugged on her bottom lip with his teeth. He let his desire for her, his want to know her and be with her, ratchet up and flow out of him into that kiss.
And then she grabbed him by the ears and dove in like she was on fire and he was the water needed for quenching. She took him to the brink, with her hands creeping up under his jacket, playing with his shirt, fingering his belt loops. She laid her palms flat on his back above his belt, and he wished he had worn a T-shirt so she’d have better access.
As fast as she’d gone in, she pulled back and rested her forehead against his.
“Holy wow,” she breathed.
“I couldn’t have said it better myself.”
“That was like a revelation.”
“It was.”
They both laughed, causing the air between them to mist with the cold.
She wreathed her arms around his neck and looked into his eyes. “Six years ago my fiancé died in the war. It’s been a really long time since I’ve gotten close enough to anyone to do anything more than endure a peck on the lips here or there. But now there’s you.”
She could probably feel his heart pounding. “And now there’s me.”
“And I wish desperately that you didn’t have to go to work.”
“I have about thirty minutes.”
A wicked gleam entered into her eyes. “I bet there’s a lot we could do in thirty minutes.” And she pulled him into the small foyer at the bottom of the stairs. His jacket was unzipped and her hands feathered over his abs between one breath and the next.
Two could play at that game. He unzipped her bulky jacket and slid his hands along her waistband, just to touch her skin. She shivered in his arms and he grinned against her lips.
“Kiss me again,” she said.
And he obliged, seeking entrance to her mouth. His tongue slid along hers, teasing her to come out and play. And they did play until her hands went into his hair and things got serious. She sucked his bottom lip into her mouth, ending with a quick nip that shot right down to his already growing erection. Her body moved against his in a mimic of what they could be doing horizontally and not in a foyer. Those hands went on a journey from his abs to hook up around his shoulders as she made sure every inch of her touched every inch of him. He was only too happy to play along.
Nestling her between his thighs, he pushed her back against the wall and broke away from her mouth to taste the curve of her neck, the underside of her jaw, the whorl of her ear. She moaned, and it did things to him.
He could take her right now and it would be the best thing he’d ever experience.
Of course, his alarm sounded again, telling him he had twenty minutes until he was on air.
He swore, with his forehead resting against hers as he tried to even out his heavy breathing.
“You’re sure you have to go to work?” she asked in a breathy whisper.
He laughed and kissed her, just a quick one that would have turned into more if he hadn’t pulled away. “I do, but I’m off tomorrow, if you have time.”
“I’ll make time.”
“Then I’ll be here at ten and we can pick up where we left off, if you’re still willing. For tonight, listen to me and have good dreams.”
She pretended to pout but then smiled a sexy smile that hit him in his already overworked gut. “Give me ten minutes to get into my PJs, and I’ll be sitting on my bed listening to my radio like when I was a teenager.”
Coming in for one more quick kiss, she then pulled open the door and blew him another kiss as he walked out into the cold. She closed and locked the door behind him.
Mesmerized, he watched her walk up the stairs for as long as he could until she disappeared from the glass insert in the door. And then he jogged back to Melanie’s house and his car. He didn’t really want to see anyone, so he kept to the other side of the street and watched people still dancing and having a good time. He didn’t know how he was going to thank Melanie for that party, but he’d have to be careful or her head would get way too big. Maybe he’d send her flowers tonight. She seemed like the kind who’d like them. For Lore, he’d have chocolate delivered mid-morning. By hand.
****
Lore ran up the stairs with her phone buzzing in her back pocket. She threw open the locks to her top-floor apartment, then shut and locked the door behind her. She leaned back against the door like that teenager she’d mentioned, and the phone stopped buzzing. Only to start right back up. She highly doubted it was Caleb already, though it made her giddy to think it might be.
It wasn’t. It was Melanie, who would’ve been her second guess.
“Hello.”
“Hey, there, girly-whirly,” her best friend said with a sly edge to her tone. She was about to gloat, and, honestly, at this point Lore was inclined to listen, but only as long as it took her to put on pajamas. Then she would be sitting with the radio she’d have to dig out of her closet, listening to Late Night with Caleb.
“You have five minutes, tops, and you’re going to have to listen to me brushing my teeth and stuff.”
“So you’re alone?”
Lore huffed out a laugh, “Yes, Melanie, you might be amazing, but he has to work, and I just learned his name tonight. I don’t think jumping into bed within hours would be such a good idea.” Of course, she would have done just that and not regretted a single second if he hadn’t had to leave.
“But I bet it would be good.”
That got a full-fledged laugh. “I’m sure it will be fantastic.”
“So you had fun?”
“You know I did, and I was wrong—that was the best idea you ever had.”
There was a brief pause, and then, “Good, because I have another one.”
Lore smiled. “Not tonight. Tomorrow, I promise. Now I have to go find my radio and plug it in. I love you and good night.”
“I love you, too, and am happy you decided to show up and stay.”
“Me too. It was time, and you were right. Now go treat your man right for letting you have that ridiculous party with Pass the Oranges.”
“You didn’t think the last game was ridiculous.”
Lore went all gooey inside. “No, no, I didn’t.”
“Of course. That’s because I fixed it so you and Caleb would get the same hearts.” She hung up while Lore was still laughing.
And then Lore got into her pajamas, found her radio on the top shelf of the linen closet, and plugged it in on her dresser. With a glass of wine in hand and anticipation, she settled in and flicked the tuner to catch Caleb just as he was coming on.
“Good evening out there, folks. You know, sometimes Valentine’s Day can be rough to get through. I’ve had rough ones. I think we all have. But then a night like tonight happens. I’d like to say goodnight to my sweetheart for this Valentine’s Day. And if I’m lucky, she’ll be my sweetheart for many more Valentine’s Days to come. This one’s for her.” And, wouldn’t you know it, he played “Tomorrow” from Annie.
Four hours later she was still listening. Time had flown by on Fast Forward as she’d listened to the voice that had whispered into her ears when they were dancing. It was if he were speaking right to her the whole time, and she fell a little deeper in love with every sentence. He took calls from obviously lonely and desperate people and showed them compassion. He joked and laughed when appropriate and brought it down to real when needed. Of course, there was so much more she wanted to learn about him, but for now she knew enough that the phone call was easy
to make after he signed off at two in the morning.
Chapter Six
Caleb said goodnight to the sound engineer in the next booth and the night guard on his way to his car. It had been a long night and a good one. He had no idea what time Lore had fallen asleep, but knowing she was listening had made the time go by faster.
Three o’clock in the morning meant the parking lot was nearly empty, so his phone ringing sounded loud in the dark. Fumbling it out of his pocket, he did not expect to find Lore’s number flashing on the display screen.
“Hello?”
“Hey there, Mr. DJ,” she said in a low, sexy voice he would have called a purr if hard-pressed.
“Hey, Lore.” He opened his car door and got in, starting it to get the heater running. February in Pennsylvania was not warm in any sense of the word, though his blood was heating just with talking to her.
“So what do you do after you get off?”
There was innuendo there that he wasn’t sure she meant. He still chuckled, and she joined him. So maybe she had meant it?
“Usually go to sleep.”
“Typical man.”
Yeah, she was definitely playing with him.
“What do you do after you get off?” he asked.
“Wouldn’t you like to know?”
God, yes, he would. But he didn’t want to push her and lose her before he’d even gotten a chance to be with her. Melanie’s warnings flashed in his mind. Mentally he swatted her aside and got back to the conversation.
“What are you doing still up?” he asked. “I thought I would have put you to sleep hours ago.”
“Thank you for playing my song.”
“You’re welcome. Any request you have, I’ll try to satisfy.” He wasn’t without his own innuendoes.
“Would it be too soon to ask you to stop by before you go home to sleep, then?”
“Now?” It was late, and she had been tired hours ago.
“Yep, now. I’ll meet you at the door, if you’re interested.” And she hung up.
Of course he was interested in spending time with her. But what was she inviting him over for? He didn’t want to make assumptions, but his groin had a mind of its own. So did his foot on the gas pedal. He made it to her apartment building in about ten minutes and parked right out front.
