An Informal Introduction (Informal Romance Book 3)

by Heather Gray

  Why mess with perfection?

  He planned to notice her dress, too. Later. Right now her lips captivated him. A little gloss went a long way toward kissable.

  “Glad you could come.”

  A smile lit Lily’s face before she stretched her arm back into the interior and withdrew her sunglasses. She settled them into place. “Thank you. Your mom has a beautiful property.”

  “You haven’t seen anything yet. Come on around to the back. That’s where it gets interesting.”

  She walked beside him. He desired nothing more than to reach out and rest his arm across her shoulders and pull her close to his side. Slow and easy, though. That was how the turtle won the race. Wasn’t that how the story went? “Hope you like barbecue.”

  “I didn’t grow up Southern, so it was never a staple in my diet.”

  “Then you grew up deprived.”

  Lily glanced around at the front of the house. “Mine’s not the only car here. I’m kind of glad. I got a feeling your mom wanted to set us up.”

  “Would that be so bad?”

  A blush painted her face before he took another breath. He took time to admire her dress then. It was pink. Filmy, too. It had sleeves. Sort of. They looked a bit like straps. Strappy things with extra material hanging down over her shoulders. The V in front was modest. The one in back — a quick glance — was deeper. The dress wasn’t form-fitting, but it somehow managed to hug her body and flow around her at the same time as she moved. And it matched the color of her cheeks at that exact moment.

  “I’m not sure how to take that, Trooper Graham.”

  They’d rounded the house but hadn’t yet made it to the back, where they could be seen by the other guests. The tall hedge that surrounded the property aided the smattering of decades-old trees in giving them privacy.

  Caleb stopped walking and tugged Lily’s hand so she came to a standstill, too. Compulsion took over — the need to discover if she felt the electricity arcing between them every time they got within reach of each other. “I didn’t leave that note on your windshield because I wanted to know how you were. I left it because I needed to know. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since… well, since I pulled you over, but I’d like to try to pretend that never happened.”

  Lily stood in silence.

  Blast those sunglasses. Caleb reached out and plucked them off her nose so he could get a glimpse of her eyes. Their color put the Texas bluebonnet to shame, but they brimmed with indecision.

  “I’m going to kiss you now. You have about three seconds to tell me to stop.”

  One one-thousand, two one-thou…

  Caleb brushed the back of Lily’s neck with his right hand as he took a step closer and leaned down. The second his lips touched hers, he was lost. Every Fourth of July he’d ever been to in his life exploded inside his head. His world filled with bright flashes, booming concussions, and the fragrance of summer. He had no idea how long the kiss lasted before he broke away. Every part of his being had been immersed in the sight, sound, smell, and taste of Lily Ziminksi, and one thing was clear — there would be no return to sanity for him.

  She didn’t throw her arms around him, but on the bright side, she didn’t wipe her mouth off or glare at him.

  “Are you going to say anything?”

  Silence met his question.

  If she didn’t want that to happen again, she needed to speak up, because if he got his way, it would be happening a lot.

  Lily held out a hand, and Caleb realized he still clutched her sunglasses. He returned them to her, and she put them back into place. He couldn’t admire her eyes behind those glasses, let alone read them.

  “You’re not going to say anything, are you?”

  She tucked her hand into the crook of his arm. As they began moving again toward the backyard, Lily finally said, “I’m not sure what to say.”

  “You didn’t slap me. I take that as consent to a repeat performance.”

  She flashed him a sideways smile. “I, uh, got caught up in the moment. Which is dangerous. Maybe it’s a good idea if you don’t do that again.”

  That was all the encouragement Caleb needed. She hadn’t told him to stop beforehand, nor had she slapped him after. It appeared she’d lost herself during the kiss, too.

  He owed Ma a thanks for throwing the barbecue together.

  Shortly after Caleb introduced Lily to a few of the folks in his backyard, Ma called him up to the deck to help with the meal. He left Lily visiting with an older couple and Julian, their adult son. Julian had some sort of neurological disorder. He was a good guy, but even though he was in his forties, he processed information and interacted with others on the level of a grade schooler.

  Much as Caleb had suspected, he, Lily, and Julian were the only people at the gathering whose heads weren’t topped in white or silver. He grinned at Ma’s scheming as he wondered whether or not Lily realized the age discrepancy.

  Ma started handing him dishes to carry out to the deck, and he tried to fit an important conversation in between each item he collected from her.

  “So, what did you tell all these people to get them here on such short notice?”

  “Didn’t I raise you to be honest?”

  Dread caused Caleb’s heart to stutter before bouncing back to its normal rhythm. “What did you tell them?”

  “I told them I’d met the mother of my grandchildren and wasn’t getting any younger, so I needed to hurry things along for you two.”

  “You didn’t.”

  Her silence shouted at him.

  “Please tell me you didn’t.”

  “Okay, fine. I didn’t.”

  Caleb, instead of carrying the large bowl of potato salad out to the deck table, ran a hand over his face. “Ma, be serious. What did you tell them?”

  His mom, a good foot shorter than him, ambled up and gave him a light tap on the cheek with the palm of her hand. “You like her, right?”

  “You know I do.”

  “Then what does it matter what I told anybody?”

  He closed his eyes and tried to count to ten. One, two, three… “What did you tell them?”

  “I told them my son missed Texas barbecue and that if they knew what was good for them, they’d find time to come enjoy the treat of a lifetime. Well, except for Gertrude and Bernice. They know I’ve met the mother of my grandchildren.”

  A Texas-sized sigh of relief slipped through Caleb’s lips. Gertrude and Bernice he could handle. They might be gossipy old women, but they were his mom’s best friends. Without them prodding her, he wasn’t sure Ma would have left the house at all during the first couple months after his dad’s death. Those two ladies were priceless gold as far as he was concerned. Caleb loved them because they loved his mom. Not that he planned to tell them so. If he did, they’d start giving him dating advice, too.

  Another quick glance into the backyard showed Lily playing croquet with Julian. He’d thought it a silly idea when Ma had instructed him to set the game up on part of the lawn. Croquet had always seemed boring to him. Now, though… now it was the most fascinating game he’d ever witnessed.

  A few minutes later, all the food weighed down the back table. His mom tugged the cord on the big cowbell he’d given her a few years ago for Christmas, and everyone slowly got up from their chairs out on the lawn and shuffled toward the deck.

  “Caleb, dear, would you bless the meal?”

  He stood behind his mom and rested his hands on her shoulders as he prayed. “Thank you, Father, for the food You’ve provided and the beautiful day…”

  Lily did her best to concentrate on the words as Caleb prayed but was instead mesmerized by the rumble of his voice. Rather than bow her head and close her eyes, she stared. He fascinated her in a way that both excited and terrified her. And then there was that beard.

  She’d never been one for beards. Although she wasn’t quite sure his facial hair could be labeled such. His cheeks bore a three-day scruff. Longer than
if he’d skipped a day of shaving but not full, either. There was only one word to describe it. Sexy.

  The man had a sexy beard surrounding sexy lips right beneath a sexy nose offset by sexy eyes.

  Yep. Trouble.

  Lily had never been kissed by a man with facial hair before. Not that she made a habit of kissing a lot of men. Of the few there’d been, though, none had sported whiskers of any kind. Neither had they made her forget herself so completely. She’d tried to hide it from Caleb. Her left brain had argued against revealing how rubbery her knees had become or how that one single kiss had robbed her of the ability to breathe.

  He was dangerous.

  The chorus of amens broke through Lily’s reverie. She glanced around at the crowd. They were closing the prayer, right? It was just her overactive imagination than put the crowd’s amen in tandem with her thoughts about Caleb…

  Before long, Julian piled food on his plate under his mom’s supervision. Hungry as she was, it didn’t seem right to rush ahead of all the silver-haired people, so Lily hung back.

  “He’s a handsome one, that Caleb.”

  Lily dared a peek and found two women watching her. She felt like a field mouse on a concrete slab under an owl’s tree. Any attempt at fleeing would be futile, so she returned the predators’ gaze instead. One was shorter than her own five-foot-two-inch frame, and the other was almost as tall as Caleb himself.

  “Hi, I’m Bernice, and this is my friend Gertrude.” Gertrude the Giant. Hm. Not her kindest mnemonic, but it would do for now.

  “Pleased to meet you. Are you friends of Mrs. Graham?”

  “Oh, yes, the best of friends. We couldn’t come visit her when she was in the ICU because Gertrude here had a cold, and I have a phobia about hospitals and germs. I can go as far as the waiting room, but you won’t get me into a hospital room unless I’m dead or unconscious.”

  They wouldn’t be putting her in a room if she were dead, but Lily decided against voicing the thought.

  Bernice chuckled and looped her arm through Lily’s. “Did you know Caleb has worked in law enforcement his entire adult life? It takes a special kind of man to be that loyal. No matter what the job has thrown at him, he’s stuck with it. He’s not the sort of man who gives up when something gets difficult.”

  “All right…” Where were they going with this?

  “Gertrude here just mentioned what a fine quality loyalty is in a husband. A woman could do worse than a man who doesn’t give up and quit whenever life becomes hard, a man who will fight till his dying breath to keep the woman he loves and do right by her.”

  Wow. Bernice would put Grandma Louise to shame.

  They approached the steps to the deck when Bernice picked up the mostly one-sided exchange again. “Gertrude went on and on about how sexy a man in uniform is.”

  Gertrude had awfully strong opinions for someone who never uttered a word.

  Bernice continued the conversation without stopping for breath. “I’m sure women throw themselves at Caleb all the time. If a woman sets her cap for him, she better snatch him up quick before somebody else cuts in line, if you know what I mean.”

  Lily was on the brink of telling the women they ought to hurry up and ask him out if they were so interested. Fortunately, before she opened her mouth, the man in question put his hand on her arm and drew her out of the dwindling line.

  “Come with me. I want to show you something.”

  Caleb hustled her inside the house and through the kitchen to a spacious room with high ceilings. A piano rested against one wall while another was filled with books. A pair of well-worn leather recliners held court in front of matching windows, the small table between them sporting an equally aged Bible.

  Then Caleb stood there, tugging at the collar of his shirt and staring up as though looking for inspiration among the rafter beams.

  “You brought me in here to show me your favorite book?”

  “Uh, what did those women say to you?”

  Lily laughed. “There’s nothing for me to see, is there?”

  He shook his head. “Bernice and Gertrude were talking to you, and, well, they can be a little…” His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed.

  She wondered what else he’d say if she remained quiet but decided not to toy with him like that. The whole situation was too funny. “Bernice kept telling me what Gertrude thought, but Gertrude never spoke.”

  Caleb nodded. “I’ve never heard her talk, either, but my mom says she’s a regular chatterbox. Go figure.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Do I even want to know what they said to you?”

  “According to Gertrude, you’re perfect marriage material. She thinks you’re loyal and hardworking. Oh, and she finds men in uniform sexy. You might want to watch out for her. I think she has designs on you.”

  “They’re my mom’s friends.” He winced. “They mean well, but…”

  Lily waved his explanation away. “Don’t worry about it. I have family, too. But I’m telling you, be on guard where Gertrude’s concerned. I’m pretty sure she’s waiting for an opportunity to lock lips with you.”

  As soon as the words came out, she regretted them. Her mind was once again filled with thoughts of the kiss they’d shared not too long ago. The way Caleb stared at her mouth, it was a pretty good bet his mind had gone to the exact same place.

  “I, uh…” She should go back outside. She should escape before it was too late, not throw herself into his arms and show him how much she’d enjoyed their earlier kiss. Lightning continued to sizzle its way through all her nerve endings.

  Caleb took two strides and stood right in front of her. “I’m not sure I can wait three seconds for you to decide.” His mouth descended on hers.

  A torrent of flame roared through her veins. She should step away. They were alone, and alone was proving a dangerous place for them to be. Lily didn’t pull back, though. Instead, she leaned into him and reached up with her hands. His corded muscles bunched as she laid her fingers against his chest then slid them up to circle his neck.

  A guttural sound from deep in his throat filled her senses seconds before the squeaky swish of the back patio door penetrated the fog. “Caleb? Lily? Are you in here? You should grab your plates. Otherwise, the ribs…” Mrs. Graham walked into the room and found the two with at least five paces separating them.

  If Mrs. Graham’s face was any indication, she wasn’t fooled by the distance or the way Lily and Caleb avoided looking at each other.

  “…Uh, sorry to interrupt. You, uh… You ought to get your ribs before they turn cold. Take your time, though!” She backed out of the living room, waving her hands in front of her. “No hurry. Ribs can always reheat!”

  The patio door opened and closed again.

  “We need to stop doing that.” Lily didn’t recognize her own voice. Stop? That was the last thing she wanted, which was exactly why they needed to.

  Caleb bowed his head, swallowed, and stared at his cowboy boots. “That might be easier said than done.”

  She couldn’t agree more. “Let’s go grab our plates.”

  He swallowed again. His lips parted as though he intended to speak, but then he closed his mouth. It was too late, though. Her eyes had found their focus.

  She blamed him. Those tempting lips of his were far too appealing.

  Lily glanced from Caleb to the arch leading out of the living room. Every cell in her body screamed for her to step closer to him and touch him again, but the voice that whispered from deep in her soul would not be drowned out.

  She didn’t want to leave him, but knowing it was the wiser choice, she stepped toward the arch. “I’ll see you outside?”

  He gave her a nod.

  “We should talk about this.” She forced her fluttering hands to her sides. “Not in private, though. I think maybe we should talk when we’re not alone.”

  Another two steps toward the arch.

  “Lily?”

  She glanced back. In an attempt not to focus
on his lips, she made herself look at his eyes. Big mistake. His grey eyes burned with intensity.

  “Am I even half as dangerous to you as you are to me?”

  How to answer? “I’d like to walk over there and give you a hug because you seem like you need one, and I could use one, too. If I get any closer to you, though, time might stop. The next thing I know, the party will be over, the guests will be gone, and I’ll have missed it all because I was in your arms. When I’m near you, nothing else seems to matter.”

  Not the prettiest speech.

  She wasn’t done yet, either. “I’ve always been a slow-moving person. This thing between us kind of freaks me out. I might panic at some point and try to backpedal my way straight out of…” Her hand fluttered in the space between them. “…this.”

  The tension visibly seeped out of Caleb’s shoulders. He was now as relaxed as a cat taking an afternoon nap. “I’m a patient man.” A slow smile shaped his mouth, and he was by her side in a couple of his normal long strides.

  With a light touch, he kissed the top of her head. “Let’s go get some grub. You’ll love the ribs.”

  After they’d eaten their meal and mingled a bit more with some of the seniors — artfully avoiding Bernice and chatty Gertrude — Caleb directed Lily toward the back of his mom’s property. They approached the trees, and she hesitated. “I thought we decided not to be alone.”

  He laced his fingers through hers. “I have it under control. No kissing, I promise.”

  Lily laughed, and he arched an eyebrow.

  “The problem,” she told him with a shake of her finger, “is that I might want you to kiss me. What then?”

  He glanced skyward, a rueful look on his face. “You sure do know how to make it hard on a guy, don’t you?”

  They broke through the trees, and she gasped in surprise. “This is beautiful.”

  Caleb stood, feet planted firmly apart, hands crossed over his chest, his face stamped with one hundred percent pure unmitigated male pride. “This is the corner of Virginia I’ve claimed as my own. You look good in it.”