Welcome to Forever

by Annie Rains

  She couldn’t argue his point. It did feel like a date. She was wearing his jacket, and he was sitting so close to her right now that their legs were brushing up against each other. She swallowed. If she didn’t look away at this very moment, he’d probably kiss her. And secluded on their bench with no one else around, no one would have to know.

  She kept her eyes locked on his. They were magic eyes, with a myriad of browns mixing together, light and dark.

  Then his body leaned in slowly as if to tell her a secret. And yeah, she really, really wanted to hear that secret. Her heart pounded in her chest as he moved even closer. So close she could barely think, barely breathe. Then her eyes started to close. She’d worry about the consequences of kissing Micah tomorrow. Tonight, she didn’t want to worry. She just wanted to kiss this man until her entire body melted into one big, feel-good puddle.

  When nothing happened, her eyes fluttered back open. He was watching her with a large grin stretching along his face. It was a good face, she decided. One she could stare at for a very long time.

  “What?” she asked, her chest rising and falling as if she’d just sprinted across the parking lot. Why the heck wasn’t he kissing her right about now?

  “Just checking,” he said. Then he leaned in and kissed her.

  She moaned softly as his tongue touched her outer lip, and then reached inside her mouth. His hands moved up her shoulders, pulling her gently to him. Bracing both hands on his chest to keep from falling into him, she kissed him back, and it felt good—too good.

  After a long moment, the kiss slowed like a ride at an amusement park. She half-expected her hair to be up in the air, a huge mess from their roller-coaster kiss.

  “What were you checking?” she asked when she had words to speak again.

  “If you were ready for me.” He smiled. “If I was ready for you.”

  “And?”

  He kissed her lips again, more softly this time. “And I’m still not sure.”

  —

  It was almost midnight before Micah left the gardens. After walking Kat to her car at the close of the exhibit, he’d returned to help with cleanup. Now, he blinked through heavy lids as he drove home, unable to keep his mind on anything other than the woman who’d been on his arm all night.

  What was he getting himself into? He was supposed to be focusing on Ben. That’s what he’d decided after his brief thing with Nicole. Ben needed one hundred percent of his attention, and that left no room for a relationship.

  So why had he kissed Kat tonight?

  Because she was beautiful. That’s why. Not just that, but funny, too. And smart. And she was incredible with Ben and the other kids. She was great—which left him with a choice. He could either pretend like nothing had happened tonight, or he could entertain letting someone else into his and Ben’s life.

  His pulse quickened at just the thought of taking that leap again. And it wouldn’t just be his leap. Anytime he leapt, he took Ben with him. That made dating anyone a risk—a risk often best not taken.

  As if on cue, his phone buzzed at his side. He glanced at the caller ID, thinking he’d call whoever it was back tomorrow. When he saw his aunt’s name on the phone’s screen, however, he immediately pulled it to his ear. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  “Now calm down,” she said. “Ben’s okay.”

  “Then why are you calling me this late?”

  “Ben had a nightmare. That’s all.”

  Micah could hear the shakiness in his aunt’s voice, which did nothing to calm his growing nerves. “A nightmare?” Ben never had nightmares. Not since “Uncle” Lawson had let him watch that crazy horror flick with the talking doll. “What was it about? Aunt Clara?”

  She sighed heavily. “His mother in the war. I know I said I’d watch him tonight, but he’s asking for you, Micah.”

  Massaging his right temple, pressed down harder on the gas pedal. “I’m ten minutes away. I’ll get him on the way home.”

  “Good. And I’m sorry,” she said, still shaky.

  Micah couldn’t help but smile. “For what?” he asked. “For being a saint of an aunt and watching my kid tonight?” So that I could kiss Ben’s principal. “I’ll see you soon.” He hung up the phone and hurried home as fast as his Jeep would allow. He’d left Ben with Clara so that he could see the gardens that he’d helped design. For the last few months, he’d worked on the layouts at night when Ben was sleeping. Getting this opportunity was a big step in starting up his own landscaping business after he was out of the Corps. And in providing Ben with some form of stability.

  Kissing Kat, however, wasn’t a step in the right direction. If they got involved, there’d be dates. Ben would be left with Aunt Clara a lot more, and he was fragile right now with Jessica deployed. The timing was piss-poor for starting a relationship, and he knew it.

  So there it was. His choice was made. He’d just have to pretend nothing had happened tonight. He and Kat would run the Friendship Club, he’d take her to the Marine Corps ball and stay just long enough to please his father and keep him from being DD to a bunch of drunks the rest of the night. Then his deal with Kat would be over. If he could keep his eyes, and hands, off her in that silky black dress, he’d be fine.

  And most important, so would Ben.

  —

  “Stop staring at me.” Kat frowned at Val on Monday morning.

  “Can’t help it,” Val said, sitting behind her secretary’s desk. “Something is definitely up with you. It’s written all over your face.” She circled a finger in the air, growing giddier by the second. “This has something to do with Micah Peterson.”

  “Micah?” Just hearing his name made Kat cross her legs under her desk and made her lips tingle at the memory of their fireworks kiss.

  “Uh-huh. Something happened with him over the weekend,” Val accused.

  How did her best friend do that? Val always knew when she was holding something back. But she wasn’t ready to talk about what had happened with Micah over the weekend just yet. And, really, she shouldn’t have been kissing a parent at all—not that she had any regrets. She didn’t. He’d put a smile on her face that hadn’t budged since Saturday night.

  “Fine. Don’t tell me now. You can spill the juicy details over chips and salsa on Tuesday at dinner.”

  Kat gathered a stack of papers from her office mailbox and continued walking. “We’ll see.”

  “Ah-ha!” Val pointed another accusatory finger. “You just admitted it. Something did happen.”

  Kat didn’t look back. Her kiss with Micah was the last thing she needed to get out on the gossip network at Seaside Elementary. “We’ll talk Tuesday.” Slipping into her office, she closed the door and breathed a sigh of relief at the brief moment of privacy.

  After several minutes of sitting behind her desk, she slammed a folder on her desk and groaned. She couldn’t concentrate on what she was supposed to be doing. Her brain was consumed by the kiss, just like a hormone-ravaged teenager. Like when she’d first met John.

  Her right hand absently went to the diamond on her left ring finger. She hadn’t been able to envision dating someone else before, but with Micah, she could. Even if he was a Marine—which was crazy.

  A ragged breath shuddered through her. Maybe his being a Marine was one of the things that attracted her to him. Even though the career choice had stolen John’s life, she’d always admired his courage and strength. She admired his sacrifice for his country, too. But it hadn’t just been his sacrifice. She’d also sacrificed something—her future.

  Now, maybe she could begin again. With Micah.

  Crazy thoughts. Ridiculous thoughts.

  Her phone rang on her desk and she snapped upright before picking up the receiver. “Yes?”

  “Problem in the Seagull hall,” Val said.

  “What kind of problem?”

  “Kimberly Flowers.”

  Kat groaned. “Okay. Thanks.” She’d needed a distraction, but she wasn’t in the mood to d
eal with the mayor’s daughter today. Or any day for that matter. She stood and walked past Val’s desk, going down the hall toward the culprit.

  From the classroom’s doorway, she saw immediately what had happened. Curling a finger at the tall girl with long, ash blond hair, she signaled her to step into the hallway. Kimberly had caused trouble before. So had Kimberly’s parents.

  “You smeared red lipstick on the substitute teacher’s chair?” Anger scalded Kat’s neck. If there was one thing she wouldn’t tolerate, it was disrespect against a teacher. Not in her school. And the poor sub was wearing white linen pants of all things. Didn’t she know you weren’t supposed to wear white after Labor Day?

  The ends of Kimberly Flowers’s mouth quirked. “It was just a joke. Everyone thought it was funny, Principal Chandler.”

  “Funny? Did Mrs. Pilar think it was funny?” Kat shook her head. “Well, guess what, Kim? You’ll be staying an hour after school for the next two weeks.”

  The girl’s expression twisted. “But I have soccer.” Her mean-girl voice suddenly sounded like a whiny three-year-old’s.

  “Not for the next couple weeks, you don’t.” Kat crossed her arms under her chest.

  Mirroring her, Kimberly crossed her arms, too. “We’ll see. My dad won’t let you keep me from soccer.”

  The twinkle in Kim’s eyes just about made Kat want to raise the penance to a month. “I’d love to talk to your father. In fact, while you return to your seat, I think I’ll go call him and share the good news.”

  Kim’s twinkle dulled just a touch. Good.

  Kat waved at the substitute teacher, Mrs. Pilar, whose left eye appeared to be twitching. Yeah, the Flowers family had that effect on her, too. Starting back down the long hallway, she had to admit, she was impressed with herself. Most teachers in this school backed down to the third-grade girl just because of who her parents were. Backing down had only made Kimberly Flowers a bigger bully, though. And if Kat backed down…well, the girl would probably turn out to be just like her bully parents, who, unfortunately, Kat would now be dealing with this afternoon.

  Val’s brow lifted as Kat stormed back through the office. “So what are you going to do about Kimberly Flowers?”

  “What do you mean what am I going to do? The only thing I can do,” Kat said. “She has to be treated like everyone else around here.”

  A snicker escaped her friend’s lips. “You’ve been a great boss. I’ll put in a good word for you if you need me to.”

  “For what?” Kat asked, unamused.

  “Your next job. Mayor Flowers is going to have your head if you make his only daughter spend her afternoons talking to plants.”

  “He won’t. I’ll make him understand. A child has to be taught her boundaries. At this rate, that girl will be in the state penitentiary by the time she’s drinking age. He certainly doesn’t want that, right?” Kat slipped a hard candy out of the bowl by Val’s computer. “I’ll be at my desk if you need me.”

  “One more thing,” Val said. “You have a visitor. I told him he could wait in your office.”

  “Him?” Kat looked through the frosted glass window of her office door where the tall, dark outline of a male body waited on the other side. Her belly fluttered. “Thank you, Val. Please make sure we aren’t disturbed.”

  “Sure will…and we’ll discuss what happens behind that closed door when we have our chips and salsa tomorrow night.”

  Chapter 11

  His plan was to go into Kat’s office and avoid discussing the kiss. Pretend like it never happened because that’s the way it needed to be.

  Micah’s mind knew that, but his heart shredded the idea to pieces as soon as she walked into the room, looking all flustered and flushed. A rush of testosterone shot through him and all he could think of suddenly was locking that door, pushing her up against the wall, and pressing his mouth against hers.

  “Hi.” Her voice was soft and sweet. He wanted to turn it to a raspy pant. Damn. He’d been celibate for too long. Maybe Lawson was right and all he needed was a good lay, but definitely not with Kat. Sleeping with her could only mean falling deeper under her spell.

  “Did you need me for something?” she asked, stepping closer. She was wearing a floral dress that flirted with her legs, brushing up against them with every step she took.

  Yep. He definitely needed her for something. Clearing his throat, he ran a quick hand through his hair. “Yes.” He nodded, but for the life of him, he couldn’t remember what he’d come here to ask her. Something about the after-school program maybe? Or Ben?

  He focused on her rose-colored lips that tasted like honey. He loved honey, and he could think of a lot of places he’d like to taste it at the moment.

  A smile crossed her mouth as if she knew exactly what he was thinking. “We can’t talk about that here. This is where I work,” she said, lowering her voice.

  He shook his head. “No. No, I didn’t come here to talk about that.” A nervous laugh escaped his lips. That’s what he’d come here not to talk about. “I, uh…I came here to talk about the Friendship Club.”

  “Oh. Okay.” Taking a seat behind her desk, she motioned for him to sit at the chair in front of her. The idea of doing so made him feel like that bully being called to the principal’s office all those years ago. Except he’d never wanted to clear his principal’s desk and have his way with her. For one, his principals had all been about a hundred years old when he was growing up. So that ruled that out.

  She stared at him expectantly. “What’s on your mind, Micah?”

  He swallowed and took a step toward her desk. “You,” he said, doing his best not to tell her exactly what he was thinking.

  Her eyes widened.

  “I want to go out with you again,” he said, surprising himself, too. He’d made a conscious decision not to date Kat. Only, he’d been fantasizing about another date since they’d hugged goodbye at the gardens this weekend. He’d been fantasizing about a hell of a lot more than that.

  A beautiful smile crossed those delicious honey lips.

  “Except this time I want it to be real. I want to pick you up at your house, bring you flowers, and get you home by a reasonable hour.” Then follow you inside. He leaned forward, bracing his hands on her desk. “Will you go on a date with me, Kat? This Friday night?”

  Suddenly, her smile dropped. “I, um. I can’t.” She held up her hands. “Not that I don’t want to. I do. But I kind of have this obligation.”

  “Obligation?” he repeated, stunned that he was being turned down. He didn’t ask women out often, but when he did, he didn’t get turned down. He never should’ve asked her out in the first place. “What kind of obligation?” he asked.

  Color rose through her neck and trickled into her cheeks. “I volunteer at the Veterans’ Center once a month, in honor of the men and women who’ve fallen. This Friday is the one I’m scheduled for. I help serve dinner. Then we play bingo. On Saturdays, there’s a dance and I sometimes help out with that, too. Only bingo this month, though. No dancing.”

  He straightened, keeping his gaze on her. “Good. You can save your dancing feet for me next weekend.” He winked at her, feeling a little less rejected by the thought of her spending her night with a bunch of older men. At least that’s who he always imagined hung out at a place like that. Younger vets usually occupied the local bar or could be found playing a game of pool or taking up water sports at the nearby beach.

  “You can help me serve on Friday night if you want,” she said then. “The Veterans’ Center is always looking volunteers.”

  He shook his head ruefully. There was enough on his to-do plate already. Adding another volunteer job to his long list was definitely pushing his limits, and he hadn’t meant to ask her out anyway. It’d been a moment of insanity. “I should probably hang out with Ben,” he said, even though he’d spent nearly every night for the last two weeks with his son. Aunt Clara had been urging him to take time for himself lately. “He’s having a tough
time these days with his mother’s deployment.” And the fact that Jessica hasn’t called even once.

  “Well, you can bring him, too. I’ll put him to work calling out bingo numbers.”

  Micah scratched his chin, considering this. “Ben would probably like that. He’s really happy to be helping out after school.”

  “Good.” She smiled, meeting his eyes head-on, and holding his gaze for a long, sizzling beat.

  If he brought Ben, he definitely wouldn’t be following Kat inside her home at the end of the night, which both relieved and disappointed him.

  “Will you still bring me flowers and get me home at a reasonable hour?” she asked, leaning forward on her desk, making her blouse lower just enough for the disappointment to outweigh the relief. He wanted this woman in every way he’d never wanted anyone else before. He wanted to hold her, kiss her. Take that little whimper she did when he kissed her and turn it into a moan.

  “I have this thing about flowers. I never cut the stem, and I talk to them when no one’s looking,” he said. “My son taught me that. I would only bring flowers to a woman that I trusted to continue spoiling them as much as I do.”

  “Oh, I can be trusted.” Her green eyes danced as she looked at him. “I’ve never liked the idea of cutting the flower stems, either, actually. It seems kind of sad and barbaric, but…they are pretty.”

  Micah gave his head a quick shake. “I’ve never had a woman say that to me. Kat Chandler, you might just be the perfect woman,” he teased, cutting himself off before he finished his thought. For me. You might just be the perfect woman for me.

  And that thought scared the hell out of him.

  “Then it’s a date.” She tucked a loose strand of her blond hair behind her ear.

  He nodded. A date. Dating was not what he’d come here to talk about, but whatever that was had long been forgotten, buried under a thick blanket of smoldering desire.

  “Was there something else you wanted to discuss?” she asked.

  “Nope. Just us.” The last word caught him by surprise. Us. He needed to get out of this office fast before he said, or did, something else he’d probably regret later.