by Casey Hagen
“Don’t apologize. You’re colorful and so damn real. I wouldn’t have it any other way.” He nudged her into the seat. “Come on, there’s a new jazz club on the north end of town. The Nest. I’ve heard good things about their gumbo and jambalaya. Best part, they have a dance-floor.”
She nodded. “My sister went there with her husband. She loved it.”
“Then it won’t disappoint. Hop in,” he said, then closed her door before circling around to the driver’s seat.
She clicked her seatbelt, pressed her knees together, and partially turned to him. “Don’t hurt my car.”
“It’s a beauty. Where did you get it? Your husband leave it behind for you?” he asked, sliding the key in the ignition.
“Actually, my friend Jeremy came across it and knew just what I was looking for, so he gave me a call. He runs a shop on the outskirts of Tallulah Cove between where the wineries end and the foothills of the mountains begin,” she said, remembering the day well.
After William died, she convinced herself she better just go for getting all of the things she had ever wanted while she had the chance. She’d watched William put things off despite having the money, always figuring there would be more time.
“Jeremy, huh?” he asked, his lips twitching.
“Yes, Jeremy. He was the one person who took me seriously about the car and didn’t think it was the first sign of me losing my mind. Jeremy is good people.”
She had just been about to call Jeremy to let him know she had come to her senses, or had finally caved under the weight of judgment, when her phone rang, and he had the perfect car.
He cupped a hand over her knee, his eyes roaming over the skin on her thigh. The way his eyes filled with lust encouraged her. “Then I have him to thank for the view every morning,” Sebastian said.
“Huh?”
“I’ve been coveting your car for a week,” he murmured, his gaze dropping to her lap.
“You’re a successful baseball player, you could have bought a hundred Impalas without even blinking.”
“Yeah, but then I wouldn’t have noticed yours and would have never met you,” he said with a squeeze to her knee. “Damn, woman, you have killer legs.”
For all her doubts, she’d have to thank the man upstairs for everything that fell into place when she bought that car. And Jeremy, she’d definitely have to thank Jeremy for giving her the extra nudge she needed.
He’d talked her into an adventure, and it led her to this one.
Everything had aligned, making her wonder if she should just throw caution to the wind for once and stop overthinking every aspect of this attraction to Sebastian, more his attraction to her, and just roll with it.
“Thank you. Flattery will get you everywhere,” she said with a wink.
CHAPTER FOUR
Life Isn’t a Straight Line
THEY ARRIVED AT THE NEST twenty minutes later. Sebastian had taken it slow, figuring Kate wouldn’t appreciate being in what felt like a wind tunnel.
Not that he minded. He’d kept his hand on her knee, so he’d just bought himself a few extra minutes to enjoy the feel of her smooth skin against his palm.
She told him about her sister, Abby, and how she’d lived with her to help with her nephew until Ben came along and swept Abby off her feet.
Normally, he expected a hint of jealousy among sisters. He had a couple younger sisters of his own who had made competition a blood sport. Maybe it was their ages, because he detected none of that between Kate and Abby. At least not from Kate.
If anything, she seemed to hold her sister in reverence because of all she had achieved.
Without giving herself an ounce of the credit she so richly deserved for helping her sister get there with all the support she had given her over the years.
It had been a long time since he spent time with someone who so innocently put someone else’s well-being before their own, and definitely without having some sort of ulterior motive.
Everyone in his world had an angle. Especially women.
He led her into the club, and they followed the hostess to a four-top in an intimate back corner. Ivory lanterns hung from the ceiling, bathing the dining area and dance floor in a warm glow. Candlelight flickered from crystal holders in the center of each table.
He pulled out the chair in the corner for her so she’d have full view of the dance floor. The dark cherrywood gleamed. A discreet spotlight illuminated the intimate corner set up with instruments, just waiting for a band to come out and work their magic.
“Thank you,” she murmured, scanning the dining area. “Looks like word got out. I see some familiar faces. That’s Rylie and Keith Mason. They run the Arthur Murray dance center here in Tallulah Cove,” she said, discreetly pointing with her pinky to a table next to the dance floor.
“If they get on that floor, I don’t want you to hold it against me if I pale in comparison,” Sebastian said, settling into his own chair and opening the menu that had been placed before him by the hostess before she glided off.
She glanced at him over the top of her own menu. “I’m just impressed you were willing to dance at all. Not many men are.”
He locked eyes with her. “There was no way I was going to resist a chance to hold you against me.”
She tucked her menu to her chest and leaned toward him. “And why is that? What is it about me that has you so intrigued?”
He ran a finger down her arm just to watch her shiver. Did she know she did that? Every single time he touched her, excitement coursed through her in a way he could tangibly feel against his skin.
“You’re ornery,” he said.
She snorted.
“What, you didn’t know?” he said, taking a minute to brush her knee under the table.
“Oh, I know. Believe me, you don’t know the half of it. I like what I like, when I like it, and I have opinions on just about everything.” She patted his hand. “So, ornery does it for you?” she said with a laugh.
“Apparently.” He rubbed his chin with his thumb and index finger. “You’re bold.”
“Most people call me blunt, but I like the way you say it better,” she said.
He caught looks aimed their way from other patrons. He had a feeling word was beginning to spread about who had shown up at Ten Spot that evening. Before they could get interrupted, if they got interrupted, he had to go there.
“There’s just one thing I’m dying to know. I wanted to wait for a good time, but I’m beginning to think there isn’t one.” He hoped he wasn’t about to detonate a grenade on their date, but it had been nagging at the back of his mind the entire time.
He needed to know she was free to him. He didn’t want to get neck-deep into something with her and find out that she had no intentions of moving on.
Because he was more than halfway toward neck-deep. Not even thirty-six hours after he sat in the sand next to her, he’d been sucked in. Charm oozed from her in a brash way. It was as if he had jumped into quicksand and was helpless to get out.
Not that he wanted to.
With her, the world seemed bigger than his problems. Bigger than his career. His uncertain future seemed less hopeless.
Maybe because for once, he could acknowledge there was more than one direction.
After all, if she could move on after everything she had been through, if his life took a turn and his dream died on the mound of the last game he played, he could damn well move on to.
“The urn?” she asked with a nod.
“Yeah. What’s with the urn?” He took her hand, needing to reassure her he wasn’t criticizing.
She curled her fingers into his and then cupped the back of his hand with her other one. “William died two years ago. My first husband, he had a burial plan and has a stone in Virginia. But William wanted to be scattered at sea. I haven’t managed to do it yet.”
“You still love him,” he said.
“I do,” she said quietly on a rush of breath as if it hurt to admit, �
In the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t a whole lot different than the uncertainty he faced. And, yeah, he got the fear. “What do you want to do?”
She released his hand and leaned back in her chair, regarding him. “The one thing that keeps coming back to me is starting an event-planning business. I know caterers and decorating. I know how to plan and execute a timeline for public events. I just need to decide if I’m going to stay here to do it, or find another place to land,” she said.
“Big decision.”
She raised a brow and smirked, her focus completely on him as if the rest of the room had just fallen away. “Yes, and any sort of relationship adds a degree of difficulty to it.”
“Are you thinking about a relationship?”
“I shouldn’t be.”
He shook his head. “That wasn’t the question.”
“I’m thinking about a ‘for now.’”
“Evasive,” he said.
“Yes.”
“So, I still have some convincing to do.” He shrugged as if her indecisiveness didn’t bother him. “Well, it is only the first date.”
“I’m concerned about the tricks up your sleeve.”
“You should be, as I’m not easily dissuaded.” He leaned in so no one would overhear him. “Even if you come at me with a retro, 1970s downstairs complete with shag,” he said with a wink.
The clouds obscuring her piercing olive eyes cleared, and she threw back her head and laughed until tears streamed down her cheeks, and her nose turned red.
“I made you laugh… the first part of my plan is complete.”
“And the second part?”
“To fill our bellies. Problem is, I want the gumbo and the jambalaya.” He winked at her.
She took a sip of her water. “Order them both and we’ll share.”
He closed his menu and took hers. “That’s easy enough.”
“What’s the third part to this sinful plan of yours, Sebastian?”
He grinned. “Hmmm, I love the sound of my name on your lips.”
“Focus,” she warned.
“Third is to heat you up on the dance floor.”
“I like the sound of that. And fourth?” she asked.
“To set you aflame in my bed.”
Her eyes widened, and her voice rose as she said, “You think I’m easy enough to climb into your bed on the first date?”
He wiggled his finger and clucked his tongue. “Oh, trick question. More like I think you don’t want to waste all the effort you put into this date by going home alone. Call it research. You can show me all the girly things you did to yourself today to impress me.”
She leaned back, raised a brow, and crossed her arms. He’d swear if he looked under the table at just that moment, she’d be kicking her leg to a salty tempo only she could hear.
“Maybe I did it to impress me.”
“I think you did it because you’re worried about forty. Personally, I find it refreshing to not be pursued by a fetus for once.”
Her dark eyebrows snapped down low over her eyes in a look of pure frustration. “You know what? I’m starting to believe you.”
“Why wouldn’t you?”
“Because women are programmed to want to look younger. Society dictates they should. Hell, men are casting middle-aged women aside all the time for young arm candy.”
“Did either of your husbands chase after younger women?”
“I was the younger woman. My husbands were both about twenty years older than me.”
“Men are stupid,” he muttered with a shake of his head.
“I don’t know… now that I’ve met you, I’m holding out hope for the species.”
The waiter came by and took their order. A couple minutes later, he delivered their wine. Sebastian slid his chair right up next to her and leaned in, holding up his glass. “I propose a toast… to reconciling the past and embracing the future, come what may.”
The jazz band took its place and began with some light tunes just loud enough to encourage dancing without overwhelming the dinner guests. The snare drum and saxophone mingled with one another in a smooth rhythm, inviting patrons to tap their fingers and feet to the sultry beat.
She clinked her glass with his and watched him over the rim of hers as she took a slow sip of the sauvignon blanc. “So, who do I really have to thank for this refreshing attitude instilled in you in regard to women?”
“Two gray-hair-inducing younger sisters and one fierce Italian mother.”
She winced and set down her glass. “Ouch, tough house.”
“Yes, with only one bathroom,” he said, tipping his glass back for a long gulp of wine.
“Oh, how you’ve suffered,” she murmured.
He blinked at her with puppy dog eyes. “I have. You should feel for me.”
She stood up and reached for his hand. “I do. Come on, we’ll go out there, and I’ll make it better.”
“I’m the one who’s supposed to be wooing you on the dance floor. That was the deal.”
“You’ll take care of me later,” she said over her shoulder.
“Next dance, it’s all me.”
“I wasn’t talking about the dancing.” She tugged him along to the dance floor. Gazes from the crowd caressed them as Sebastian took her in his arms, leaving no space between them from her breast to her knees. His hands splayed across her back, holding the most intimate part of her against him.
He nibbled her mouth for the briefest of moments before setting his temple along hers, swaying to the music.
For the first time in ages, she didn’t feel alone. How could she, with the spicy scent of Sebastian’s cologne wrapping around her? In his arms, she didn’t wonder at her role.
Just the thought had guilt stabbing through her. Her husbands had loved her. She knew it. But they had also loved having a pretty, younger woman on their arm.
Tonight, with this man, it was about wanting her. Just her.
What would it be like to make love to a man like that?
He pulled her in closer in that moment, as if he knew where her mind had gone. His lips found the sensitive skin of her neck and lingered there. His arousal pressed against her abdomen with every glide of their feet.
He pulled back and tipped her chin up. “As much as I want to stay right here with you, I think our food has arrived. Let’s eat, and I’ll be happy to sway on this dance floor with you for the rest of the night.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck tighter. “I have a better idea. How about we eat and you take me home for a little show and tell?”
His eyes narrowed on hers, and the muscle along his jaw jumped. “Are you sure?”
“Hey, I gave up Ben & Jerry for you, didn’t I?”
“Mmmm, yes, you did, and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it. Let’s go eat,” he said, taking her hand and guiding her back to their table.
They shared their dishes, feeding each other bites of sausage, shrimp, and rice and beans. The dining room filled, but the din of voices from excited patrons ready to dance the night away soon disappeared, leaving her and Sebastian in a secret bubble.
The couples among them had known each other how long? Months… years even? And here they were, just a handful of moments shared between the two of them, and already they were inexplicably linked.
She wiped her mouth with her napkin and sat back. “I don’t know about you, but I couldn’t eat another bite.” She held up her hand. “And before you ask, it was definitely better than a pint of Chunky Monkey.”
He pulled two one-hundred-dollar bills from his wallet, tossed them onto the table and took her hand, pulling her right out of her seat.
“Don’t you think that’s a bit over the top?”
“If it keeps us from waiting for the bill, I couldn’t care less,” he said, tugging her along with him.
“Our waitress wasn’t even that good.”
“Yeah, well, we weren’t good diners, either. Let’s go.”
He pushed open the door and pulled her out. They jogged to the car as fast as her heels would allow, laughing the entire time.
He turned the key and fired up the engine, driving her out to the coast. In view of the water, he pulled over. “Go ahead and sit up on the back.”
“What?”
“You said you wanted to ride the coast with loud music and the wind in your hair. I’ll take it easy, that way you can let loose.”
“You’re sure?”
“Positive. Pick a station and get ready.”
She flicked on the classic rock station and cranked up “Feel Like Makin’ Love.” With a giggle, she hiked up her skirt and climbed over the back of her seat. Perching on the headrests of the back bench, she leaned back and braced her hands behind her on the trunk.
“I’m ready.”
He cleared his throat. “Yeah,” he ground out.
“What?”
“You look—Jesus. You look like every adventure collided with my every fantasy.”
He took her breath away.
She glanced down at him, and damn, he devoured her with his eyes. She had never felt sexier, more desirable, in her entire life than right at this moment, with the cool breeze dancing over her sensitized skin, her skirt hiked up almost to her hips, and her heart racing in her chest at the prospect of the adventure Sebastian dangled before her.
“Show me.”
Taking her up on the challenge, he climbed into the back and knelt between her open legs. Locking his hands around her ribs with both thumbs brushing the underside of her breasts, he crushed his mouth to hers in a claiming kiss that spoke of heat, desire, desperation, and impatience.
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