Miss Liz's Passion

by Sherryl Woods

  “Really, I don’t mind. If you don’t do it tonight, you’ll be kicking yourself in the morning. With two of us, it’ll take no time at all to get things in the dishwasher. Then I have to go.”

  “Liz.”

  His fingers caught her chin. As he forced her to face him, her lips parted involuntarily. Todd’s face was only inches away. “I’ve wanted to do this all night,” he said, just before his mouth closed over hers.

  Her pulse leaped erratically as wishes came true with wicked accuracy. The kiss was all she’d longed for, tender and intimate, hungry and demanding. She gave herself up to it, savoring, clinging and demanding in turn. Whatever else he might be—domineering, manipulative rogue came immediately to mind—he was also one heck of a kisser. She felt as though the floor were dropping away below her feet, then realized that he’d scooped her into his arms and was carrying her. Where? Did it even matter?

  Of course it did, she thought, snapping back to reality. Her eyes opened wide as he sank down onto the sofa, settling her into his lap.

  “I haven’t necked in a very long time,” he said, as if he found the prospect both intriguing and amusing.

  Liz had to admit to a certain longing to recall the sensations herself. “We can’t do this,” she protested weakly.

  “Give me one good reason,” he said.

  “Kevin.”

  “I checked. He’s asleep.”

  “He could wake up.”

  “He’s a sound sleeper,” he said, sprinkling quick little kisses up the side of her neck. He nipped her earlobe, then ran his tongue inside. She shivered all the way down to her toes. A kiss like that was worth a little risk. She turned her head for the full effect. How was this man able to slide past her defenses? Why did her judgment seem to fail at his slightest caress?

  Todd’s hand slid around her waist, then up, slowly, deliciously until it cupped her breast. The peak was already throbbing. His touch set off an aching sort of pleasure that rippled down to settle in her abdomen. Her back arched and she longed for Todd’s hand to follow the downward path of those devastating ripples. Her whole body was tense with the wanting of that touch and the fear that it would lead to more than she could handle.

  Thankfully—she supposed—it was not to be. Slowly, his caresses stilled. The kisses went from leisurely and passionate to quick and innocent. Her flesh burned just the same, but she was coming back to earth, back to a reality that included test papers to be graded and a long drive home.

  “I have to go,” she said, more shaken than she cared to admit.

  “I wish you didn’t. I’ll follow you to be sure you get home safely.”

  The gentlemanly offer touched her. “You can’t do that. I don’t want you to leave Kevin alone in the house. I’ll be fine.”

  He studied her intently. “Will you really?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “I’m talking about more than the drive home, Liz.”

  “I know. I’ll be fine on all counts.”

  “And you’ll go with us on Saturday?”

  Her smile was wobbly. Mrs. Elizabeth Gentry would never smile that way, would never even consider continuing this relationship. She had made that decision quite rationally just this afternoon. As for Todd’s Miss Liz? She obviously had a reckless streak that matched the unexpected daring in his soul.

  “You mount an incredibly effective campaign,” she admitted, weakening.

  “Irresistible?”

  “Irresistible,” she confirmed reluctantly.

  “I’ll pick you up at eight again.”

  She nodded.

  “I’ll call during the week.”

  She nodded again.

  “Dream about me tonight,” he said as he tucked her into her car.

  Liz refused to answer, but she could tell from the devilishly certain look in his eyes that he knew she would.

  Chapter 9

  “I’m not going!” Kevin’s voice rose in a wail.

  Todd stared at him, startled by the vehement outburst. Just last night Kevin had been excited by the prospect of spending a day in the Keys. For the past week he’d taken the idea of meeting Ann Davies in stride, or so it had seemed. Maybe he’d just needed desperately to feel optimistic about Kevin’s attitude.

  “You are going,” Todd said firmly, as he grabbed a striped polo shirt out of the batch in the dryer and looked it over. Thank goodness, it wasn’t too horribly mussed, even though it had been left in overnight. Todd hated washing and ironing, which was why they always seemed to get done at the last possible minute when every piece of clothing and towel in the house was dirty.

  “Put this on,” he said, holding out the shirt.

  “No.” Kevin crossed his arms over his bare chest.

  “Kevin!”

  “No,” he said again, taking off for his room. Todd heard the door slam behind him. His heart sank.

  Carrying the shirt, Todd walked slowly through the house, trying to decide how to handle this tantrum. He was already fighting his own demons about the day’s plans. He wasn’t prepared to do battle with Kevin, as well. After a brief struggle to control his temper, he tried the door. Kevin had locked it from the inside.

  “Son, I want you to open this door,” he said in a low, barely controlled voice. When there was no sound from inside, his voice climbed a notch. “Now!”

  “I won’t do it. I won’t go,” Kevin whimpered tearfully. “You can’t make me.”

  “We both know I can. Now open the door and let’s talk about it.”

  Finally the key rattled in the lock. Todd turned the knob and stepped inside. He held out the shirt. “Put this on.”

  Kevin’s eyes shimmered with tears and his lower lip trembled. He shook his head. Todd sighed.

  “Son, put the shirt on,” he said wearily. “Then we’ll talk about this.”

  When Kevin remained right where he was, Todd tugged the shirt over his head and struggled to get his arms through the sleeves. Kevin offered limp resistance. “You know, son, when we talked about this last night, I thought you understood why we were going to the Keys today.”

  “I don’t want to go see some dumb old psychologist,” he said, his expression mutinous.

  “Then tell me why you feel that way.”

  “No. I just won’t go.”

  The stubborn refusal cost Todd the last of his patience. He grabbed Kevin around the waist, hefted him into the air and carried him across the room.

  “Sit,” Todd said, plopping him down on the unmade bed. He sat down beside him. “We’ve been talking about this all week. This is not some sort of punishment. Dr. Davies is going to try to help you, so you won’t have so much trouble with your schoolwork.”

  “I’m doing better,” he mumbled. “Mrs. Gentry said so.”

  “That’s true, but you could improve even more once we know exactly what the problem is. Isn’t that what you want?”

  “I guess.”

  “Then what’s the problem?”

  Kevin kept his eyes downcast. Todd saw tears begin to run down his cheeks. His heart constricted. It took every ounce of his self-control to keep from going into the other room and calling Liz to say that the trip was off.

  “Son, talk to me. You know you can tell me anything. Are you afraid?”

  Kevin shook his head.

  “Then what?” Todd asked, feeling increasingly helpless.

  “Dad, aren’t you proud of me anymore?” Kevin said in a tearful, scared voice that broke Todd’s heart.

  “Oh, Kevin,” he said, his voice catching.

  He should have realized how it would seem. He should have known that after a lifetime of unquestioning support even when grades slid, Kevin would see this as a sign of betrayal. He pulled him into his arms and tried to quiet his heartbroken sobs. For a fleeting moment, as he hugged Kevin close, he resented Liz for driving a wedge between him and his son; for getting them involved in this wasted exercise.

  Then he thought of how different his own life might hav
e been if someone had really worked with him. Oh, he’d accomplished a lot, more than he’d had any reason to expect, but there might not have been nearly as many scars. No matter what his reservations might be, they had to give this a try.

  “Dad!” The protest was long-suffering. When Kevin wriggled to get loose, Todd gave him one last hug, then ruffled his hair.

  “Sorry. I just want you to know that that is something you never need to worry about. I am very proud of you,” Todd said, letting him go with a little pang of regret. Sometimes he missed the days when Kevin had been willing to cuddle in his lap and watch TV until he fell asleep. Those days had given him such a feeling of completeness, as if he’d spent his whole life just waiting to be a father. He’d vowed to do it all so differently from the way his own father had.

  “I will always love you and be proud of you,” he said earnestly, praying that his words were getting through. “As long as you’re doing your best, I can’t ask for anything more. Dr. Davies may be able to help you do that.”

  “But why can’t Mrs. Gentry? I like her. She’s made the other kids stop laughing at me. I haven’t had a single fight, Dad. Not even one.”

  “And I’m sure she appreciates that, son. She knows how hard you’re trying. But this learning disability stuff is not her specialty. She is going with us today, though. Dr. Davies is her friend. I met her last week. She’s every bit as nice as Mrs. Gentry.”

  “Who cares if she’s nice?” Kevin grumbled with another spark of resentment. “It’s Saturday. Why do I have to take a bunch of dumb old tests on Saturday? If she really cared about me, she wouldn’t make me do that. I wanted to play baseball.”

  “You can play baseball tomorrow.”

  As the realization that his father was not going to relent finally sank in, Kevin sighed in resignation. “Will I have to go next Saturday, too?”

  “I don’t know. If she wants to work with you, we’ll have to work out the arrangements.”

  “Try to make it so I don’t go on Saturday. Okay, Dad? Please.”

  “I’ll do the best I can,” Todd said, grateful that this first battle appeared to be behind them.

  He could still recall exactly what it had been like for him being dragged from psychologist to psychologist, usually after school and on Saturdays. If his reading deficiency hadn’t made him feel different enough, his inability to participate in other activities had only served to emphasize that difference. While other boys played Little League games, he sat in sterile waiting rooms and looked at papers he couldn’t understand. It seemed as though every time he finally got to join a team, his parents heard about some other doctor, some new program.

  He had actually been relieved when his parents had given up on him. At least, he’d been able to get involved in sports again. He’d become a first-class swimmer, winning meets around the state. The successes had been the only bright spots in an otherwise dreary adolescence.

  Kevin was every bit as good as he had been. They swam laps together in the backyard pool most evenings. Kevin was like a little fish, already competing in local swimming meets and picking up ribbons. Todd had a feeling if things worked out and Kevin got a chance to swim with the dolphins, he wouldn’t be able to keep him home from the Keys. So far, though, he hadn’t told him about that aspect of the program for fear Ann wouldn’t take him on as a client.

  It was exactly eight, when he pulled into Liz’s driveway, Kevin sitting stoically in the backseat. Before he could even cross the lawn, Liz was coming out the door carrying a picnic basket. The sight of her cheerful expression chased away the last lingering traces of resentment. She might have forced his hand in this, but she’d only had Kevin’s interests at heart. He knew that with absolute certainty.

  “What’s this?” he asked, taking the heavy basket from her.

  “Breakfast. Fresh-squeezed orange juice, a Thermos of coffee, warm Danish and milk for Kevin.”

  He chuckled. “Taking no chances that we’ll get sidetracked in Key Largo, huh?”

  She looked up at him innocently. “I just thought this would be so much healthier than anything we could get along the way.”

  “Right.”

  As they headed down U.S. 1, Todd was increasingly grateful for Liz’s presence. While he toyed nervously with the radio, she kept Kevin occupied with an imaginative variety of games designed for car travel. There was nothing condescending about it, either. She played along with him with enthusiasm. By the time they’d passed through Tavernier, even Todd found himself relaxing and joining in.

  They were almost to Dolphin Reach when Kevin propped his chin on the back of the front seat and asked hesitantly, “What’s going to happen when we get there, Dad?”

  “You mean with the tests?”

  “Yeah. Will they be hard?”

  Todd remembered only the frustration, the repeated sensation of failing. He couldn’t recall anything about the actual content. Nor was he willing to admit in front of Liz that he even knew what to expect. Besides, he thought defensively, the tests had probably changed dramatically over the last twenty years or so. Ann hadn’t shown them to him and he hadn’t asked.

  “Kevin, this is nothing for you to worry about,” Liz intervened. “It’s not like school, where you get a grade. Dr. Davies only wants to see why you’re not doing well. That’ll tell her how to go about helping you. Lots of students your age come to her with exactly the same kind of problem.”

  “You mean they can’t read, either?”

  Todd heard the amazement in Kevin’s voice. Perhaps he needed to hear that he wasn’t alone. God knows, it might have made a difference with him. He’d thought for years that he was the only one struggling to make sense of his assignments. Once more Liz had said exactly the right thing. If only she hadn’t hinted that Ann Davies would accept Kevin into her program. There were no guarantees of that. Nor was there any evidence yet that what she offered would be the best treatment for Kevin’s difficulty.

  He himself had been to dozens of experts and no one had ever set out a plan for helping him. Everyone had agreed that there was a problem, but they’d all seemed more fascinated by identifying the cause than by finding a solution. The methods for correcting it had been as varied as the number of psychologists he’d seen.

  First his parents were told to help him with his schoolwork. Then, they were told to make him do it on his own, even if he failed. Another one thought he should be removed from regular classes. Yet another insisted he should remain in the mainstream and be held back, if necessary. He fell two grades behind and grew angrier with each passing year.

  As Liz cheerfully expounded on the excitement at Dolphin Reach, Todd’s irritation with her lack of sensitivity mounted. If she kept on, Kevin would be horribly disappointed if Ann turned him down.

  “Liz, let’s just get through the testing,” he snapped. His short-tempered comment had both Liz and Kevin staring at him. “Sorry. I just don’t want Kevin counting too heavily on this.”

  Until he saw Kevin’s face fall, it hadn’t occurred to him that he’d just suggested the possibility of another failure. Silently, he cursed himself as Kevin sat back, subdued for the rest of the trip. Liz looked as though she wanted to take Todd’s head off, but she bit her lower lip and kept quiet. When they arrived at Dolphin Reach, she was the first one out of the car.

  Ann met them as they crossed the parking lot. She looked tired and disheveled, but she was smiling warmly. Liz hugged her and introduced her to Kevin. After hanging back for a minute, Kevin responded just as Todd had to Ann’s quiet questioning and interested attention. By the time they had walked into the building, she had Kevin chattering away. At the door to her office, she dismissed Todd and Liz.

  “Go see Alexis,” she ordered. “She’s had the calf. If she were any prouder, she’d be handing out cigars.”

  “But,” Todd protested, looking pointedly at Kevin.

  “Kevin and I will be just fine,” Ann responded. “Go.”

  With a last reluctant g
lance, Todd followed Liz outside and down to the dock. He was spoiling for a fight, but she didn’t even give him a chance to throw the first verbal punch. As she had the previous week, she bounded on ahead. She was kneeling down for a closer inspection of the newest dolphin by the time he arrived.

  “Isn’t this the most beautiful dolphin you’ve ever seen,” she enthused, her eyes flashing with excitement. Her earlier irritation with him seemed to be forgotten.

  Like babies, Todd thought the tiny dolphin looked pretty much like all the others. He knew better than to say it. “Exceptional,” he confirmed, biting back his desire to snap at her, to snap at anyone.

  Liz apparently caught the tautness in his voice. She glanced up at him pointedly. “Do you want to explain what’s wrong or do you plan to take my head off the rest of the morning? If you can’t think of something pleasant to say, maybe you should just go back inside and wait in the lobby.”

  He closed his eyes and sighed. When he opened them again, he dropped down beside her on the end of the dock. “I’m sorry. It just worries me to see Kevin getting his hopes up. This program of Ann’s may or may not be right for him. Even if she does take him on, it’s going to be a slow process. Kids tend to expect overnight miracles.”

  She rocked back on her heels and put her hand on his thigh. It was meant as no more than an impulsive gesture of apology, but Todd felt the blood begin to pound through his veins.

  “Okay, maybe I was overselling it a bit,” she admitted. “I’ll try to be more careful. Just don’t let your doubts rub off on Kevin. He needs to have a little hope.”

  He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it. “Deal,” he said, his gaze locking with hers.

  Liz seemed troubled as she withdrew her hand. She started to speak, then fell silent. Before he could press for an explanation, Alexis apparently tired of being ignored. She began chattering for attention. Liz leaned over to rub her snout, then reached out to stroke the calf that was right at Alexis’s side.

  Todd watched the interaction with something that felt strangely like envy. She was so affectionate with Kevin, even with the dolphins, but around him there was still so much reserve. How could she melt in his arms one day and be so distant the next? Still, the idea of being jealous of a dolphin was clearly absurd. Observing them, he found himself grinning.