“Oh my heck! Oh my heck!” Danielle gasped, finally able to draw a deep breath.
Boston sighed and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. “Oh, I feel so much better!” she said. “I swear…there’s nothing like a good laugh.”
“Oh my heck!” Danielle breathed. “I swear he cracks me up so bad sometimes!”
Boston glanced to where Vance sat stretched out on the sofa, eating his ice cream—his head bobbing back and forth to the rhythm of the COPS theme song as images of police officers handcuffing bad guys flashed on the TV screen.
“You go on and talk about your boy toys, girls,” Vance said. “Me and Officer Rodriguez are going on a drug bust in New York City.”
Boston giggled again and asked, “Is he always that funny?”
Danielle shook her head. Lowering her voice, she said, “Not always…and there’s the deal. It’s usually accidental like just now! I mean, if he tried to be funny…it wouldn’t be nearly as funny!”
“I feel so much better,” Boston sighed. She ate a spoonful of ice cream, and a residual giggle of amusement caused her to choke. She coughed and ate more ice cream. “I can’t tell you how rotten the atmosphere in our apartment is. I can’t wait to get out of there.”
“I can’t wait for you to get out of there either!” Danielle said. “Steph…she’s a piece of work.”
“You have no idea,” Boston said, rolling her eyes. She looked to Danielle and lowered her voice even further. “You know she’s already planning her wedding to your brother, don’t you?”
“What?” Danielle exclaimed in disgust. “Oh, please tell me you’re kidding, Bost.”
Boston shook her head. “Nope. He’s all she talked about on the way home,” she whispered. “She went on and on and on about how hot he is…how she felt like she’d known him her entire life! Actually, it was after blabbering on about Vance that she launched into this whole thing about how people meet…how interesting it is to hear stories of how couples find their mates.”
Danielle stuck out her tongue and put a finger toward her mouth to indicate she wanted to vomit. “How they find their mates?” she repeated. She giggled then and whispered, “Actually, that’s kind of funny…considering Vance will be the exhibits curator at the zoo soon!”
Boston laughed, nearly sucking ice cream into her sinuses. Shaking her head, she whispered, “It still nauseates me though. Plus, what if she did manage to catch him? Then we’d be stuck with her forever! At least you would.”
“Won’t happen,” Danielle said. “Not in a billion years. Vance pegged Steph the minute he met her…I know he did. He won’t give her a second look. I don’t care if she was a dead corpse still hanging out of an anaconda’s mouth—he wouldn’t look twice.”
Boston giggled and wrinkled her nose as an image of Steph being downed by an anaconda entered her mind. She hoped Danielle were right; she hoped Vance Nathaniel wasn’t stupid enough to fall for Stephanie Crittendon’s ridiculous methods of catching a man—a mate. She’d hate to see Danielle have to endure Steph any longer than she already had. Furthermore, something about the idea infuriated her even further; to think of Steph winning a guy like Danielle’s brother bugged her to no end.
“An anaconda?” Boston asked. She giggled as she ate more ice cream. “You crack me up, Danielle.”
Vance couldn’t help but smile as he continued to eavesdrop. Witnessing an anaconda working its prey into its body would really be something to behold! He liked that his sister knew him well enough to use such an analogy. Furthermore, Danielle was absolutely right: he’d pegged Boston’s roommate the minute she’d set foot in the apartment—shallow, self-centered, cruel. He also sensed the girl was far more willing to do whatever was necessary to catch any guy she set her mind on than Boston and Danielle suspected—far more willing—and whatever was necessary.
Danielle’s friend was lucky to be moving out. Vance knew women like this Steph person—anybody was better off without their company. He continued to make the pretense of watching COPS as he listened to the girls’ conversation. He gathered Boston really liked the guy she had a date with the following day; it seemed the guy was taking her golfing. Vance nodded. It was a pretty good date idea—an entire day together. Eighteen holes did take awhile to play through. He hoped this guy—Logan seemed to be his name—was a good guy. He knew Danielle really liked Boston and valued her friendship very much. And, to his senses, Boston seemed to be worthy of his sister’s admiration and devotion. There was something very vibrant and sort of sunshiny about her—a rare effervescence. In a different time and place, Boston was just the sort of girl Vance himself would’ve been drawn to. But it wasn’t a different time or place, so he pushed the thought from his tortured mind—or at least tried to push it from his mind. She was awfully cute. That auburn hair looked so smooth and soft he wondered if it actually tasted like cinnamon. She was curvy—owned a great shape. He liked the way the green of her eyes seemed to deepen when she laughed, the way her smile lit up the room. Yep, in another time and place, he might have looked twice at Boston—whether or not an anaconda was downing her.
“Well, ladies,” Vance said, pressing the power button on the remote and standing. He stretched for a moment, and Boston felt her eyebrows arch with admiration at the muscles in his arms and legs as they tightened. “I’m gonna hit the hay. I have to be out on site at five a.m.”
“On a Saturday?” Boston asked. She felt an odd pang of sympathy in her chest. She was so relieved to have the weekend off, and she always felt bad for anyone who didn’t.
“Yep,” Vance said. He walked to Danielle, bent, and kissed the top of her head affectionately. “Good night, baby sister,” he said.
She smiled, and he looked to Boston, offering her a hand. Boston accepted his hand, and he gripped it firmly, saying, “It was good to meet you, Boston.”
“You too,” she said. She was surprised by the giddy feeling that popped around in her stomach for a moment.
He didn’t release her hand right away. In fact, he tugged at her a little and nodded toward the back of Danielle’s apartment. “The offer still stands, by the way,” he said.
“The offer?” Boston asked.
“To bunk in with me if the situation with that chick you room with becomes too intolerable,” he teased.
“Oh!” Boston giggled. She was mortified when she felt a delighted blush rise to her cheeks. “Well, thank you…but I’m sure I’ll be fine.”
“You sure?” he asked, winking at her. He released his firm grip on her hand, yet held to her fingertips—lingered. “I could show you our room right now if you want. Danny’s got it all fixed up nice with extra pillows and quilts. It’s awful cozy in there.”
Boston giggled again—blushed again. “Thank you, Vance…but I’m sure I can make it through a couple more weeks of Steph.”
“Okay,” he said, releasing her at last. “But don’t say I didn’t try. When that psycho chick you live with comes after you, you just remember who offered to help you out first.”
“Oh, I will. Thank you,” Boston said.
With one final nod, Vance sauntered to the back of the apartment.
“So…I see your brother’s a bad boy,” Boston said when he was gone.
“He likes to pretend he is,” Danielle said. “In truth, he’s just a terrible tease.” Danielle giggled. “You should’ve pretended to take him up on his offer. He wouldn’t have known what to do! He probably would’ve bolted out the window.”
Boston laughed a moment—but only a moment, for a dismal thought she’d been trying to ignore pushed itself to the forefront of her mind then. She was going on her second date with Logan, and a second date wasn’t usually something to worry about. But if there was a third—in Boston’s experience, it was during the third date that guys often began to push for things.
“I bet Vance has had his share of women, huh?” she asked.
“Oh, yeah!” Danielle said. “Especially when he was younger. The girls wo
uld flock to him like you can’t imagine…kind of like when you go down to the pond at the park and start tossing a few bread crumbs to the ducks. You know how they get all frenzied and, like, want to eat your ankles? That’s how girls were about Vance. Of course, he beats the women off with a stick now—actually, just reads them so fast and chooses who he will deal with and who he won’t—that it’s not quite as bad as it used to be. Especially since—”
“Since what?” Boston asked.
Danielle shook her head. “Just…just since he’s gotten older…and wiser, I guess. He’s a lot more selective now.”
“I see,” Boston mumbled.
“Oh, wait, Boston,” Danielle said. “He’s not…Vance isn’t…he isn’t promiscuous, if that’s what you mean. And I’m sure Logan West isn’t either.”
“What?” Boston asked, feigning ignorance.
“I know how your mind works,” Danielle said. “You’re already getting all worked up over whether or not Logan West is gonna pressure you to—”
“I’m sure he won’t,” Boston interrupted. “He’s such a nice guy. I’m just paranoid.”
“You’re paranoid because the last four guys you’ve dated have turned out to have no moral character at all!” Danielle said. “Believe me, I get it. I’m gun-shy too.” Danielle giggled, however, and added, “But I still have high hopes where Theo is concerned. Don’t you think a man who wears bow ties might have chance of being a good guy?”
Boston giggled. “I think you never got over that crush you had on Professor Farnsworth. That’s what I think.”
Danielle smiled. “Maybe,” she said.
Boston glanced up at the rooster clock hanging over the sink. It was midnight, and she had an early date with Logan.
“I better go,” she said, pushing her chair away from the table. “I’ll look awful tomorrow if I don’t get some sleep.”
“Well, we don’t want that,” Danielle said. Boston stood and Danielle did too. “I just hope Steph has calmed down a little.”
“If not, my offer still stands,” Vance said in a garbled voice.
Boston looked over to see Vance standing in the hallway wearing nothing but a pair of striped pajama bottoms and brushing his teeth. Good grief! He’s totally ripped, Boston thought, trying not to stare at Vance’s muscular torso.
“Thanks, Vance,” Boston said. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“You do that,” he said, still brushing his teeth.
“Vance! Put some clothes on!” Danielle scolded.
Vance shrugged massive shoulders, an expression of innocent naïveté on his face.
Boston giggled and hugged Danielle. “Thanks for letting me hang out awhile,” she told her friend.
“I just wish you’d moved in last month!” Danielle said. “But it won’t be long. I’m sure Halle will beg you to stay with her. We’ll all be fighting over you.”
“Have a good day tomorrow,” Boston said. She glanced past Danielle to Vance, still standing there displaying ridiculous muscles and brushing his teeth.
“Good night, Vance,” she said.
He nodded and turned toward the bathroom.
“Call me after you get home tomorrow,” Danielle said. “You’re going to have a great time!”
“I hope so,” Boston said. “Bye.”
As Boston walked to her car, she glanced up into the starry night sky. The breeze was warm, and everything was still. The crickets were chirping, and it soothed her further. Steph would be in bed when she got back to the apartment. It was her routine—get mad at Boston and tell her to leave, then act like nothing had ever happened and go to bed. Boston was glad of it, however, for she had no desire to talk to Steph one more second that day.
Inhaling a deep breath, she breathed out slowly, calming herself. She would think about Logan—dream about their planned date to go golfing. She couldn’t wait! She’d have the whole day with him, a whole day without Steph. Sure, she had to start making plans about what to do with her stuff until she figured out exactly what to do, but she wouldn’t worry about it anymore until she’d had her day with Logan West.
Boston got into her car, reached over, opened the glove compartment, and retrieved a chocolate Tootsie Pop. She popped the sucker in her mouth, turned the key in the ignition, and headed for home. The flavor of the candy in her mouth was delightful! She thought about Vance teasing her about sharing Danielle’s extra bedroom with him. He was a funny guy. Funny and ripped! She shook her head, for she knew that no matter what Danielle said about her brother’s character, Stephanie Crittendon had chosen Vance Nathaniel to be her mate, and Vance Nathaniel was about to be forced into a high-speed chase like nothing he’d ever seen on COPS. She thought again of how handsome and built Vance was—about the fact he was a zoo exhibits curator.
It suddenly seemed too ironic that Steph would look to Danielle’s brother as her selection of “mate”—Vance, who would soon be working as part of the city zoo staff. A vision of a gorilla, a female gorilla named “Stephanie,” popped into Boston’s mind. She giggled at her mind’s illustration, thinking Steph’s temperament would probably be a lot easier to deal with if her soon-to-be ex-roommate were a primate in one of Vance’s zoo exhibits.
Chapter Three
Golfing with Logan had been fabulous! Not that Boston did well—her score was actually pretty pitiful, but so was Logan’s. Though the golf scores weren’t anything to brag about, the company, the beauty of the day, and the experience were wonderful. After they’d finished golfing, everything just got better. Logan took Boston to lunch, to a movie, and then to dinner. They’d spent nearly sixteen hours together! Boston couldn’t think of a time she’d spent sixteen hours on a date—it was incredible.
Now, as Boston sat in Logan’s Volvo on their drive home, she sighed—entirely satisfied with the way her second date with Logan had turned out. He’d asked her if they could do something together again soon, and she’d said yes, of course.
Still, as Logan turned into Boston’s apartment complex, anxiety washed over her. Steph. It was only nine o’clock, and Boston knew Steph was home—knew she’d continue to be a brat, the way she had the night before when Boston had told her she was moving out. Oh, it wasn’t like Steph gave Boston the silent treatment or anything—though Boston wished she would. Instead it had been incessant whining and self-absorbed pity parties from the minute she’d returned from Danielle’s until Steph finally let Boston get to bed at two a.m. At that moment, Boston realized just why she was so tired so early in the evening. Five hours of sleep, followed by eighteen holes, lunch, a movie, and dinner—it was a miracle she had any energy left at all. What little she did have would be immediately drained when she entered the apartment and Steph started in on her again. There was nothing on earth more certain than that.
“You okay, Boston?” Logan asked. He pulled into a parking spot, shifted into park, and turned off the engine.
Boston glanced over to him—smiled at the sight of his handsome face, his soft, tawny hair, and his dazzling eyes.
“Yeah,” she said. “I’m probably just tired. It’s been a long day, and I was already pretty sleep-deprived when it started.”
“Well, I guess it was kind of selfish to keep you all to myself the entire day,” he said.
“Oh no! I loved being out with you!” Boston said. “I could stay out all night if you wanted me to.”
When Logan arched one amused, rather daring, eyebrow, however, Boston quickly added, “I mean, don’t think I didn’t enjoy every minute. I was just explaining why I probably look a little less than fresh.”
“I knew what you meant,” he said. “Let me get your door, and we can get you to your apartment and into bed.” He got out of the car and walked around to her side of it.
Boston knew he was only speaking metaphorically—that he meant he knew she was tired and wanted to turn in. However, the fact that the last four guys she’d dated always wanted to go much, much further than merely dating and kissing had left her a
little suspicious. Still, Logan West wasn’t like the other guys she’d dated—he was a gentleman. He hadn’t even kissed her yet. Therefore, it seemed very doubtful he’d try to push her into anything more intimate.
Boston shook her head to rattle such thoughts from her mind as Logan opened her car door.
“Your roommate seems nice,” he said as they walked toward Boston’s apartment. Boston glanced at him quickly. Was he kidding? Sure, he’d only met Steph for a few minutes when he’d picked Boston up the week before for their zoo date—only spoken with her for another few minutes that morning when he’d picked her up for golf. But surely he hadn’t bought her act; surely he’d seen through her sweet little façade of perfection. Even Danielle’s brother had read Steph for what she really was, and he’d hardly even seen her. Still, most people bought Steph’s act—at least initially. Therefore, knowing she was tired and probably a little too sensitive, Boston just cut Logan some slack.
“Yeah,” she said.
They were at her apartment door then. Logan gripped Boston’s upper arms in his strong hands, smiling at her.
“Thanks for spending the day with me,” he said. “I had a great time.”
“Me too,” Boston said. He was going to kiss her good night! She could tell by the way his gaze lingered on her mouth. All at once, such a mess of conflicting emotions erupted in her stomach and chest that she wasn’t sure she could remain calm. She wanted him to kiss her—she really did! Yet she was way nervous too. Boston had kissed a few boys when she was a teenager and had a couple of steady boyfriends as an adult. But the first kiss always freaked her out—always! Before every first kiss, she would panic, start to wonder if she was a good enough kisser, if a guy would be disgusted with her once he’d kissed her for the first time. It was a weird, obsessive-compulsive behavior of sorts—a strange anxiety she couldn’t seem to beat.
Kiss in the Dark Page 4
