She heard him release a low cry of desire from deep within his throat and felt its vibrations against her lips. Her libido shifted up another gear as she responded to the guttural cry of desire with her own and plunged the kiss deeper. It still amazed her the reaction he had on her.
At last he found the restraint to draw himself away from her, but only far enough to pull her into the crook of his chest to hold her tight there. “I could stay here with you forever, but if we don’t try soon to pull ourselves together we are going to be late for work.”
She let out a little cry of disappointment but conceded he was probably right. Besides, there was always tonight and the next night. With a start, Sonya realized that she wanted the rest of her nights to be with Daniel. She didn’t want any other man, and she didn’t want him with any other woman.
“Daniel?”
“Hmm?”
“Where do we go from here?” She didn’t know why, but she held her breath. She desperately wanted him to feel the same way.
“What do you mean?” He pressed a kiss to the top of her head.
“I mean—you know—” She was surprised at her own sudden lack of nerve. Why couldn’t she just come out and say it? Ask him his intentions? She caught herself. His intentions? Lord, that didn’t sound anything like the Sonya she knew. This love stuff was already starting to have an effect on her. “Did you want to get married?”
There was a moment’s silence before he erupted into laughter. A horrendous feeling of humiliation swept over her so quick, so swift, that it knocked her off her senses momentarily. But only momentarily.
“I didn’t think it was that funny.” She spat out in anger and attempted to remove herself from his embrace.
However, he did not loosen his hold. “Just hold on.” Then when she struggled within his grasp, he said a little bit more firmly, “For pity’s sake, Sonya, hold still. Of course I want to marry you.”
She stilled all at once. “You do? Then why did you laugh?”
“I don’t know,” he admitted. “For lots of reasons. First, because it wasn’t the most romantic proposal. Second, because I imagined it would be me doing the asking and third because you sounded so shy and unsure. I’ve never heard you sound that way before. It was kind of sweet.”
She frowned then began to smirk. “Sweet? Me? Hardly.”
He chuckled. “Want to give it another go?”
She looked up into his face and her heart overflowed with the love he felt that emitted from his eyes, leaving a warm and wonderful sensation to take over her mind and body. And if she was not mistaken, her soul as well. With joy in her eyes, she lifted her arms and took his face into her hands and told him, “I love you more than I ever imagined possible, Daniel Keller. I want to spend all my days and nights with you. I want to help style your hair, and organize your shoes, and listen to Tchaikovsky with you on a leisure Sunday afternoon. And I want to spend the rest of my life having you dribble as much useless information as you like. Will you marry me, Daniel?”
His smile was so genuine and reflected the love and joy he felt inside that Sonya’s heart burst in immediate response. He reached up and covered her hands with his own, then turned one over to press a tender kiss into its palm. “Will you be able to tolerate living with a boring computer nerd who doesn’t drink, swear or party for the rest of your days? Because I am who I am.”
“I love you for who you are. I don’t want anything less.” Her eyes glimmered of love as she placed a finger to his lips. “Please say yes.”
His eyes held hers for so long that Sonya thought she would melt right there under the immense heat spewing forth from them. “Yes.”
Their lips came together in a binding kiss of love and devotion. The happiness in their hearts pounded in unison as they joined together once more in love. As Daniel drew her down on top of him, he muttered against her mouth, “I think the Institute can spare me this morning. What do you think? Will Tristan miss you down at the bar?”
“My shift doesn’t start until three. We’ve got all morning.” She shifted her body and pressed against his. “Besides, I do believe we are celebrating.”
“That’s right.” He lifted his head to peer down into her eyes. “Robert Alto’s visit. How did it go?”
“Later.” She pulled his head back down. “I’ll tell you later. I was actually referring to our own celebration.”
He grinned and happily joined her on the mattress. As he took the woman he loved into his arms, a feeling of completion filled his heart at last. With misunderstandings at last gone, they were able to come together as one.
THE END
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Note from Author
I truly hope you enjoyed reading Misunderstood (In Love with the Nerd) as much as I enjoyed writing it. This is Book 2 in “The Miss Series”. If you missed the first book, Misfortune (Christmas with Scrooge), you can go here to purchase a copy. If you would like to be notified of the next book in the series, please sign up to my newsletter here where I will email you directly when it is released. Please continue to the following page to read an excerpt from Book 3, Misguided (Her Brother’s Best Friend). The story about Aimee Smith, a country girl living in the city who is secretly in love with her brother’s longtime best friend, Colin Pearson.
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Peggy Ann Craig
Excerpt
Misguided
(Her Brother’s Best Friend)
After Colin loaded the last afghan into the trunk of his prized Hemi’ Cuda, he climbed inside the seat next to Aimee and buckled up. With a turn of his wrist, the engine roared to life while he tilted his chin toward her and asked, “So what made you finally give up your blankets?”
“I’m not giving them up, I’m selling them.”
“All right, selling them?”
“Two things really. For financial means and because I would dearly love to see the bottom of my closet once again.”
“You’re not selling them on account of the Mustang, are you?”
“No,” she lied, not wanting to let him know the debilitated vehicle he bought on her behalf, was not in her budget. After all, it wasn’t the entire reason and she looked forward to the time they’d spend together in his garage restoring the classic car. “It was just time.”
“Good, because you know I couldn’t let you do that. I would have to purchase each and every one to stop you from doing such a foolish act.”
“No need to worry. Your pocket book is safe.” She relaxed him with a pat on his knee. “Mom asked if I wanted to try and sell them at the Fall Fair, I thought about it, and figured why not.”
“I’m sure you’ll sell each and every one.”
“Thanks for the bout of confidence. But if I don’t, no big deal.” Tossing her ponytail over her shoulder, she looked across at him. “I see you’ve corrected the haircut. The fiancée didn’t like it?”
He ran a hand over the tight little curls cut close to his head. “Afraid not.”
Admittedly, Aimee was a little disappointed. She would have dearly loved to see Colin deny Sheila something and keep the ridiculous hairdo simply because Aimee had cut it for him.
“So, where is Sheila?”
“She’s got a business client coming into town for Thanksgiving. It was the only free time either had available for a meeting.”
“She must find it hard to juggle a personal and professional life.”
�
�She enjoys what she does and she’s very good at it.” He stated the point matter-of-fact. Not necessarily with pride, but more with an understanding Sheila couldn’t possibly do less.
Watching his profile, Aimee wondered why this should make her envious. He had often complimented her enough on a particular sweater she knitted or a blanket she crocheted, but there wasn’t anything in particular Aimee was good at. Real good, not just ordinary good, but super good. Like Sheila was at everything she did. Or at least that was how it felt.
She brushed the thought aside and consoled herself with the knowledge that it was thanks to Sheila’s work schedule that Aimee was allowed to sit next to Colin now and not have to share him with his fiancée. She hated competing for his attention. Not that she had any hope of ever winning on her own merits. Therefore took whatever opportunity she could to have him all to herself.
They had a nearly two hour commute back to their hometown so she settled herself in for the long drive ahead. She was well prepared and packed her duffel bag accordingly. From within, she retrieved her iPod and slid the earphones into her ears then selected an audiobook before taking out her latest knitting project. A cardigan intended for one of her brothers for Christmas.
Over the sound of the audiobook, she could hear the radio quietly playing. Colin kept the volume low so as not to disturb her reading and knitting. She smiled to herself and even though she wouldn’t admit it out loud, she was glad to be passenger. Firstly, it meant she didn’t have to make the long tedious commute alone, and secondly, but more importantly, it meant she was able to car pool with Colin. Any excuse to be in his company in a confined place for a length of period always made her happy.
Well over an hour later on the last stretch home, she put down the knitting and replaced it with an incomplete crossword from her bag. She removed the headphones and plugged her iPod into his stereo to both recharge the battery and to listen to the favorites on her playlist. They shared the same taste of music and often had the same song on their iTunes accounts, so she didn’t bother to ask for his music preference, knowing he’d enjoy whatever piece she selected.
As Colin drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, Aimee stared down at the paperback and chewed thoughtfully on the end of her pencil. She had forgotten that the crossword had been tossed aside because of a certain word that had stumped her.
As if reading her mind, he asked, “What is it?”
She looked at him blankly.
“Come on,” he gestured with his hand as if waving for her to hand something over. “You’re chewing on your pencil with that little concentrated frown between your brows like you always do when you are confused.”
“I do that?” She glanced down at the overly chewed pencil surprised he noticed her bad habit before she herself acknowledged it.
“Yes, now come on, what’s the clue?”
“Ok, Mr. Know-it-All.” She smiled at him before reading, “What’s a six letter word for style, ending with an r.”
His brows came together as if concentrating real hard, then quickly answered, “Manner.”
Aimee frowned, startled, then checked the crossword. “You’re right. It fits.”
He grinned and gave her wink. After scribbling the letters into their respective boxes, she asked, “How about a five letter word for joined?”
“Affix.” He responded quickly, looking pleased with himself.
Shaking her head, she said, “Nope, it has to start with the letter M.”
“All right, how about mated?”
“Marry!” Aimee quipped back, her eyes lighting up as she filled in the word of her choice between the two. Then studying the puzzle again, she suddenly frowned.
“It can’t be that complicated. What’s the clue?”
“Four letter word for Barrymore.”
“Drew,” he offered.
“I know.” She turned her pencil over and began to erase a word vigorously. “That would mean marry was wrong and mated was right.”
He chuckled. “I guess not all books are fairy tales.”
She shot him an irritated glare before returning to her puzzle.
“Five letter word for worship.”
“Any clues?”
“Begins with the letter A.”
He glanced over at her with a playful grin. “Aimee.”
“Ha, ha, how about arrogant?”
He through back his head and let out a hoot of laughter. “That’s my girl. No wonder I adore you—you’re quick on the rebound.”
A warm glow heated her cheeks, but she quickly dowsed it. She did not belong to Colin Pearson, no matter what he inadvertently declared. She had to learn to remember that and control her emotions. He was not her lover, he was her brother’s best friend.
An odd smile played across her lips as she scribbled into the crossword and said, “Adore—thank you. That was the word.”
They spent the remainder of the drive guessing the words to the clues and before Aimee knew it, they were pulling into her parent’ driveway. Colin was first to jump out and scooted around to the trunk where he loaded his arms full with Aimee’s afghans before heading into the house. Aimee trailed behind with her overnight bag slung over her shoulder and could hear the sounds of reunion bellow from inside the home. Colin had always been well liked by each member of her family. As far back as Aimee could remember he had always been in the picture. From the days when he started up a friendship with Dennis, then later when he continued one with Aimee, he was around at almost all the family reunions and holidays. Her parents wouldn’t have it any other way.
Which pleased Aimee greatly, except of course when it came for him to marry. The very thought caused her stomach to lurch. Images of Christmas with Sheila sitting at the dinner table made her want to hurl. It would take a lot of begging on Aimee’s part not to have the invitation extended. However, as she watched the joy on their faces as they interacted with Colin, she knew more than likely it would be herself producing excuses on those occasions for not attending.
Looking across at Colin as he exchanged warm welcomes with his old friend, a shadow crossed her heart. The very thought of spending the holidays apart from him was far too miserable to even conceive. Therefore, she scolded herself with a kick in the mental behind, she would enjoy this one before it was the last.
“So where’s this fiancée we heard about?” Dennis asked.
“I’m afraid business comes first.” Colin responded with a grimace.
“That’s too bad. Maybe next time.”
“Ya, maybe.”
From the kitchen her mother emerged wiping her hands on an apron wrapped around her waist. “I thought I heard your voice, Colin.”
“Hello, Mrs. S.” He greeted her with a bright smile and friendly hug.
“It’s been far too long since you came for a visit.” She grinned but gently smacked his arm in false admonishment before angling her head around him. “Where’s your fiancée?”
“She couldn’t make it this weekend. A business client has detained her.”
Gwen Smith frowned slightly before offering him a sweet smile. “Some other time perhaps.”
He simply nodded.
She went over and embraced Aimee, dropping a kiss on her cheek while at the same time addressed a question to them both. “I didn’t realize you were driving up together?”
“My car refused to start.”
Instead of becoming worried as her parents always did when anything went just the slightest bit amiss, Gwen looked rather pleased which made Aimee frown. “It’s so wonderful Colin is there to look after you.”
“I don’t need looking after,” Aimee stated firmly, hating how her parent made her sound like a child. “And please don’t tell Daddy about my car. You know he will only worry.”
“Tell me what?” A deep baritone voice sounded from the back entrance before his huge frame filled the doorjamb. He wasn’t exactly huge in the giant aspect, actually he was a rather short man on the overweight side, which ga
ve him the appearance of being large.
Upon noticing Colin standing beside his daughter, Frank Smith’s face broke into a beam. “Well, hello there stranger. How have you been keeping yourself?”
“Busy.” Colin accepted the bear hug and was awarded with a hefty smack on the back. “How are you doing, Mr. Smith?”
“Call me Frank.” He grinned from ear to ear. “You’re practically family.”
“Yes sir.” He agreed while the big burly man gathered his only daughter into his arms and squeezed.
“Daddy,” she protested.
“So tell me, son, where’s this fancy fiancée of yours?”
Aimee couldn’t help but roll her eyes. If anyone asked him that question one more time she swore she would cough up breakfast, lunch and probably dinner as well. And that was just from yesterday’s meals.
As he began explaining once more Sheila’s absence, Aimee’s other two brothers, Scott and Joel came in from the door their father had just emerged. “Hey, Colin. Nice to see you again. Where’s that fiancée we heard so much about?”
That was it! Tossing her overnight bag onto the floor, Aimee didn’t realize how hard she had thrown it until it banged loudly and startled everyone present. The room went silent for mere seconds while they all turned and looked at her in alarm.
Gwen Smith was the first to speak. “Joel, why don’t you help your sister with her bags?”
“I’ll get them.” Colin quickly volunteered as if he had forgotten his place.
“Don’t be foolish,” Gwen scolded gently. “Aimee has four very strong and vile brothers. It was time she put them to use.”
Colin grinned. “I don’t mind. After all, I’ve always felt like a brother.”
Gwen was quick to respond. “Oh, you’re not her brother, Colin sweetheart. I’m testament to that.”
His face dropped and he took an uncomfortable step backwards as Gwen turned and once again paged one of her sons. Aimee almost felt sorry for him as he allowed Joel to pick up the blankets he had brought in from the car. Scott, the closest to her in age, retrieved the overnight bag near her feet and threw it over his shoulder as he innocently asked, “So I take it you’re over your crush on Colin?”
Misunderstood: In Love with the Nerd (The Miss Series Book 2) Page 21
