He opened the front door and asked, “What time do you work tomorrow?”
“Uh, I need to be at the office by nine.”
“I’ll stop by at eight and we’ll practice.” He left, shutting the door quietly behind him, and she sank against the wall, her fingers still tracing her lower lip. What the hell just happened?
* * *
Kira stared out the kitchen window and sipped at her second cup of coffee. It was just before eight and her insides were quaking with nerves and anticipation. She patted her hair a little self-consciously as she strained to hear a vehicle.
She was tired and on edge. It took her much longer than usual to fall asleep last night. Every time she closed her eyes, she relived the touch of Connor’s mouth against hers. The way his tongue had stroked and tasted, the feel of his erection against her belly.
She abruptly dumped her coffee down the sink and grabbed a mint from the jar in the cupboard. She crunched it down as she checked her phone for the time. Grace had texted her last night to see how it went with Connor. She couldn’t bring herself to tell her about the kissing, at least not over text, so she had simply said it went well and she would tell her more later. Now, she wished she’d mentioned the kiss if only to get Grace’s reaction about it. Maybe her dentist went around kissing random women all the time.
Idiot.
Yeah, she was.
The doorbell rang and she jerked wildly. She left her phone on the counter and hurried to the door. She took a moment to smooth her blue pencil skirt before opening the door.
“Hello, Dr. – I mean, Connor.” Her voice was too loud.
“Good morning, Kira.”
“Come in, please.”
He stepped into the house and she licked her lips. He was wearing a blue t-shirt with a pair of jeans and he smelled delicious.
“Do you always wear cologne?” she blurted out.
He gave her an odd look and she grimaced in embarrassment. “Sorry. You smell, uh, nice.”
“Thank you,” he said.
He didn’t say anything about the way she smelled, and she waited stupidly for him to tell her she smelled good. He didn’t say anything, and her embarrassment grew.
“Uh, why don’t we go into the kitchen.” She turned and walked away before he could reply. Her stomach was churning with nerves and her hand shook when she reached for a coffee mug.
“Can I get you a cup of coffee?” She turned, staggering back into the counter with a nervous squeak. Connor was standing directly behind her and she stared wide eyed at him.
“I have a root canal at nine and can’t stay very long. Let’s get started, shall we?” He plucked the coffee mug from her hand and set it on the counter.
Before she could even lick her lips in anticipation, his arm was around her waist, his other hand on the back of her neck, and his mouth on hers.
Don’t moan, she thought fiercely as he brushed his lips against hers in a light, gentle caress.
Be cool, Kira. It’s just a kiss, be cool.
She returned his kiss tentatively, once more mimicking the movement of his mouth, and tried to ignore the heat of his hand cupping her hip. He didn’t move his hands or his body at all, just kissed her repeatedly with those same gentle movements. After what felt like hours, she made a noise of impatience and parted her lips. She wanted his tongue in her mouth, wanted it so badly she was nearly shaking, and she couldn’t figure out why he wasn’t reading her signals.
She pulled back slightly and said, “Please.”
She was a little appalled at how needy and desperate she sounded.
“Please what, Kira?”
His low voice sent shivers of lust down her spine. Without stopping to think about why she should be this desperate for another man’s kisses when she was in love with Daniel, she said, “I want a real kiss.”
A small smile crossed his face and when he sucked on her bottom lip, she could no more stop the moan from escaping then she could stop the sun from rising. He sucked again and she put her arms around his waist, her hands digging into his firm back as he licked first her upper lip and then her bottom lip.
“Now you,” he said.
She licked his bottom lip with the tip of her tongue and then sucked on it. His soft moan made her pussy pulse with need and she pressed her lower body against his growing erection.
“Good,” he said.
Like a damn puppy eager to please, she traced his lips with her tongue before sucking on his lower lip again. It brought forth another low moan and tendrils of excitement wove in her belly.
A girl could get addicted to the sound of her dentist’s moans.
Before she could think about how stupid that was, his tongue was sliding into her mouth. She pushed her body against his, trying not to rub against him and remarkably succeeding, as he licked and tasted and flicked his tongue against hers. Feeling both bold and unsure, she sucked on his tongue. His hips jerked against hers - only a little - but her entire body tingled with delight at his reaction.
His hand tightened around the nape of her neck and he pulled her head back until she was staring up at him. He studied her mouth before nibbling on her lower lip. She gasped and moaned, her hands fisting into his shirt as he slanted his mouth over hers and kissed her deeply. He took control of her mouth, feasting on her lips and dipping his tongue between them repeatedly.
When he sucked on her tongue, it sent an answering pull of pleasure to her pussy. She rubbed herself frantically against him, trying to find some type of relief for the ache. He was too tall for his cock to fit where she needed it, and she was just considering hooking her legs around him and trying to worm her way up his body when he pulled away.
“Don’t stop!”
She blushed immediately at her begging and looked at the floor in confusion as Connor reached down and tugged at the crotch of his jeans. She stared at the bulge, feeling both stupidly proud of the reaction she had invoked and oddly ashamed that she would be so pleased by it.
She loved Daniel – seeing another man’s lust for her shouldn’t make her proud.
“I have to go.” There was a slight hoarseness to his voice.
“What? It’s only…” She glanced at the clock on the microwave. It was eight-thirty, they were kissing for a solid half hour and she’d had no idea.
He stepped back, adjusting the front of his jeans again. “Are you available to meet tomorrow night to go over personal information?”
“I – what?” she said.
“We need to get to know each other. I can drop by around seven if you’re available,” he said.
“Oh, right. Yes, that’s fine.”
“Good. Have a nice day, Kira.”
“You too,” she replied.
He left the kitchen without another word. When the front door slammed, she immediately headed upstairs to her bedroom. She needed to get to work but the crotch of her panties was soaking wet. Her face flaming, she peeled off the damp ones and slipped into a fresh pair.
* * *
Connor stared at his building. He was sitting in his car in the parking lot and even though it was nearly twenty minutes since he’d left Kira’s house, he was still as hard as a rock. He looked around and then adjusted the crotch of his jeans. Shit. Maybe he needed to go home and rub one out, then come back to the office.
Have you lost your mind? You have a root canal in ten minutes. Get your shit together!
He closed his eyes. It was a mistake. Immediately, an image of Kira rose in his mind. He could almost hear her sweet little moans and her begging for a real kiss. The way she was rubbing her tight little body against him this morning had tempted him to cancel his appointments and spend the day tasting and teasing every inch of Kira’s soft skin.
He groaned and stared fixedly at the steering wheel. He hadn’t expected to be so turned on by Kira. She wasn’t his usual type.
How do you know she isn’t your type? Because she doesn’t remind you of Lisa? That’s a good thing, you idiot. Be
sides, you don’t know anything about her. You’re too busy sticking your tongue down her throat.
Good point. He needed to focus. Making sure they looked and acted like a couple when they touched and kissed was important, but pointless if he didn’t know anything personal about her.
Kira was already much more natural at kissing him this morning, which meant they really didn’t need to practice anymore. It was more than obvious they had chemistry and it wasn’t like they’d be making out in public anyway. He was against PDAs in general, never mind that he didn’t want current or potential clients seeing him sucking tongues with or grinding away against Kira in a damn coffee shop or something.
His cell phone buzzed, and he grabbed it off the seat. Six minutes until his appointment. He considered letting the call go to voicemail before answering it.
“Hey, Mom.”
“Hey, honey. How are you?’
Like always, his mother’s voice sent both warmth and guilt through him.
“Good. Just about to go into a root canal.” He climbed out of the car and locked it before walking toward the clinic. “What’s up?”
“I won’t keep you long. I’m having coffee with Mandy and she’s reminded me that you haven’t RSVP’d for the wedding yet. I told her you’ll be there and that you don’t have a plus one, but she’s insisting I confirm with you.”
There was a muffled sound and then his cousin’s voice squeaked into his ear. “Dude, you’re killing me over here. RSVP’s were due two weeks ago!”
“I’m sorry, Mandy.” He yanked open the door to the clinic and stepped inside. His client was already there but his gaze was fixed on his phone, and Connor hurried past him, giving Keisha the receptionist the five-minute signal. She nodded and he walked down the hallway toward his office.
“It’s fine,” Mandy sighed. “I know you’re busy, but I really need to give the caterer final numbers. I’ll put you down for one chicken, yeah?”
“Uh, actually,” he sank behind his desk, “I’ll be bringing my, uh, girlfriend.”
There was silence. Faintly, he could hear his mother talking to someone else in the coffee shop. Not surprising. She’d lived in Willington her entire life and she knew pretty much everyone by name.
“Girlfriend?” Mandy’s voice was even squeakier when it was surprised. “You have a girlfriend? That you’re bringing to my wedding?”
Before he could reply, his mother was back on the line. “Connor? Why is Mandy talking about a girlfriend?”
He should never have answered the phone.
“Because I have a girlfriend and I’m bringing her to the wedding.”
“But,” his mother’s voice lost some of its oomph, “honey, what about Lisa?”
“What about her?” Connor’s voice was harsher than he intended. “We aren’t together anymore and haven’t been for a very long time. I have a girlfriend, her name is Kira, I’m bringing her to the wedding. End of story.”
There was silence and a fresh wave of guilt washed over him. “Mom, I really have to go. Can you tell Mandy that I’ll text her this afternoon with Kira’s dinner choice?”
“Sure.” His mother disconnected the call before he could say anything else.
He tossed his phone into his desk and slammed the drawer shut before grabbing his lab coat and yanking it on. Grace stepped into his office and gave him a cheerful smile. “Good morning, Connor.”
“Morning.”
She checked behind her before lowering her voice. “So, I hear your wedding problem is solved.”
He stared blankly at her and she said, “Kira’s going to the wedding with you, right?”
“Uh, yeah, right. Yes.” Connor took a deep breath to clear his head. Disappointing his parents wasn’t anything new for him, so why was his guilt still clinging to him like a fine layer of dust he couldn’t shake off?
“Hey, you okay?” Grace asked.
“Fine. Just running late. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Sure,” she said.
He brushed past her, ignoring her look of concern.
Chapter Three
“A dentist? You’re gonna make my brother jealous by dating a dentist?” Addison sat down on the couch with a graceful motion Kira knew she would never be able to imitate.
She studied Addison for a moment. In contrast to Kira’s navy-coloured business suit, Addison wore a pastel pink, sixties style A-line dress that hugged her upper body and stopped just above her knees. Like always, her auburn coloured hair fell in soft perfect waves to her shoulders and her make-up was flawless.
Her manicure matched the colour of her dress exactly, as did – Kira took a quick peek at Addison’s feet clad in peep-toe sandals – her pedicure. Addison toyed with the pearl necklace that was a permanent fixture around her slender throat. “Why are you looking at me like that, Kira?”
“How is it that you’ve been teaching seven-year-old kids all day and you look like you just stepped out of a modelling shoot, and I’ve done nothing more strenuous then sit at a desk and I look like this.” Kira pointed to her wrinkled skirt and the stain on her jacket.
“Oh, please. You’re beautiful and you’re rocking those power suits. Don’t change the subject – are you really going to date Dr. MacMillan to make my brother jealous?” Addison said.
“Fake date,” Kira said. “You’re missing an important key component. It’s not real.”
“And this was Gracie’s idea?”
“It’s a good idea.” Grace walked into the living room, wearing jeans and a scrub top with her name embroidered on it. She was holding two bottles of beer in one hand and a half-full glass of wine in the other. She handed Kira a bottle of beer and Addison the wine glass before sinking into the couch next Addison. “These were the last two beers in your fridge, Kira.”
“Okay, but what happens if Daniel does get jealous and realizes he wants to be with you?” Addison took a sip of her wine. “This wedding that you’re gonna be Dr. MacMillan’s date for isn’t for like a month, right? You know how my brother is just as well as I do, he’s not exactly the patient type.”
Kira nodded. “I know. Connor and I will take a couple of weeks to get to know each other first and then announce we’re dating, which will only give us two weeks until the wedding. I mean, if we want to sell this whole ‘we’re dating’ thing, we need to know each other’s personal background, likes and dislikes, and… other stuff.”
“Other stuff?” Grace lowered her beer bottle. “What kind of…other stuff?”
Kira knew she was blushing, but if she was honest with herself, she wanted to tell Grace and Addie what happened. She’d wavered between giddiness and guilt about kissing Connor all damn day.
“Kira? Spill your guts, girl,” Grace said.
“Okay, so, the first night I met with Connor to talk about dating, he kissed me.”
Addie paused with her wine glass halfway to her mouth. “He kissed you?”
“Yes. He said he wanted to find out if we had chemistry before we tried to sell this whole dating thing.”
Grace took a swig of beer. “Makes sense.”
“Or he just wanted an excuse to grope Kira.” Addison gave her an affronted look.
“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” Grace replied. “Nothing wrong with a little mutual groping from time to time…”
Addison made an unladylike snort. “Go on, Kira.”
Kira took a big swallow of beer. “So, we did have chemistry, which is good, but I was bad at the kissing part.”
Addison frowned. “He told you that?”
“Not in a mean way,” Kira said. “More in a… practical way.”
Addison gave her a blank look, but Grace laughed. “Yep, that sounds like Connor.”
“Still, if some guy tells you that you’re bad at kissing,” Addison said, “he isn’t worth your time.”
“But what if he’s right? I’ve only kissed two guys before and neither of them kissed me like Connor kissed me, so…”
“What do you mean?” Addison took a sip of wine.
“I mean,” Kira tried to think of how to explain it, “when I kissed a guy before, it was pleasant and, um, fun, but mostly I just kept thinking about how wet it was and how their tongues felt really big and gross in my mouth and the one guy had really bad breath and just… it wasn’t exactly the fireworks I expected, you know?”
“Well,” Addison said delicately, “not every kiss can be fireworks.”
“What?” Grace gave her a mock look of surprise. “Not every kiss with Harrison is full of sexy sparkles?”
“My love life with Harrison is perfectly fine, thank you,” Addison said.
“Perfectly fine? That’s not exactly a roaring endorsement for his bedroom skills,” Grace said.
Addison flushed before throwing one of the couch pillows at her. “Hush, Gracie. Harrison is fantastic in bed and that’s all I’ll say on the matter.”
Grace grinned at her. “Good for you, honey. You deserve fantastic in bed.”
“Anyway, back to Kira. Sorry, sweetie,” Addison said. “You were saying that kissing Connor is different.”
“Yes.” Kira fidgeted with the buttons on her suit jacket. “He’s a good kisser, I think. I definitely wasn’t thinking about it being too wet or gross or anything like that. In fact, I wasn’t really thinking at all.”
“That’s definitely the sign of a good kisser,” Grace said with a laugh.
“Anyway, because I wasn’t great at it, Connor said we should practice. He came by this morning before work and we, uh, practiced kissing for half an hour. It went better, only…”
“Only what?” Grace asked.
“I feel kind of guilty over how much I liked it. I mean,” Kira took another swallow of beer hoping it might help cool her flaming cheeks, “it turned me on, you guys.”
“That’s the point of kissing,” Grace said.
Sweet Harmony (Harmony Falls, Book One) Page 3
