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Tess was surprised when he parked the truck in her driveway, cut the ignition and removed the key. Her heart leaped in her chest as if it were trying to execute a grand jeté. “You’re getting out, too?”
He hitched a brow, disgruntled by her surprise. “What self-respecting man doesn’t walk his date to the door at the end of the night?”
It wasn’t a real date. But she couldn’t quite voice the objection because it was difficult to remember which part hadn’t been real. The breathless rush she’d experienced in his arms had certainly been genuine. Her nerves before he came to pick her up, as she’d changed clothes six times and fortified herself with wine, had been one hundred percent sincere. And the way she’d felt tonight whenever she glanced across the table and fell into his gaze...
There went her heart again, leaping around like a crazed soloist in search of a spotlight.
Nick opened her door, offering her a hand to climb down from the height of the truck. His fingers rasped against hers, and she inhaled a shaky breath. She quickly drew her hand away on the pretext of fishing her keys from her purse. They walked up the steps together, and she unlocked the door. Should she invite him in for a cup of decaf coffee? Point out that it was a nice evening and ask him to sit on the porch with her, enjoying the song of crickets and the sparkling canvas of stars overhead?
“Tess?” Despite his velvety tone of voice, she jumped as if she’d heard gunfire.
She tried to camouflage her reflex by turning the knob and opening the door with more force than required. “Yes?”
“I think you’re right. Maybe deep down, I do know what I want.”
“And?” She swallowed.
As if they were on the dance floor again, he pulled her against him, moving to a song only he could hear. Spearing one hand through her wayward curls, he cupped the back of her head and tilted her face toward his. He captured her mouth in a coaxing kiss that bloomed from gentle to searing in the space of a heartbeat. Heat flooded her body. They explored each other with a frenzied thoroughness. Thought became sensation and movement. His thumb skimmed the edge of her breast through the filmy material of her blouse, jolting a sharp current of need through her.
He moved his mouth from hers long enough to trace feathery kisses up the curve of her neck. “We shouldn’t be standing in your doorway like this.”
Right, because she’d hate for the neighbors to see the hottest guy in town crazed with desire over her. She tugged him into the dimly lit interior of her house and had just slammed the door when she found herself pressed between Nick and the wall. One of his firmly muscled legs was between hers, pushing the edge of her skirt upward. Cool air teased her thighs, and she trembled.
Nick noticed, backing off immediately. He still had one hand curved at the nape of her neck, but he’d put several inches between them when before there’d only been a few thin layers of fabric. “I’m rushing you, aren’t I?”
No! Except...now that he’d paused long enough for her to get oxygen to her lust-addled brain, she admitted to herself they were rushing. Was she subconsciously hurrying because she knew that, if she stopped to think, she’d come to her senses?
She exhaled heavily, managing an apologetic half smile. “We shouldn’t be doing this.”
“Damn.” He shoved a hand through his hair, no longer resembling the polished, urbane version of himself who’d shown up here at the beginning of the evening. “I was so hoping you wouldn’t say that.”
“Me, too,” she admitted. “But it’s true.”
“Tess, I—”
She held up a hand, halting his words. “You can call me tomorrow. Or later in the week. We can talk then.” If she didn’t do the sensible and honorable thing by kicking him out now, she might yet lose her head. And no amount of physical bliss tonight would be worth the world of regret and misgivings tomorrow.
* * *
STARTING OUT THE EVENING, Nick hadn’t had any idea what to expect. And now that the night had concluded...well, he wasn’t sure what in the hell had just happened. Shifting uncomfortably in the driver’s seat, he tried to ignore the lingering demands of his body and focus on driving safely back to the Galloping C.
Had he screwed up by kissing Tess? As he’d told his daughter, he and Tess weren’t romantically involved. And only a couple of hours ago, Tess had referred to their date as a “test run.” Instead of adhering to reality, he’d gone with sheer instinct and grabbed her.
He couldn’t remember the last time he’d blindly followed his instincts with a woman. Ironically, the person he most wanted to turn to for advice now was probably the last one he should ask. Even though only a week had passed since Tess first approached him, he’d quickly fallen into the habit of considering her his romance coach. No, it was more than that. She was a friend.
No. It was more than that, too.
When he pulled up to the ranch’s main house, lights spilled from various windows. He could see his brothers and father in the living room. Upstairs, softer light shone from behind the pale green curtains of his parents’ room. Then there was a telltale gleam in the tiny window of the bathroom. If he was seeking guidance, there was no shortage of people inside he could ask. But Nick had always been the most private of the Calhoun brothers. Kevin had been bragging about his exploits since middle school, and while Wyatt wasn’t as obnoxious as their brother, he also didn’t hesitate to kiss a girl—or argue with her—in full view of a crowded bar. The idea of holding his relationship with Tess up for their speculation...
The familiar creak of the front door heralded his arrival. None of the three Calhoun men seated looked away from the sports highlights on the big-screen television.
“Your mama just took Little Bit upstairs to brush her teeth,” his father informed him. “There’s beer in the fridge if you want to stay for a few minutes. And leftovers, too. Erin made her famous chicken dumplings.”
Nick crossed the dark kitchen and filled a glass with cold water. “I had dinner in town. That’s why I needed y’all to babysit, remember?”
“Oh, right.” Wyatt turned in his recliner. “Big date. How’d it go?”
Kevin snorted. “How do you think? He’s here with us, isn’t he? If it had gone halfway decent, he’d be doing the mattress mambo with— Who were you with?”
“None of your damn business,” Nick said matter-of-factly.
Their father jabbed a finger at Kevin. “Watch your mouth. You know your mama doesn’t
like you talking about the union between man and woman with such disregard.”
It warmed Nick’s heart to see his towering brother blush like a ten-year-old who’d just been given his first detention. “I’m going upstairs to get Bailey.” His parents had assured him she could spend the night here if need be. Since that was sadly not the case, he might as well take her home where she could sleep in her own bed.
Bay sat propped against the headboard of his parents’ bed, dressed in a pair of glaringly mismatched pajamas—a pink top printed with neon cowboy boots and green pants, striped in yellow and blue. Amid the boots was a splotch that looked suspiciously like chocolate ice cream. “Daddy! Gramma was about to read me a story. You can listen with us.”
His mother was less effusive about his presence. “We didn’t expect you this early.”
He laughed wryly. “Should I leave and come back?”
“Of course not. It isn’t that I’m unhappy to see you. I guess I just hoped you’d take me up on my offer to let Bailey stay the night. In case you and your friend decided to...have a tea party,” she improvised.
Nick spluttered, choking on his water. “A tea party?” he wheezed. Was that what they were calling it these days? “Mother, it was a first date! And it wasn’t exactly a date, anyway. Although there were dinner and dancing.”
“What about a k-i-s-s good-night?” Erin prompted, her eyes twinkling.
“Mom. Honestly, you’re worse than Kevin.”
“Don’t be absurd, dear. No one is worse than Kevin. Between his inability to go out with a nice girl twice in a row and Wyatt’s holding pattern with that rodeo woman, you may be my only shot at grandchildren. Poor Bailey wants brothers and sisters. She told me.”
