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She shook her head. “I didn’t mean we had to leave now. I was just…thinking.”
“No.” He set up one last s’more and held it up. “I’ll finish this and tell John it’s been a great party but I have to leave.”
Now she was mad at herself. She didn’t want tonight to end. She could not for the life of her remember the last time she’d had such a perfect day—and evening. But he was probably right. Going home was the smart thing to do. The prudent thing to do. Disappear before Jack Preston got too deeply under her skin. Then again, when had anyone ever called her prudent?
Taking her dear sweet time to slowly nibble on her last double marshmallow s’more, she popped the last morsel in her mouth and begrudgingly pushed to her feet when Jack stood and extended his hand for her.
The spark of electricity that zipped up her arm actually had her looking around to see if anyone had seen what she felt. From the quick way that Jack had let go, she’d have sworn he’d felt it too. Or maybe that was just her wishful thinking again. Heaving out a sigh, she followed in his footsteps, thanking people as they passed, wishing the birthday boy a successful and happy year one last time before they climbed into his car.
“Thanks for tagging along.” He hit the ignition switch and flashed her a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I’m beat and it really helped having a good reason to call it an early night.”
“Are you sure you wanted to leave?” She really did feel awful pulling him away from his friends.
“Positive. You’ve worn these old bones out.”
And there it was in front of her. Jack Preston was indeed older than her. Not crazy old, like he could be her father or anything icky like that. But old enough to have grown up in two different decades and should have nothing in common. And yet, she’d had such an easy time talking to him about everything and anything for the last couple of days.
Damn. Why did the nicest guy she’d met in forever have to be her brother’s best friend?
The drive home had proven shorter than she would have liked. The SUV pulled into the Paradise Ridge driveway and came to a stop at the front doors. It probably would be considered childish if she pouted and refused to get out of the car. In the time she’d chastised herself for thinking like a kid, Jack had circled the hood and opened her door.
She noticed that unlike before, he didn’t hold his hand out for her. Could it be she’d been right? He had felt the zap of electricity the way she had. Arguing with herself, she made her way up the stairs, fidgeting in her bag for the keys. She yanked them out and spun around to thank Jack for a lovely day. Only to her surprise he wasn’t just on the porch, he was directly behind her. So close that as she spun, she bumped into him, forcing him to grab both her arms to steady her. “Sorry!”
“No. I shouldn’t have been so close.”
His gaze seemed to burn into her. And why was he still holding her arms? Her heartbeat kicked into double time and she found herself rolling forward on her feet. She could feel the heat of his gaze all the way to her soul. This she was not by any means imagining.
“Siobhan.” Her name on his lips came out low, sweet, and sounded almost like a prayer. He leaned forward and her breath caught. He was going to kiss her. Inching up on her tippy toes, the anticipation had her heart racing and her hopes soaring.
Their faces were so close she could feel the warmth of his breath caressing her lips. Just another few inches and she’d be in heaven.
“Long day?” The front door swung open.
The two of them sprang apart like a couple of teens caught necking on the family sofa.
“Very.” Jack turned to face her brother Mitch, taking a step in retreat at the same time. “I’ve got a longer one tomorrow, need to get going.” He turned to face her while taking yet another step back. “Thanks again for helping with Mom’s gift, and for today.”
Her head bobbed but the words “You’re welcome” were stuck in her throat. Another few seconds and his taillights were disappearing in the distance.
“You coming in or planning on staying on the porch all night?” Her brother’s tone was less than pleasant.
What she really wanted to do was run after the car and…and what? The litany of possibilities that ran through her mind had her shaking her head. Boy, was she in trouble.
Chapter Nine
Despite not seeing her for a week, Jack couldn’t get Siobhan out of his mind. Even at work, bogged down with deadlines and demands, and every time he had a moment to himself, visions of Siobhan laughing and singing in the front seat of his car made him smile. Technically, the kid was now a grown woman. She was also his best friend’s little sister. More than a few years younger than him, and no matter how smart and fun and fascinating he found her—she was still off limits according to the Bro Code.
Why couldn’t she be related to perfect strangers? Or any other family on the planet would work. Just not the Barons. The most interesting woman he’d spent time with in years and thanks to genetics and a sense of honor—she was off-limits.
Staring at the freezer section of the grocery store, he contemplated which microwave meals held the most appeal. None of the boxes inspired him, but he had to eat. What he wanted was to call Siobhan and invite her for dinner. Which itself wasn’t much of a problem. The wanting to keep her at his side till breakfast was more of the sticking point. None of the four Baron brothers, nor the litany of cousins, would take kindly to that idea. He’d come home from work too late and too tired to boil water, never mind actually cook. And like old Mother Hubbard, his cupboards, or more precisely his fridge, was bare.
Who the heck ever came up with the Bro Code anyway? He snagged the first five boxes of frozen dinners he saw on the freezer shelf. After all, shouldn’t a brother be thrilled that a friend they knew and trusted was interested—okay, more than interested—in their sister? Of course, knowing exactly how many oats he’d sown and with whom was probably not the best letter of recommendation. Shaking off thoughts of Siobhan, and her brothers tearing him limb from limb if he laid a finger on her, he momentarily studied his cart and dinners for the next few days. He was also out of toothpaste. That would be one aisle over.
Smiling at the woman pushing a cart with a little kid happily gurgling in the seat, he wondered when had he started noticing women and their children. Another thing he could credit Siobhan for. The woman looked so gorgeous holding a baby. He could almost picture her surrounded by little girls who looked just like her and little boys who looked like him. This was insane. He had to get Siobhan out of his head. Somehow. Halfway up the aisle, his feet and heart stuttered to a stop. Was he hallucinating now?
Nope. Turning into the aisle was the one and only Siobhan Baron. He debated backing out of the aisle. How many people would he trample escaping the woman he couldn’t get out of his mind? Time apart hadn’t done a thing to dampen his attraction for her. If anything, it was getting worse. Maybe he should just leave the cart and order pizza for dinner. That would be the only way to escape the aisle without her spotting him.
Did that make him a coward? What if she recognized him running away? What would she think? Blast. When had Siobhan become such a complication for him? Oh yeah, the minute she’d smiled at him.
