Awakened By A Kiss (Once Upon A Romance) (9 page)

Smiling, she blinked away the moisture to stare into Stu’s three kids’ beaming grins.
Giggly, Wiggly, and Smiley
. Flicking her finger over the screen and tapping the message, she read what it said. “Can you babysit us Saturday night? Mom and Dad need a breather?”

Chuckling, she typed back her reply. “Love to. Pizza on you. Movie and popcorn on me.”

“Sounds great.” The message came back short and quick, telling Evelyn that it had to be from Stu. She and his wife usually had a much longer message session about the times—when she needed to arrive, bath time, bedtime, and any other time they needed to work out.

She ditched the phone, glad she’d see the kids, but now half sad that she reminded herself she didn’t have any plans of her own. Again.

Her heart tinged and her mind kept running.

Shane Weston teased and tempted her.

It wasn’t like they were an item.

Somehow, she couldn’t shake the feeling that at least they’d been paired up.

And that kiss.
Hot. Sensual. Rocking
.

She took another swig and licked her lips, lingering there as if she could hold onto the feeling of his lips on hers.

He smelled good.
Like soap
. She smiled at his answer.

His taste. Sweet from his wine. Heat from his mouth, his body, scorched her, even now, long after the embrace. The memory burned, though.

Something in her belly tightened, twisted, and plunged, like she was on that roller coaster again.

Funny, she’d avoided scary rides all her life.

Somehow she couldn’t escape this one.

Did she even want to anymore?

“Three stories,” Shane muttered, looking up the winding stairwell. He checked the text message once again. It matched the address. The instructions were to climb three flights and knock on the door at the top of the stairs.

It was quiet. Too quiet. And there was a burned-out light on the second landing.

“Practical joke?” he wondered aloud.

Shane looked behind him at the door and then up the stairs. “Only two choices here, Weston. What’s it going to be?”

Pivoting on his heel, he headed back the way he came.

Within two feet from his escape, he heard a noise. The door burst open and slammed against the wall. Hearty laughter pierced his eardrums. There stood the three King sisters, shoulder to shoulder, trying to squeeze in.

“Me, first,” the blonde one said.

“I’m the oldest,” Charlie argued.

“I’m the youngest,” Priscilla King-James shifted, maneuvering to bypass the others.

The heavy scent of liquor hit him like a wave on the beach. “And the drunkest,” Shane pointed out.

They giggled.

“What are you doing here?” Priscilla asked. “It’s girls only. Except Rico, but he’s like one of us.”

Shane smiled. “Party?”

“Third floor.” Francie, the wedding dress lady from the other day, poked her thumb upward. “Our old crib.”

“Crib?” Shane shook his head.

“What’s all that noise down there, anyway?” Evelyn’s voice floated down from above. “Francie, is that you? Charlie? Prissy? Come on up and join the fun. Rico, the limo landed. Finally, the sisters are here.”

Rushing to the landing, Shane jerked his head up to see. “Evelyn? You’re here?”

“Shane? What are you doing?!” She gasped. “Whoa!” A metal bang sounded.

His heart dropped. “Don’t move. You’re dangerous, remember?” He had visions of her falling and breaking her neck. Taking the steps two at a time, he dashed to her. Behind him, he heard the unmistakable clomping of high heels racing to catch up.

“I’m good,” she said. Breaking glass rent the air. “Maybe not.”

Something dribbled and landed on his arm. He sniffed green apple. “You’re drunk, too. Stay away from the railing.”

“Who, me?” she asked, peeking down at him.

“Back away, Evelyn.”

Her head disappeared. A crash sounded.

He found her splayed on the stairs, trying to push herself to her feet.

“See, I got it.” Her hand slipped and she bumped down three more steps. “Ouch! My butt.”

Reaching out, he grabbed her waist. His face was even with her breasts.

“Do you come here often, Mr. Weston?” She giggled.

***

Shane groaned, shifting the makeshift icepack to his temple.

“Easy, big boy. Rico’s here.”

“What happened?”

“The question is what didn’t happen? When I texted you, I was hoping you’d be our entertainment for the night. But, not like this.”

Blinking his eyes open, he became aware of six sets of eyes gazing at him. They were hunched over his prone body. “Am I alive?” He found Evelyn’s stare and held it. “Are you alive?”

Pushing her way through, she lost her balance and landed on him.

He grunted. “Yep. She’s back.”

Evelyn tried to level herself up, but she slipped, hitting him again. “I fell—”

“Again,” he added. His memory nagged at him. “I tried to help you up. You pushed back. And down I went.” He recalled tumbling a few steps, cracking his head against the rail, and the sisters catching him. Half aware of being dragged up the steps, he muttered, “You have practice on dealing with bodies.”

That had sent them into peals of laughter. They’d dropped him.

Warm breath tickled his neck as Evelyn said, “Welcome to girl’s night, Shane.”

***

Evelyn’s face grew hot. This time from making a fool of herself in front of him. She’d nearly killed him.

Rico propped Shane up and they’d hauled him into a chair. Leaving him there to sleep wasn’t easy. She’d attempted to stop herself at just his shoes, but kept going. Socks, shirt, belt– all gone. Now he sat in just his jeans.

The girls and Rico were eyeing him closely. A pang of jealous sprang to life. “You got yours,” she scolded.

“Not me, honey. You think he’d switch teams?”

If his kiss was any indication, she had her answer. “Nope.”

“Why? Tell me why? I try so hard and you all get one. Why not me?” Rico drew the back of his hand across his forehead.

“Have another drink, friend.” Francie shoved a filled glass at him. “My latest attempt.”

“Eww! It’s brown.” His face contorted. “What did you put in this, anyway?” He sniffed and drew back, and then took another whiff. “Milk? Chocolate?”

She pointed behind her. “That bottle. Over there.”

He sipped. “Umm…not bad.” He drank a little more. Smacking his lips, he whispered, “Packs a punch once it hits the throat.”

She slapped him on the back. “Drink up. There’s more where that came from.”

“Holy Toledo, my head is spinning,” Peg said, falling to her knees. “I see triple. Nah, make that quadruple.”

Rico and the girls rushed to her and eased her onto a pile of fluffy blankets. “Easy, girl. It’s early. We got a whole night ahead of us.”

Evelyn turned back to look at Shane. He was staring at her from under his lashes. She gulped hard. “You heard.”

“Everything.”

Groaning, she said, “You let me take your clothes off.” Her gaze swept over his chest and tight abs.

“Best part. How could I take that experience away from you?”

“Shane?”

“Yeah.”

“I liked it, too.”

That made him laugh. A deep rich sound that floated all around her. “You can do that anytime you like. Be my guest.”

She just might take him up on the offer. When they were alone. “You’re not mad?”

“At my nearly early demise? Ev, honey, you are dangerous. You don’t need weapons or a stuffed bunny. What you do need is to buy me some body armor, though.”

“You just got me at a bad time.” Drinking hadn’t been the only reason she’d slid down the steps. No, seeing him barging up the stairs to save her shook her.
He did care!

“Oh, while you’re at it, you can patch up this broken heart.” He whispered the last, closing his eyes. But she’d caught it.

Her breath stilled. “Serious?”

Opening his eyes, he focused on hers. “I can’t eat. I can’t sleep. I can’t even do my job. Not since that incredible,” he dropped his gaze to her lips, “kiss.”

Heat seared her as if he were a laser beam. Her lips pulsed. “But, you haven’t tried it again.”

“My bad,” he said softly. “Can you help me remedy that?”

Evelyn, as if hypnotized, pulled toward him. “Shane?”

“Hmm?”

“I’m sorry.” She halted an inch away, first gazing from his lips to his baby blues.

“For what?”

“If I happen to hurt you in any way.” It was supposed to be a joke, but it came out too serious.

“Just don’t leave, Ev.” His soft plea tore a chunk of her heart away.

Finally, she kissed him. Gently, oh-so-gentle, she gave him what she couldn’t voice into words.
I’ll stay as long as I can.

Something tugged at her. Could he give her what she wanted? What she desired? Or would he be the one to walk away from her when she needed him the most? Leaving her heartbroken in the end?

“What do you mean you’re coming to the wedding, Mom?” Shane nearly barked into the phone. He was knee-deep in renovations on the King-Baxter family home. “I thought you were in the Islands.”

The powdery remnants of the plaster ceiling clung to him.

“Honey, Dex is my only nephew. My sister’s only child. I wouldn’t dream of missing the wedding.” She barely skipped a beat, and then asked, “Is he coming?”

The noise intensified around him. His crew worked, breaking up the chunks and tossing them in the trash. “Hold on. I’m walking out of the work area.” He stomped through the house and out the open front door. He slipped off the mask, breathing fresh air again.

“Shane, did you hear me? Is he coming?” Her sweet voice grew stubborn.

There was no way he could dodge her now.
Could someone please just stab him in the eye with an ice pick right now? 
“If by he you mean Dad, yes, he’s coming.”

“With a her?”

Yep, he knew that would be the next question. “Don’t know.”

“Is he seeing someone?”

“No idea.” He clamped his jaw tight, the muscle jumping.

“Have you asked?”

“Not my place, Mom.”
When would she ever get it that he was tired of being in the middle of their feud?

“Of course it is. You have a duty—”

He sighed heavily, yanking the phone away from his ear. Her voice drifted to him, but, thankfully he couldn’t make out the words. It wasn’t necessary; he’d recited her little spiel years ago. Counting to ten, he took a deep breath and then got back on the line. “I’m working. Text me your flight information. You’ll stay with me, right?”
Please, another dagger to my other eye.

“He won’t be there, too, will he?”

Everything centered around what the other was doing, saying, thinking, dating… “Don’t know.” Maybe Shane could move out that weekend, stay in a luxury hotel. Right now, he’d settle for a fleabag motel.
Would he have a house left when he returned, though? Did he even care at this point? God, he hated their divorce! Hated their constant harping. The divorce hadn’t ended the fights. No, it had intensified them with him as the buffer.

“Well, if you don’t know, than who does?”

“Mom, why don’t you call Dad and ask him?” Silence crackled over the line. “Gotta go, Mom. Love you.”

Birds chirped in a nearby tree. The sun shone. A light breeze blew, bringing the sweet scent of flowers. He heard kids laughing somewhere nearby.

How surreal!

Everything around him seemed normal.

But everything in his life was falling apart. His cousin was a besotted fool, getting ready to marry a woman who’d changed so much he barely recognized her; her parents were losing their shirts and who knew what else to please her; his parents hated each other and he was in the middle of their mess; he was still seething at their childish ways; and the sexy woman he met weeks ago kissed like a dream and wanted to be a single mom.

Did anything make sense anymore?

Could he fix anything
? He glanced back at the house.
Besides the concrete things in life?
He could build, repair, and renovate homes to winning results. But he couldn’t do a damn thing right when it came to his personal life.

Or could he?

***

The work truck sputtered to a halt in the driveway as Shane turned off the ignition. “Need a tune-up, ol’ gal,” he muttered, coming around the front and patting the battered gray truck on the hood.

He followed the path near the side of the house. At the open door, he knocked on the glass window. “Yo, Dex! Is it safe or toxic today?”

“Shane,” Dex called out. “All clear. No fumes.”

Ducking, Shane entered the two-car converted garage to find Dex swirling something in a test tube as he stood at his lab table. “Looks lethal to me.”

“You’re so funny. Nah, nothing like that.” He blushed. “I’m working on something. For King’s.”

Whistling under his breath, Shane found a chair, turned it around, and straddled it. “You sure about that, cuz?” There was no mistaking Dex still had feelings for the owner.

“It took a while, but I’m sure. Charlie…” He gulped. “She gets me. I like creating things, being part of something special. She does, too. That’s where we’re alike.”

“She’s married with twins,” he reminded him gently.

Dex’s face clouded. “Yeah. I get it. I’m happy for her. Really, I am.” His hand shook and he gingerly placed the tube in a metal holder. “I want that. For me.”

His sincerity and heartfelt gaze stole Shane’s breath away. “Your folks.”

“I want a family, Shane. It’s not too much to ask. You know, a wife who supports what I do. A kid or two to call me Dad.” He shrugged, looking away and fiddling with his microscope.

“And love? Dex, don’t you deserve to be loved?” It hurt him to ask.

“It might come, you know.”

So Dex did realize Candace didn’t love him like that.
He blew out a hot breath.
What more could he do? 
“I know I’ve been gone a lot lately. I had this job lined up. My crew up north is finishing it up. I’ll be here. Permanently. If I travel, it will only be for short trips, not months anymore.” It was time he hung around. “I’m here for you, Dex. Anything you need—shoot some pool, hanging out, talk—anything, I’m here. We’re family.” It felt really good to say that.