Summer Kisses (67 page)

“I suppose so.” She’d been planning to make a roast for dinner, but maybe if the guy hated hot dogs, Tommy would stop comparing him to his father.

While she drove the rest of the way to the library, she thought about the thorough job Mac was doing scraping the house. A needle of guilt pricked her that all he was receiving for his sweat was meals and Matt’s old motorcycle.

Regardless of how ridiculous it would be to keep the Harley, it hurt to let it go. Probably because it was more than just a verbal admission that Matt was really gone.

Her chest tightened as she recalled the first time she rode it with him. It’d been the night after they’d met. She’d been shocked that a guy so much older had offered to take her out.

“Why in the world would you want to?” she’d asked, straightening the napkin at one of the place settings on the dining room table.

He studied her intently, wearing a sexy hint of a smile. “Because you’re sweet and funny....and very pretty. But to be honest, I’m dying to find out if your lips taste as luscious as they look.” Dragging his knuckle down the side of her face, he leaned closer and lowered his voice. “I figure it’s going to take at least until our second date before you let me kiss you. I’m hoping you’ll let me count tonight as our first.”

Abby shivered as a troop of goose bumps marched down her arms. The challenge in his eyes suggested girls usually let him do a whole lot more than kiss them on a first date.

He might be too old for her, but she couldn’t let this gorgeous hunk think she was as big a prude as everyone at school said she was. Granted, her dad had made her wait until she was sixteen to start dating so she hadn’t gone out with many guys, but she could at least show Matt she wasn’t completely naive.

She pulled his head down while she stood on her tiptoes, boldly pressing her lips to his in a soft kiss. He tasted of breath mints mingled with tobacco. She stepped back and flashed a smug smile. “There, now you don’t have to take me out just to satisfy your curiosity.”

When his eyes twinkled with amusement, her stomach sunk. The gloating indulgence in his gaze said she’d just proven how inexperienced she actually was.

Matt brushed the pad of his fingertip over her lower lip and whispered, “No, Abby, that wasn’t even close to the kind of kiss I had in mind. Come out with me tomorrow night, and I’ll teach you the difference. If you say no, I’ll have to show you now. And you don’t want to see your brother behind bars, do you?”

She couldn’t believe he still wanted to go out with her after she’d made such an idiot of herself. “Why would Peter go to jail?”

“Because, if he caught me kissing you the way I want to, he’d beat the living cra—uhh—daylights out of me. So, I think it’s your sisterly duty to agree, don’t you?”

The temptation to let Matt show her what a real kiss felt like coiled tight in her belly. All the boys she’d dated had either slobbered on her or given her dry, nervous pecks.

In the end, she hadn’t been able to refuse Matt’s invitation, so the next night he showed up at seven on the dot to take her to the movies. He looked down into her eyes and smiled while he strapped a helmet on her. “All you have to do is hang on to me and follow my lead leaning into the turns.”

Once he lifted her onto the back of the motorcycle and straddled it in front of her, she rested her hands on his waist and gripped his leather jacket. He jumped on the kick-start and then sank down. The old Harley’s powerful engine rumbled between their legs. Matt wrapped her arms tightly around him, pulling her breasts into his back.

When he grabbed her knees and jerked her lower half forward so that her denim-covered thighs hugged his hips, she gasped. With the V between her legs nestled against his rear, his hard rump vibrated intimately against her, making her squirm at the empty ache inside her.

“Aren’t we getting a little close for a first date?” she hollered.

He grinned over his shoulder. “Why’d you think I wanted to get you on my bike? Besides, tonight’s our second date, remember?” He winked and yelled back to her, “It’s a little cool, so tuck your head against my back.”

The motorcycle lurched forward as he turned the throttle and let out the clutch. If only everyone at school could see her. They’d never call her a prude again.

She loved riding with Matt and understood why he’d gone on so long the night before about his Harley. Twenty minutes later, when he pulled up to the theater and cut the engine, she heaved a disappointed sigh. He lifted her off the bike. “Were you cold?”

“A little.” She took off her helmet and finger combed her hair. “But it was great.”

Sliding his arm around her, he pulled her close, warming her with his body’s heat. Once inside the theater’s lobby, she used the restroom and came out to find him toting a huge tub of popcorn, two sodas, and three varieties of candy.

He smiled and shrugged. “I didn’t know what you like.”

The pockets of the few guys who’d taken her to the movies in the past had only gone as deep as the tickets and a small box of popcorn. Despite that Matt needed help paying for college, he definitely wasn’t skimping on their date.

He led her into the almost vacant theater and steered her directly to the very last row. “The film is at the end of its run, so it should be pretty empty tonight.”

Studying the ten rows between them and the rest of the meager audience, she chewed on her lower lip. “D-don’t you think this is awfully far back?”

“We can move up if you want. But I like it here. Unless the place fills up, no one will sit in front of us. And—we won’t have to worry about bothering anyone if we want to talk during the movie.”

“Oh. I guess that’s good.”

“No one will disturb
us
, either.”

She swallowed hard, and her knees quivered like warm Jell-O. What had she gotten herself into? Maybe she really was a prude.

“If you’d prefer,”—he smiled, gazing deep into her eyes—“we can sit near everyone else.” When she hesitated, he stepped aside and waited for her to decide, murmuring softly, “But I’d rather be alone with you.”

What was she so worried about? They were in a movie theater for crying out loud. Besides, she really wanted him to kiss her.

Abby slid into the rear row and let Matt guide her all the way to the furthest corner of the theater. Placing the tub of popcorn in her lap, he slipped his arm around her. “I think you’re going to love this movie. The kids in it are really talented.”

She did a double take. “You’ve already seen
The Sound of Music
? We could’ve gotten tickets for something else.”

“That’s all right. I like being with you. I wanted to take you to something you’d enjoy.”

Soft music drifted from the sound system while they snacked on popcorn and waited for the coming attractions. The gentle strains of the Beatles’ recording,
In My Life
, filled the theater. “I love this song.” She sighed.

“The Beatles haven’t recorded much I don’t like.” Turning toward her, Matt captured her gaze again and softly crooned the romantic lyrics, “
In my life I love you more
.” Every time he looked at her, she had trouble drawing a breath.

“Umm....” She gulped. “I really like
Till There Was You
, too.

“I don’t know if you know it,”—he fingered a strand of her hair, sending a shiver up her back—“but that song isn’t really theirs. The Beatles covered it from
The Music Man
.”

“No way.” She chuckled, unable to imagine a guy who rode a Harley listening to show tunes. “You like musicals?”

“Why not? I like all sorts of music.”

“So do I, but most guys think, if they admit they enjoy shows tunes, people will say they’re pansies.” Evidently, there was a lot more to Matt Foster than the badass image he projected.

“I guess I don’t see how any kind of music can be emasculating.
West Side Story
has some of the funniest lyrics ever written.”

He was so much easier to talk to than the boys she went to school with. It was nice being with a fellow who didn’t think he had to act macho to prove he was a guy.

“Don’t let it get around, but I’ve even got a stack of sheet music from stage shows.”

Her lips parted in surprise. “You play an instrument?”

“Yup. I took piano lessons for seven years. My parents owned a small corner grocery. When a large supermarket opened only a block away, their business went belly up. My parents couldn’t swing my lessons anymore. That’s also why I lost out on an academic scholarship for Princeton. While I was in high school, I was working so much to help my parents out I couldn’t keep my grades high enough to qualify.”

Apparently, Matt must have been a bit of a nerd, too. When he finally pulled his penetrating gaze from her, she relaxed slightly. “So were you any good?”

“At the piano? I guess. My dad thought I’d be the next Liberace. So it was just as well that I had to quit. I wouldn’t have been caught dead wearing all those sequins—no matter how much they paid me.” He peered back into her face. “Don’t you play? I saw a piano in your living room.”

She tossed some popcorn into her mouth. “No, my mom does. She’s really good. Although, she hasn’t played much since my dad was killed. I have absolutely no talent.”

“I wouldn’t say that,” he murmured. “I’ve never met another girl who’s such a contradiction. You keep me totally off balance. I’d say that’s a definite talent.”

Her jaw froze in the middle of chewing. He should talk. She’d never met a guy who was so unique. “A contradiction? In what way?”

He tucked a tendril of her hair behind her ear. “You’re unbelievably sweet and incredibly sexy at the same time. For example, tonight, I didn’t know whether to take you for an ice cream cone or for a candlelit dinner.”

Her mouth had less moisture than the Sahara.
Okay, calm down. Don’t let him see what he’s doing to you
. “They both sound nice.”

“Mmm. They do. So I chose something in between.” He gently caressed her cheek. “But now I can’t tell if you want to end the evening with a piggyback ride or if you’d like to fall asleep in my arms. I think you know which I’d pick.”

As she finally dragged in a gulp of air after forgetting to breathe for a moment, her chest quaked. She didn’t want him to think she was immature enough for piggyback rides, but she certainly wasn’t ready to sleep with him. “Compromise is always good.”

The moment the lights went down, Matt made his intention crystal clear. He began a relentless crusade to render her not just willing but eager for his kiss.

His hand started on her shoulder and slipped just under the edge of her scoop neck blouse. An electric current tingled through her. He stroked the sensitive flesh along her collarbone and up the side of her neck where his fingers tangled in her hair and lightly caressed her ear and cheek.

His seductive touch stayed just within the bounds of propriety. By the time the coming attractions ended, he’d progressed to sensually running his fingertips over the base of her throat.

His fingers trailed down to her cleavage, making her nipples tighten. Some of the guys she’d gone out with had tried to feel her up, but none of them had ever made her ache for it. Breathing erratically, she squirmed in her seat and cringed with embarrassment as a helpless whimper escaped her. A delightful shiver rippled through her. She’d never felt this way before. It was much better than a ride on his back or even a double dip ice cream cone.

Sliding lower in her seat, she arched her spine and let her eyes drift closed. She dropped her head back to give him better access to her neck. After a moment of indulging in the pleasure of his touch, she moaned softly and lifted her heavy eyelids to find him watching her instead of the screen.

A look of wonder washed over his face, and he breathed out an awe-filled whisper, “You’re so incredibly beautiful.”

They stared at each other for several moments while he continued to caress her throat and the intense longing in his eyes turned to indecision.

His mouth parted a fraction, and as he dipped his head, his breathing became as irregular as hers. His hot breath brushed her cheek, making her heart lurch. A millisecond before their lips made contact, music swelled from the theater’s speakers and a group of nuns began singing about Maria.

 Matt stiffened, and his stroking fingers stilled. Dropping his hand to clasp hers, he jerked his face away to stare at the movie.

She bit her lip and studied the muscles pulsing in his jaw. Had she done something to turn him off? Or had watching a bunch of nuns made him feel guilty?

Glancing over at her, he smiled and squeezed her hand while he continued to watch the film. For the next two hours, he repeatedly shifted in his seat, wincing every now and then.

When the credits finally rolled, Abby sighed. “That was wonderful. Thank you so much for bringing me.”

“Are you by any chance hungry?”

“After all that popcorn?” She laughed. “We didn’t even eat any of the candy. My other dates don’t treat me this well.”

“Then your other dates are idiots.” He gazed deep into her eyes. “I don’t want to take you home, yet. Let’s stop by the diner.”

He was very good at making a girl feel special—which shouldn’t surprise her. The evening before, Peter had teased Matt about collecting more girlfriends in college than he had credits. And then her brother had added that his buddy was earning a double major in electrical and mechanical engineering and minor in biology.

The roundabout route Matt took to the diner told her he was as reluctant to lose the physical contact the motorcycle gave them as she was.

After ordering a couple of cheeseburger platters, he gazed at Abby across the table and asked softly, “Can I see you again tomorrow? I can’t afford much more than a long walk and counting stars, but I want to be with you.”

Holding their two spoons back-to-back between his fingers, he clacked them together, nervously tapping them on his knee. “So, what do you say?”

“Sure.” She pointed to the spoons. “That’s cool.”

He looked down at the utensils and frowned. “Haven’t you ever seen anyone play the spoons before?”

“No. It’s really neat. It sounds like horses galloping.”