Tender Kisses (5 page)

“Good afternoon, Ms. Hunter.”

There was a slight pause before she said, “Good afternoon, Justin.”

“Did you get my text?”

“Yes, but it's been a busy day, so I'm just able to return your call.”

“So?”

“So what?”

“Were you thinking of me this morning, too?”

“I thought you wanted to discuss going on a date.”

Justin chuckled. She didn't let up for a second. “I do, but—”

“Okay. I propose we go back to the same coffee shop.”

“I was thinking of some place a little more upscale, like a real restaurant,” he said wryly.

“The coffee shop is fine. I can meet you there Wednesday or Thursday.”

“And I can pick you up.”

“That won't be necessary. I'll most likely be leaving from work, so it just makes more sense for me to meet you there rather than driving home first.”

When he dated a woman, he made it a practice to pick her up and take her back home, but Siobhan wouldn't budge in her position, so Justin reluctantly agreed. “Okay. How about Wednesday at seven?”

“Let's make it seven thirty to be safe. I hate being late.”

“That works.”

“I have to get back to work.”

“Have a nice afternoon, Siobhan. I can't wait to see you.”

“Goodbye, Justin. And, yes, I thought about you,” Siobhan added, so softly that he almost missed it.

Justin smiled. Maybe he'd get that date after all.

* * *

Justin stared at Siobhan over the rim of his glass. His gaze dropped down to her near-empty salad plate and then back up to her face. It had taken a lot of convincing on his part to get her to order more than tea. And, just like last time, she kept the conversation on general topics and deflected any personal questions he asked. But he wanted to know more about
her
. He took a sip of his Coke then set the glass down. “What do you like to do for fun, Siobhan?”

Siobhan lowered her eyes to her plate. “I don't have much time for fun. My job keeps me extremely busy.”

“I get that, but on those rare times that you're not busy, what do you do—dance, bowl, stand on tabletops and sing...?”

She burst out laughing, and the warm, throaty sound hit him like a ton of bricks. Her eyes sparkled, and the tense lines around her face relaxed.
“Stand on tabletops and sing?”

Justin shrugged. “Just asking.”

“No, I do not sing on tabletops.”

“Well, you didn't say anything, so I was left to my own imagination.”

She rolled her eyes, but was still smiling. “For your information, I like going to the movies and the beach.”

“What kind of movies? Chick flicks?”

“Yes, but I'm not opposed to a good action film.”

“What was the last movie you saw?”

Siobhan's brows knit. “Honestly, I don't remember. It's been a while.”

“Then it's a good thing we met. Sounds like you need to get out more.” He gestured to her now-empty plate. “Do you want anything else? Dessert?”

“No, thank you. I really should get going. There are a couple of things I need to wrap up tonight, and I have an early morning tomorrow.”

Justin downed the remainder of his drink and signaled for the waiter. He paid the bill and walked Siobhan to her car. “Is your office open on the weekends?”

“No. Why?”

“I was hoping we could go to dinner at a
restaurant
. It's been a while since I've gone to the movies, and I thought we could do that, too.”

“Justin, I—”

“You just said you're not working on the weekend, and I enjoy being with you.”

“I've enjoyed these times with you, but right now my job is my priority.”

“Siobhan, I don't plan to interfere with your job because mine is a priority, as well. One dinner and a movie—then we'll see how it goes from there. What do you say?”

“All right.”

He smiled. “And this time I'm picking you up and bringing you home.”

Justin thought she would argue, but she nodded instead. “Thank you.”

He pulled out his cell and handed it to her so she could input her address. “I should probably follow you home. It's getting late.”

Siobhan lifted an eyebrow. “You're taking this gentleman thing a little far, aren't you?”

“Nope.” He slanted his mouth over hers, inhaling her reply. His arm slid around her waist and pulled her closer to the fit of his body. Justin could have kept right on kissing her, but didn't want to press his luck. He stepped back, held the car door open and waited for her to get in. “I'll be right behind you,” he said, closing the door.

He slid into his car and gripped the steering wheel. Each kiss he gave Siobhan challenged his resolve to keep their relationship casual.

Chapter 5

“D
amn!” That was the second mistake Justin had made today. He'd got a late start due to an overnight power outage, and he had to wait for all his electronic devices to charge. Now he couldn't stop thinking about Siobhan and their date last night. After following her home, he'd had a hard time not jumping out of his car and seeing if he could persuade her to let him come inside for a while. But he knew if he had, they would have ended up in her bed, and that was the last thing either of them needed. If he didn't get back on track, the alert system wouldn't be ready to present to Mr. Gray. And he refused to blow an opportunity he'd been waiting for.

Less than an hour later, his doorbell rang, interrupting his flow. Justin groaned. “What now?” he muttered and stomped to the front door. He snatched it open.

“Surprise!”

Yvonne and Jocelyn stood on the porch with wide grins. His frown immediately disappeared, and a smile took its place. “What are you two doing here?” he asked, opening the door wider and engulfing them in a big hug. “Come on in.” They followed him to the family room, and he sat in his favorite recliner.

Yvonne kicked off her shoes and dropped down on the sofa. “I took the day off. Joce and I had lunch and she told me about your new girlfriend, so...” She let the sentence hang, as if that were explanation enough.

Justin threw a look at Jocelyn, who entered the room from the kitchen, carrying a glass of water. “I thought I told you it wasn't like that.”

Jocelyn sat next to her sister on the sofa and shrugged. “Well, you are known for lying about your relationships. So who is she, and what does she look like? You have any pictures?”

“Ooh, yeah. What does she do? She does have a job, right?” Yvonne asked with a raised eyebrow.

He groaned. “You two do realize that you're not nine and thirteen anymore. And what makes you think I'd tell you anything about my relationships after all the trouble you caused me?”

“I forgot all about that,” Yvonne said with a laugh. “It was pretty comical watching you try to explain to three girls that you didn't invite them over.”

Jocelyn joined in the laughter. “The look on your face was priceless.” She tried to do an imitation of the shocked expression Justin knew he must have had when he had walked into their parents' living room and seen the three girls there, but failed because she was laughing too hard.

Justin scowled at his sisters as they continued to laugh. “If you came over here just to laugh at me all over again, you both can leave.”

“I'm sorry,” Jocelyn said, trying to catch her breath. “Seriously though, we wouldn't do something like that now. We just want to know if she makes you happy.”

Yvonne nodded.

He divided his gaze between them. “I don't know if she makes me happy or not. We just met and have only gone out twice to a little coffee shop.”

Yvonne's eyes lit up. “So you
do
have a new girlfriend.”

“No, I do not. It's completely laid-back. She's really busy with her job, and I'm trying to get my alert system ready to present to a home-safety company. That doesn't leave either of us much time for a long-term relationship. I have plenty of time to settle down.”

She waved him off. “Oh, please. It's called balance, Justin. Chris and I have been dating for six months, and we're both busy with our jobs, too. But we make time for each other. It doesn't have to be one or the other.”

Justin's scowl deepened. “Chris? Who the hell is Chris? And why haven't I met him, Yvonne Marie Cartwright?”

Yvonne shared a look with Jocelyn, and they both rolled their eyes. “Here we go again,” Yvonne said. “As you pointed out,
Justin Antonio Cartwright
, we are not nine and thirteen anymore. We are grown women and have active dating lives.”

“You should try it,” Jocelyn added with a smirk. “It might improve your productivity.”

He jumped to his feet. He couldn't handle this conversation. Okay, it might be irrational to hold on to the notion that his sisters were still wide-eyed, innocent little girls, but to consider the alternative nearly made his heart stop. He shook his head. “I don't want to hear this.”

Jocelyn chuckled. “Good, because we're not here to talk about us. What did you say your girlfriend's name was again?”

“I don't think he ever said, Joce.” Yvonne looked at Justin and, giving him her most charming smile, said, “Her name is...”

Justin threw up his hands. He knew he was fighting a losing battle with these two, especially since they'd decided to double-team him. If he wanted a moment of peace sometime in the next century, it would be in his best interest to surrender and tell them what they wanted to know. “Her name is Siobhan Hunter, and we've only known each other a week.” He shook his head at their twin smiles of victory. “Go home,” he said, trying to hide his own smile.

“We really hope she turns out to be the one. I can't wait to be an aunt.”

“Me, either, Yvonne. I talked to Mom the other day, and she said she hoped Justin settled down soon so she could have some grandbabies.”

This was definitely not a conversation he wanted to have. Justin spun on his heel and retreated to the safety of his office to work on his program. But Yvonne's words continued to play around the fringes of his mind:
We really hope she turns out to be the one
. Did he hope for the same? He kept telling himself no, but if that were the case, why was Siobhan the first thing on his mind when he woke up and the last thing when he closed his eyes at night?

* * *

Siobhan sat in her office Friday holding her cell phone and debating—for the second day in a row—whether to cancel her Saturday-night date with Justin. She didn't want to give him any false hope about them starting a relationship, especially after what had happened last time. Her heart constricted with the painful memory of overhearing Arthur's plans to get his hands on Siobhan's company shares for some shady business deal. But what hurt her most was hearing him on the phone telling another woman he loved her, and that as soon as he had Siobhan's money, the two of them could get married. Without a second thought, Siobhan had canceled the wedding three weeks before the date, even though the invitations had gone out and the gifts had started to arrive. She couldn't put herself or her family through that kind of disappointment again. She needed to focus all her energy on excelling in her job. Gordon was waiting for her to mess up, and she refused to give him one ounce of ammunition against her.

Making a decision, Siobhan found Justin's phone number and took a deep breath. Her finger hovered over the call button for several seconds before she changed her mind and sent a quick text message. If she heard his voice, she knew he could easily persuade her to change her mind—another reason why she couldn't go out with him. The cell buzzed in her hand, and her pulse skipped. Siobhan relaxed upon seeing Kendra's text letting her know she and Cynthia were downstairs waiting for their lunch date. She sent a reply, tossed the cell in her purse and left to meet them.

Siobhan exited the elevator and spotted her two friends in the lobby area. “Sorry I'm late,” she said as she approached. “I have a ton of stuff on my desk and lost track of time. I don't have a lot of time, so I was hoping we could eat in the café here.” She gestured to the other side of the lobby. Sweet Delights Café had been open only six months and served breakfast and lunch.

“As long as the food is good, it works for me,” Kendra said. “What about you, Cyn?”

“It's fine.”

They started toward the café entrance. “It's almost one, so we should have missed the lunch crowd,” Siobhan said. A woman greeted them and directed the trio to a table.

As soon as they placed their orders, Cynthia asked, “So, how's it going with Justin? Has he asked you out yet?”

Siobhan knew this would be the first question. “I met him twice at a coffee shop near the hotel where we had the fund-raiser.”

Kendra rolled her eyes. “Met him? I can't believe the brother didn't even pick you up. Judging by the way he behaved that night, I thought for sure he would know how to treat a woman.”

“I was the one who insisted on meeting him there,” Siobhan confessed. “Justin did offer to pick me up. He actually asked me out to dinner and a movie tomorrow, but I just canceled.”

Kendra laughed. “The first two dates were that bad?”

She sighed. “No. We had a really good time. He's funny, charming...”

“Then what's your problem, girl?” Cynthia asked.

“I don't want him to get any ideas that this might be headed somewhere, so I figured it was better to nip it in the bud before we went any further.” The server returned and placed their food on the table. Siobhan picked up her fork and stabbed at the salad.

Kendra pointed a French fry toward Siobhan. “You know you're wrong punishing Justin for Arthur's mess.”

“I'm not trying to punish him.” True, she had no desire to put her heart on the line again, but more than that, being with Justin made her feel things she couldn't explain, things that frightened her.

“Justin sounds like a great guy, and you owe it to yourself to be happy,” Cynthia said. “At least let him mess up before you toss him aside. You should call him back and tell him you'll be free tomorrow after all. I know you haven't seen a movie since the last one the three of us went to—a
year
ago.”

She opened her mouth to refute Cynthia, then closed it. A frown creased her brow. Had that been the last movie she'd seen?

“See, you know I'm right. Every time I call you, you're at that office—day, night or even some weekends, when it's supposed to be closed. Life is passing you by, Siobhan.”

“Cynthia's right, Siobhan. Ever since the accident, you haven't been the same. That carefree girl who loved life went away, and in her place is this serious woman who rarely laughs, never wants to go out and is always working.”

Siobhan straightened her shoulders. “Sometimes you have to sacrifice certain things when you're not a kid anymore and have responsibilities. Life isn't always about being spontaneous and having fun.”

“But sometimes it is,” Kendra said, popping another fry into her mouth. She finished chewing and continued. “No one is saying you should neglect your job, run off and act like you don't have obligations. We all have jobs, but it's okay to let your hair down and have some real fun every now and again.”

They ate in silence while Siobhan contemplated her friend's comments. Had she really become such a serious and boring person? Admittedly, she worked a lot, but they didn't understand the pressure of being the oldest and having to set the example for her siblings.

“You're going to call Justin back and tell him you'll go, right?” Kendra asked as they were finishing their meals.

“Probably not.” As much as Siobhan enjoyed their mini dates, she couldn't let herself be drawn into another relationship where she might end up with her heart broken again. She placed her napkin on the table. “I need to get back.”

“Okay. It's my turn to pay, so go ahead,” Cynthia said. “What day are we meeting next week?”

Kendra pulled out her phone and accessed the calendar. “I can do Wednesday or Friday.”

Siobhan checked hers. “Wednesday works for me. Can we go around one? I have a meeting at eleven with my staff, and although it should only last an hour, with Gordon and his constant complaints, who knows how long it'll last.”

“Is he still mad because you got the director's job?” Kendra asked with surprise. “That was over a year ago.”

She pushed her chair back and stood. “Yes. He's just waiting for me to make one little mistake, and I have to stay on top of my game, which is another reason I don't have time for a relationship.”

“Don't forget my anniversary party next Friday,” Kendra said. “You should bring Justin.”

“I don't think so. I have to go.” They agreed to a time and place for lunch next week, and Siobhan headed back to her office.

She worked steadily throughout the afternoon and into the evening, stopping only once to get a cup of green tea.

“Time to pack up and go home, Siobhan.”

She glanced up to see Brandon standing in the doorway with his arms folded. “I still have a few more things to do. Are you leaving?”

“Yes, and so are you. It's almost eight.” Brandon straightened his tall frame and walked into the office. “You can wipe that frown off your face because it doesn't work on me. Now pack it up and let's go.”

Siobhan glared at him, and he had the nerve to smile. “In case you forgot,
I'm
the oldest. And I see you're still here.”

“I was only here waiting for you.”

“Why? I don't need a babysitter.”

“That's debatable,” he muttered.

“I heard that.”

“Good—now come on. I'm supposed to be meeting Khalil and Malcolm at the gym to play basketball in thirty minutes.”

“Then don't let me keep you.”

Brandon released a deep sigh. “Vonnie, you have five minutes to get your stuff or I'm calling Dad. You know what he said.”

Siobhan jumped to her feet. “Seriously, Brandon. That's just wrong.” Their father had told them on several occasions that there was more to life than working, and that he didn't want them staying at the office past normal business hours on a regular basis. Of course, he'd fussed at Siobhan already four times in the past two weeks.

He pulled out his cell. “What's it going to be?”

She rolled her eyes and started shoving folders in her tote bag, all the while muttering about what he could do with his threat. She slung the tote on her shoulder and stormed past him. “And lock my door.”