This Just In... (Harlequin Superromance) (16 page)

Sabrina started to laugh. She’d forgotten all about that night and with good reason. She and Kyle had gone up to the lake with the full intention of having sex. She’d been horribly nervous and not in a good, butterflies-in-the-stomach way. More in an afraid-she-was-going-to-regret-this kind of way.

But a mouse had run across the floor as soon as they walked in the cabin and Sabrina had used it as justification to head back outside and tell Kyle, who hated rodents as much as she did, that she wasn’t going back in until he found the mouse and got rid of it. He’d told her there was no way he was touching that thing and that it wouldn’t climb into bed with them, but he hadn’t pushed very hard. At a stand-off, they’d decided they were no longer in the mood and come home.

Personally, Sabrina thought he’d been looking for a way out as much as she had.

“So why didn’t you tell me?” Marissa wanted to know when Sabrina explained.

“I don’t know. I probably wanted you to think we had done it. I was embarrassed. I’d been bragging about how adult I was and then I chickened out. The mouse was just an excuse. I didn’t want to have sex with Kyle.”

“You really didn’t sleep together?”

Sabrina shook her head. “No. I lost my virginity on a single bed in my dorm room second year of university with a party going on in the lounge downstairs. There were vanilla candles and cheap wine. Very romantic.”

“I lost mine in Kyle’s bedroom. With his poster of Jaromir Jagr looking down at us.”

Sabrina snickered. “Okay, you win.”

Marissa laughed, too. “You can never tell anyone that. It’s so cliché.”

“I won’t say anything,” Sabrina assured her. “Whatever you tell me doesn’t leave this salon. It’ll be like Vegas.” Since the nail techs were busy with other customers on the opposite side of the store and there was no one else waiting—even the receptionist was away from her desk—Sabrina felt safe is thinking that whatever happened in the salon would stay in the salon.

“You know, I’ve never even been to Vegas?”

“Oh. Well, it’s not as great as people say.” Sabrina knew that had to be true for some people. Had to be just based on the laws of averages. Someone, somewhere hated Vegas. And they likely had a bunch of compatriots. But her? She loved it. And Marissa would, too. “It’s not like you can’t go. We’ll plan a girls’ trip. It’s more fun without men anyway.”

The idea caused a fluttery sensation in her stomach. She’d love to go with Marissa to Vegas. The fun and trouble they could find...

“I have the kids.”

“So leave them with their dad and uncle.” Sabrina thought of how happy Noah would be to learn that she’d volunteered him for the job so that she and Marissa could go on vacation. And then she smiled, thinking of all the ways she’d find to make it up to him.

A lightness Sabrina hadn’t known she was missing began to fill her. It was different than the way she felt with Noah. With him it was strong and steady, a slow-burning heat that would keep her safe. This was thinner, a loosening of old emotions and regrets that floated away into the summer day.

“But you’re not staying,” Marissa pointed out.

The lightness flashed out, like a shooting star at the end of its arc. Sabrina brushed the dribble of uncertainty away, determined not to let anything spoil the day. “We can still go. You can fly into Vancouver first and we’ll have some fun in the city. Or we can just meet in Vegas.”

“Or you could just stay here and we could go together.”

Sabrina pressed her lips together and was grateful when the receptionist returned and took them to a pair of unoccupied stations just far enough apart that they’d have to share their entire conversation with the room if they wanted to continue.

She crushed the flutter of possibility rising within her. That secret part that sighed about how wonderful it would be to come home to Noah every night. As she’d told Marissa, they barely knew each other so any fantasy about a future was ridiculous.

Sabrina ignored the niggling reminder that every relationship had to start somewhere, relied on two people making concessions because it was more important to be together. This was different.

Now, if Noah came back with her, moved to Vancouver, she could see them staying together. But he wouldn’t. He was tied to this town as firmly as the signage that welcomed tourists and residents alike.

Just like she was tied to the city. Right?

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

N
OAH
WAS
IN
HIS
dealership office, number crunching the business’s budget when Sabrina breezed in looking as fresh as the summer day outside. Warmth filled him the way it always did when she appeared.

“Hello, Mr. Mayor.” She placed the picnic basket she was carrying on his desk and proceeded to settle herself on his lap for a kiss.

And a damn fine kiss it was. Not that he could fully enjoy it with his door ajar and anyone capable of walking by and seeing everything. “Sabrina. The door.”

She shrugged, pinning him with a teasing glance. “It’s nothing people haven’t seen before.”

He couldn’t even deny her claim, seeing as her sudden appearance at his office followed by a thorough kiss was starting to become a regular thing. He sighed. “I’d still prefer my staff not think this is appropriate behavior during working hours.”

He might have loosened up a little over the past couple of months, but this wasn’t a free-for-all.

“You’re the boss.” She toyed with the edges of his hair. He’d just had it cut last week, so she was basically stroking his neck. He enjoyed the sensation of her fingers on him. “That means you get special perks.”

Noah struggled for composure when everything inside him said to give her the kiss he wanted to. The staff loved Sabrina and would turn a blind eye to the games they played in his office, but he didn’t want to be on full display. What went on behind closed doors could be explained away. But providing a direct view could not. “The door,” he repeated.

“Fine.” She climbed off his lap long enough to shut the door with a snap and then snuggled back into position, pressing her soft curves against him. “Better?”

“Yes.” Then he gave her a proper kiss. One that started with tongues and ended with him breathing hard.

“Much better,” she said, her chest heaving, too.

The strength of his feelings continued to surprise Noah. He tightened his arms around her waist, making sure she stayed in place. Though they spent every evening together and often parts of their day, he wanted more.

They hadn’t discussed their future, but he knew she remained out of contact with the man who’d had her fired from the paper. As the days slipped by, the night now carrying a nip that spoke of the coming fall, he’d begun to wonder if she still wanted to return to the city.

Sabrina rarely mentioned getting her job back anymore and talked about the city and her life there even less. She and Marissa were friends again. They were both tight-lipped about what had passed between them, how they’d eased their way into finding friendship again, but every time Sabrina mentioned Jaromir Jagr with a naughty gleam in her eyes, Marissa blushed and laughed.

Noah didn’t mind not knowing the details. Marissa was happier than he ever recalled seeing her and the kids were fully in love with Sabrina.

She was good for them, good for the town, good for him.

“To what do I owe the pleasure today?”

“Picnic,” she said pointing at the wicker basket. But when he leaned forward to flip the lid, she slapped his hand away. “A surprise picnic.” She pushed herself up. “Let’s go.”

“Now?” It was a warm September day, the kind they wouldn’t have for much longer, but it was the middle of the week and Noah had been guilty of letting things slide the past little while. He should have had this budget completed at the start of the month and he’d only done the basics to prepare for the upcoming election. Election day wasn’t until the third week in November, but he needed to have his materials printed and ready to be posted the month prior. He hadn’t even had new pictures taken or decided on a slogan.

“Yes, now.” Sabrina pushed herself off his lap, her hair wafting around them, tickling his cheek. He ran a hand over the length of it, loving that he could. The silky strands slipped through his fingers, made him think of how the ends brushed against his chest when they were in bed together, draping across his chest, his arms, his thighs. “You’ve been working too hard.”

Noah had been working hard, but he still had a lot to do. “I can’t.” He glanced back at the computer screen, at the cursor blinking at him, waiting for him to finish the job, and scrubbed a hand over his face. “Can we do it another day?”

“No.” She grinned and took hold of his hand, trying to tug him to his feet. “It’s gorgeous outside. We might not get another afternoon like this.”

She tugged harder, but since he was bigger and stronger she ended up back in his lap. She took her loss like a champ and circled her finger around his ear. “I have work,” he said, trying not to be swayed by the sensitive touch of her fingers.

Sabrina peered over her shoulder at the computer. “Don’t you have a bookkeeper?”

“Yes.”

“So why are you doing the payroll?”

He didn’t have a good answer for that. He still hadn’t dealt with that problem, and with the introduction of Sabrina into his life, he had less time for all the little jobs he used to handle. Maybe the man would be interested in taking some night courses, or since he didn’t seem to have a natural head for numbers, maybe there was another job at the dealership that would be a better fit. But making a decision about the situation could wait. Everything could wait when Sabrina was in his lap, wriggling against him.

“Come with me.” She bent down and brushed a kiss across his lips. “It’ll be fun. I promise.”

Noah had no doubt about that. No promise required. But the payroll wasn’t going to complete itself. “I would if I didn’t have so much to do.”

“Then tell me how I can help.” She leaned forward until her body was plastered to his. Noah felt everything stir inside him. He loved it when she did that, and she knew it. “A few hours this afternoon won’t hurt and I’ll help with the workload tonight.”

“You can do payroll?”

She tossed her hair at him. “I took a basic accounting course in university.”

He wanted to say yes. An afternoon by the lake with Sabrina and whatever was in her basket sounded ideal. He glanced at the wicker longingly. But his night was already booked and, much to his eternal sadness, not to have some one-on-one time with Sabrina. “I have the kids tonight, remember?”

And as much as Noah might like to think he could work once the kids were in bed, they tended to eat into that time, too. There was always someone who needed something. Most often Daisy, who just needed one more story or a sip of water before she could be expected to go to sleep.

“So I’ll babysit.” Sabrina shrugged like it was no big deal. “I’ve done it before.”

Noah snorted. “You babysat them on your own for one afternoon and you called me in when they got out of hand. I warned you not to give them sugar.”

She laughed, her breath dancing across his neck. “No, sweetheart. That was all part of my evil plan to make you do the babysitting, and it worked.” Her eyes zeroed in on his. “But I can handle the kids.”

He was tempted, so tempted. The payroll would only take a couple of hours and didn’t have to be finished until tomorrow afternoon. He could do it tomorrow morning in a pinch. As for the campaign he needed to start working on, he’d hoped to ask Sabrina for help on that anyway. She had a good sense of what appealed to people.

“It’s good for you to take time for yourself. Makes you a better boss.” Sabrina traced a line from around his ear, down his neck and inside the collar of his shirt. “Say yes.”

Noah looked at the computer screen again, just as it went to sleep. Then he looked back to the woman in his arms. She smiled at him, all lush and warm and everything he wanted. How could he turn her down?

“Yes.”

* * *

T
HE
LAKE
WAS
SMOOTH
and cool and, best of all in Noah’s opinion, empty. Since school had started, the kids were in class and most people were at work in the middle of the week. The tall firs that surrounded the water gave a further sense of privacy, as though they were in their own little secret retreat.

He unfurled a blue checked blanket and laid it on the ground while Sabrina set down the picnic basket and unpacked grapes and cheese, a loaf of bread, sliced meats and a bottle of sparkling water from the picnic basket. They ate and drank, laughed and kissed. Noah felt the little bits of niggling worry about skipping out on work slip away.

They disappeared completely when she whipped off her dress, revealing a bright red bikini that matched her boots, and handed over a bathing suit that she’d taken from his dresser. He drained the water left in his cup to return his tongue to its normal size and, after a quick glance to make sure the lake was still deserted, slipped into the trunks and followed her into the water.

Really, there’d been no choice. Seeing her laughing and splashing, that tiny bikini providing a tantalizing glimpse of her body, he’d been powerless to resist.

He swam up behind her, slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her back against him.

The difference in body and water temperature was drastic and created a tingling feeling where they touched. Which was everywhere.

“It’s cold,” he whispered against her neck. “We should conserve body heat.”

She laughed and let her head fall back against him.

Satisfaction and contentment swept through him. Surely, he must have experienced similar levels of pleasure at various times in his life, but right now he couldn’t think of a single instance. Not when he was elected mayor for the first time, not when he opened his dealership in town and definitely not with any of the other women he’d dated. He kept one arm around Sabrina while he treaded water with the other.

She tilted her head to look at him. “I talked to Trish about that series for the paper.” Sabrina had become a regular attendee of the Friday dances at Cedar Oaks, joining him there and convincing him to go out on the dance floor a few more times. Noah still didn’t feel entirely comfortable doing it, but he did it for her.

A couple of weeks ago, Sabrina mentioned the idea of writing a series of feature articles interviewing one resident at a time as a way to share some of their experiences and encourage the strong bond between members of the community. Noah had encouraged her to move forward with the plan, knowing how important it was to keep the lines of communication open between active members of the community and those who’d slowed down. “And?”

She swiveled to face him. “She loved the idea and gave me the go-ahead this morning.”

He grinned, knowing the satisfaction on her face was mirrored on his own. “That’s great.” He kissed her. Then kissed her again. “When will you start?”

“This week. I’d thought to begin with George, but I think he’d become insufferable.”

“Don’t you mean more insufferable?”

Sabrina laughed and splashed him. “Don’t pretend with me. I know you love George. Insufferable behavior and all.”

She was right. Despite George’s proclivity for outrageousness—or maybe because of it—Noah cared about the old man. Even after he’d again asked Noah to find him a couple of dirty movies because the ladies in the retirement complex didn’t appreciate what he could offer and a man had to take care of himself.

Noah had refused. He might take him fishing, might even sneak him a beer or two, but he was not going to smuggle porn into his mother’s workplace.

But there was another reason for the good feelings winding through his body. If Sabrina was starting a series, a long-term project for the paper, then she had to be thinking about sticking around for a while. The words tripped over themselves when he spoke. “Does this mean you’re staying?”

He concentrated on keeping his body loose and relaxed when every part of him wanted to hold her tight to him and demand that she agree. Demand that since she’d already inserted herself into his heart and a permanent place in his life, she should make the move official.

But Sabrina sighed and leaned back into the water, letting the sun beat down on her face. Noah tried not to frown. She hadn’t said yes, but she hadn’t said no, either.

They stayed like that for a moment, her looking at the sun, him looking at her, before she lifted her head. “What about you? Ever thought of leaving?”

There was a small ripple as he straightened in the water. “No.” His answer was quick. His voice deep.

She smiled, but it was tight around the edges and didn’t fully reach her eyes. “How did I know you were going to say that?” She rose up, wrapped her legs around him. “Why not?”

Plenty of reasons, none of which Noah wanted to chat about. He cupped her face, brushed a thumb across her lips. “You haven’t answered my question.”

“Noticed that, did you?” Sabrina traced a finger along the line of his neck and down his shoulder. “I don’t know. I didn’t have a horrible childhood or some scarring high school experience that sent me running away from here as soon as could. I just always felt like there was more out there for me than this.” She ran her hand down his arm and into the water, spreading her fingers as she raked them through the water. “It’s hard to explain when I’m not sure I know myself. I guess there was just nothing to keep me here.”

“Family? Friends?” All those people who even now made themselves at home in her life and by extension his.

“I still have my family,” she pointed out.

“And the friends?” He linked his fingers with hers and tugged her forward so their chests touched.

That sad smile was back. “I didn’t really know what I was letting go. I wanted that big, flashy career. To be the one who left town and made it big.”

“Why?” It was nothing Noah had ever thought of, ever wondered about. He’d known from the time he was a teenager that he was a good enough hockey player to get a college scholarship, but that’s where his dreams would end. There would be no draft-day excitement, no training camps and no call up to the majors. Instead, he focused on getting a solid education that he could use to help his hometown, make their lives as well as his own better.

“Sometimes I wonder about that myself.”

Her eyes turned down to look at their hands and his gaze followed the same path, noting how their fingers tangled together so effortlessly. The way her life could shift and merge back to Wheaton in the same way. Fear and yearning coiled in his stomach. “Then maybe you could stay?”