The next was kind of slow. Halfway through Shane propped his elbow up and suggested, "Let's talk through this one."
She sat up, cross-legged.
He rolled on his back, hands across his ribs looking at her. "Tell me about your work."
She did, discussing her cases, the challenges, and the failures.
"And the social part?"
"Political dinners mostly. Trying to stay on top of the game and make contacts. Networking."
"Not much fun in that."
"No. Vacations were much the same, catching up on work. A few times Mandy and I went alone. It was nice. I had to forget about work then."
"I went to Florida with Rhone. After the divorce, he and I spent a month together out west."
"You didn't worry about the store?"
"No. The people who work for me, also worked for my dad. Most folks around here know they can call in if something breaks at night, and I'll open up for them. The employees have that same rule. Hardware and feed isn't exactly an emergency business, unless your toilet leaks or your burners all went out on Thanksgiving."
She nodded.
Shane eyed her lazily. "Can I admit something?"
Her brow went up.
He smiled slightly. "I wondered, you know, back then, when I was coming here. I wondered what it would be like, if we were more than friends."
She simply looked at him.
"Did you?"
"No."
He sighed. "Well. I did. I liked being your friend, liked talking to you, and hearing you talk about books and law, and all that. But sometimes those brown eyes of yours would go all soft. I'd wonder."
Nicole took her glasses off and rubbed her eyes.
"I didn't want to risk losing your friendship though." He sat up. "Did you know Granny wanted us to get together?"
"No?" She folded her glasses and glanced at him.
"Yeah. She was a sweet old girl."
"Keith didn't like her. He thought she was too ... country. When she came out to see us, there was a lot of tension. He more or less stayed in the study. I don't think Granny liked him either. She wasn't a city woman, didn't like the noise, the buildings, the food..." Nicole smiled. "I could never get her to come back. I called her every day though."
Shane reached out, playing with the hem of her jeans above her bare foot. "I'm still wondering."
Nicole looked down at his tanned fingers." I thought this was all about renewing a friendship."
"It is. But we're grown-ups now. I can ask." He was grinning.
She raised her eyes to his face. "You want to kiss me?"
"Yeah."
Nicole considered. "That's all?"
He grinned wider. "For now."
She stood up. "I've got popcorn in my teeth."
Shane looked amused.
Nicole padded to the bathroom to brush them.
"Got a spare?" He said through the bathroom door.
She opened it, looking at him with a mouth full of foam, before she opened the cabinet and handed him one. It was tiny in there. They brushed, spat, rinsed, and dried their mouths.
Nicole made as if to move past him in the doorway. Shane stopped her there, placing hands on her hips. He leaned and kissed her. It wasn't closed, but already full when his mouth touched hers. He leaned his body, pinning her against the facing.
Nicole opened to him, feeling tingles of fire spread, while the slow French kiss mingled warm breath and minty tongues. Shane moaned in his throat, half lifted his head after a moment, and husked, "Damn..." Before delving in again, this time, letting his tongue be more intimate, seeking and explicit.
Nicole clutched his arms, her mouth and tongue loving the taste. Blood rushed to her head. Her heart fluttered violently. She was turned on, aroused so quickly, aware of a need so intense that some part of her brain was stunned. It'd been almost three years, but still, even before that, nothing compared to this...
Shane's hands moved up her hips, her waist, all the way to the front of her T-shirt. His palms cupped, molded, and shaped her breasts. He touched like a man who knew how to make a touch feel good.
Needing air, she pushed slightly. Their heads raised, eyes glittering, air expelling from starved lungs in short pants.
His hands slid down again. Their gazes locked in surprised hunger.
"I didn't expect it to be that good." He breathed long and unsteady. "Damn, Nikki. That was good."
"Yes." She wet her lips, cleared her throat, before sliding her hands from his arms.
He released her and stepped back. They returned to the parlor where the movie had shut off. It appeared tranquil except for nocturnal creatures they could detect through the window.
She took the movie out and Shane put it in a case. She handed him another. Moonlight filtered through the sheers. Nicole took a sip of beer and sat down on the edge of the settee. He stood there, having put the movie in and muted the sound. Just stood, staring at her.
Nicole finally glanced up, seeing him clearly in the moon glow; disheveled hair, open shirt, his sock feet, the soft denims molding his powerful legs, riding low on his hips. She had a death grip on the bottle between her knees, feeling tense inside and on edge.
"You really want to watch more movies?" He husked.
She didn't. But then again, she didn't have herself together. "I don't know that we should start anything, Shane."
He came over and squatted down in front of her, resting his hands on her knees. "You want to talk?"
"No."
"You want me to go?"
A pause. "No."
)
