A Taste Of Sin (3 page)

Stop being such a wimp! You always wait for guys to make the first move, and what has it gotten you?

Mediocre sex with men who would never measure up to her fantasies of Nick. Pun intended.

Was she really going to let her ego ruin the one chance she had at making those fantasies come true?

Chapter Two

No way was Nick getting within touching distance of Kelly Sullivan.

That's what he told himself early Thursday morning when his alarm woke him at 6:15. He sported a particularly intense case of morning wood, thanks to a vividly erotic dream. Just like last night, he'd arrived at Sullivan's to find Kelly working behind the bar. But instead of the jeans she'd worn last night, Dream Kelly was wearing a skirt. And when she bent over to reach for clean glasses, her naked ass had peeked out from under the hem.

In his dream, Nick had magically transported himself over the bar. His clothes conveniently disappeared as, without preamble, he pushed her skirt up to her waist and shoved his cock deep inside her wet¸ clenching heat.

It was so real, so vivid, he could smell her skin, the scent of her arousal, feel her soft ass cheeks rubbing against his abs with every thrust.

But her screams of pleasure grew ever more shrill and unpleasant.

That's when Nick realized that the noise in his head wasn't Kelly’s orgasmic cries, but rather the insistent BEEP BEEP BEEP of his alarm clock.

Sighing, he stepped under the scalding shower spray and quickly jerked himself off, closing his eyes and savoring the lingering images of his dream.

But dream or no, as far as he was concerned Kelly might as well come complete with a bright orange KEEP OUT sign.

So why, he asked himself later that evening, was he back at Sullivan's? He never came to Sullivan's on a Thursday. And yet here he was.

Kelly's dad, Ryan, was seated at a table near the bar, an aluminum cane perched conveniently nearby. He greeted Nick with a hearty wave and a broad smile on his ruddy face. His thick, dark hair was liberally peppered with gray, but it was easy to see where Kelly had gotten her Black Irish good looks.

"Nicky!" Ryan called. "Sit your ass down here and have a beer with me."

"You seem to be making a rapid recovery," Nick observed as he settled himself into a scuffed wooden chair.

"Oh, I'm doing pretty good. Kelly didn't want me to come out tonight, but Jesus, I'm getting stir crazy. For the past week I've seen nothing but the inside of my condo and the physical therapist's office."

Nick nodded sympathetically. Suddenly the short hairs at the back of his neck prickled. He turned his head, and sure enough, there was Kelly, balancing a tray of drinks on her shoulder. And, God help him, she was wearing a skirt.

Her face lit up in a wide smile when she spotted him. "Hey, Nick. I'll be over in just a second to take care of you."

Oh yeah, she could take care of him all right. Nick did his best to banish lustful thoughts of Kelly, at least for the moment. It seemed bad form to be thinking filthy thoughts about a woman when you were sitting with her father.

Within minutes, she reappeared. Tonight she was wearing a Sullivan's T-shirt tucked into her denim miniskirt. Seated, Nick was nearly eye level with the full globes of her tits, straining against the soft cotton fabric.

"What can I do for you, Nick?" Her voice was low and slightly raspy.

"Now there's a question," he teased, instinctively flirting.

Roses bloomed on Kelly's cheeks, and her eyes traveled deliberately down his torso before coming to rest briefly on the bulge pressing against the fly of his jeans.

His balls tightened as he felt that look like a caress. There was no mistaking it, Kelly was as aware of him as he was of her. Last night, when he'd touched her cheek, a lightning bolt had jolted straight from his fingertips to his dick. He'd heard Kelly's gasp, seen her eyes dilate, her lips part. Trying to convince himself that he'd imagined her reaction, he'd beat a hasty retreat before he'd done something really stupid like haul her over the bar and stick his tongue down her throat.

As for his own gut-deep response"he put that down to the fact that he hadn't had sex since he'd come home to Ann's suitcase and her announcement that she was heading back to San Francisco.

Never mind the fact that he'd never gotten a hard-on simply by touching a woman's cheek. It was high school all over again, when just the barest brush of Kelly's arm against his had sent him into a death spiral of lust.

"How about a pint of Harp's and a basket of wings."

"Extra hot?" Kelly asked.

Nick licked his lips. "Absolutely."

Fortunately, Ryan didn't seem to notice the sexual tension that fairly vibrated between Nick and his daughter.

Kelly quickly returned with his beer, her breasts brushing lightly against his shoulder as she leaned over to place his drink. Even through the cotton of her T-shirt and the fabric of his shirt, he could feel the heat of her skin.

Forcing himself to focus on something other than the thought of Kelly's hot, bare skin against his, he turned his attention on Ryan.

"You're a lucky man to have Kelly taking care of you."

"Oh, she's not taking care of me — that’s what I pay for over at the Oaks." Ryan had moved into a condo in a nearby retirement community shortly after his wife's death. "After taking care of Connie"God rest her soul"I made sure I'd never put that burden on the girls." He smiled somewhat sadly up at Kelly, who moved behind him and rested her hands on his shoulders.

"Nope, Dad needs me here to take care of Sullivan's until he’s getting around better. Maggie could probably do it," Kelly said, giving her father a little squeeze. "But you know what he says, ‘As long as this place is called Sullivan’s—‘"

"There'd better be a Sullivan in charge," both Ryan and Nick finished for her.

Kelly took a few more orders, and then returned with his wings.

"Take a load off, honey," Ryan said.

Nick obligingly snagged a chair and pulled it up for Kelly to sit and then tucked into his wings. He would leave as soon as he was finished. No use in torturing himself sniffing around Kelly when there was nothing he could do about it.

But instead he found himself drawn into conversation with Kelly and Ryan, talking about everything —baseball, the ridiculous amount of building going on in the area, the challenges of ER medicine, even politics.

Kelly got up to get refills and take orders, and customers interrupted them to welcome Ryan back. The next thing he knew, it was after ten and Ryan was practically dozing in his chair.

"Come on, Dad," Kelly said, giving him a little nudge. “Maggie, can you cover for fifteen minutes while I run Dad home?"

"Honey, don't bother coming back. There's no one here, and I can close up tonight," Maggie called back.

Kelly thanked her and helped Ryan stay steady as he pulled himself up, then left to pull the car around.

Nick stood up too. "I better get going." He started to pull out a twenty but was halted by Ryan's grumble.

"On me tonight, Nicky. Thanks for keeping me company."

Nick nodded in thanks. "Need any help, Ryan?"

Ryan waved him off. "Nah. I need to learn to get around by myself if I ever want to get back full time."

Nick followed the older man just in case.

"Shit!" Kelly's curse echoed across the parking lot, accompanied by the slam of a car door.

"Watch your language, young lady," Ryan yelled. "You're not too old for me to feed you soap."

Nick couldn't help laughing. He'd forgotten that Kelly could swear like a trucker if the mood hit her.

"Sorry, Dad," she replied in the least apologetic tone Nick had ever heard.

"What's the matter?"

She blew a stray strand of hair out of her face in an exasperated sigh. "My car won't start."

"Pop the hood. I'll take a look."

"Umm, I doubt it's anything you can fix," Kelly muttered. It was hard to tell in the dimly lit lot, but he swore she blushed. "I, um, ran out of gas." She looked at her watch, swore again. "And the gas station's already closed."

Nick threw back his head and laughed. "I can't believe you. IQ of over two hundred and you still can't remember to fill your tank."

"I had other things on my mind." She shoved her hands in the pockets of her skirt. "No big deal. I'll borrow Maggie's car and take care of it in the morning.” She started back to the bar, but Nick grabbed her elbow. "Let me give you a ride."

She couldn't hide the relief in her face. "Are you sure? It’s really not a problem to borrow Maggie's car and just get a ride home after we close."

Nick smiled, squeezing her upper arm reassuringly. His thumb traced little circles against the skin of the inner curve of her elbow.

Was she this soft everywhere? He swallowed heavily and released her arm.

"Kelly, it's five minutes out of my way."

Apparently satisfied that she wasn't inconveniencing him, Kelly went back to wait with her father as Nick pulled his extended cab Dodge around.

It was a short ride to Ryan's condo complex, and ten minutes later Nick helped Ryan down from the truck and waited while Kelly walked him to the door.

The atmosphere changed as soon as they were alone. Suddenly the cab was thick with the tension of two people intensely aware of one another but trying to pretend they weren't.

Before, conversation had flowed easily. Now, Nick couldn't think of a damn thing to say. Kelly wasn't any help. She stared silently out the window, hands clasped in her lap in a pose that belied her earlier vibes of sexual interest.

Nick cleared his throat nervously. "So are you still living in Boston? Jake mentioned he'd run into you a couple of times."

Her smile was tight. "Yeah, I saw him and Kit a couple of weeks ago. How funny that they ended up together." Silence filled the car, along with tension so thick he could practically see it. Finally Kelly broke it. "I was getting ready to move to Manhattan when Dad got hurt. Unfortunately they couldn't hold the position open, and now I'll have to find something else."

Nick could tell by the grim set of her mouth she regretted the lost opportunity.

"It must suck for you to have to give that up."

Kelly shrugged. "He's my Dad, and I wasn't always there for him."

Nick could only assume she referred to the aftermath of her mother's death but didn't want to pry. "He's lucky to have you."

He could barely make out her smile in the flickering light of the street lamps, slightly sad. She was silent for several moments, looking out the window.

He imagined how small and backwater the redwood-lined streets and rustic country houses must look to her. "This place must seem so boring to you now after living in the city."

She turned to face him. "The city's great, but this town has its charm. There was a time when I couldn't wait to get out of here." Then, licking her lips nervously or provocatively, he couldn't tell, she said, "But now I realize it has some things worth coming home to.”

Kelly mentally slapped herself upside the head. Her big chance to put the moves on Nick, and she sat like an uptight schoolgirl, saying inane things like "it has some things worth coming home to."

What was it about Nick that made her cool competence disappear? It wasn't as though she was a complete social reject anymore. She'd made friends at work, had a respectable run at relationships.

And now, presented with the perfect opportunity to put the moves on him, she turned into a blithering idiot.

Clearly Nick felt the same, because he didn't bother to make conversation for the rest of the drive.

When they pulled up to the small two-bedroom house she was renting, she scrambled for the door handle. But Nick had already alit from the cab and was at the passenger door. He opened it and cupped her elbow as he helped her down.

"Thanks so much for the ride, Nick," she said once her feet were firmly on the ground. "I'll see you around sometime." She started up the walk but was stopped when Nick grabbed her arm again. She shivered, and not merely from the cool autumn breeze against her bare arms.

"Hold on, let me walk you to the door."

Kelly laughed softly. "It's not as though this is the crime capital of the world. I'm sure I can make it twenty feet safely."

He smiled, his teeth white in the dim streetlights. "No way. My mama always told me, you walk a lady to the door."

She found herself oddly touched by the chivalrous gesture. “Jeez, I practically had to pay the guys I dated in Boston to walk me home."

She could feel Nick's disapproval in the subtle tightening of his fingers around her arm. Underneath his easy-going exterior she knew that Nick was a man who would protect and care for his woman.

Kelly murmured a silent apology to all of her feminist values and let herself fantasize, for just a moment, about how it would feel to have Nick Donovan protecting her and seeing to her every need.

She pulled her key out of her purse, only to have him take it from her hand and unlock her door. Her stomach quivered. Chivalry again.

She tilted her head up at him, her mouth open to say good night, but stopped dead. In the glow of her porch light, Nick's eyes glowed amber, seeming to devour the curves of her face and mouth.

Anticipation washed through her. He wanted her. She was nearly certain of it. Hadn't she vowed to do something about it the next chance she got?

Nick started to push away from the open doorway, his expression once again one of polite friendliness.

Oh no, he was leaving!

“Do — do you want to come in?" Kelly blurted. She mentally slapped herself again.
Smooth, Kelly, real smooth.

Again, the heat of awareness flared in his eyes.

Maybe she hadn't completely blown it.

But then Nick started to shake his head. "I really should — “

It was now or never. Before he could utter the word go, she cupped his face in her hands and pulled his mouth down to hers. For a full second, his mouth was unresponsive, slack with surprise. Her stomach fell somewhere near her knees. Stupid, stupid, stupid! She'd known she'd make a complete fool of herself!