Out of Her League (28 page)

But Joe seemed to like doing those
“
oppressive
”
chores. And he seemed to like her—everything about her. Even when she got snippy he looked like
he
’
d
done something wrong, not her. Toni just didn
’
t understand life, or men, at all.

There were a lot of confusing thoughts racing through Toni
’
s mind these days, with Adam Vaughn at the top of the list. She kept waiting for him to find fault with something she did—like worrying that no one liked her and agonizing over every tiny mistake. Then he would stop being her... whatever it was that he was.

Friend? Boyfriend? Toni hoped the latter, but was terrified it was the former. She lay awake nights imagining that Adam pitied her for being new and lonely, hearing his laughter when he told his friends that his mother had made him be the new geek girl
’
s friend so Toni would stay on the team.

One thing Toni knew for certain: sweet sixteen and never been kissed was embarrassing. She wanted Adam to be the boy who kissed her first, yet she had no idea how to get him to do that.

Thus far he
’
d done nothing but hold her hand, which was so sweet she wanted to cry, but she also wanted to cry because he didn
’
t seem interested in anything more than that. And she was terrified to kiss him for fear he did see her as just another one of the guys. If he wanted her to be his girlfriend, wouldn
’
t he have tried something by now?

The uncertainty was driving her crazy. She couldn
’
t ask Adam, because if he knew how much she loved him and he didn
’
t feel the same, she
’
d lose the little bit of him she had. She couldn
’
t ask Joe—
ha
, that would be the day she
’
d ask Wildman
for advice on love. And the only woman she
’
d ever trusted was Adam
’
s mother. Jeez, was this a mess or what?

It suddenly occurred to Toni that Adam had not really answered her question about his mom and Joe. To tell the truth, he never talked much about Joe at all, or
to
him, if he could help it.

Had he noticed the way Joe looked at his mom? Toni certainly had. It was embarrassing. Joe
’
d never looked at
her
mom that way. Not once. Maybe that had been the problem.

Toni put aside thoughts of her mother and father as young lovers as just too weird, and concentrated on her problem: Adam Vaughn.

He sat on the back-porch swing. The gentle sway of the seat only revealed how quiet he was, his face more pensive than usual, and this on a boy who seemed deep in tho
ught most of the time. His seri
ousness was one of the things that drew Toni to him. Adam made her think of lost boys, brooding poets and tragic heroes from romantic novels. She wanted to hold him, to heal him, to save him. But from what?

“
Adam?
”

He glanced up.
She hovered at the top step, un
sure if she should join him on that narrow swing or sit along the railing to her right. He smiled and stopped the swing so she could get on. She did, and he let the swing go once more. They swayed, the movement peaceful in the fading light. Toni resisted
the urge to lay her head on his shoulder and cuddle against his side.

“
Those girls tonight...
”
Toni let her voice trail off.

“
What about them?
”

“
What do you think your mom said?
”

He grinned.
“
I
’
m sure she let them have it.
”

“
Why?
”

“
My mom doesn
’
t like mean kids, and they were being little snots, she
’
d say. One thing Mom
’s al
ways taught us is empathy.
”

“
Empathy?
”
Adam used a lot of big words in regular conversation. Toni figured that came with having a teacher for
a mother. But Adam never made her feel dumb if she didn
’
t know what he meant. He just explained without missing a beat.

“
Walk a mile in the other guy
’
s shoes. Do unto others. Even the twin rats try to be nice to everyone except each other.
”

Adam laid his arm across the back of the seat. Toni tensed. Was that an invitation? Or merely a stretch?

She inched closer. Their hips bumped. His hand cupped her shoulder and he hugged her. Her heart triple-flipped and a warm feeling spread through her stomach. With a sigh, Toni let her head fall onto Adam
’
s shoulder.

His cheek rested on her hair. She didn
’
t think she
’
d ever been so happy, or so scared, in her life.

“
Those girls seem to hate me, and I
’
ve never even met them.
”

“
They
’
re mean. Forget them. If they try that again, I
’
ll make sure they regret it.
”

“
Why?
”

He raised his head, and she tilted hers to see his face. Sometimes, like now, he looked so handsome that her eyes hurt.

“
Don
’
t you know?
”

She was unable to speak, afraid she
’
d blubber or stutter. So she shook her head.

“
You
’
re my girl, Toni. I
’m not going to let any
one make you sad. Is that okay with you?
”
She nodded.

He laughed.
“
Can I kiss you?
”

In answer, she raised her lips. Adam Vaughn had been well worth waiting for.

Twin
shadows
wavered
on the porch, drawing
Evie
’
s attention to the window set within the door. Adam and Toni swung on the swing, their backs to the house, as they watched the sun go down. Her son put his arm around Toni, and she laid her head on his shoulder.

Evie didn
’
t realize she herself had moved, but suddenly she stood at the back door, her nose nearly pressed to the glass. Her son and Joe
’
s daughter lifted their heads, gazed into each other
’
s eyes and kissed.

Evie
’
s eyes burn
ed with tears. She keenly remem
bered her first kiss
. The technique had not mat
tered—only the feelings. They
’
d been so strong, so
new, so incredible. No kiss had been that good since. Though one—recently—had come pretty close.

Joe
’
s breath whooshed past her ear, hot and sharp.
“
What in hell does he think he
’
s doing?
”

“
What do you think?
”

He growled and reached for the doorknob.

Evie grabbed his wrist and held on tight.
“
Don
’
t,
”
she said.

The way he leaned across her body brought his face close to hers.
“
Don
’
t what?
”
he whispered, and their breaths mingled.

They were closer than their kids. All that she
’
d been imagining returned in a rush of feelings that were new, yet familiar. She couldn
’
t seem to stop staring into his eyes.

“
Don
’
t interrupt them. It
’
s their first kiss. Can
’
t you feel the magic?
”

“
Yeah. But is it us, or is it them?
”

Good question. Evie shifted, and her breast brushed his arm. Joe straightened, and his bare chest slid along her shoulder. His gaze lowered to her mouth, skimmed back up her face. A spark of heat melted his ice-blue eyes.

Then he was kissing her, and she was kissing him. He tasted better than the wine, the tingle of his lips on hers more arousing than champagne.

The scent of the room—Merlot, basil and steam—would forever mean Joe in her heated night dreams. Her palms slid across his beautiful, bare skin, slick and wet, arousing not only because of his breadth and strength but because of his aching vulnerability
to her touch. Muscles vibrated beneath her fingers, as if responding to her call, begging for more and for more. She soothed them, smoothed them, wooed them to flex and release against her hands.

His mouth left hers to trail along her jaw. She ran her thumbs beneath the waistband of his pants, and the muscles of his stomach leaped in response. He moaned into the hollow of her neck, then suckled upon her thundering pulse.

How had she ended up pressed to the length of his body? Had she moved into his embrace, or had he drawn her there? She touched him all over, with fluttering fingers that couldn
’
t seem to touch fast or often enough. His large hand snaked around her waist, palm to the curve of her hip, fingertips along the line of her spi
ne; her breath hitched, then re
leased.

This was getting
out of control, but from the mo
ment she
’
d seen him standing at the stove in nothing but jeans, the desire to feel his body against hers had pounded in her belly to the beat of her heart.

As if in answer to her unspoken thought, his thumbs stroked her stomach, slipped beneath the waistband of her shorts, stroked lower, along the elastic of her panties. He swallowed her moan with his mouth, used his tongue in ways she
’
d only read about.

This was insanity, and it had to stop.

She pulled her mouth from his and stepped back so their bodies no longer pressed together like glue and paper. Her hands were still plastered to his
chest. His fingers sti
ll circled her waist. The harsh
ness of their breathing filled the room.

Evie stared at him. Joe stared at her. He didn
’
t seem to know what to say, either.

The porch door rattled, and they jumped apart as if they
’
d been caught in a despicable act.

Well, they had almost been caught, but the act had been nowhere near despicable.

“
Mom, I
’
m going to take Toni to the DQ, then I
’
ll swing back for you.
”

“
I
’
ll come now.
”

Joe coughed. Evie blushed, then shot him a lethal look. If he hadn
’
t been too far away, she
’
d have kicked him in the shins.

“
Why don
’
t you stay for dinner,
”
he invited.
“
Then I
’
ll take you home.
”

Very bad idea
, she thought.
“
I
’
m not hungry,
”
she said.

Her stomach rumbled loudly in the silence that followed her words. Joe raised his eyebrow, then crossed his arms across his scrumptious chest.

Evie glanced at Adam, to find her son scowling at Joe like an outraged father. Toni hovered in the background with a hopeful expression on her face as her gaze darted from Adam, to Joe, to Evie, to Adam again.

“
We
’
ll get some ice cream and go home to meet the rat boys,
”
said Adam.

Evie flushed. She
’d forgotten the twins were be
ing dropped off at nine. She
’
d forgotten a lot of things while Joe
’
s mouth was on hers.

“
Fine.
”
Evie waved her hand at them both.
“
Go.
”
Desert the sinking ship.