Out of Her League (30 page)

“
But what a way to go.
”

He leaned toward her. She leaned back and her head bumped the window. There was nowhere to run in this car, unless she ran out of the car and into the house. She wasn
’
t that desperate.
Yet
.

Distraction—that was what she needed.
“
So the plan is for me to talk to Adam and you to talk to
Toni.
”
He blinked as if she
’
d sprouted another head.
“
Right?
”

He sat back.
“
Uh, right. Do you think it
’
ll help?
”

“
Didn
’
t we already agree it couldn
’
t hurt? Though what I
’
m going to say to him, I have no idea.
”

“
I thought you were goin
g to talk about past mis
takes, ruined lives—the usual parental talk when a member of the opposite sex has just come into your child
’
s life.
”

“
I wish I knew how to explain guy feelings.
”

“
Guy feelings?
”
He looked blank.

“
You do have them, don
’
t you? Or are all those jokes about guys being led around by their—
”

“
Whoa!
”
He put up his hand.
“
Let
’
s stop right there. Guys have feelings.
”

“
What kind of feelings?
”

He pushed long fingers through his hair, a point
less gesture since his short haircut left little to push about. Then he stared out the window.
“
I don
’
t know. You
’
re hot—you
’
re cold. Your gut aches. She smells good. She
’
s so soft you have to touch her. Does she taste as good as she smells? You have to find out.
”

Evie groaned.
“
That
’
s what I thought. All sex. Physical, not mental.
”

His head whipped back in her direction, and he crossed his arms over his chest. At least he
’d but
toned his shirt, so the distractions for her were kept to a minimum.

“
Well, what about girls?
”

Evie hesitated for a moment, but fair was fair. He had shared; now it was her turn.
“
It
’
s a head game. What
’
s he thinking? What
’
s he feeling? Does he like me as much as I like him?
”

“
Do you think that when we
’
re ... you know?
”

“
Actually, no. Not when we
’
re... you know.
”

“
What
do
you think?
”

She blushed at the intensity of his stare. Luckily, the night was too dark for him to see. She glanced at the house. All quiet on that front.
“
I have no idea,
”
she lied.

He shifted, and the seat creaked. Startled, she turned to find him cl
ose, very close. Her heart thun
dered loud enough that he must hear it in the tight confines of this ridiculous excuse for
a car.

Caught in his gaze, she was unable to flee as his hand snaked about her neck and drew her toward him. Nearer and nearer came his mouth, until he hovered less than an inch away.

“
Let
’
s find out,
”
he whispered, and his breath caressed her lips.

She discovered that what she thought when Joe kissed her was, quite simply, nothing at all. Worries, fears and concerns about the boys and the team and herself disappeared. All her responsibilities faded. The demands upon her time, the tugs on her heart and the drains upon her soul melted in the heat of the desire only he could bring.

When his mouth was on hers, she was no one
’
s but his.

* * *

Joe
had
been
wrong about guy feelings—or may
be he
’
d just never had them before. Embarrassing but true, at the ripe old age of thirty-six, Joe Scalotta discovered a whole new world.

Sure the feelings started with needs, and wants, and desires. He needed to touch her. He wanted to kiss her. He desired to hold her close to his chest and run his fingers through her short, soft hair.

But when she sighed against his lips, cupped his face between her palms and kissed him—deeper, harder, longer—his heart seemed too big for his chest and his stomac
h did a flip-flop. Was she feel
ing this, too?

He breathed in her sweet scent—one he would know now in a crowd—and his body tightened in a rush that made him dizzy. He couldn
’
t recall being this aroused since high school. Perhaps because that was the last time he
’
d made out in a car.

Joe
’
s lips curved into a smile against hers. No, that wasn
’
t the reas
on. The reason was her; the rea
son was him. Together, and only together, they made the magic she
’
d been talking about. The magic he hadn
’
t quite understood until now. Could the magic be love?

She laid her hand on his chest, and he nearly jumped out of his skin. This woman
’
s touch had him poised on an edge sharper than any he
’
d ever known. She
’
d spoken of the wonder of first love, the intensity, the newness of the emotions. Is that what was going on here?

Kind of sad he
’
d never felt this way before. He
’
d been married, had made a child, and had never wanted to hold a woman so close that he became a part of her—and he didn
’
t mean by having sex. He
’
d always thought th
e songs and the poems silly, be
cause he
’
d never f
elt the symmetry their words ex
pressed. Until now.

He traced his mouth along her jaw, aroused fur
ther by the sound of his name uttered in a hoarse, desperate voice when his tongue found the hollow at her collarbone. He savored the flavor of salt on her skin and the thunder of her pulse against his lips. His heart seemed to beat loudly enough to pound back at him from the fogged windows. Joe pressed a kiss to Evie
’
s temple and opened his eyes with a frown. What was that noise?

Twin faces pressed to the window of the car, squashed flat, resembling something from an alien outbreak. Four fists pounded a native drumbeat.

“
Hey, Joe! What
’
re you and Mom doin
’
in there?
”

Evie gasped and shoved him away. Turning, she pushed the button on the door and the window slid down.

Danny and Benji hung into the car.
“
Why
’
s the car
all steamed up? Whatcha doin’?”

“
Talking.
”

Her voice was clipped, and she wouldn
’
t look at Joe. He fought the urge to apologize. He hadn
’
t done anything but kiss her a little—make that a lot—but he was far from sorry.

“
Nah. You were kissin
’
. We couldn
’
t see good, but we could see that.
”

Evie groaned and put her hands over her face. Then she leaned forward and hid her eyes against the dashboard.

“
It
’
s okay, Mom,
”
one of them said, looking worried.
“
We like Joe. You can kiss him if you want.
”

“
Gee, thanks,
”
she mumbled.

“
But why do you want to, huh?
”
said the other—whichever one that was.
“
You said kissin
’
spreads germs.
”
He eyed Joe with a serious expression as he imparted his words of wisdom.
“
I never kiss girls.
”

“
Don
’
t you kiss your mom?
”

“
Oh, yeah. But I don
’
t do little girls.
”

Joe choked. Evie tilted her head to the side and glared at him. The twins grinned toothless grins.

“
How come everyone
’
s kissin
’
each other, Mom?
”

Evie
’
s head went up like a pointer that had just heard a bird rustle through the grass.
“
Who
’s every
one?
”

“
Adam and Toni were steamin
’
up the station
wagon when we came home from next door. Now they
’
re steamin
’
up the living room. Adam told us to—
”
He scrunched his face into a perfect parody of a dried-apple doll while he tried to recall his brother
’
s order.
“
Go outside and stay outside. Don
’
t leave the yard on parallel of death.
”

“
That
’
s peril, doofus.
”

“
Don
’
t call me
‘
doofus
’
! Mom, he called me
‘
doofus.
’”

“
Stop!
”

They stopped. Impressive.

“
Your brother sent you outside in the rain?
”

“
It wasn
’
t raining then.
‘
Sides, it
’
s warm out. We like it.
”

Suddenly the light in the living room went out, though the television screen still flickered in an eerie dance across the curtains.

All four of them stared, speechless, at the house.
“U
h-oh,
”
murmured one of the twins.

Joe reached for the car door, but Evie
’
s hand on
his arm made him pause.
“
Let me,
”
she said.

“
I don
’
t think so. This is a job for—
”

“
Iceman?
”

He frowned at the sarcastic twist she gave to the nickname.

“
Think about it, Joe. You go blasting in there, shouting, embarrassing her and him, she
’
ll hate you for it.
”

“
What do you suggest?
”

“
I
’
ll go in, break it up and send her out. Then we have our talks with them—tonight.
”

“
What kind of talks, Mom?
”

Evie
’
s mouth tightened before she faced the twins.
“
None of your beeswax.
”
She hit the Close button on the window, and the little boys became shadowy aliens once more. Evie turned back to Joe with a lift of one shoulder and a helpless gesture of her hands.

She was right. He was furious, and he
’
d say something stupid.
“
Well, you
’
d better get in there before they do something we
’
ll regret.
”