This Just In... (Harlequin Superromance) (9 page)

But when she scrambled off his lap and ran for the door, he knew he hadn’t imagined it.

He looked at his brother. It wasn’t uncommon for Noah to come over for dinner on Saturday night, which now that he thought about it was a sad statement on his bachelorhood, and it wasn’t uncommon for Kyle and Marissa to invite other friends, but neither of them had mentioned other guests. Not that they needed to run the dinner guests past him, but the omission struck him as odd.

He caught Kyle’s eye. “Who—”

“Yeah, I should have mentioned it. Sorry, man,” Kyle said, lowering his gaze and hurrying to the door before Daisy could greet the new arrivals with a chorus of shrieks.

Noah frowned at his brother’s back. Why was he apologizing? He followed Kyle out of the living room and saw who was at the door. Oh, hell. He was going to kill Marissa.

Noah ducked into the kitchen rather than greeting the new guests. Not his usual M.O., but desperate times... “Marissa, tell me you aren’t matchmaking.”

She smiled. “Good to see you, Noah.”

He realized he’d been rude, hadn’t even stopped in to say hello or give her the wine he’d brought. Actually, he hadn’t even carried the wine in from the car, so wrapped up he’d been in thinking about Sabrina and the article. Well, the wine could wait. He came around the counter, gave her a quick kiss on her upturned cheek and repeated his statement.

This time she answered, a tiny smirk on her lips. “Okay, I’m not matchmaking.”

He frowned at her. This was no time to play cute. “Then why do I see Linnea—” he lowered his voice on her name “—out there?” He’d told Marissa before that he wasn’t interested in a setup and certainly not with Linnea Grimes. She wasn’t his type, despite the fact that Marissa had tried to push them together on more than one occasion.

She claimed it was because she thought they’d make a cute couple. Noah suspected it was because she was friends with Linnea. Their oldest boys were the same age and they already spent hours of hockey practice huddling together while the boys skated. So the relationship would be easy for her.

Noah loved his sister-in-law, but he was only willing to go so far for family.

“Linnea and I are friends,” Marissa said. “I invited Faith and Stephen, too, so we’d have a nice even number.”

He glared at Marissa. She didn’t fool him with her rationale. But he didn’t get a chance to respond before Linnea breezed into the kitchen on a cloud of heavy perfume that made Noah’s nose itch.

He pasted on a gracious smile and bent to kiss her on the cheek. “Nice to see you, Linnea.”

“Noah, I’m so glad you’re here.” She rested her hands on his chest. Her nails were polished a dark red. She seemed to be admiring the way they looked against his shirt.

He stepped back breaking the contact. “What can I get you to drink?”

Dinner was a tortured affair. Even before they’d finished the first course, Noah was wishing that he was somewhere else. Anywhere else. Even the dance floor at Cedar Oaks.

But Noah kept his smile in place and tried to make polite conversation. He managed well enough, surreptitiously stealing looks at his watch, counting the minutes until he could depart. Until the subject of Sabrina arose.

“I read the article she wrote on you today,” Linnea said and leaned closer to him as she’d been doing all evening. “Are you okay?”

“Of course.” Why wouldn’t he be okay? It had been a good article. A great article. But even so, he felt a sudden anxiety. Had other people seen something he hadn’t?

“What do you mean, Linnea?” Kyle asked. His voice gave nothing away.

“I just thought it seemed obvious that she was using you.” Linnea patted his arm, her red fingernails standing out against his skin. “Trying to get in good with the town. Why did she even come back? I thought she was some big-shot reporter in Vancouver?”

The table was silent. Not even the clink of glassware or cutlery to break the stillness. When Noah spoke it was carefully, slowly. Each word distinct and separate. “Do you know Sabrina, Linnea?”

“Well, I haven’t seen her since high school.” Linnea seemed to relish being the center of attention. “But I seriously doubt she’s changed. We’re just concerned about you, Noah.”

“I’m not concerned,” Kyle piped up. “Just wanted to point that out.”

Noah might have laughed had the moment not been so fraught with tension. He shot his brother a grateful look and then faced Marissa and raised an eyebrow. “Did you read the article?”

She nodded.

“And?” His tone was quiet even though he felt as if he might snap the stem of the wineglass with his grip.

She exhaled. “It was a good article.”

Some of the tightness in his chest eased, until Linnea opened her big mouth again. “I still say she should never have come back.” Linnea sniffed, her lip curling as she sipped her wine. “But I guess she doesn’t realize that she isn’t one of us.”

Noah’s shoulders stiffened.
One of us?
“I’m not sure I understand your meaning.” His voice was composed even though the hairs on the back of his neck were standing up.

Linnea leaned forward as though imparting an important bit of advice. “She doesn’t belong.”

Didn’t belong.
The way he didn’t belong. He hadn’t been born into one of the founding families. Residents didn’t have memories of him as a squalling baby. They didn’t tell stories about Noah learning to walk or reminisce how he looked so much like his parents at the same age. He wasn’t the only person to ever move to town, but there were days when it felt like it.

His ears pounded and all those old emotions swarmed through him. The lonely orphan sitting on his bed. Afraid he was going to be sent away. Keeping his head down at school so the teacher wouldn’t call on him. So no one would notice him. Because if they didn’t know he was there, they couldn’t send him away.

To hell with that.

The annoyance Noah had been damping down through the entire night roared up, like banked coals finally given enough oxygen to blaze. “You know, I just remembered something else I have to do this evening.”

“Noah.” Marissa rose when he did.

“I’ll see myself out. Thank you for dinner.” He didn’t bother to tell her the night had been lovely. They’d all see that for the lie it was. Marissa, at least, had the grace to look pained, but the wine that lingered on his tongue tasted sour.

She followed him to the front door. “I don’t know why Linnea said that. It was a good article.”

His nod was brusque. He didn’t want to stand here chatting. He wanted out into the night, wanted the freedom to just breathe.

Noah had nowhere to go and nothing to see, but anything would be better than returning to the dining room, to Linnea’s snide commentary and superiority complex.

Actually, he did have somewhere to go and someone to see. Assuming she was home.

CHAPTER EIGHT

S
ABRINA
STARED
AT
her computer screen and sipped her tea. She was rereading her notes from her interview with Noah. She’d used barely a quarter of what she’d gathered. She could do a whole series on him. If he’d let her.

Of course, she’d have to catch him to ask him. The mayor seemed to always be on his way to or from something important whenever they crossed paths. She might have taken it personally had she not seen the spark of interest in his gaze when he thought she wasn’t looking. Unless she’d been imagining things. She hadn’t been above giving her butt a little extra wiggle each and every time anyway. Just in case.

But the unused information sitting in front of her was fantastic. In particular, George’s story about the time Noah had driven him down to the lake and taken him fishing last summer. How Noah had carried him from the car to the dock since George couldn’t walk the distance and the ground was too bumpy for his wheelchair and set him up with a lawn chair, a rod and a fully stocked cooler. Then the two of them had sat there the rest of the day, eating sandwiches, drinking bottled water and shooting the breeze. George’s only complaint had been that Noah refused to let him have beer. George didn’t think that Noah’s reasoning—he didn’t want to cart George to the woods to do his business all day—stood up since beer is “ninety percent water anyway.” But that hadn’t stopped him from telling Sabrina to inform Noah that George expected another trip this year.

Sabrina considered starting the second article anyway. Noah would probably agree and Trish would love it. She’d even typed the opening sentence. But the words didn’t flow, so she brainstormed some other potential ideas instead. The Northern Lights festival was happening in a few weeks to kick off the summer season and the July holiday weekend. Trish probably already had a plan to cover it, but maybe Sabrina could find a new and exciting angle. She wrote down a few other ideas, as well, and then fizzled out.

Working on a Saturday night. How sad was that? The last time she’d lived in Wheaton she’d been a teenager with a curfew and other parental restrictions and yet she’d managed to have a full and busy social life. And tonight? She’d been forced to drop in on her parents for dinner so that she didn’t have to eat alone.

Not that her parents had minded. On the contrary, they’d been thrilled and used the opportunity to push their move-back-permanently initiative. She smiled. Even if they were her parents and expected to love her no matter what, it was still nice to feel wanted. It certainly helped to dispel the disappointment that her Vancouver friends seemed to have forgotten about her. Not one of them had returned her calls or emails.

Sabrina took another sip of tea to ease the sting. She didn’t expect them to spend hours texting with her or even offer to visit, but a timely response would have been nice. Oh, well. All her free time had at least provided her with the opportunity to finish decorating the apartment.

The walls looked great—a huge improvement over the ugly stripes—and with all her furniture and other decor, the place was starting to look like a real home. Too bad she wouldn’t be around to appreciate it for long.

Sabrina checked her email, but her in-box remained empty. Nothing from her editor. Nothing from her friends. Not even a piece of junk mail promising millions from a foreign prince if only she’d share all her banking information.

She fired off a few of the better article ideas to Trish and then powered down the computer. She’d already fulfilled her patheticness quota for the day; no need to add to it by doing more work. Although sitting in front of the TV with her tea might be even sadder. Seriously, how was it that the busiest her social life had been since she arrived was going to a dance with the residents of Cedar Oaks?

Still, Sabrina had enjoyed herself and not just because of Noah. Though he’d certainly been part of the appeal. She wondered where he was tonight. She’d looked for him when she got home from her shift at the coffee shop, but his car was gone and was still missing when she returned from dinner with her parents.

So when she heard the crunch of wheels turning into the driveway, it was only reasonable that she get up to check and see who it was. She turned off the lights so he wouldn’t notice her peering through the window at him. Yes, this was what passed for excitement in her life these days.

Noah walked up the front steps, a tired cast to his features. Sabrina leaned closer. Judging from the green polo shirt and pressed khakis—his usual daily uniform—he’d been on the go since this morning. Did he ever take time for himself? Ever say no or do something he wanted to do instead of busting his butt to do things for everyone else?

She didn’t think so. Mayor, brother, son, neighbor. He was always being someone for somebody. Even for her. And now he was providing her with some eye candy, albeit unknowingly. Guilt prickled at her and Sabrina stepped away from the French doors, letting the curtains she’d hung earlier in the week fall closed. A man should be able to enter his own home without being ogled.

She’d only just flicked on the light when he knocked on the door. For a moment, excitement flooded through her. Then reality hit. Most likely, he’d noticed her spying and wanted to know why.

Great. Just great. She inhaled slowly. She’d been busted like a teenager with a crush, which wasn’t too far from the truth.

“Mr. Mayor. What a pleasant surprise.” Her pulse sped up when she looked at him. He looked tired, but good. Really good. All tall and strong and perfectly pressed, but he frowned at her.

“Were you just peeping at me through the windows?”

“No.” Sabrina swallowed. Maybe if she acted innocent, he’d think he’d been mistaken. She reached up and brushed a thumb along the grim lines carved around the side of his mouth. “You’ll get wrinkles.”

“I don’t care.”

“You should.” She heard the rise in her voice, hoped he didn’t notice. “Good skin maintenance starts now.” He had seen her and he wasn’t happy about it. She let her hand fall back to her side.

Really, there was no reason for him to be bothered by a little peek. Maybe she’d just been checking to make sure the flower destroyers weren’t back. Yes, that’s what she go with if he pushed.

“It looked like you. Right there.” Noah pointed to the exact spot she had indeed been standing.

Sabrina flipped her hair, going for airy disinterest. “I don’t know what you saw, but I was just hanging out watching TV.”

“The TV’s not on.”

“I was about to
start
watching, I meant.” Damn. “Do you want to come in?” She hadn’t expected him to agree so quickly, but he was in her apartment in a matter of seconds. He smelled like pine and the outdoors. Her breath was shaky. Even so, she managed to find her manners. Her mother would be so proud. “Can I get you something? Tea? Coffee? Water?”

“Water, please.” His eyes tracked the room. “You took down the wallpaper.”

She pulled a jug of water from the fridge, letting the cool air wash over her warm skin. “Do you blame me? It took a whole day, but I think it was worth it.” Thought so every time she looked at the clean, fresh walls.

He ran a finger along the mantel, looked at the pieces she’d placed there, then sat on the couch. “It looks great in here. Very homey.”

“Thanks.” A flush of pleasure swept through her as she handed him the glass. “So what brings you here tonight?” It obviously wasn’t just about the peeking. Noah had asked, she’d answered and if that were all, he’d have taken himself across the hall to his own apartment, not settled himself on her couch.

“I read the article.”

She studied his face, but it showed nothing. Simply that cool, composed mayoral look he was so good at. She hoped that wasn’t bad. “I’m guessing since you aren’t ignoring me, you liked it.”

He stared at her. “I lied. I didn’t come because of the article.”

“Oh?” Sabrina’s breath was caught in her throat and that flush was back, now heating her cheeks. “Then why did you come?”

He didn’t answer, just sat forward to put his glass on the coffee table, then slid across the couch and cupped the back of her head. His lips were firm and warm when he pressed them to hers.

So she hadn’t been imagining that spark of interest in his eyes and he’d definitely noticed her wiggling. Good.

His hand slid around to the small of her back. She should probably pull away, ask what was going on here. She wasn’t looking for a lifelong commitment, but she also wasn’t going to be a booty call. A good fling should last at least a month. But it was a slippery thought and one that was impossible to hang on to when he kept kissing her like this.

When they broke apart, Sabrina’s lips felt swollen, but her shirt was still on. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that.

“Thank you.” Noah’s hand remained at the back of her head, his fingers twirling through her hair. “I needed that.”

“Why?” It was a natural question. “Not that I’m complaining, but I was pretty sure you’d been avoiding me all week.” She saw the guilt flash across his face and suddenly the answer was obvious. “You were waiting to see the article.”

His throat bobbed as he swallowed. “I’m not proud of it, but yes.”

Sabrina swallowed the chilly nausea that was trying to overtake her warmth. “Right. Of course. Because you don’t really know me, and I’ve certainly never given you or your family any reason to trust me when it comes to my articles.”

Did she sound bitter? She thought she sounded bitter. She hadn’t meant to. She picked up her tea and washed the taste out of her mouth with a small sip.

Noah put a hand on her leg when she tried to shift away. “I was wrong.”

“No.” She shook her head. “You weren’t.” It was a hard thing to admit, but she could see it from his perspective. Hadn’t she made a career of writing not-very-nice things about people? “You were protecting yourself. I don’t blame you.”

His gaze was steady, as steady as the hand that remained on her leg. “I was wrong. I should have trusted you.” Sabrina felt a flutter in her chest. “Nothing you’d done or said gave me any reason to think you were lying.”

“I don’t exactly have a stellar history with your family, though.”

He studied her. “Still, I should have given you the benefit of the doubt. I should make it up to you.”

She was surprised and touched. “You don’t have to make it up to me. You’re allowed to have feelings.”

He shifted his hand to cup her cheek. “I want to. How about dinner?”

“I already owe you that.” She pinned him with a look. “Or are you going to keep putting me off?”

“No.” Noah’s smile turned rueful. “You pick the time and I’ll be there. But this would be something else.”

His thumb stroked across her cheek. Sabrina swallowed. “Are you serious or is this just banter?” Casual jokes and conversation that never went anywhere because they weren’t meant to. She felt hope begin to percolate, make her all tingly. Or maybe that was his hand.

“I’m serious.” And he certainly looked serious. There was no teasing twist to his lips, no sardonic smirk or cheesy wink that undermined his words and told a different truth. His body language was as open and honest as she hoped his words were.

“Would you be interested in letting me write another article about you?” One that used some of the information currently sitting on her computer.

To Noah’s credit, he blinked but didn’t jerk back though she saw the shudder pass through him and felt the brief tightening of his hands that were still on her. “What kind of article?”

She tilted her head, so her cheek rested in his palm and suppressed a shiver. “A more personal piece. Something that would showcase you as a person as opposed to the mayor.”

He winced. “I don’t know if I’m comfortable with that.”

Sabrina put her hand on his knee. “It’ll be great, Noah. Better than today’s article.”

He didn’t look convinced. He pursed his lips and he lifted his hand from her cheek.

“Or not.” She exhaled. Apparently, he didn’t really trust her. She wasn’t sure why that stung as much as it did. Maybe because he was the only person in town besides her parents who’d spent any time with her since she’d been back. Maybe because she didn’t understand how he could kiss her like that if he didn’t trust her. She moved her hand away, too.

He caught it, wrapped his fingers around hers. “Okay.” His voice was soft, almost a whisper.

“Okay what?”

“You can write another article.” His eyes caught hers.

She stared back. “You sure?” Because she didn’t want to pitch the idea to Trish only to have him back out at the last minute. Trish had been more than generous in agreeing to allow Sabrina a part-time position at the paper, but family friendships only went so far. Sabrina needed to provide solid and interesting articles, too.

He nodded.

This time, she was the one who slid forward and kissed him. Hard.

“Is this because I said yes?” Noah asked when they came up for air.

“No.” Their noses were practically touching, their eyes mere inches apart. “This is because I wanted to.” She kissed him again and felt some of the angst guarding her heart begin to lessen.