Page 8 of Catching Fire

“I was on a date. Or IthoughtI was,” he said with a tip of his drink for emphasis. “Got stood up.”

Her heart sank. No wonder he was being overly forward. He'd likely been sitting at the bar and drinking. “I’m so sorry.” But before the awkward pause could bloom this time, she pointed toward the back and said, “I'm on my way to the ladies room. Good luck.”

That was a dumb thing to say, but she didn't want to be around him any longer.

When she emerged, he was gone and Kalan was waiting at the table with a stunningly large square of tiramisu. He handed her a fork.

“I can't eat all of this,” she protested, though she loved tiramisu.

“Do your best.” He dug into the other side of it.

It was close to midnight by the time he dropped her off. Just as gentlemanly as he’d started the evening, he hopped around the car and opened her door. When he offered to help her out of the low-slung sports car, he didn’t let go as he led her up the front steps and to the door.

Kalan stepped in close. He smelled of tiramisu and something deeper. “I am not ready for this evening to end.” Though the words were low and melodious, he immediately stepped back, eyes wide. “Oh shit. I just meant how I feel. I wasn’t trying to invite myself in. I realize—”

She’d already grabbed his shirt and pulled him closer. His words cut short as his mouth covered hers and she discovered that he tasted like tiramisu, too.

His hands were in her hair. The sweater she’d thrown over her arm slipped to the porch, followed quickly by the thud of her purse as the kiss caught fire. Her mouth opened and his tongue invaded. Her back arched and she pressed herself to the solid wall that was Kalan Smith. Her fingers ran down the small, flat buttons of his shirt and it was all she could do to stop from unbuttoning him right there.

As he pulled back for a moment, he looked into her eyes and she saw him grab at the edge of his sleeve.

What?

With his hand covered by the cuff of his nice shirt, he reached up and loosened the porch bulb, plunging them into darkness. She couldn’t see him, but Seline felt the air shift as he moved closer, his lips softly stalking her mouth by feel.

Her fingers clutched at his belt, while his hands roamed freely now, no longer concerned what the neighbors might see. This kiss was far, far too hot for a first date. They probably lit the place up the way their touches blazed.

She traced his jaw with her mouth, then his lower lip, then realized she was pushed back against the wall of the porch. Her leg was up over his hip, her skirt rucked up. With a quick glance down, she saw only the dark-on-light play of his large hand against her pale thigh. She both watched and felt as his fingers clenched.

They kissed and touched and tried to absorb each other until she ran out of oxygen. With her hands clutching the fabric of his shirt, and her fists bracing into his chest, she took a gulp of air. But when she pulled him back, he was rigid. No longer melting into her, he stayed put.

Damn, the light would have been handy now. She couldn’t even see his expression, but she felt the cool night air rush between them as he abruptly stepped back.

All he said was, “I’m sorry,” as he jammed his hands into his pockets and turned away. At the bottom of the steps he didn’t turn to look back or he would have seen the stunned expression on her face before he drove away.

Chapter Six

Seline moved down the street briskly enough to rival a marching band. Her brain was cycling from foggy and dreamy to irritated and tense.

He’d broken that insanely steamy kiss and walked off with a half-uttered “sorry.”Had she done something? Had he?

It didn’t help that she’d planned to get some work done after she got home. It had been so late when he’d finally dropped her off that wasn’t going to happen. Then she was too confused and frustrated to do anything resembling an experiment or even attempting to balance her reaction equations.

She didn't have time to be out for her walk this morning either, but nothing could happen if she didn’t get her brain in gear. Seline was smart enough to know that she had to exercise off some of this tension.

As she trekked the neighborhood with her probably sour expression, her mind wandered as much as her feet did. She was three blocks over before she even looked up to see if any of her neighbors were out on a Saturday morning. She passed a young mom and a couple. The older man was clearly maintaining a much younger body than his thinning white hair would have her believe. He didn’t acknowledge her as his head was down and he had earbuds in.

They were on a collision course, but there were no waves or greetings. Seline wound up giving him a dirty side eye as she sidestepped to keep him from barreling into her.What was it with people running into her?

Then again, maybe it was her.

“Oh, sorry!” he called as he turned around and jogged a few steps backwards, waving in apology. That was hardly the “Nebraska nice” she’d come to expect. But she nodded and continued on her way.

She should simply make a U turn here on the sidewalk and head home. But despite everything on her to-do list, her head still wasn’t clear and she didn’t want to look like she was following him. So she used her one brain cell that wasn’t thinking about Kalan, and turned left on the next block. She walked a short loop and eventually made it back home—not that she’d paid attention along the way. Hell, she might have barreled into some of her neighbors and not known it. She’d barely looked around.

At home, she took a quick shower, though she would have liked to have lingered. By the time she emerged, it was already ten. When her phone dinged from the other room, she pulled the fluffy white terry cloth from her head and followed the sound of her ringtone.

The phone sat in the middle of the bed. Had she left it there? She didn’t remember, but that didn't matter, it was ringing.

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