And Then He Kissed Me by Teresa Southwick Read Free Book Online Page A

today—sensitive, caring, loyal, supportive and strong.”
    â€œStrong like a bull,” he said, raising his arm and flexing his biceps.
    She laughed. “That’s my point. You never lose your sense of humor. So you see, Nick, she might have been young and stupid, but not you.”
    Nick blinked once, then grinned. Abby made him feel ten feet tall. He wasn’t sure why he’d told her this deep, dark ancient history. Maybe because she’d been
through hell, and he knew she would understand. Maybe because he wanted to show her that she wasn’t alone, that he’d been kicked in the butt, too. Despite what she thought, his life was far from perfect. Whatever the reason, when the words were out, he’d expected teasing and jokes. Instead, her solid, unwavering support made him feel better.
    â€œThanks for listening, Ab.”
    â€œYou’re welcome,” she said, a soft smile teasing the corners of her full mouth.
    He’d brought her to dinner, not expecting the evening to be anything out of the ordinary. Boy was he wrong. The problem was, now he was having trouble taking his eyes from her lips, and thinking about how soft they looked.
    But this night was not supposed to be about him. It was her celebration. “Enough about serious stuff. I promised to teach you how to relax and have fun.”
    His sudden grin, so attractive and sexy as sin, made Abby thank the gods that she was sitting down. It disarmed her so instantly and thoroughly that she realized she was way out of her league.
    He continued to smile at her, and the wattage in his expression energized the butterflies in her stomach. It was impossible to think straight or function efficiently when he looked at her like that. Thank goodness he didn’t do it much, and she didn’t see him often at work. She would have been canned a long time ago. Which was as fine a reason as any to keep their relationship status quo.
    She laughed and hoped he didn’t notice it was just this side of shaky. “Yes, you did promise to teach me about fun. And you’re a wonderful instructor. I’ve had such a good time tonight. I can’t remember when I’ve
been so relaxed.” She was babbling, and couldn’t seem to stop. “What more could there possibly be to learn?”
    He stood up. “May I have this dance?”
    â€œDance?” That shocked her into semi-muteness. Doggone him. Every time she barely got her boat on a straight and narrow course, he rocked it.
    â€œYes, dance. Is there a problem?”
    She shook her head. “It’s just that this is a sort of retrospective celebration. I thought you were talking about a less mature and sophisticated kind of fun.”
    â€œLike what?”
    â€œI don’t know. Water balloons from the balcony. Shaving cream on the windows. Toilet paper the parking attendant. That kind of fun.”
    â€œI take it you never did that stuff.”
    â€œNo. Did you?”
    â€œI refuse to answer on the grounds that I’m the boss.”
    â€œI’ll take that as a yes.”
    The band started a ballad. “C’mon, pal. Let’s boogie. Unless you’re afraid to have too much fun.”
    He held out his hand, and Abby knew she couldn’t refuse without an explanation. The only one she had, she wasn’t about to share with him. She put her fingers in his palm. “If you step on my toes, class is dismissed,” she mumbled.
    â€œDon’t fret, Ab. I promise you’ll enjoy this lesson.” His voice, as deep and smooth and seductive as expensive brandy, made her skin warm from head to toe.
    Dancing with Nick was a bad idea.
    He led her onto the floor where several other couples were gliding in time to the music. Facing her, Nick put his hand on her waist, pulling her close to his muscular length. The fragrance of his aftershave was wonderful,
masculine and just plain wow. The next thing she knew, she had a weird