Sooner or Later by Debbie Macomber Read Free Book Online Page B

arrive at Marcie’s beauty shop before she closed down for the night.
    By the time he started his car, Keller was wondering if he’d hold out long enough to make it over to her place. The way he felt right then, the chair in the lunch room in the back of the shop would suit him just fine.
    Keller sighed with relief when he turned onto her street and saw Marcie’s shop. A lot of things had changed in nine months, and he’d half feared she might have gone out of business.
    He parked on the street, stopped off at the flower shop a couple of doors down, and picked up a bouquet of spring flowers. The roses were prettier, but a lot more expensive. Marcie wouldn’t know the difference and certainly wouldn’t care.
    The bell above the door chimed when he enteredthe shop. He was greeted with the faint acrid scent of perm solution. A young blond woman behind the counter eyed him with open curiosity.
    “I’m looking for Marcie,” he announced, flashing the girl an easy smile. His timing couldn’t have been more perfect. There seemed to be a lull in business.
    The girl ran her finger down the appointment book. “Are you scheduled?”
    “I’m an old friend,” Keller explained. “If she’s in, I’d like to surprise her.”
    “She’s here.” The girl gestured with her head for him to go on back.
    By then Keller was so eager, he nearly trotted to the rear of the shop. He pulled back the makeshift curtain and gifted Marcie with a smile potent enough to melt glacial ice.
    “Hello, dahlin’.”
    She sat at the table, her feet propped up by a chair, eating popcorn. Her eyes widened with surprise mingled with delight when she saw who it was. “Johnny.”
    Another sin. Keller had never gotten around to telling her his name was Jack. What the hell, Johnny was close enough.
    “You look fabulous.” He told her that everytime he saw her, especially after a lengthy absence, only this time it was true. She’d done something different with her hair. It was shorter, curlier, blonder. He’d miss burying his hands into the thick, waist-deep length, but this style suited her much better.
    She opened her mouth, but nothing came out.
    He set the flowers on the table and reached for her,lifting her out of the chair. Before she could protest, and he knew she wouldn’t, he had her in his arms.
    Her mouth was as sweet as he remembered. She tasted good, damn good. Better than anyone in a hell of a long time. She smelled faintly of lilacs instead of stale barroom smoke, as fresh and clean as summer itself.
    One kiss didn’t come anywhere close to satisfying him. Before she could tell him how much she’d missed him, he had her backed against the wall with his tongue halfway down her throat. She squirmed against him, her eagerness stroking his pride and his manhood. Soon he was so damned hard, his erection throbbed against the metal teeth of his zipper. This was even better than he expected. For the life of him, Keller couldn’t remember why he’d waited so long to contact her.
    “In a minute, baby,” he whispered between deep kisses. He wanted to see and taste her breasts before he gave them what they both wanted.
    He had three buttons of her pink uniform unfastened before he heard her.
    “No, Johnny.”
    He was sure he’d misunderstood. “No?” He must be hearing things. Her body was telling him one thing and her lips another.
    “It’s been nine months since I last saw you.”
    “I told you before, baby, I travel for business.”
    She closed her eyes and breathed hard and heavy. “Then what’s this?”
    He slipped his hand inside her uniform and sighed audibly when he cupped her breast. Her nipple pearledinstantly. “Pleasure, sweetheart, pure pleasure.” He kissed her again before she could say anything more. When he finished, they were both breathing hard.
    “This isn’t such a good idea,” she said. Again her body claimed it was the best idea either of them had had in a hell of a long time.
    “I’ve missed you.”