tents, Nicholas lowered her slowly until her feet touched the ground. Peyton’s knees buckled slightly. “Did you enjoy playing Neanderthal?” Peyton whispered, pushing her hair off her face.
Nicholas towered above her like an avenging angel. He pushed his face close to hers until their noses were almost touching. “What if it was a coyote, Peyton? Did you want to pet its head and say nice doggie before it attacked you?”
She scrunched up her nose. “Very funny, Nicholas.”
“It wouldn’t be funny if you were bitten.”
Rather than argue with him, Peyton held out her hand. “Please give me my shoes.”
Nicholas ignored her demand, bending down and slipping the heels on her bare feet. Rising, he offered his hand. “Let’s go, Cinderella.”
“I lost my hair ribbon.”
“Well, we’re not going to look for it tonight.”
Combing her fingers through her hair, Peyton twisted it into a coil, securing the ends and hoping it would stay in place. “How do I look?” she asked Nicholas.
He smiled. “Beautiful. Like a woman who’s just been made love to.”
She stared at him, complete surprise sweeping over her features. Peyton never would’ve expected that type of answer from him. “Is that good or bad?”
It was Nicholas’s turn to be shocked. Was she? He shook his head as if to banish the possibility that Peyton was as innocent as she appeared. There were times when she was more girl than woman, and he wondered if her admitting she’d foregone high-school dances and football games was another way of saying she’d shunned boys. Then he recalled their kiss. At first she’d resisted before she finally allowed him to show her how pleasurable kissing could be. Pressing his mouth to her ear, he breathed a kiss there. “Are you a virgin?” he whispered.
Peyton went stiff. “Are you?” she asked.
Nicholas pulled back, frowning. “No.”
Hands resting at her hips, eyes flashing outrage, Peyton bared her straight white teeth. “Then you have your answer.”
“But I have a reason for asking you that.”
“Well, I don’t want to know why you would ask me something that personal. Would you’ve liked it if I’d asked you if I was the first woman you’d ever kissed? I don’t think so,” she said, answering her own question. “Thank you for the dance and the kiss. BTW—I enjoyed both,” she flung over her shoulder as she walked into the tent.
Crossing his arms over his chest, Nicholas watched the gentle sway of her hips. A slow smile spread across his face. So, she liked him kissing her as much as he’d enjoyed kissing her. Pushing his hands into the pockets of his slacks he recalled the softness of her lips and the feel of her firm breasts pressed to his chest. However, he’d almost ruined everything because he’d come down with a supreme case of foot-in-mouth, and he made a mental promise it would not happen again. Nicholas decided he would give Peyton time to cool off before apologizing to her. She wasn’t going anywhere and neither was he. After all, they were neighbors.
He hadn’t taken more than a half-dozen steps when he came face-to-face with a man he’d met at a political fund-raiser last year that had been hosted by Sheldon. Smiling, he extended his hand. “It’s nice seeing you again, Judge McGhee.”
Franklin McGhee took Nicholas’s hand in a firm grip. “How are you, young man? Cole-Thomas, isn’t it?”
Nicholas smiled. It was apparent he had an excellent memory. “Yes. I’m well, thank you.”
The charismatic widowed judge had garnered more than ninety percent of the female vote in his election bid to retain his seat on the state’s Supreme Court. The jurist’s life story had become a blueprint for success. He was the only son of a single mother who’d worked two jobs to move her son out of public housing to a rental in a middle-income neighborhood. Franklin earned a full academic scholarship to Harvard as a political-science major. He was recruited to play
Nicholas towered above her like an avenging angel. He pushed his face close to hers until their noses were almost touching. “What if it was a coyote, Peyton? Did you want to pet its head and say nice doggie before it attacked you?”
She scrunched up her nose. “Very funny, Nicholas.”
“It wouldn’t be funny if you were bitten.”
Rather than argue with him, Peyton held out her hand. “Please give me my shoes.”
Nicholas ignored her demand, bending down and slipping the heels on her bare feet. Rising, he offered his hand. “Let’s go, Cinderella.”
“I lost my hair ribbon.”
“Well, we’re not going to look for it tonight.”
Combing her fingers through her hair, Peyton twisted it into a coil, securing the ends and hoping it would stay in place. “How do I look?” she asked Nicholas.
He smiled. “Beautiful. Like a woman who’s just been made love to.”
She stared at him, complete surprise sweeping over her features. Peyton never would’ve expected that type of answer from him. “Is that good or bad?”
It was Nicholas’s turn to be shocked. Was she? He shook his head as if to banish the possibility that Peyton was as innocent as she appeared. There were times when she was more girl than woman, and he wondered if her admitting she’d foregone high-school dances and football games was another way of saying she’d shunned boys. Then he recalled their kiss. At first she’d resisted before she finally allowed him to show her how pleasurable kissing could be. Pressing his mouth to her ear, he breathed a kiss there. “Are you a virgin?” he whispered.
Peyton went stiff. “Are you?” she asked.
Nicholas pulled back, frowning. “No.”
Hands resting at her hips, eyes flashing outrage, Peyton bared her straight white teeth. “Then you have your answer.”
“But I have a reason for asking you that.”
“Well, I don’t want to know why you would ask me something that personal. Would you’ve liked it if I’d asked you if I was the first woman you’d ever kissed? I don’t think so,” she said, answering her own question. “Thank you for the dance and the kiss. BTW—I enjoyed both,” she flung over her shoulder as she walked into the tent.
Crossing his arms over his chest, Nicholas watched the gentle sway of her hips. A slow smile spread across his face. So, she liked him kissing her as much as he’d enjoyed kissing her. Pushing his hands into the pockets of his slacks he recalled the softness of her lips and the feel of her firm breasts pressed to his chest. However, he’d almost ruined everything because he’d come down with a supreme case of foot-in-mouth, and he made a mental promise it would not happen again. Nicholas decided he would give Peyton time to cool off before apologizing to her. She wasn’t going anywhere and neither was he. After all, they were neighbors.
He hadn’t taken more than a half-dozen steps when he came face-to-face with a man he’d met at a political fund-raiser last year that had been hosted by Sheldon. Smiling, he extended his hand. “It’s nice seeing you again, Judge McGhee.”
Franklin McGhee took Nicholas’s hand in a firm grip. “How are you, young man? Cole-Thomas, isn’t it?”
Nicholas smiled. It was apparent he had an excellent memory. “Yes. I’m well, thank you.”
The charismatic widowed judge had garnered more than ninety percent of the female vote in his election bid to retain his seat on the state’s Supreme Court. The jurist’s life story had become a blueprint for success. He was the only son of a single mother who’d worked two jobs to move her son out of public housing to a rental in a middle-income neighborhood. Franklin earned a full academic scholarship to Harvard as a political-science major. He was recruited to play
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