Evening Stars by Susan Mallery

stop on her drive up from California. Someone had abandoned her. So Averil took her. I think she made the right choice, but within five minutes of arriving home, she was in bed. I had to go get dog food and a bowl and all that stuff. I don’t want to be the one taking care of everyone, but somehow I am.”
    He reached for her hands and took them in his. “They know you’ll pick up the slack. Like when you were fixing the roof.”
    His thumb rubbed a slow circle on her palm.
    “When you saved my life.”
    “That’s right. You owe me.”
    “And how would you like to be repaid?” she asked without thinking.
    His gaze dropped to her mouth. “You know exactly how.”
    “Right. I should probably warn you that wanting is frequently better than having.”
    “Not in this case.”
    “I hope that’s true. I wouldn’t want you to be disappointed.”
    “Not possible,” he told her.
    He was so sure, she thought. So determined. While she’d dated before, she’d never had a guy flat-out tell her he wanted her. It was oddly appealing.
    “Ever been flying?” he asked.
    “On a big plane, sure.”
    “I’m going to take you up and show you the island from how I see things. Seeing the world from a few thousand feet up in the sky has a way of changing your perspective.”
    “I look forward to it,” she told him.
    * * *
    Dinner passed more quickly than she would have thought possible. Kyle enjoyed current events, read mysteries and had a surprising working knowledge of the plot of Pride and Prejudice .
    “I dated an English major in college,” he said with a shrug as they drove back to her place. “It was her favorite book and movie.”
    “Mr. Darcy is dreamy,” Nina said, her voice teasing.
    “I’m not convinced,” he told her. “I think Elizabeth is in love with his estate more than the man.”
    “How can you say that?”
    “She started to fall for him after seeing the house. The change in her feelings makes sense. He’s a rich man, and back then, a woman needed a man with money to be safe.”
    “Whereas today we want good looks and a great car?”
    He grinned. “You wouldn’t be swayed by a car. Not even mine.”
    “True. Does that break your heart?”
    “A little, but I’m resilient.” He turned into her driveway.
    Nina had enjoyed the evening more than she’d thought she would, but now that they were back at her place, she found herself fighting nerves. She doubted he expected anything on their first date, but what if he did?
    “I mentioned Averil is visiting, right?” she asked, hoping she didn’t look as nervous as she felt.
    “You did. Along with her new dog.”
    “Penny. She’s very sweet.”
    He parked behind Averil’s car and turned to her. “Thank you for dinner,” he said.
    “I think that’s my line. I had a good time.”
    “Me, too.”
    He leaned in and kissed her. Just once and lightly. But she felt the contact all the way down to her toes. There was something about the way he took charge, she thought, sighing softly. He wasn’t overly aggressive, but he made her think she could relax. That he would handle things. That didn’t happen very often to her.
    “I want to see you again,” he murmured, kissing her again, this time lingering.
    She let her eyes drift closed. His mouth was warm and firm. Knowing, she thought, feeling the heat grow between them. With each brush of his lips, nerve endings fired. It wouldn’t take much more for her to figure having Averil in the house didn’t matter at all.
    “I’m going out of town for four days,” he said.
    She opened her eyes. “For work?”
    He chuckled. “Yes, for work. I’m taking the jet with me. I won’t be able to call, which is why I’m telling you I’m going to be gone. I don’t want you to think I’m one of those guys who promises to call and then doesn’t. Can I see you when I get back?”
    “Yes.”
    He grinned. “As easy as that?”
    “I think maybe we should avoid the word easy. ”
    “Absolutely.”
    He