‘I’m not very good at this.’ She bit her lip. ‘And you’re…’
‘I’m what?’ he prompted gently.
Sex on legs. Not that anything would drag that admission from her. ‘You must have women falling at your feet all the time,’ she said unhappily. Gorgeous women. Glamorous women who were used to dating and had all the right social skills.
‘I admit, I get teased at work for having a fan club. There are a few women who insist on baking me cakes.’
She’d just bet there were.
‘And some of them are in their eighties,’ Tom said.
Maybe, but she was pretty sure that a good deal more of them would be around her own age.
‘Some of them think of me as a surrogate grandson who rescues their cat and checks that their smoke alarms are working properly. I’m polite to everyone who makes me cakes, I thank them for their kindness but I don’t make a habit of going around kissing women.’
Which wasn’t the same thing as saying that they didn’t kiss him.
He kissed her again. ‘I guess I’m trying to say that there’ssomething about you. I can’t get you out of my head. And I really, really like kissing you.’ He caught her bottom lip between his, just to prove it.
And this time she couldn’t help kissing him back.
When he broke the kiss, he settled her against him, wrapping his arms round her. ‘You know, this is the first time my world’s felt right this year,’ he said softly. ‘So can I see you?’
‘Tom.’ She stroked his face. ‘I wasn’t expecting this to happen.’
‘Do you mind?’
‘It scares me a bit,’ she admitted. ‘I’m not used to this.’
‘I’m not going to hurt you, Flora. I like you. A lot.’
‘Are you sure this isn’t—well, just gratitude?’
‘Because you’re helping me with Joey? Given that I was dreaming about you last night,’ Tom said, ‘and you’d really be blushing if I told you exactly what was happening in that dream… No. It’s definitely not just gratitude.’
She blushed anyway. Tom had been having raunchy dreams about her?
‘You’re adorable,’ he said softly. ‘Actually, I love it when you go all pink and flustered. It makes me want to kiss you and fluster you some more. And your eyes are amazing. They have these little amber flecks in them. Like gold.’
That was what people always said when they knew you weren’t drop-dead gorgeous and they tried to compliment you: they said you had nice eyes.
‘And your ears.’
Now, that she hadn’t expected. She stared at him in surprise. ‘My ears?’
‘Uh-huh.’ He nibbled one lobe, very gently, then kissed his way down the sensitive spots at the side of her neck, making her shiver. ‘And your mouth. It’s a perfect rosebud. It’s beautiful. Tempting. Irresistible.’ He kissed her again, to make thepoint. ‘And your curves are delicious.’ He kept his arms very firmly round her. ‘I like you, Flora. Very much. As a person, because you’re warm and sweet and kind and you make the world seem a better place.’ He paused, making eye contact. ‘And as a woman. I really,
really
like you as a woman.’
‘I like you, too,’ she admitted shyly. ‘As a—As a man.’
‘So how about we see where this takes us?’
She took a deep breath. ‘OK. But, as far as Joey’s concerned, you and I are just friends—which keeps things stable in his world and he isn’t going to worry that suddenly neither of us will have time for him.’
‘That’s another thing,’ Tom said softly. ‘You think about other people. How things affect them. You’re incredibly empathetic.’
‘It’s my job. I’m a nurse.’
‘No, Flora, it’s who you are,’ he corrected. ‘And it’s yet another thing that draws me to you.’
She still found it hard to believe that Tom was serious—how could he possibly want her, when he could have his pick of the most gorgeous women in this part of Cornwall?—and yet his dark eyes were sincere. He wasn’t spinning her a line.
Joey stirred and she
‘I’m what?’ he prompted gently.
Sex on legs. Not that anything would drag that admission from her. ‘You must have women falling at your feet all the time,’ she said unhappily. Gorgeous women. Glamorous women who were used to dating and had all the right social skills.
‘I admit, I get teased at work for having a fan club. There are a few women who insist on baking me cakes.’
She’d just bet there were.
‘And some of them are in their eighties,’ Tom said.
Maybe, but she was pretty sure that a good deal more of them would be around her own age.
‘Some of them think of me as a surrogate grandson who rescues their cat and checks that their smoke alarms are working properly. I’m polite to everyone who makes me cakes, I thank them for their kindness but I don’t make a habit of going around kissing women.’
Which wasn’t the same thing as saying that they didn’t kiss him.
He kissed her again. ‘I guess I’m trying to say that there’ssomething about you. I can’t get you out of my head. And I really, really like kissing you.’ He caught her bottom lip between his, just to prove it.
And this time she couldn’t help kissing him back.
When he broke the kiss, he settled her against him, wrapping his arms round her. ‘You know, this is the first time my world’s felt right this year,’ he said softly. ‘So can I see you?’
‘Tom.’ She stroked his face. ‘I wasn’t expecting this to happen.’
‘Do you mind?’
‘It scares me a bit,’ she admitted. ‘I’m not used to this.’
‘I’m not going to hurt you, Flora. I like you. A lot.’
‘Are you sure this isn’t—well, just gratitude?’
‘Because you’re helping me with Joey? Given that I was dreaming about you last night,’ Tom said, ‘and you’d really be blushing if I told you exactly what was happening in that dream… No. It’s definitely not just gratitude.’
She blushed anyway. Tom had been having raunchy dreams about her?
‘You’re adorable,’ he said softly. ‘Actually, I love it when you go all pink and flustered. It makes me want to kiss you and fluster you some more. And your eyes are amazing. They have these little amber flecks in them. Like gold.’
That was what people always said when they knew you weren’t drop-dead gorgeous and they tried to compliment you: they said you had nice eyes.
‘And your ears.’
Now, that she hadn’t expected. She stared at him in surprise. ‘My ears?’
‘Uh-huh.’ He nibbled one lobe, very gently, then kissed his way down the sensitive spots at the side of her neck, making her shiver. ‘And your mouth. It’s a perfect rosebud. It’s beautiful. Tempting. Irresistible.’ He kissed her again, to make thepoint. ‘And your curves are delicious.’ He kept his arms very firmly round her. ‘I like you, Flora. Very much. As a person, because you’re warm and sweet and kind and you make the world seem a better place.’ He paused, making eye contact. ‘And as a woman. I really,
really
like you as a woman.’
‘I like you, too,’ she admitted shyly. ‘As a—As a man.’
‘So how about we see where this takes us?’
She took a deep breath. ‘OK. But, as far as Joey’s concerned, you and I are just friends—which keeps things stable in his world and he isn’t going to worry that suddenly neither of us will have time for him.’
‘That’s another thing,’ Tom said softly. ‘You think about other people. How things affect them. You’re incredibly empathetic.’
‘It’s my job. I’m a nurse.’
‘No, Flora, it’s who you are,’ he corrected. ‘And it’s yet another thing that draws me to you.’
She still found it hard to believe that Tom was serious—how could he possibly want her, when he could have his pick of the most gorgeous women in this part of Cornwall?—and yet his dark eyes were sincere. He wasn’t spinning her a line.
Joey stirred and she
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