Dating A Silver Fox (Never Too Late) (15 page)

“You drive a hard bargain, Walter Graham, but alright. You might just make a decent business man after all,” Harrison announced, liking Walter’s smirk of pride. “Turn around and face the floor now. Morrie’s going to be trying to catch her alone. We’ll have to guess the moment he’s going to make his big move.”

Instead of turning right away, Walter stared at his crazy grandfather a few moments longer. “Is this really worth twenty dollars?”

Harrison looked at the young man sadly and shook his head. “And here I was so hopeful.”

Walter laughed at the veiled criticism, hoping he remained as sharp in his eighties. “Fine. I’m watching Morrison and Lydia. If I miss my best chance with Jane because of this nonsense, I don’t want to hear how I put your future progeny at risk.”

Harrison picked up his cane and poked Walter in the side with it while the boy cackled in amusement. Across the room, he saw Jane looking up, smiling at him and Walter as they horsed around. The woman was already taken with the boy, she just hadn’t gotten her mind wrapped around the idea of being with a younger man yet.

Maybe after Walter bought the business, Jane would see him differently. And once the boy’s environmental ideas were implemented and made the news, maybe no one would doubt Walter’s brains anymore either.

The boy had more heart and more will to do things than any other seven men. All Walter needed was a woman who would value and care for those qualities in him. Jane Fox was perfect. With her money smarts and Walter’s physical genes, their children would be a legacy unlike any other.

But that dream would have to wait a bit.

Right now Harrison had bigger concerns. He had to try to get a photo. No one had to know that he would gladly settle for the right to tease Lydia about kissing Morrie for the next couple of weeks—not even Walter, his unwilling cohort.

In truth, the whole kissing thing made Harrison smile much more than the money. In his mind it was one of the best bets he’d ever made. There was really no losing either way it worked out. He’d either be twenty dollars richer or able to believe in the impossible one more time before he died.

Chapter 11

Lydia leaned down to JD tucked into his car seat, kissed him good-bye, and thanked Lauren and Jim for coming. She watched her family leave until the car was out of the parking lot, then turned around to head back to the Common House to help. She had told Jane she would lock up after the caterers left.

As she strolled back, Lydia noticed Morrison was now leaning on the side of the building, obviously waiting for her because he smiled as she came closer. She fought the little thrill that shot through her as he pushed off the wall and walked to meet her, but it also set her stomach fluttering.

“Go home, Morrison,” Lydia said flatly, but there was no venom in the order, nor any real conviction. It would have taken a woman of stone not to appreciate a well-dressed, great smelling man singling you out for his attention.

Then she realized the direction her thoughts had gone and reminded herself that Morrison probably caused this kind of excitement in women all the time. Women like Dorothy Henderson—she’d seen him talking to her earlier. Everyone knew they had dated before Dorothy hooked up with another resident of North Winds.

“I can’t go home. I haven’t collected what you owe me yet,” Morrie said.

“I’m not kissing you,” Lydia insisted. “What are you trying to prove?”

She started walking to the building. But just like before, Morrison kept stepping into her path and getting in her way.

“It’s not to prove anything. I shouldn’t have teased you about it. You look amazing and I want to kiss you,” Morrie said, his voice no more than a husky whisper in the rapidly falling darkness. “It was hard not to do it in front your daughter and her family.”

“Morrison—I don’t think. . .” Lydia stammered.

But whatever she was going to say drifted out of her mind when she realized Morrison had somehow managed to back her up against the building. He wasn’t leaning completely against her, but she felt the heat of his body warming hers across the tiny gap of space between them. Her hands started to reach out to push Morrison away, but instead she crossed her arms at the strange sensation of actually wanting to see what it would feel like to put her arms around him.

She stood frozen with indecision within Morrison’s embrace, her stomach fluttering in alarm, which had her frowning. Morrison’s lowered head bent to hers and his half-lidded gaze sent all her nerves singing.

One of his arms came up to block her escape, his hand braced on the building behind her back to prevent her exit. The other became a knuckled fist that he used to lift her chin until there was no choice except to meet his gaze. His smile wasn’t teasing this time and didn’t match the foolishness he’d been spouting all evening. Instead, his smile was friendly and his gaze full of concern for her.

“Tell me what makes you frown every time I say that I want to kiss you,” Morrie ordered, firming the knuckle still pressed against her chin to keep Lydia’s gaze from dropping very far from his.

Lydia took his demand as the opening to do what Regina had suggested.

“Okay—I’ll tell you. I’m afraid kissing will lead to other things, and I don’t want—
other things
,” she admitted, dropping her arms to rub her stomach with one hand. “That’s why I’m not the right woman for you to want to kiss.”

“Not only are you the right woman, you’re the
only
woman,” Morrie said sincerely, his lips hovering over her trembling ones. “You can relax with me. It’s all just a journey, Lydia. Kissing is just the first step. Now can I please do it before I die of wanting to?”

Surprising herself, Lydia dropped her arms totally, surged up to cover the distance between them and brushed her lips lightly across his. She told herself it was because she just wanted it over. Maybe then he’d acknowledge how awful it was.

Maybe then he’d shut up and leave her alone.

To her utter mortification, Morrison just laughed, leaning down further until her eyes threatened to close.

“Nice try to avoid a real kiss, but I’m not JD. If you want to be in control, do it again, but slowly this time. Remember, I’m a potential lover, not your grandson,” he instructed, trying to sound like a very understanding teacher.

“I don’t know what you are. Maybe you’re just some guy I’m using for kissing practice after not doing it for all these years,” Lydia boldly informed him, thinking of her conversation with Regina again. “And it’s mean of you to ask me to kiss you and then make fun of my pitiful efforts.”

“Oh, baby, I am definitely not making fun,” Morrie declared roughly, dropping his knuckle and stepping closer at last to align their bodies down the front.

He put both hands on the building to keep them off her when she shifted nervously against him. It was the only way not to take this further than she could obviously handle.

“See—no hands? This is just like high school. I’m exercising restraint so you know you can trust me. Now can I try kissing you the way I want to kiss you? I’m trying really hard to wait for your permission.”

Inside the now encompassing circle of Morrison’s arms, Lydia felt her temperature rising to meet his. It was like experiencing feelings that belonged to someone else to be desired by a man so determined.

“Fine. Get it over with,” she said, giving in at last.

Morrie laughed again as his head dipped down. “Relax this time. If you’re nervous, it might help if you fantasize about another man—a safer man—someone like young Walter Graham. He’s harmless, and women seem to find him sort of attractive.”

The laugh came out a snort, but a genuine giggle closely followed it, and Lydia felt herself relax into what he was doing at last. But it wasn’t funny at all when Morrison chased the laughter of her breath with his mouth mating itself to hers. The pleasant pressure was so shocking that Lydia stilled in his arms again, but this time for a very different reason.

Morrison Fox had made her tingle—everywhere.

Lifting his lips reluctantly from Lydia’s, Morrie extended the kiss by sucking in her bottom lip, catching it between his teeth briefly before he let go. “Much better. We need practice. Lots and lots of practice.”

“
Practice?
” Lydia squeaked, wondering how he had guessed. Then she called herself an idiot. How could Morrison have possibly known what had been said in her consultation with Regina? She chastised herself and stilled her tongue.

Morrie laughed at Lydia’s fearful expression. “Just a few moments ago, you said you wanted to use me for kissing practice. I was just agreeing.”

“I was jo—jo—joking,” Lydia stammered, pushing him away finally, relieved by his teasing answer.

“Well I’m not joking,” Morrie restated to assure her. “I like kissing you. I want to do it until you like it too. Let’s practice.”

“I’ll think about your offer and let you know,” Lydia said, slipping inside the building before Morrison could stop her, but she could hear his laughter over her reply.

Across the room, Harrison was frowning at something on Walter’s phone, then turned to look at her. Lydia hoped what was on the phone wasn’t bad news. Then she saw Harrison roll his eyes, pull some sort of bill from his pocket, and wave it in the air.

Thinking it was strange behavior, even for Harrison, Lydia turned to see who he was waving to. All she saw was Morrison Fox, who was suddenly looking very, very guilty.

Oh. My. God
. Lydia felt the blush climbing.

“What did you do? Make a bet with Harrison about me?” she demanded. “I see the man waving money around and signaling for you. Harrison Graham doesn’t give up a damn dime unless he has evidence that it’s worthwhile to do so.”

Morrie ran a hand through his short hair, not missing the laughing gaze of the man across the room who knew he’d just landed Morrie in a lot of trouble.

“Harrison is a cynic,” Morrison replied at last, dodging the damning admission.

Lydia counted to three. Then five. Then ten. No—it just wasn’t working. There was no calm zone where killing Morrison didn’t seem like an imperative.

“Go to Hell and stay there,” she said bitterly, stalking off because she had no larger weapon than her words. Lucky him.

“Well I would do that for you, honey, but I can’t go to a place I don’t believe in,” Morrie said flippantly in his agitation over Harrison’s betrayal, his voice rising while his gaze lingered regretfully on Lydia’s nice legs and swinging hips.

Hearing his remark, Lydia turned back to face her joking nemesis. Morrison looked uncomfortable at getting caught, but not even a smidgeon remorseful. The knowledge infuriated her. She fisted both hands and screamed loudly while she held his gaze, startling the remaining occupants of Common House into silence with her outburst.

“
Go. Away
,” she insisted loudly as the echo faded.

When Morrison’s eyes grew wide with alarm, Lydia felt mollified enough to turn somewhat calmly around and walk away. She headed towards the kitchen, just to have someplace to go. Across the room, she heard Harrison Graham laughing uncontrollably, but she’d just have to make him sorry for his part later.

Revenge took careful planning. Right now, she just wanted to go home and escape her embarrassment.

It would serve Morrison right if she made a list of men she could call for kissing practice and set up appointments with several of them. She was getting really tired of letting him make her feel foolish.

Chapter 12

“Look at this and tell me what you think,” Lauren said, swiping the screen through the numerous photos of JD on her phone until she came to the one she had looked at a hundred times already that day without making up her mind about what it meant.

“This is the man interested in my mother. Someone posted this online with the other pictures of the North Winds open house. If Mother has seen it, she hasn’t said a thing to me. My guess is she hasn’t.”

When Regina ignored Lauren’s out-stretched hand and started digging in her purse for something, Alexa reached across her plate and took it from Lauren’s hand. Luckily, she didn’t need her reading glasses to see the picture. Her mouth quirked at the edges.

“Good-looking guy. Looks to me like he’s trying to kiss her,” Alexa remarked, and then she laughed. “That’s either a man with balls bigger than Regina’s or a foolish one who doesn’t really know Lydia. Did you notice her crossed arms? I don’t think she likes him.”

“Oh no—I assure you Mother likes him,” Lauren said vehemently, motioning for Alexa to hand the phone to Regina instead of handing it back to her. “She lets him tease her. And I saw him kiss her on the cheek.”

Regina shook her head, leaning sideways in her chair to avoid the pass. “That’s okay. I really don’t need to see a picture of Lydia getting kissed. That’s too much information about your mother for me, Lauren.”

Alexa and Lauren stared open-mouthed for a few seconds, then both of them burst out laughing.

“Too much information?” Lauren exclaimed. “Regina, it’s not like they’re naked in the photo. And he isn’t kissing her. It just looks like he’s going to—I mean the intent is obvious in his face. Frankly, I wish he had kissed her. I’ve NEVER seen my mother kissing a man. I’d pay money for a photo of that and use it as blackmail. She’d never insult me again.”