This Just In... (Harlequin Superromance) (6 page)

“Always like what?” Trying to pretend that his body wasn’t screaming for him to stop thinking and start acting?

“Doing things that aren’t your job.”

“I’m the mayor.”

“So?” The colorful scarf holding back her hair trailed over one shoulder and around the curve of her breast. Noah feared he might snap the broom’s wooden handle. “That doesn’t mean you’re responsible for everything that happens within town limits.”

Noah swallowed and told his body to get back to sweeping. His body told his brain that it needed a moment. Just one moment as his eyes drank in every curve of her body. “I don’t act like I’m responsible for everything.”

She cocked her head. “Oh, really?”

“Yes.” He didn’t; he just tried to help out. Not the same thing at all.

Sabrina nodded, but didn’t look like she believed him. “I know it isn’t the dinner I owe you, but how about some coffee to say thanks for helping with the dirty work?”

Noah glanced down at his pants which were streaked with dirt. He’d have to spray and presoak them before washing. He looked back at Sabrina. She shook something deep inside of him. A part of himself that he kept carefully caged. He glanced over at the sun, dipping below the horizon. A secretive time, when people acted out of character and blamed it on the night. “It’s late.”

“Right.” But her face fell and dragged his stomach with it.

“It’s late for coffee,” he heard himself say. “I’ve got an early start tomorrow. If I drink coffee now, I’ll be up all night.”

Sabrina’s face brightened and Noah felt his stomach do a slow somersault. “Something else, then?”

He should say no. He balanced the broom against the railing. They could part now and go to their respective homes feeling good about the interaction. Just a couple of neighbors. But he didn’t want to say no. “Sounds great.”

He tried not to watch her go, those boots flashing, hips wiggling, but failed. And when she came back with two water glasses and handed one to him, their fingers brushing, he felt a flash of heat that had nothing to do with the hot day crest through him.

Her throat bobbed as she took a long sip. Noah blinked and reminded himself that licking her neck would not be considered appropriate mayoral behavior. He thought about doing it anyway.

She sat down and leaned back, resting on her elbows. The movement outlined the lace bra she wore. There was a streak of dirt on her shoulder. He knew his own clothes hadn’t fared any better. But he didn’t care. His fingers pressed harder against the cold glass.

“How are Marissa and Kyle?”

Noah blinked. He was thinking about peeling her out of her clothes and she wanted to talk about his family? “They’re fine.”

She nodded. “I haven’t seen them. I guess they’re avoiding me.”

Noah swallowed some more water and tried to bring his mind around to the conversation they were having, not the one he wanted to have, which involved climbing out of their clothes. “Does that bother you?”

Sabrina swiveled to look up at him. “Yes.” Her eyes, normally so bright and cheerful, looked sad. “I’d hoped, well, it doesn’t matter what I’d hoped.” She played with the end of her scarf. “Did Marissa ever tell you that I tried to apologize?”

It took a second for the words to sink in to Noah’s heat-soaked brain. “You did?” His dear sister-in-law had never mentioned that. But then, to be fair, the topic had been a sensitive one for Marissa, who had felt more judgment over the unplanned pregnancy than Kyle.

Sabrina nodded, her fingers twirling the scarf around and around. “I called right after she had the baby, but she wouldn’t talk to me.”

Noah considered that little nugget of information. Marissa had always given him the impression that, after the interview, she’d never heard from Sabrina again.

“I sent a gift and a letter.” Sabrina smiled to herself. “I guess I thought it might prove to her that I was sorry. As if a fuzzy white stuffed animal could make up for what I wrote.”

“A toy dog,” Noah said. He knew that dog. It had been Paul’s favorite as a baby, and though the doll was now gray with age, it still held a place of honor on his bed.

Sabrina’s eyes widened. “Yes. So she did get it. I was never sure.”

Noah nodded slowly. “It was a difficult time for them.” New parents, newlyweds. A hard time for anyone.

Sabrina traced her finger along the rim of her glass. “I keep hoping I’ll see her, so I can tell her I’m sorry.” She put her glass down on the steps and turned toward him.

A tingle worked its way up his spine. The sun dropped farther, leaving them in a silent twilight. His eyes followed the curve of her cheek, the dark shadow of her lashes as she peeked up at him. No one else would be making an appearance here tonight. No one could see them from the road or the yard.

For all intents and purposes, they were alone. Completely alone.

“I still miss her.” Sabrina’s voice was low, intimate. “We were best friends. I thought we’d be friends forever. And then I wrote that snotty article.” She looked down at her lap. “There are times I wonder if I did the wrong thing. If I’m a bad person.”

The tremor in her voice dove right into Noah’s heart and stayed there. “You’re not a bad person.” He sank down on the step beside her, tangled his fingers with hers and squeezed.

“Your sister-in-law would disagree.”

“She doesn’t know everything.”

“Don’t tell her that.”

He laughed and put his glass down. He didn’t want to talk about Marissa anymore. He didn’t want to talk at all. He tugged on Sabrina’s hand, drawing her closer to him. First their shoulders touched, then their hips, then her legs pressed against the length of his. Her face tilted up, glowing in the soft evening light.

“Mr. Mayor.” Her breath tickled his lips as he bent closer. “Are you going to kiss me?”

Noah stopped. Had he read the entire situation wrong? Was she just looking for a neighborly visit where they sat on the porch and talked about the day’s problems? The tips of his ears burned and his chest tightened. “I was.”

“Then what are you waiting for?”

CHAPTER SIX

O
H
,
YES
.

Sabrina’s eyes slid shut as Noah’s lips touched hers. It had been so long since she’d been touched by anyone and she reveled in it. A loose warmth curled through her. Satisfaction tickled the base of her neck. It was probably wrong to be kissing the man she hoped to interview soon and whose brother she’d dated in high school. But it felt so right.

He placed a hand on the side of her cheek and stroked once. A light butterfly touch that sent a shiver through her. So, so right. She melted toward him.

Noah wasn’t the kind of man she usually kissed. He didn’t drive a fast car or refuse to wear shoes that weren’t made of real Italian leather. He didn’t live in a penthouse suite with a view of the city lights below and attend parties every night to both see and be seen. He didn’t do yoga on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays or count every carb that got near his mouth. He was the kind of man who chose shoes for utility and performed manual labor to keep his physique. At least, she hoped so. Sabrina was really looking forward to seeing a shirtless Noah mowing the lawn outside her window.

Hot, sweaty yard work. She ran a hand down his arm, feeling the pull and bunch of his muscles. She’d go out and personally shake the leaves off the trees for him to rake if she had to. Followed by a lovely pasta dinner, which Noah would relish instead of looking at her with horror and ask if she was trying to make him fat.

That he sat on the porch in the bits of dirt that still clung to the wood slats wasn’t lost on her, either. Sabrina was used to the urbanites who complained if dust gathered on their leather car seats. Not a single one of her friends in Vancouver would ever have jumped in to help clean up the mess of crushed blooms and broken pots. And they never would have sat down on the porch, not even if it had been freshly scrubbed.

She curled against him. His hand rested on the nape of her neck, his thumb drawing slow, easy circles. Although the night was warm, she shivered. She thought they should stay here for a while. A very long while.

Sabrina could forget while she was out here, wrapped up in his arms, in his taste and smell. Everything in her life that hadn’t been so great seemed less important.

Noah trailed light kisses from one corner of her mouth to the other. So sweet, so careful, so unlike what she was used to. But when she urged him for more, pressing her mouth more firmly against his, trying to take the wheel, he simply continued at the slow, sweet pace.

And to her surprise, she burned all the hotter for it. More than if he’d shoved his tongue in her mouth and tugged at her neckline.

His cheek was stubbly. So different from the smooth, baby softness of her last boyfriend. And the way he smelled. Just fresh air and pine tree. Sabrina inhaled deeply, feeling the heat pool in her body.

She turned her torso, trying to press against him, wanting to throw her legs around him, but unable to do so without breaking their lip lock. Oh, the tragedy of choice. Her fingers curled around his hard biceps, appreciating the strength hidden beneath the clean-cut shirts and tidy persona.

Noah’s tongue darted out to touch hers, just a flick, a recon mission to determine if this was acceptable. Sabrina sighed. More than acceptable. Her body softened, molded itself to his while he stroked her face, her neck, her arms and shoulders, all while keeping up an uninterrupted appreciation of her mouth. He was barely touching her, nothing under the clothes, no intense grabs or grips and she’d practically melted into his lap.

But it was like a tickle, creating a delightful itch beneath her skin, and this wasn’t enough to soothe it.

A tingle skittered down her spine when he stroked down her neck and along her arm, stopping to play with the soft skin on the inside of her elbow. He caught her wrist and pressed a kiss to the same spot. Sabrina had never thought of the area as being particularly sensitive, but the shudders coursing through her said maybe she should pay a little more attention.

Her breath escaped and she shivered against him, but not because the air cooled as the evening slipped fully into night. She didn’t notice.

For her, there was only Noah. His hands holding her close, large and strong enough to wield manly man tools but treating her like her mother’s fine crystal; his voice whispering in her ears and across her skin; his lips brushing along her neck, the shoulder he’d bared and her lips.

Her worries about her job, her home, her city life slipped away as easily as the sun.

Sabrina rose, straddled him, then pressed a hot kiss to his neck. Noah’s fingers tightened on her hips as he pulled her closer and he groaned when she ran her tongue from his collarbone to his ear. She knew how he felt.

But he didn’t grab her, didn’t thrust himself against her and grind their bodies together. Still so thoughtful, so controlled. Each movement a precise, choreographed scene created for maximum enjoyment. She wanted him to let go. She bit the tendon that connected his neck and shoulder. He inhaled sharply and stilled.

Sabrina’s breath caught. Too far? Was he going to pull back, gather his thoughts and realize that they were outside and anyone might wander up the driveway?

But then Noah’s fingers curved into her hips again, hard this time, and his body surged against hers. Definitely not too far. He gripped the back of her head, dragging her mouth to him.

And the soft, slow pace changed, becoming harder and faster. Sabrina could feel just how much he liked it. Their mouths connected, teeth clicked, tongues tangled. He yanked the hem of her T-shirt up, exposing her torso to the night and cupped her breast. Her entire body seemed to scream
yes
and she couldn’t hold back a wild moan when he rubbed her nipple, pinching it between his thumb and forefinger. She arched her back, no longer thinking about some random neighbor walking over.

For all she cared, they could enjoy the show.

She raked her hands through Noah’s hair, mussing up the precise part. The wood steps were digging into her knees, but she didn’t mind. Not when Noah was sucking on the side of her neck, his stubble raking her sensitized skin.

So Mr. Mayor wasn’t really this calm and perfect persona he displayed to the world. Behind that cool blue gaze he was all pent-up emotion and hunger. She smiled.

“Just so you know,” he said between love bites, “I was going to agree to the interview anyway.”

“Hmm?” Sabrina heard the pop of stitches when he pulled the neck of her T-shirt farther away from her body. Why was he talking? She had a neck that needed kissing.

“The interview.” His teeth scraped her skin. “This week.”

She shuddered, letting her head loll backward. His hands held her hips firmly in place so she had no fear of falling, even if she stretched back fully. Noah was a man who wouldn’t let a woman fall.

His kisses weren’t gentle any longer. They were bossy and demanding. She gripped the bottom of his golf shirt and tugged it off. Oh, he was just delightful under that preppy exterior. All hard muscles and cut abs. She let her fingers trace the ridges while she kept kissing him. His skin burned under her as though the outside temperature wasn’t even a concern. Sabrina pressed closer, wanting nothing between them.

“Did you hear me?” he asked between hot, hard kisses.

“Yes. Interview. This week. You and me. More kissing, please.” She didn’t care about the job right now. Just the man. This man.

His body was warm against hers. She wanted to melt into him. To forget about everything but them for just tonight. And then his phone rang.

He let out a curse and bent his head to look at his pants, which were vibrating. Unfortunately, it wasn’t from her.

“Seriously?” Sabrina pulled back and looked down, too.

“No.” Noah shook his head. “They can wait.” He started kissing her again, beginning at her neck and trailing his tongue down to her collarbone.

Sabrina’s desire revved up again. She pushed against him, tangled her fingers in his hair.

The phone rang again. Sabrina sighed and let her hands fall to her side. “Maybe you should answer.”

She had the feeling that the mayor never let his phone go unanswered, and that the person on the other end of the phone might start to worry and send someone to find out if something was wrong. She wasn’t against a little making out in the great outdoors, but the thought of the police or fire coming over to determine why the ever-responsible mayor was out of contact would be front-page news. And that was a story she didn’t want to see written.

“No.” Noah shook his head. His hands spanned her waist, big and warm. “They can wait. I’ll turn it off.”

He kissed her again, and he tasted really good, so she kissed him back and she forgot about his phone and she could only assume he did, too, because when it started ringing again, he jerked and swore. “I cannot believe this.” He lowered his forehead to hers.

His obvious distress eased some of hers and she laughed. “It’s okay, Mr. Mayor. I’m not going anywhere. Answer your phone.” The mood was shot anyway. She tugged her shirt back down and climbed off him so he could take the phone from his pocket.

“Mom? What’s up?”

And any remaining lust that might have been lying in wait, just hoping for a chance to bloom, shriveled up for the night.

* * *

S
ABRINA
DIDN
’
T
BOTHER
telling herself it was for the best that she and Noah had been interrupted because it wasn’t. Just trying to tell herself otherwise only annoyed her.

Even more annoying? She’d barely seen him since that hot make-out session Tuesday night. Not that she thought he was still avoiding her. It had only been three days and he’d come into the coffee shop every morning, but it wasn’t the same as sitting on his lap, letting him kiss the breath out of her.

She checked herself out in the mirror and adjusted the sleeves on her gray blazer. At least they’d have today. Not that there would be any kissing or touching or anything of that nature, but she was getting her interview, and spending Friday afternoon with the sexy mayor wasn’t the worst way to end her week.

Her fitted jeans with a pretty pink top and turquoise scarf were attractive and appropriate. The business suit and skyscraper heels that she usually wore for her interviews would be out of place in Wheaton no matter the occasion and Noah had said to make sure she wore something she was comfortable moving around in. The boots had only a three-inch heel and were beginning to feel like flats after all her practice wearing them at the coffee shop.

Sabrina smoothed her hair back into a ponytail, added a pair of silver earrings and made sure the small digital camera she used for photos was in her bag. She double-checked her note cards and that she had plenty of pens.

Some reporters preferred to use a laptop to take notes or simply used a recorder, but Sabrina found that most people reacted better to a more relaxed environment. Often, she didn’t even pull her note cards or pens out, committing everything to memory and scribbling everything down in one long session once the interview was complete. Over the years she’d honed her ability to recall most conversations word for word. She’d then follow up via email and make sure to verify any and all quotes.

Not that her attention to detail and covering her ass always worked. On occasion, people claimed she’d misquoted them, wanted the paper to print a retraction or demanded an apology. Sometimes all three. But Sabrina had always been able to prove the truth of what they’d said with her paper trail of emails.

Until Jackson James and Big Daddy. Oh, sure, she’d had the long list of emails, the back and forth between Jackson and her that showed he’d approved everything she’d written. But none of that had mattered to Big Daddy or apparently to her boss.

Sabrina pushed the memory out of her head. No point in dwelling on it. Nothing would change no matter how long or hard she thought about it. And she knew because she’d spent many, many hours thinking about the entire situation since receiving the phone call that fateful January day telling her she shouldn’t come in to the office that morning or at all.

She had other things to keep her occupied today.

Sabrina headed out of the apartment into the cheerful June afternoon. It wasn’t quite as warm as it had been so she was comfortable in her long sleeves. Her spirits lifted as she inhaled the clean air and locked the door behind her. Today was just another step toward getting her life back.

Noah had asked her to meet him at his dealership and she was looking forward to spending a few hours with him. When he was around, she didn’t feel quite so lost or as though her return to her hometown meant she was an epic failure. A little fling appeared to be just what she needed and she could think of no man better suited for the job than Noah Barnes.

Okay, so he was her high school boyfriend’s older brother and normally that was the kind of thing that would have made her feel a bit strange. She’d never been able to fully immerse herself in the casual dalliances and bed-hopping of her city circle, preferring a string of monogamous boyfriends, ones that didn’t know each other. But she and Kyle had been out of touch for so long that he was a stranger now and, in truth, they’d never been all that serious anyway. Sabrina knew there were people who married their high school sweethearts, had heard of people who held torches for their first loves, but she wasn’t one of them.

Plus, it wasn’t like she was going to marry Noah. She just thought they could have some fun while she was in town. No harm in that.

The wind gusted through the open window of the SUV as she pulled out of the driveway. According to her search online, Noah’s dealership was number one in town. Of course, it was also the only dealership in town....

Sabrina sang along to the radio letting the wind blow away all her troubles. She had plenty of good things to think about. Her interview, a list of article ideas to pitch to Trish, dinner with her parents. Whether or not Noah would undertake some sweaty, shirtless yard work this weekend.