Read Online Once and Again: Petal, Georgia, Book 1 by Lauren Dane - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Lauren Dane
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cousin!”
“She wasn’t my anything.” He glared but she was a Murphy and therefore made of sterner stuff. Her response was a bland, bored look. “Thank you for telling me that,” he amended.
“Don’t wear that shirt.” She headed to the closet and tossed him the one he’d been wearing first. “This one is nice on you. Makes you look handsome in that non-threatening way.”
“If I wear it will you stop pestering me?”
“Hell no. But I will for now.”
He snorted and took the shirt. “Now go or you might see something you’ll have to tell a therapist about.”
She sniffed with mock indignance. “Your scrawny chest is nothing to write home about. If you mess this up, I will be so mad at you.”
He pulled the shirt on quickly and then hugged her. “I’ll try not to be a dumbass.”
“Big challenge but you do have that big-city diploma and all.” She looked him over. “Nice. Handsome. You have all your teeth. Also a plus. I’m all about these little glass-half-full moments, Nathan.”
They walked out to his car, and she gave him a look and another warning before he drove away.
It wasn’t his first date, for God’s sake. He’d had unlawful carnal knowledge of this woman. More than once.
Heat flashed through him at the memory of what they were like together. Of what she’d been like, all curves and valleys. So pretty naked. The kind of woman who liked to laugh when she had sex.
He really needed to stop thinking of that. He walked in the diner’s front door and waved at a few people in that way you do when you don’t want to be interrupted. Thank heaven none of his students were in the place.
He grabbed a booth fronting Main and waited, totally not thinking about how he’d been the first to teach her all sorts of things.
When she came in, his heart sped and he sat up, caught in her pull. She looked like a freaking movie star off the set of an old movie. A fitted skirt to just past her knees, a blouse and then a belted coat to match the skirt. Pumps that made her a good four inches higher. That sway as she moved toward him was like magic.
Bam, bam, bam, her hips switched. Her hair was done in those big forties-style waves. Deep-red lipstick. Holy shit.
But her look was apologetic as he stood while she slid into the booth.
“I’m sorry. I meant to go back home to change but things ran late.”
“Wow. What is it you’re apologizing for? Sugar, you look amazing.”
She paused, surprised pleasure washing over her face. “Thank you.” She slipped from the jacket and folded it carefully. “A friend of mine, also a photographer, did some shots of me in some of the clothes I make.”
“Do you need a menu? Oh, hey there, Mr. Murphy.” Their server, clearly a third-generation Sands, was in his first-period AP English-lit class.
“Hello there, Derek.” Nathan looked back to Lily. “Do you need a menu?”
Lily turned her smile on the kid. Nathan nearly swallowed his tongue at how pretty she was when she smiled. “Heck no. I’d like the pot roast with greens and scalloped potatoes. Tea and what’s the pie situation? Do I need to stake out some lemon meringue?” She was teasing, not inappropriate at all, but Derek there seemed struck dumb.
The boy was simply ensorcelled by all that abundance of feminine beauty. He sputtered and gulped.
Nathan interrupted to give the kid a break. “I see you still consider pie a food group.” He grinned at Lily, who blushed. “I’ll have the chicken. Sweet potatoes and some corn bread. Tea and a slice of the pecan for me. With ice cream.”
Once the boy was out of range, Nathan turned back to Lily, laughing. “That boy might hurt himself you got him so twisted up.”
“I was going to go home but then I’d have been late and you might have thought I wasn’t coming, and I didn’t want to hurt your feelings.” She looked less than pleased at the last bit. But he liked it just fine.
“You make clothes?” He steered her back to the
“She wasn’t my anything.” He glared but she was a Murphy and therefore made of sterner stuff. Her response was a bland, bored look. “Thank you for telling me that,” he amended.
“Don’t wear that shirt.” She headed to the closet and tossed him the one he’d been wearing first. “This one is nice on you. Makes you look handsome in that non-threatening way.”
“If I wear it will you stop pestering me?”
“Hell no. But I will for now.”
He snorted and took the shirt. “Now go or you might see something you’ll have to tell a therapist about.”
She sniffed with mock indignance. “Your scrawny chest is nothing to write home about. If you mess this up, I will be so mad at you.”
He pulled the shirt on quickly and then hugged her. “I’ll try not to be a dumbass.”
“Big challenge but you do have that big-city diploma and all.” She looked him over. “Nice. Handsome. You have all your teeth. Also a plus. I’m all about these little glass-half-full moments, Nathan.”
They walked out to his car, and she gave him a look and another warning before he drove away.
It wasn’t his first date, for God’s sake. He’d had unlawful carnal knowledge of this woman. More than once.
Heat flashed through him at the memory of what they were like together. Of what she’d been like, all curves and valleys. So pretty naked. The kind of woman who liked to laugh when she had sex.
He really needed to stop thinking of that. He walked in the diner’s front door and waved at a few people in that way you do when you don’t want to be interrupted. Thank heaven none of his students were in the place.
He grabbed a booth fronting Main and waited, totally not thinking about how he’d been the first to teach her all sorts of things.
When she came in, his heart sped and he sat up, caught in her pull. She looked like a freaking movie star off the set of an old movie. A fitted skirt to just past her knees, a blouse and then a belted coat to match the skirt. Pumps that made her a good four inches higher. That sway as she moved toward him was like magic.
Bam, bam, bam, her hips switched. Her hair was done in those big forties-style waves. Deep-red lipstick. Holy shit.
But her look was apologetic as he stood while she slid into the booth.
“I’m sorry. I meant to go back home to change but things ran late.”
“Wow. What is it you’re apologizing for? Sugar, you look amazing.”
She paused, surprised pleasure washing over her face. “Thank you.” She slipped from the jacket and folded it carefully. “A friend of mine, also a photographer, did some shots of me in some of the clothes I make.”
“Do you need a menu? Oh, hey there, Mr. Murphy.” Their server, clearly a third-generation Sands, was in his first-period AP English-lit class.
“Hello there, Derek.” Nathan looked back to Lily. “Do you need a menu?”
Lily turned her smile on the kid. Nathan nearly swallowed his tongue at how pretty she was when she smiled. “Heck no. I’d like the pot roast with greens and scalloped potatoes. Tea and what’s the pie situation? Do I need to stake out some lemon meringue?” She was teasing, not inappropriate at all, but Derek there seemed struck dumb.
The boy was simply ensorcelled by all that abundance of feminine beauty. He sputtered and gulped.
Nathan interrupted to give the kid a break. “I see you still consider pie a food group.” He grinned at Lily, who blushed. “I’ll have the chicken. Sweet potatoes and some corn bread. Tea and a slice of the pecan for me. With ice cream.”
Once the boy was out of range, Nathan turned back to Lily, laughing. “That boy might hurt himself you got him so twisted up.”
“I was going to go home but then I’d have been late and you might have thought I wasn’t coming, and I didn’t want to hurt your feelings.” She looked less than pleased at the last bit. But he liked it just fine.
“You make clothes?” He steered her back to the
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