just happened, but it didn't take a genius to see Katie didn't want to discuss it.
Katie forced herself to stop on the landing before the last flight of stairs. She was acting like a crazy person because his kiss had made her feel asif she were going to go up in flames. She turned to face Nick, trying hard not to look the least bit confused.
Nick stopped on the step above her, bracing his hands against the wall on either side. “Are you free Saturday night? I thought we could go dancing. There's this club in D.C.—”
“No, I can't, Nick. I'm sorry,” she said, disappointment forming a knot in her throat. “I don't dance.”
He teased her with a smile. “Everybody can dance. All you need is a fabulous instructor like myself.”
She glanced away from his eyes, forcing the corners of her mouth up in a phony grin. “That's probably true, but I'm tied up on Saturday.”
“Oh.” He stepped down to her level and wound a finger into her long hair. “Are you mad at me?”
Katie looked up. His eyes were so brown and so sincere. He was so sweet, it made her heart ache. “Why would I be mad at you?”
His broad shoulders lifted in a shrug as he dismissed the notion. He bent his head and pressed akiss to her lips. “You're so pretty,” he murmured against her mouth.
A magnetic pull was urging her toward him again. Before it could overrule her good judgment, Katie put a half step of distance between them. “There's a concert Sunday in the park. We have a pretty good chamber orchestra… if you like that kind of thing.”
“I do.” He smiled, relaxing. “It's a date.”
Maggie was ready to go out the back door as Katie came in the front, which suited Katie fine. She needed a little time to herself. She hung the Gone to Lunch sign on the front door, took the phone off the hook, and went to sit on a box in the stock room where she could stare out the screen door at the beautiful spring morning.
Decision time, Katie, she told herself. The kind of desire she'd felt in Nick's arms didn't come along every day. In fact, she'd never experienced it before. But what was she supposed to do about it? Did she do the safe thing and break it off with Nick now, or did she let him become the first man to get close to her since her accident? She knewwhat her heart wanted, but her heart wanted a lot of things it could never have.
Nick seemed so special. Everything clicked when they were together. Just like in the movies— she heard bells, she saw fireworks. Those were things she had always been too practical to believe in before. She wanted to go on seeing him. She wanted more. She wanted to go dancing with him. She wanted to be whole. Instead she was scarred and incomplete. He would have seen that, if she hadn't backed away from his lovemaking in the kitchen. He would have seen that the pretty package that attracted him was a battered, empty box under the feminine wrapping.
Lifting her heavy mane off her neck Katie sighed up into her bangs. Life had seemed a lot simpler before Nick Leone had come along with his mysterious past and velvet brown eyes. But she realized it would seem a lot lonelier without him.
Maybe it was time she took a chance. She'd been so careful for so long. She couldn't read Nick's mind. She couldn't know if he was interested in her on a long-term basis. She couldn't know if he would be able to overlook her scars,or if children were important to him. But she didn't have to read his mind to know he was a nice man. She didn't have to read his mind to know he wanted a deeper relationship. She wanted one too.
Maybe it was time to stray a little from the path she'd so carefully mapped out for herself five years ago. To pass up the chance would be the coward's way out, and if there was one thing Katie had tried hard not to be in her life, it was a coward.
Nick sat on the steps and let his gaze roam around what would one day be the main dining room of his restaurant. He needed to install new light fixtures.
Katie forced herself to stop on the landing before the last flight of stairs. She was acting like a crazy person because his kiss had made her feel asif she were going to go up in flames. She turned to face Nick, trying hard not to look the least bit confused.
Nick stopped on the step above her, bracing his hands against the wall on either side. “Are you free Saturday night? I thought we could go dancing. There's this club in D.C.—”
“No, I can't, Nick. I'm sorry,” she said, disappointment forming a knot in her throat. “I don't dance.”
He teased her with a smile. “Everybody can dance. All you need is a fabulous instructor like myself.”
She glanced away from his eyes, forcing the corners of her mouth up in a phony grin. “That's probably true, but I'm tied up on Saturday.”
“Oh.” He stepped down to her level and wound a finger into her long hair. “Are you mad at me?”
Katie looked up. His eyes were so brown and so sincere. He was so sweet, it made her heart ache. “Why would I be mad at you?”
His broad shoulders lifted in a shrug as he dismissed the notion. He bent his head and pressed akiss to her lips. “You're so pretty,” he murmured against her mouth.
A magnetic pull was urging her toward him again. Before it could overrule her good judgment, Katie put a half step of distance between them. “There's a concert Sunday in the park. We have a pretty good chamber orchestra… if you like that kind of thing.”
“I do.” He smiled, relaxing. “It's a date.”
Maggie was ready to go out the back door as Katie came in the front, which suited Katie fine. She needed a little time to herself. She hung the Gone to Lunch sign on the front door, took the phone off the hook, and went to sit on a box in the stock room where she could stare out the screen door at the beautiful spring morning.
Decision time, Katie, she told herself. The kind of desire she'd felt in Nick's arms didn't come along every day. In fact, she'd never experienced it before. But what was she supposed to do about it? Did she do the safe thing and break it off with Nick now, or did she let him become the first man to get close to her since her accident? She knewwhat her heart wanted, but her heart wanted a lot of things it could never have.
Nick seemed so special. Everything clicked when they were together. Just like in the movies— she heard bells, she saw fireworks. Those were things she had always been too practical to believe in before. She wanted to go on seeing him. She wanted more. She wanted to go dancing with him. She wanted to be whole. Instead she was scarred and incomplete. He would have seen that, if she hadn't backed away from his lovemaking in the kitchen. He would have seen that the pretty package that attracted him was a battered, empty box under the feminine wrapping.
Lifting her heavy mane off her neck Katie sighed up into her bangs. Life had seemed a lot simpler before Nick Leone had come along with his mysterious past and velvet brown eyes. But she realized it would seem a lot lonelier without him.
Maybe it was time she took a chance. She'd been so careful for so long. She couldn't read Nick's mind. She couldn't know if he was interested in her on a long-term basis. She couldn't know if he would be able to overlook her scars,or if children were important to him. But she didn't have to read his mind to know he was a nice man. She didn't have to read his mind to know he wanted a deeper relationship. She wanted one too.
Maybe it was time to stray a little from the path she'd so carefully mapped out for herself five years ago. To pass up the chance would be the coward's way out, and if there was one thing Katie had tried hard not to be in her life, it was a coward.
Nick sat on the steps and let his gaze roam around what would one day be the main dining room of his restaurant. He needed to install new light fixtures.
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