Читать книгу A Gleam In His Eye - Terry Essig, Terry Essig - Страница 10

Johanna enjoyed her time with Hunter and the children. Heck, she’d grown up with the give-and-take of a large family. Teasing Hunter’s niece and nephews was especially fun because she carried no responsibility for them. At the end of the evening she’d be going home, leaving Hunter with the nitty-gritty, day-to-day bedtime-ritual stuff, as well as the long-term physical and personal development stuff. Well, at any rate he was responsible for the long-term development stuff for the short term. How long would the children’s parents be gone, anyhow? Hunter seemed to be going to a lot of trouble for a brief period.

Karen had shown her the paint color she’d picked out for her bedroom, a too-sweet cotton-candy pink. Johanna’s hands felt sticky just looking at it. She lavished praise. After all, she wasn’t stuck painting the walls that nauseating color.

Mikie had proudly displayed his new junior bed. He was a big boy now. Johanna was suitably impressed and politely watched as he drove his toy trucks down the wrong side of the road on the track-imprinted play carpet Hunter had installed in Mikie and Aaron’s room. After the second pileup, Johanna heartily hoped Mikie did not plan on long distance driving as a viable career choice. Then again, what did it matter? Johanna wasn’t the one who’d have to teach him right from left, the physics of impact with a large object or see him through to a driver’s license later on.

“I went off the starting block and you didn’t. That makes you a chicken heart.”

“Does not.”

“Does, too.”

“You only went in ’cuz you fell when Coach Jo yelled.”

“Uh-uh.”

You know, kids’ squabbles were a whole lot funnier when the kids belonged to somebody else. Johanna was having difficulty smothering a smirk as she listened to the byplay.

“Uh-huh,” Karen shot back, then turned on Johanna. “Coach Jo, how come you yelled like that? Did you see a spider or something? I hate spiders.”

“Karen yells real loud when she sees one, especially if it gets in bed with her.”

The mere thought made Johanna shiver, and she had to wonder how the spider got into Karen’s bed. After all, she had brothers herself, a fact that made her naturally suspicious.

“Do not.”

“Do, too.”

Johanna cleared her throat and glanced at her wristwatch. “Just look at the time,” she exclaimed. “Why, it’s almost eight-thirty! I need to get home or I’m going to miss my bedtime.”

Aaron studied her in wide-eyed amazement. “But Miss Johanna, eight-thirty is our bedtime, Mikie’s and mine. Even Karen and Robby gets to stay up until nine o’clock and you’re lots older than them.”

“Nine o’clock? Wow. Karen and Robby are lucky ducks, huh?” She sighed. “Poor me. If I’m not in bed on time I’ll be in lots of trouble. Gotta go, guys. Come give me a hug, then I’m out of here.”

The four of them crowded forward, squeezing and hugging as though starved for affection. Johanna wondered about their parents again. Her own mother had no choice but to be gone much of the time. Relatively older at the time, Johanna had still hated her absence. How could these little ones possibly understand their parents’ desertion? Wherever they’d taken themselves off to, she certainly hoped it was worth the separation anxiety their children were suffering.

And not just the children were suffering.

Hunter looked tired, Johanna thought as she glanced his way for the thousandth time that night. Darn, but he was prime male material. The least she could do was get the kids started in the right direction, she supposed. He looked as if he could use the help and she didn’t mind lending a hand—as long as she could still go home to her own life at the end of the day.

Giving the closest two a nudge, she started them on their way. “Let’s see who can brush their teeth till they shine the most, okay? Uncle Hunter can be the judge, and you can make a chart and draw a star by your name if you’re the winner. I bet Uncle Hunter would get a little prize for whoever has the most stars at the end of the week.”

The kids took off like a stampeding herd.

“I’ll be first done.”

“Nuh-uh. I’m gonna beat you.”

Johanna called after them. “First doesn’t count, Robbie, unless it’s also the best.”

“Karen already gots a cabity. So she shouldn’t win no way.”

“You’re so stupid” came the immediate protest. “It’s just a baby tooth, which is all you’ve got, big baby. The dentist said my grown-up teeth would come in like brand-new and I could start all over again with everything perfect.”

Hunter shook his head as the voices faded up the stairs. “They’re unbelievable, aren’t they? I swear they’d argue over whether the sun was going to come up in the morning.” But he was encouraged by the smile on Johanna’s face. It proved he was on the right track. The woman actually liked young children and all the squabbling and immature behavior they entailed. Sick, but who was he to complain? He took her hand. “I’ll walk you to your car.”

Johanna looked down at the big hand swallowing hers. It was large, but Hunter was definitely not ham-handed. He was simply big-boned with long, almost elegantly tapered fingers. His nails were cut blunt, short and were impeccably clean. The back of his hand was lightly furred with glossy deep brown hair.

Johanna stared at those few hairs and couldn’t help but wonder about his chest.

Was it hairy or smooth?

She’d bet on hair.

Sparse or plentiful?

A thick, dark mat of hair, she hoped. Thick enough and just coarse enough to make a woman crazy when she pressed up against—what? What? She was quite probably the only twenty-four-year-old virgin in town, heck, in the state of Indiana, and here she was daydreaming about what?

Good grief.

Johanna ran a hand through her hair, pushing it back off her forehead as she blew out a breath. Get a grip, Johanna. Before you blow a gasket.

“Aubrey, sweetheart, run upstairs and tell everybody good-night,” Johanna instructed, and hoped like heck Hunter wouldn’t notice the slight breathlessness in her voice. What was wrong with her? “I’ll wait for you out by the car.”

“Okay,” Aubrey agreed, and took off, flying up the stairs. “Be right down. Hey, you guys!”

Shaking his head, Hunter gently tugged on Johanna’s hand. He’d meant to merely initiate a little forward propulsion, get Johanna out of the house before his niece’s and nephews’ behavior degenerated from squabbling into true bickering. Over all, he was pleased with the evening. The kids had generally held themselves together pretty well, if you discounted the near drowning. Judging by Johanna’s smiles and easy behavior with them, they’d been a hit, too. However, their behavior was showing definite signs of fraying around the edges. No point in pressing his luck. He wanted her on her way before it became too much of a good thing.

The gentle tug on her hand, however, catapulted Johanna forward. She crashed into his side.

“Oops,” Johanna said.

“I’m so sorry,” Hunter immediately apologized. “I never meant to pull that hard. Are you all right?” He evidently didn’t know his own strength. Leaving the woman black and blue was not the note on which he wanted to end the evening, although he certainly had no argument with having Johanna tucked up against his side. Man, she was warm. And she smelled like ripe fruit. Just the right height for him, too. The top of her head matched the top of his shoulder.

Hunter wrapped an arm around Johanna’s waist. He sneaked another sniff of her light perfume when he bent his head to solicitously offer, “Here, let me help you.”

Johanna’s face burned. Heck, her whole body turned pink. Thank God he couldn’t see that. Here the poor man was apologizing all over the place, and the truth was, he hadn’t pulled all that hard. She’d only tumbled into him because she hadn’t been paying attention. No, Johanna had been lost in a sexual fantasy involving both their naked chests. She could hardly explain that to him, now could she?

So what could she say?

Hunter took a slow step forward, cautiously guiding her, and Johanna immediately stumbled.

Johanna was completely mortified. All her life she’d been an athlete and taken her coordination for granted. Now here she was reduced to tripping over her own feet by a chest she’d never even laid eyes on. It was humiliating, that’s what it was. Mortifying and humiliating.

“You okay, honey?”

Ooh, he’d called her honey. Wasn’t that the sweetest thing?

“I’m fine. Really. Just a little dizzy spell, I guess. It’s already gone. Seriously.” Johanna concentrated on her feet until she got outside. For as long as she could remember, she had spent every free moment in or around a swimming pool. She’d done age-group competitive swimming since she’d been seven years old. In that time she’d seen hundreds, no thousands of not just naked male chests, but mostly naked guys. Male racing suits did not leave a whole lot to the imagination.

In all that time never had she reacted like this.

Left foot. Okay, now your right foot. Almost there.

When Johanna got home she’d have her mother feel her forehead. Maybe she was getting sick and didn’t even know it yet.

It was possible.

They reached her vehicle without further mishap. Johanna breathed a prayer of thanksgiving.

Thank you, God.

Hunter propped an elbow against her minivan’s roof. “So, I guess the crew and I will be seeing you again tomorrow.” With the nonsupporting hand he tucked a lock of hair back behind her ear.

As his hand skimmed the side of her face briefly, Johanna’s skin tingled. She stared at him uncomprehendingly. “Wha—oh, right. You mean swim practice.” She nodded her head. “Yes. I’ll be there. Absolutely.” Oh, for crying out loud. Get a grip, girl.

“I know I’ve already told you…I wish I knew what else I could do other than repeat myself over and over. Thanks again for everything you did earlier. Here, too. I like the chart and star idea. Sure cut down on arguments over getting ready for bed. And I know I’ll be watching Aaron and Mikie a lot closer from now on.”

“It’s okay,” Johanna murmured. Oh, she was in a sad way. Just watching his lips move had her mesmerized. She was having trouble attaching meaning to the words and probably sounded as if she’d left her IQ at home. She looked away from his mouth and cleared her throat. “Seriously. It’s okay. Part of the job description. Although maybe we, uh, that is to say, you ought to think about getting the little ones some swimming lessons. You know, at least get them to the point where they can tread water so somebody at least will have enough time to get to them next time they go in the drink.”

Hunter stared into those brown doe eyes. “Absolutely. It’s already on my list. I’ll see to it.” He straightened away from the car and leaned forward to brush her forehead with his lips. “I’ll see you then. Tomorrow.”

Johanna nodded solemnly. Tomorrow. Then she took a deep breath and put a hand over her heart. Man alive, the poor little thing was working overtime for sure. Her entire chest wall was heaving. You’d have thought he’d just asked her to help practice some of the more difficult positions from the Kama Sutra. Not that she’d ever seen a copy, but Johanna had an extremely vivid imagination and her heart wasn’t the only thing working overtime just then. No, it wasn’t.

A mower whined somewhere down the block. Across the street the dog that never shut up barked away. Children’s voices drifted down from an open window on his own second story. In short, the neighborhood was alive with sound. But Hunter’s gaze drifted from her wide brown eyes down to her mouth. He became so focused on her barely parted lips and slightly crooked front tooth that the surrounding cacophony became nothing more than a background white noise. Once more he leaned forward.

She didn’t need a road sign to know what came next.

Johanna’s breath caught in her throat. And there went her heart again.

She didn’t kiss on a first date and this could hardly even be called that. Some guy buying you ice cream out of gratitude for saving his kid’s life wasn’t a date, now was it? Especially since there’d been five kids in clear view the entire time. Speaking of which, Aubrey might come out at any minute. She’d be shocked. For sure she’d blab.

Johanna was an expert at blocking this kind of move on a guy’s part. A step back, a lowered head, even a quick insertion of some bright conversational gambit. All worked.

But then, maybe she was reading too much into this kiss.

It could be.

Wasn’t it possible that Hunter was simply a toucher? You know, not touchy feely in a bad kind of way, just…tactile. This could be nothing more than a sort of nonverbal appeal to a different one of the senses kind of thing. He’d done the verbal thing and was moving on. Could well be she’d get a thank-you card in the mail sometime soon. Who knew? Maybe he kissed everybody goodbye. For all she knew, he might have some French blood in his heritage. Then it wouldn’t be a first date kind of kiss, but just a social kind of thing. The French were always kissing one another.

Johanna angled her head to better meet Hunter’s kiss. She’d never been kissed by a Frenchman.

Their lips met and Johanna had to reach for the car door handle to steady herself. Holy smoke. He’d barely touched her with his lips and she was already reeling.

“Hell,” Hunter muttered, and moved closer, crowding her just a bit, but not enough that she could really lodge a legal protest.

He skimmed the back of his knuckles down her cheek, which gave her the shivers. He noticed and did it again. Then Hunter slid the backs of those same knuckles down the side of her chest, barely catching the beginning curve of her breast. Again, not quite enough to warrant a complaint but more than enough to have her questioning what she’d thought was a well-conditioned heart. He let his hand rest on her waist.

Oh, boy, here it came.

Once more their lips met. Not quite as brief, not quite as sweet and innocent.

Carnal was a good descriptive word that came to mind.

His tongue slid slowly along the seam of her closed mouth.

She could take a hint when she was hit over the head with one and Johanna parted her lips.

“That’s it,” he muttered, and tugged carefully on her bottom lip with his teeth.

The screen door slapped. Johanna and Hunter both startled.

Johanna pushed on his shoulders. It was like trying to move stone. Unable to see over his shoulder she had to lean and look around it. “Aubrey! Uh, hi! You ready to go?”

“All set.” The child paused on her way down the front steps, studying the two of them curiously. “What are you two doing?”

Johanna colored guiltily. “Nothing. Just saying good-night. That’s all.”

“Yeah, uh-huh.”

Damn, but for seven she had a suspicious mind.

“Were you guys kissing?”

Johanna shoved once more. This time he released her. “No. Absolutely not.”

Hunter swung around. “Yes.”

“I knew it!” Aubrey crowed. “That is so gross!”

Hunter began an exaggerated stalk. “I kiss all the beautiful women that cross my path.” He stopped and pointed like a well-trained setter. “What’s this? Another beautiful woman?”

“To be,” Johanna inserted.

“Another beautiful woman to be?” Hunter repeated dutifully.

“Oh, no, not me. Johanna, make him stop,” Aubrey ordered as she giggled and danced away. “You’re not doing that to me.”

“Oh, I think so,” Hunter insisted, still stalking as the seven-year-old backed up with both hands held in front of her in a weak attempt to ward him off. “Do you know what happens to little girls who think my kissing is gross?” he asked menacingly.

Aubrey was laughing so hard she could barely get the words out. “No, what?”

He lunged and caught her.

She shrieked.

Hunter questioned his wriggling burden one more time. “So you don’t think you’d like my kisses, hmm?”

Aubrey shook her head emphatically.

“I’ll give you ten years, my little pullet,” Hunter said. “Then we’ll see what you have to say about the subject.”

She really shrieked then and folded up laughing as he gently tickled her.

“I still think it’s gross and I’m still gonna tell,” Aubrey managed to say between giggles. “I’m gonna tell everybody you and Johanna were kissing.”

Just as Hunter was preparing a reply, a young voice yelled down from up above. “Uncle Hunter? Mikie threw Aaron’s toothbrush in the potty while I was using it. Then he flushed it down all because Aaron said his teeth were whiter than Mikie’s and Mikie probably wouldn’t get no stars. How’s Aaron gonna brush his teeth now? We coulda cleaned it up, couldn’t we? I mean, if we used lots and lots of soap? But it’s gone now. Mikie flushed it down. Aaron’s really mad ’cuz he only got half his teeth done. I think maybe it was the top half, but it coulda been the bottom. Want me to ask him?”