After Dark

“It did.”

“May I ask you a question?”

“Why stop now?” he asked, though the sarcasm didn’t have the same heat it might have had last night. That insane, amazing kiss had broken down a barrier he didn’t think he wanted to reconstruct, even if he could.

“Davis worked for you,” she said. “Did you not like him?”

“I did until he started ringing my damn doorbell.”

Her gaze connected with his. Fire lit with blue flames. “His timing was never that great.”

“Never?” He lifted the corners of his mouth and lowered his tone. “There are moments when timing is essential.”

Her gaze dropped to his lips. “There certainly are.”

Ding-dong.

Sloan groaned. “You’ve got to be kidding. If that’s him again, I’m gonna—” She flung open the door. “Oh, hey, Pete.”

Pete Willis, wearing an orange-and-white ball cap, worn jeans and a blue cotton shirt, stood on the porch. As Sloan stepped back, he walked inside, carrying an armload of tools. Despite the fact that he was barely twenty, he was reputed to be the best carpenter in town. So far, Aidan had to agree.

“Hey, Miss Caldwell.” He nodded at Aidan. “I’m a few minutes early, Mr. Kendrick. That all right?”

Hell, no. “Sure,” Aidan said, wondering if he could squeeze in a cold shower before getting back to work. “Why don’t you check out the supplies in the parlor? I’ll be right there.”

He laid his hand on Sloan’s lower back and ushered her onto the porch. “Thanks again for lunch.”

“Anytime.” She lifted her hand as if she might touch him, then let it fall by her side. “Sorry about my personal drama.”

“It’s fine. Thanks for returning the plans.”

She nodded. “I promised I would.” Pausing, she added, “I always keep my promises.”

He didn’t. Though he’d wanted to.

He hadn’t taken care of his family, his greatest responsibility. Was that why he felt such an intense need to be with this woman, even as he felt guilty for being alive at all? Lately he’d barely spoken to anyone, much less made an effort to pursue the company of a woman for conversation, a dinner companion or sex. But there was something about Sloan. Why? What made her so special?

Maybe he was just lonely.

Which had to be what prompted him to ask, “When do you think you’ll need to come back for another inspection?”

“When do you want me back?”

Oh, boy. He didn’t want her to leave. “You’re welcome anytime.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Am I really? How’s Friday night? We could have dinner this time.”

That’s three days away. “Okay,” he found himself saying. “Sounds good.” And when did I turn into such a lame idiot? “All I can make is ham sandwiches and spaghetti,” he added in a stronger tone. “If you want something else, you’ll have to make it.”

“Hey.” She stepped so close her breasts brushed his chest. “Don’t go back to being captain of Team Surly just yet. I happen to like spaghetti.”

He was actually encouraging company. The concept had been so foreign over the last few months, he was amazed he was taking the step. He wasn’t going to go crazy and actually get out and socialize, but if he was trying to heal his battered spirit, dinner with a hot blonde might be a promising start.

“Then that’s what we’ll have,” he said.

She angled her head. “You’re not inviting me to dinner just to tick off Davis, are you?”

“No. Of course not.” He grinned. “Though that’s a side benefit.”

She took a step back so suddenly, he grabbed her around her waist. “What? Too honest? Look, I—”

She raised on her toes and pressed her mouth—lightly—to his. “Not at all. You just have a really nice smile.”

THE MEMORY of Aidan’s breathtaking smile followed Sloan around like an arc of sunshine all week long. If the man suddenly got cheerful on her, she might have to give the renovation project to somebody else, someone unsusceptible to his allure, since she would find it impossible to talk in his presence.

Sister Mary Katherine was her first choice. And, even for her, that smile was bound to be an issue.

Besides, she could enjoy Aidan and still do her job objectively. She wanted to see where that wildly hot kiss of theirs would go if it was repeated and uninterrupted. And if he smiled and backed her against the wall, pressing that leanly muscular body to hers, she wouldn’t complain.

Would she?

As she packed her briefcase and prepared to lock up the library for the day, her thoughts turned from her upcoming date to Davis.

He’d been calling, of course, but she was playing it cool with him. Now that the initial shock was past, and her anger had somewhat abated, she’d been dwelling on her devastation and humiliation at his leaving in the first place. She’d thought he’d been The One. The one who’d be her love-of-a-lifetime, the relationship her parents had had.

But he’d left, and she’d sealed off her heart.

Now, he was suddenly back because he’d missed her?

She’d love to know what had really happened between him and that chick he’d been seeing in Atlanta. Maybe she’d left him for somebody else. He’d said she hadn’t broken up with him, but she could have left without notice and sent a note later. That wasn’t a breakup; it was abandonment.

She ought to know.

Mostly, she kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, for him to tell her he wanted something from her. Or, worse, for there to be no shoe at all. For him to dart back to Atlanta, or wherever, leaving his small-town roots behind. Again.

Focusing on Aidan was much more pleasurable.

So without effort, she put aside her worries about Davis and left the library to get ready for her date.

She’d hit Aidan with her LBD the first time they’d met, so she debated between something similar or contrasting. Maybe she should go with jeans, a flowy top and wedge heels. Casual sexy. Or she could go all out with a stop-sign-red dress. Obvious sexy. Or a feminine, springlike dress and straw hat. Picnic sexy.

Or was that too Scarlett O’Hara?

Good grief, romance was complicated.

She settled on the jeans outfit. After gathering her purse and the bread and salad ingredients she’d agreed to bring, she headed toward Aidan’s house. He was supposed to do the spaghetti and provide wine, which she needed, if the nervous fluttering in her stomach was any guide.

When she reached the porch, she noticed there were lighted sconces by the door and that the lower porch railing had been replaced. Obviously, Aidan and Pete had been working hard the last few days.