All the Right Moves(54)

A car came down the street, the first one in a while, but it wasn’t Cassie’s old clunker. John sat down on the step again, checked the time. He could call her, just check in, but that might not be the best move. She could be having it out with Tommy, and he wouldn’t want to intrude.

On the other hand, maybe she needed a distraction, an excuse to leave? If for nothing else, her studies. Even if she’d been hitting the books since the moment he’d left, the emotional hangover from that scene was going to play havoc with her retention. He knew.

After Danny had died, he’d been a wreck. So had Sam. They’d done their jobs because they’d been trained to the nth degree, but neither one of them had slept worth a damn for months. Getting behind the stick again had been painful. Muscle memory and hundreds of hours of repetition had kept them on course. It was downtime that had sent them spinning.

He and Sam had talked about it. As much as they could, but neither one of them were particularly good at verbalizing their feelings or whatever.

Anyway, he knew Cassie wasn’t going to sail through her test. Maybe, if she came home anytime soon, he could—

Another car. This one needed some muffler work. He stood, and sure enough, there couldn’t be another Ford like that on this block.

He ran his hands down his jeans and waited until she pulled into the drive. She must have seen his car before she’d seen him standing on the front step.

She turned off the car, and the engine got the message after she was halfway to him. “What are you doing here?”

“Waiting to make sure you’re okay.”

“I’m fine.” She slowly made her way to his side, her key in her left hand, her books in her right and her purse over her shoulder. He slipped the books from her grip. “Honest. I’m fine. I’m sorry about what happened. He had too much to drink and—”

“Hey, I’m the one that owes you an apology. I should have kept my big mouth shut.”

She looked up at him as if to respond, then just shook her head and opened the door.

“May I come in?” he asked, waiting until she’d crossed the threshold.

She winced. “Sure, I guess. But—”

“You know what? I’m sorry to say this, but I only want to talk. We’ll be having none of that sexy business.”

“None?”

“Maybe a kiss. But that’s where I draw the line. Even if you beg me.”

She laughed, and it made everything a whole lot better. Not fixed, though. He’d meant it about needing to apologize.

But he let it alone while she turned on more lights and put down her things. She looked tired, as he knew she would. “What can I get you to drink?” he asked.

“What, an hour behind the bar and now you’re a mixologist?”

He shook his head. “I had no idea how difficult your job is. I could barely keep up, even with Lisa’s help. I’ll tip better from now on.”

“I’ve seen your tips. You don’t have a lot of room for improvement.”

“Those were special.”

“I should hope so,” she said, walking toward him, looking very purposeful. “How about you kiss me, then I go visit the ladies’ room while you fix us both a cold soda.”

“I can do that,” he said, pulling her close, pressing her body against his own. She felt amazing, and he breathed her in like the first hit of fresh air after the oxygen mask came off. When he kissed her, she slipped her arms around his neck as he circled her waist.

They started off just brushing their lips together, and when that about drove him crazy, he broached her with his tongue. She tasted like limes, and that made him grin. Not that he quit kissing her, because he might not get another chance tonight.

Running his hand up her back, he could feel the tension in her shoulders, and as badly as he wanted to use all his time to make out, this wasn’t about him. He pulled away, glad to hear her little protest, but not giving in to her tug on his shirt. “Go. I’ll get the sodas. You have a preference?”

She shook her head.

“Okay, then. See you in a few minutes.”

He turned, but was stopped midway. “Thank you. For helping me tend bar. For being patient. For... Well, just thank you.”

With a heavy sigh, he reversed so he could look her in the eyes. “I should have made the situation better, not worse.”

“You were great. Seriously. And now I’m asking pretty please if we can drop the subject. I’ve got so much to do tonight, and I’m already whipped.”