By the time Kelly returned with steaming cups of coffee, Shane had settled onto the couch, the two slices of birthday cake waiting on the coffee table. As she set the cups on the table, Kelly was amused to see a paper plate holding two very large, chocolate-dipped strawberries. “More goodies from your bag, I take it?”
“Yeah. These were harder to smuggle out. Everyone got greedy with the strawberries. Strangely enough, no one complained when I took the bottle of wine.”
“Imagine that.”
Shane chuckled and picked up one of the strawberries. “These are great. Try one.” He held the fruit to her lips.
Obligingly she opened her mouth to take a bite of the chocolate-dipped berry. And then she closed her eyes and moaned in appreciation of the mingled sweet and tart flavors. “Oh, that’s heavenly,” she murmured, then opened her eyes.
She found Shane closer than she’d expected, bis face only inches from hers, his eyes focused on her mouth. He held the strawberry poised for her next bite. “More?” he asked, his voice a low rumble.
“More,” she replied. But instead of letting him feed her another bite, she plucked the strawberry from his fingers and bit into it herself.
Shane drew back and picked up his plastic fork. “The cake is pretty good,” he said after taking a bite.
Finishing the strawberry, Kelly set the stem aside, but didn’t immediately reach for her cake or coffee. She wasn’t ready to lose the tastes of rich chocolate and sweet strawberry. “Why did you leave the party?”
“Nancy overinvited—as usual—and I could hardly move at her place. Seemed like there was hardly enough air for everyone. I started thinking about how nice it would be to spend a quiet hour or so with you, so I took a chance you’d be finished with your studying, and here I am.”
She twisted to face him, resting an elbow against the back of the couch and propping her cheek on her fist. “You usually like crowds.”
“I guess I just wasn’t in the mood tonight.”
She studied him closely, wondering if he was still trying to deal with his mother’s death. As if he’d read her thoughts, Shane smiled and patted her bent knee. “Stop fretting. I’m fine. Just a little tired. Dad’s trying to get ready for his vacation with Cassie, and he’s going to spend the next three weeks working like a demon—and working me right along with him. He hasn’t taken a vacation in so long, he acts as if the whole place is in danger of crumbling to dust while he’s gone.”
She smiled. “I know Cassie’s really looking forward to getting away for a few days. How’s Molly handling the thought of a whole ten days without her parents?”
Shane’s answering smile was rueful. “Actually, she seems to think it’s going to be a blast. I think she’s planning to be totally spoiled and pampered during that week.”
“And won’t she be?”
He grinned. “No doubt about it.”
“And you aren’t worried about being responsible for a twelve-year-old girl for that long?”
“Why should I be? Molly and I are going to have a good time. She’ll be in school during the days, and we have all kinds of great plans for the evenings. It’ll be fun.”
Shane’s unabashed devotion to his little sister was one of the many things Kelly admired about him. She wondered how many twenty-seven-year-old bachelors would be so eager to baby-sit an adolescent girl so his father and stepmother could take a much-needed vacation.
Shane finished his cake and coffee, then glanced at his watch. “I’d better head for the ranch. You have your test tomorrow and you should get a good night’s sleep.” He broke into a smile. “See? I know just what to say to Molly during the time she stays with me.”
Kelly nodded gravely. “You sounded very paternal.”
“It’s going to be a snap,” he anticipated breezily.
“I’m sure you’re right.” But she was aware she didn’t sound quite as confident as Shane. She knew a bit more than he did about the unpredictability of twelve-year-old girls.
He reached for the dishes. “I’ll help you clean up before I go.”
She put her hand over his, stopping him. “Leave it. It’ll only take me a few minutes to clear this away.”
He nodded and stood. “Well...good luck with your test.”
“Thank you. I need all the luck I can get.”
Shane usually kissed her cheek when he left. It was a long-standing habit, and she had never attached too much meaning to it, since he tended to be very generous with his hugs and kisses. She held the door for him, mentally bracing herself for that casually affectionate brush of his lips. Shane paused at the doorway, leaned toward her—then hesitated, his gaze on her mouth.
Her lips began to tingle as if she could already feel his mouth against hers. Odd, she thought with a swallow.