Janice Lynn - It Started At Christmas…

“I think you’re overreacting.”

“I think you’re wasting your breath trying to convince me to drop you at the curb and drive away.”

“That’s not what I said for you to do.”

“No, but the thought of inviting me into your place scares you.”

“I never said that.”

“You didn’t have to.”

“You’re imagining things. I came to your Christmas show.”

“You brought a friend.” As long as they were bantering she’d stay distracted, wouldn’t think about having passed out.

“You were part of the show. It wasn’t as if you were going to sit beside me and carry on conversation.”

He shot a quick glance toward where she sat in the passenger seat with her arms crossed defensively over her chest.

“Is that what you wanted?” he asked. “For me to be at the dinner table beside you?”

“If I’d been on a date with you, that’s exactly what I would have expected. Since I was just there watching your show as a friend and someone who wanted to help support a great cause, it’s not a big deal.”

“I could take you to a Christmas show in Atlanta, McKenzie. We could go to dinner, or to a dinner show.”

“Why would you do that?”

“So I could sit beside you and carry on conversation.”

“I don’t want you to sit beside me and carry on conversation.” She sounded like a petulant child and they both knew it. She was also as cute as all get-out and he couldn’t help but smile.

“Isn’t that what we’re doing right now?”

“Right now you are bringing me home, where you can walk me to my front door, and then you can leave.”

“What if I want to come inside?” He couldn’t help but push, just to see what she’d say. He had no intention of going inside McKenzie’s place, unless it was to be sure she really did make it safely inside.

Her eyes widened. “We’ve not even been on a date. What makes you think I’d let you stay?”

“You’re jumping to conclusions, McKenzie. Just because I said I wanted to come inside, it didn’t mean I planned to stay.”

“Right,” she huffed. She turned to stare out the window.

“Then again, I guess it’s a given that I want to stay. I think you and I would have a good time.”

She sighed. “Maybe.”

“You don’t sound enthused about the prospect.”

“There is no prospect. You and I are coworkers, nothing more.”

“You came to my show tonight.”

“Coworkers can support one another outside work without it meaning anything.”

“I see how you look at me, McKenzie.”

* * *

McKenzie blinked at the man driving her home. More like driving her crazy.

How she looked at him?

“What are you talking about? You’re the one who looks at me as if you’ve not seen a woman in years.”

“I’m sure I do, but we’re not talking about how I look at you. We’re talking about how you look at me.”

“I don’t look at you.”

“Yes, you do.”

“How do I look at you, Lance?”

“As if you’ve not seen a man in years.”

“That’s ridiculous.” She motioned for him to make a right turn.

“But nonetheless true. And now that I’ve had to do mouth-to-mouth to revive you, you know you’re dying for another go at these lips.” Eyes twinkling, he puckered up and kissed the air.

“You have such an inflated ego,” she accused, glad to see him pull into her street. A few more minutes and she’d be able to escape him and this conversation she really didn’t want to be having. “Besides, you did not do mouth-to-mouth. I passed out. I didn’t go into respiratory arrest.”

“Where you are concerned, I didn’t want to take any chances, thus the mouth-to-mouth.” His tone was teasing. “You were unconscious, so you probably don’t recall it. George offered to help out, but I assured him I had things under control.”

“Right.” She rolled her eyes. She knew 100 percent he’d not taken advantage of her blacking out to perform mouth-to-mouth, even though when she’d come to he’d been leaning over her. She also knew the phlebotomist had offered to do no such thing. “Guess that’s something we really do have in common, because I don’t want to take any chances either. Not with the likes of you, so you’ll understand that there will be no invitations into my house. Not now and not ever.”

“Not ever?”

“Probably not.”

* * *

McKenzie really didn’t want Lance walking her to her doorway. Since she’d passed out at the hospital, she supposed she shouldn’t argue as it made logical sense that he’d want to see her safely into her home. That was just a common courtesy really and didn’t mean a thing if she let him. Yet the last thing she wanted was to have him on her door stoop or, even worse, inside her house.

“You have a nice place,” he praised as he drove his car up into her driveway.

“It’s dark. You can’t really see much,” she countered.

“Not so dark that I can’t tell you have a well-kept yard and a nice home.” As he parked the car and turned off the ignition, he chuckled. “I’ve never met a more prickly, stubborn woman than you, McKenzie.”

She wanted to tell him to not be ridiculous, but the fact of the matter was that he was way too observant.

“I didn’t ask you to be here,” she reminded him defensively. She was sure she wasn’t anything like the yes-women he usually spent time with. “I appreciate your concern, but I didn’t ask you to drive me to the hospital or to stay with me while I had my blood drawn or to threaten me with mouth-to-mouth.”

He let out an exaggerated sigh. “I’m aware you’d rather have faced George again than for me to have driven you home.”

That one had her backtracking a little. “That might be taking things too far.”

“Riding home with me is preferable to needles? Good to know.”

He was teasing her again, but the thought she was alone with him, sitting in his car parked in her driveway, truly did make her nervous.

He made her nervous.

Memories of his lips on her hand made her nervous.

Because she’d liked the warm pressure of his mouth.

Had registered the tingly pleasure despite the way her blood had pounded from terror over what George had been up to.

At the time, she’d known Lance had kissed her as a distraction from George more than from real desire. She might have been prickly, might still be prickly, but tonight’s blood draw had been one of the best she could recall, other than the whole passing-out thing. “Thank you for what you did at the emergency room.”

“My pleasure.”

“I didn’t mean that.”

“That?”

“You know.”

“Do I?” He looked innocent, but they both knew he was far, far from it.

“Quit teasing me.”

“But you’re so much fun to tease, McKenzie.” Neither of them made a move to get out of the car. “For the record, I was telling the truth.”

That kissing her hand had been his pleasure?

Her face heated.

His kissing her hand had been her pleasure. She hadn’t been so lost in Terrorville that she’d missed the fact that Lance had kissed her hand and it had felt good.

“I’m sorry tonight didn’t go as planned for your Christmas show.”

“A friend texted to let me know that they finished the show and although several left following the mayor’s incident, tonight’s our biggest fund-raiser yet.”

“That’s great.”

“It is. Keeping kids off the roads on graduation night is important.”

“Celebrate Graduation is a really good cause.” The program was something Lance had helped get started locally after he’d moved to Coopersville four years ago. McKenzie had been away doing her residency, but she’d heard many sing his praises. “Did your school have a similar program? Is that why you’re so involved?”