Sheryl Lister - Tender Kisses

He greeted and made small talk with several people, all while maneuvering closer to the woman. “Good evening, ladies.” She stood talking with two other women, and seeing her from a distance had not come close to capturing her beauty, especially her eyes. They were a lighter shade of brown and perfectly complemented her golden-brown skin. Soft laughter from one of the women made him realize he was staring like an awestruck teen. Justin quickly gathered himself and stuck out his hand to the first woman, who was still smiling. “I’m Justin Cartwright.”

“Kendra Martin. Nice to meet you, Justin.”

“I’m Cynthia Johnson,” the second woman said, extending her hand.

“Nice to meet you both.” He turned slightly to face the woman he had been studying all night. “And you are?”

“Siobhan. Siobhan Hunter,” she said, shaking his outstretched hand.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Siobhan,” Justin said, his eyes never leaving hers. The warmth flowing from her touch gave him pause. The slight widening of her eyes and the way she pulled back let him know he wasn’t the only one who felt it. “Are you ladies enjoying yourselves?”

“Yes,” Siobhan and Cynthia chorused.

Kendra angled her head. “Let’s say the night just got more interesting.”

Justin lifted a brow. “Is that right?”

“Definitely.” She hooked her arm with the other woman and led her away. “Come on, Cynthia. We should probably go find our husbands. You know how they get. Nice to meet you, Justin,” she called over her shoulder. “Chat with you later, Siobhan.”

He chuckled. “She’s real subtle, isn’t she?”

“You’ll have to excuse Kendra.”

“No harm done. Since she left us all alone, I say we take advantage of it. I wouldn’t want her efforts to go to waste.”

Siobhan smiled and said softly, “I guess not.”

“Would you like to dance?”

She hesitated briefly then placed her soft hand in his.

Justin led her out to the dance floor, slid his arm around her waist and pulled her close to his body, but was careful enough to leave a respectable space between them. He didn’t want to scare her off, or potentially feel the pointed toe of her shoe in his shin before he had a chance to finish the dance. “So, are you with one of the safety companies?” She turned her face to meet his eyes. In her heels, she stood only a couple of inches shorter than his six-one height.

She stiffened in his embrace. “Yes. Why?”

“I assume since this is a safety awards gala that everyone here is either affiliated with a company or looking to do so. And I was wondering if you enjoyed your job.”

“Let me guess. You have the next greatest safety invention you want to pitch,” she said almost accusingly.

Remembering the look on her face when the last man handed her his card, he said, “Actually, I just want to dance with you. Have we met before? You seem familiar—”

Siobhan viewed him skeptically. “Really?” She stepped out of his arms, held out her hand and said curtly, “How about we skip to the part where you hand me your business card and stop wasting my time?”

A no-nonsense sister. Justin reclaimed the distance and pulled her back into his embrace. “I don’t have a business card to give you.” Well, that wasn’t exactly true. He had several in his breast pocket, but, since he had finagled an invite to this shindig only to meet someone from Gray Home Safety, which she wasn’t part of, he didn’t want to pull one out and ruin his chances.

She stared at him for several seconds then relaxed in his arms. “So, Justin, are you in the home-safety business?”

“I have a couple of products on the market,” he answered carefully. He felt her body stiffen again and added quickly, “And I like working for myself.” They continued swaying to the slow jazz tune without conversing. Someone bumped Siobhan, pushing her closer to him, and he groaned inwardly. Her voluptuous body molded to his, and it took every inch of his control not to take advantage. His hands wanted nothing more than to tour each curve and conduct his own private touch test.

Easing back a fraction, Justin hit the brakes on his runaway thoughts. He needed to remember the plan—a dance, then find Mr. Gray. And that plan didn’t include fantasies of exploring a more personal relationship with Siobhan Hunter.

Now, if he could just get his body to go along...

Chapter 2

Siobhan didn’t want to be affected by the handsome man she danced with. But every time she tried to put some space between them, someone on the crowded dance floor bumped her, forcing their bodies closer together. Unlike her previous dance partner’s offensive cologne, Justin’s scent was more like an aphrodisiac. She had a hard time not staring at his clean-shaven mahogany-brown face with eyes to match, and he had a deep baritone voice that made her body tingle in places long forgotten. Places she had purposely closed off. Justin Cartwright. He said she seemed familiar, and she searched her memory banks, but couldn’t recall ever hearing his name. Then again, there was no way she would forget a man like him.

While dancing, she attempted to figure out his angle. Sure, he said he wanted only to dance, but so did the other half-dozen men who approached her tonight, then changed their tune as soon as, or not long after, the song ended, which was why she had given him her mother’s maiden name instead of her family name.

“You never answered my question.”

Siobhan’s brows knit in confusion. “I’m sorry—what did you ask?”

Justin chuckled. “I asked how you liked your job, but we got a little sidetracked when you nearly ripped my head off.”

“Sorry about that,” she said contritely. “I love a challenge and my job provides that.”

“Sounds intriguing, but don’t the challenges become a hassle day in and day out?”

“Every day isn’t like that. Most times my day is stacked with meetings, working on press releases and fielding phone calls. And, as the oldest of five, putting out fires is second nature,” she added wryly.

“I can imagine.”

“Do you have any siblings?”

“Two younger sisters. Something we have in common—being the oldest...and putting out fires.”

Siobhan laughed.

“Maybe we can swap stories over coffee or dinner.”

Her laughter faded. “Um, I don’t have time to date.”

“Why not? You’re a beautiful woman. I’m sure there are men lined up waiting to take you out.”

She laughed him off. But in reality, over the past two years, the only men who seemed remotely interested in her had ulterior motives. “I think the song is over.” Actually, they had danced through at least three. “Thank you for the dance, Justin.” She turned to walk away, and he caught her hand.

“May I buy you a drink?”

“No, thank you. Have a good evening.” She wove her way through the crowd of people who flooded the dance floor in response to the sounds of a popular tune now playing. Siobhan exited the ballroom and ducked into the nearest bathroom. Her heart raced, and her hands shook.

She stared at her reflection in the mirror. Obviously, the loose-fitting dress she had deliberately chosen to keep men at bay hadn’t deterred Justin. All while they danced, his gaze never left hers. At one point, he stared at her as if she were his favorite dessert, and for a moment, she allowed the thought to play around in her mind. Heat rose in her cheeks, and she fanned herself in an effort to cool off. Where in the world had that thought come from? Siobhan smoothed down the front of her gown, took a deep breath and left the bathroom. Rounding the corner, she hit a solid mass. Strong arms steadied her.

“Are you okay, Siobhan?” Justin asked, still holding her.