Chapter Three
Yvonne organized her sons, and by nine thirty David and Michael were waiting for Nolan to arrive, both boys constantly peering out the window and bouncing around in their excitement.
The phone rang and she picked up, hoping it wasn’t Nolan to say he needed to change plans. Her boys would mutiny.
“Gina,” she said in relief when she heard her aunt’s greeting.
“I’ve packed a picnic basket for you,” her aunt said in a gruff voice. “Make sure you get Nolan to stop by to pick it up.”
“I was just going to grab some muffins and a few sandwiches,” Yvonne said.
“Don’t argue, Missy,” her aunt said in her forthright way.
Gina Muir might scare a lot of people with her blunt attitude, but Yvonne knew the woman hid a heart of gold beneath her no-nonsense exterior.
“Thank you. Are you sure you don’t want me to come back and relieve you?”
“It’ll be quiet. It was yesterday. I intend to close early, probably at two after lunch. That’s plenty of time for me to check out the displays in the Food Hall and meet with my friends. Enjoy your time off. You work too hard.”
Anyone else might have focused on the abrupt delivery. Yvonne heard the concern and caring and her heart swelled with love. Gina had been her savior after her marriage fell apart, offering a job and a new life, and Yvonne would never forget her aunt’s generosity.
A car sounded outside in the driveway.
“He’s here!” Michael shouted.
“Yahoo!” David hollered.
Both her sons ran for the door in a full-on race with thumping feet and yells of jubilation.
“Nolan has arrived,” Gina said, hearing the racket. “Don’t forget to stop by the store.”
“See you soon, and thanks.”
“No thanks necessary,” Gina said and hung up.
Yvonne picked up her handbag, plus jackets for herself and the boys. She walked through the open door and smiled at the way the boys gamboled around Nolan like playful puppies. He’d already started to transfer the car seats to his vehicle and was bent over while he fixed the first one in place.
“Good morning,” she said, letting her gaze rove over his jeans-clad butt.Very nice.
“Morning,” he said after he’d backed out of the car. He picked up the second car seat and had it fastened and secure in half the time it took her. “In you go, boys,” he said. “We have a show to attend.”
Yvonne grinned at the mad scramble, although part of her noted her sons’ hero-worship in concern. Michael and David had only met Nolan a few times, but he was a natural with them. They needed a man in their lives—not that she intended to settle. Nolan had already let her down once, and she wasn’t about to give him a chance to hurt her sons.
Nolan checked the boys were buckled in, then grinned at her and reached for her hand. He tugged her against his chest and started to kiss her before she could voice an objection about her boys’ presence. His hands stole up her back to hold her face in place while he ravaged her mouth. Lips, tongue, teeth. His entire arsenal of kissing experience came into play and every one of her objections died a quick death. She looped her arms around his neck and held on for the ride, pleasure setting off detonations throughout her body.
When he lifted his head, his breathing was rapid. She didn’t want to think about her reaction. He shifted his hands and tugged off her scrunchie. Her hair released from its tidy ponytail and danced in the soft breeze.
“Much better.” Nolan guided her to the passenger door and opened it for her. He gave her a swift tap on the butt of her jeans. “In you go. We have things to do.”
“He kissed you, Mummy,” Michael said.
“Why did he kiss you?” David asked.
Nolan slid into the driver’s seat. “I kissed your mummy because she’s my girlfriend.”
Damn and blast. “His grownup girlfriend,” Yvonne said hurriedly, after visions of phone calls from concerned mothers floated through her mind. Michael was a gregarious soul and made friends easily. Many of them were girls, and she didn’t want him scaring them with exuberant kisses. “You can’t kiss girls like that until you’re eighteen,” she added for clarification. She glowered at Nolan when he snorted out amusement.
“Your mother is right,” Nolan said as he backed out of the driveway. “You can’t do that until you’re eighteen.” He lowered his voice and slid her a sly look. “Lots of fringe benefits for an eighteen-year-old.”
