Chapter 3 #3
“Last year when I went to field day for Sammy at his old school, my son and I killed it in the three-legged race. We were all set up to go in for the win until I tangled up in my own feet and we fell within a foot of the finish line, and another team beat us.”
She laughed again, and he enjoyed the pleasant sound. “Those three-legged races can be such fun to watch. I love to see the students and parents working together.”
“I imagine it’s mostly mothers who show up,” he replied.
“It is usually mothers. Then there are the students who have nobody show up for them. My heart always breaks a little bit for them.”
“I’ll be glad to step in and be a substitute dad to whoever needs one on that day,” Seth replied.
She gazed at him warmly. “You’re a very nice man, Seth Daniels.”
Oh, he could easily fall into the beautiful blue depths of her eyes. “I try to be.”
For a long moment their gazes remained locked, and desire for her fired through him. The moment ended with her clearing her throat and picking up her coffee mug.
He stayed with her until it was time for him to head to the bus stop to get Sammy. They had shared a lunch of sandwiches, and he was grateful to see that she seemed to be in a much better frame of mind as the day had gone on.
Thankfully Seth had two men who worked for him who could take care of the daily chores around the farm, allowing Seth to have a more flexible schedule. Thank goodness he didn’t have any animals that needed daily care.
“I’m sorry I have to go,” he said as she walked him to the front door.
“You need to go. You need to go take care of your son,” she replied. “Besides, I’ve taken up more than enough of your time today.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Seth, I can’t thank you enough for being here for me today. I’m really not sure what I would have done without you.”
“I was glad to be here for you,” he replied. “What about your car? It’s still at the school. Do you want me to swing by later and take you to get it?”
“No, I’ll call a friend to take me to get it later on, or one of the other teachers can swing by and pick me up and take me to it,” she replied. She opened the door and then turned back to him. “Thank you again, Seth.”
“Suzanna, any time you need me, I’m just a phone call and about ten minutes away.”
“I appreciate that,” she replied. She stood so close to him, and despite the circumstances, in spite of what had brought him here in the first place, he wanted to kiss her again. He’d thought about it off and on throughout the entire day he had spent with her.
“Suzanna, can I kiss you before I leave?”
The tip of her tongue dipped out and moistened her lower lip, and she nodded her head.
He pulled her into his arms and took her mouth with his.
He’d intended it to be a soft, tender and brief kiss.
However, the minute she opened her mouth to him and their tongues swirled with each other the kiss became something hot and slightly wild.
He pulled her closer against him, her slender body molding against his as if they were made for each other. The kiss continued for several long moments, until he was fully aroused, and only then did she finally step back from him.
Her eyes blazed with what appeared to be sweet, hot desire as she drew in several long, deep breaths. “We can’t kiss anymore, Seth,” she said, completely surprising him.
“Why? Because I have to tell you, Suzanna, I do like kissing you a lot,” he replied.
“I’ll admit there is some kind of crazy energy between us, but it’s not something we should allow.” Her gaze didn’t quite meet his. “I don’t want things to get out of hand, Seth, so we can’t kiss anymore.”
“Whatever you want, Suzanna,” he replied. The last thing he wanted was to make her feel uncomfortable around him. “But I still want you to consider me as a good friend and somebody you can depend on no matter what you need.”
Her gaze met his, and she smiled in obvious relief. “I do consider you a friend, Seth…a close friend, and I do enjoy spending time with you. Now, get out of here and go get to your son.”
“Okay, okay… I’m going,” he said with a laugh, and with that he walked out of her door and headed toward his car in her driveway.
She was probably right that there should be no more kissing between them.
Kissing her made him want more…far more, and it was obvious she didn’t want that.
He had to respect her wishes. He reminded himself that he didn’t want a woman in his life, and while he knew he’d enjoy making love to Suzanna, it wouldn’t be fair to her.
However, he did greatly value her friendship.
He had nothing to offer her when it came to any kind of a real relationship, so ignoring his physical attraction toward her was probably the best thing to do. Besides, she hadn’t indicated that she wanted any kind of real relationship with him, either. It was all slightly confusing to him.
Still, that didn’t stop him from thinking about the two very hot kisses he had shared with her and wishing for things to somehow be different.
However, one thing was perfectly clear: he was adamant he would never invite any woman back into his life. He wasn’t willing to chance any more hurt to his son. So for Sammy’s sake he would remain a single and celibate man.