First Kiss Friday – The Throwbacks by Stephanie Queen

Today’s First Kiss Friday featured guest is Stephanie Queen, author of contemporary romance The Throwbacks.  Welcome Stephanie!  Here’s the first kiss between Grace Rogers and David Young.

“Don’t worry about the glasses.”  His words came out rather strained.

“Are you ok?”  The concern in her voice would have warmed him all by itself, but her caress of his back had him downright heated to a melting pool.

“I’m fine.  It’s an old leaping-tall-buildings injury.”

“Oh, so you’re Superman, then?  And here I was looking for Batman.” She smiled in a womanly way – the kind of conspiratorial ‘don’t worry I won’t make too much of your less than one hundred percent physical condition because I know your ego couldn’t take the blow let alone your back’ look.

“I’ve been both. One super hero is as good as the next in the crime fighting field. Really keeps that Riddler on his toes when Superman shows up and he’s expecting Batman,” he said and was satisfied to hear that laughter of hers.  At that moment his aspiration to be nothing more than a comic strip hero who could make her laugh increased ten fold.

He was yet again forgetting all about the fact that she was young enough to be his niece when Dan showed up as a reminder and joined them. Sophia the Pixie flitted back to Grace’s side. Reinforcements for a double dose of reality.

“I talked to the Mayor about the homicide.  Let’s fly,” Dan said to him and then looked at the two women.

“Pixie, this is Boston’s Police Chief and a friend of mine, Dan O’Keefe.

“Ladies,” Dan said.

“You mean Theresa Torini’s homicide?” Pixie asked.

“How did you know? This is supposed to be a confidential police matter.” Dan frowned.  “Don’t say anything to anyone about this, ladies.  I mean it.”  He took David’s plate of food from him then and put it on the nearest tray table.

“Investigating the scene of a homicide–that’s the horrible part of police business,” Grace said.  She scrunched her forehead and looked at him with concern in her big brown eyes, still holding the dish of food he prepared for her.

“Don’t worry, sweetheart. It’s what we crime fighters do.”  He patted her arm and was treated to the feel of very smooth, very warm skin.

Her face cleared and her dimple showed and his heart beat picked up.

“You have to go,” she said with a hint of real sadness.   “What a shame.  Without you here the party won’t be the same.”

“You rhymed.”  He was nonplussed.

“I did!”  She laughed with undisguised delight.  “I love when that happens –everyone should rhyme.”

The Pixie rolled her eyes. “Great—instead of a Scotland Yard party, we’ll feel like we’re at a Dr. Seuss convention,” Sophia said, and tugged on Grace’s arm. “It’s time for us to go, too.  You only have the sitter for a while longer remember?”

“It was a real pleasure meeting you David. I love your name. It’s a very strong sounding name,” Grace said.

“Appropriately so. Care to arm wrestle?”

“Oh brother,” Dan said.

She laughed and slapped his arm, content with the one-sided fight.

“Oh, you!  I’m going to miss you!”

What an astounding thing for her to say.  But he was all the more astounded to find himself thinking the very same thing.

“Make sure you call the decorator.  I’d hate to think of you living in an empty house.  Everyone needs a homey home.”

“I will….perhaps..” was all he said when she leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek.  The warmth that enveloped him was completely unwarranted for such an innocent peck.  And yet it was there.

“I really will miss you.” She touched his cheek with her hand in a caress.

His so-called friend took him by the arm and he was forced to tear himself away from her.  She possessed quite a gravitational force.

But he decided he was probably better off leaving her behind and never looking back.  She was trouble with a capital T – ok, that was old-fashioned, even for him.  But she clearly was not right for him.  Far too young and far too…everything.  He needed to find a good solid woman his own age to share his mid-life decline with – if he was going to bother to inflict himself on anyone at all.

They walked through the front door and straight toward the Chief’s car.

*****

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