Holiday Kisses. Gwynne Forster

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СКАЧАТЬ style="font-size:15px;">      “Tennis. I’m a tennis freak. I play fairly well, but I can watch it for hours, even on television. It’s universal. My favorite recreational things to do are visiting art galleries, traveling overseas, reading and tennis.”

      He shook his head in wonder. “I’d put travel first, and if you added water sports, we’d be on the same page. Where have you traveled?”

      “Most of Western Europe. One of my fondest memories is being nineteen in Paris and subsisting on bread, cheese and water. When I got back home, I didn’t want to see any cheese or bread. I wouldn’t have drunk water if I could have lived without it.”

      “It’s amazing, Kisha, how much we have in common. I lived like that in Paris, Rome, Spain and Copenhagen. I slept on the street, in doorways, churches, you name it, and when I got back home, I was ready to do it all over again. Fortunately, common sense prevailed.” They talked about their experiences, shared moments of joy and adventure. He realized that they had talked for hours when he noticed that the restaurant was full of patrons. A look at his watch told him that it was a quarter of seven and time for dinner.

      “It’s dinnertime, Kisha. I’m not hungry, but we can eat dinner if this place suits you.”

      “I’m not hungry enough for dinner. Let’s go somewhere and get a great dessert.”

      “Girl after my own heart. How about a huge warm peach cobbler topped with two scoops of vanilla ice cream?” Her smile of approval made him feel like a king.

      When he took her home almost two hours later, he wanted more than he knew he would get, but his mind told him that, in Kisha’s case, less was more. And while he stood in her foyer staring down at her, seeing what he knew he wanted, he made up his mind to get her. But he merely took her hand, kissed the back of it and left her.

      Chapter 3

      Kisha did not expect to hear from Craig after he left her that night. She brushed off her annoyance at him for heating her up with his desire-filled eyes and making her ache for a sample of what he promised almost every time he looked at her. So she took her time answering the telephone.

      “This is Doctor Moran. How may I help you?”

      “Hi. This is Craig. Is it too late to call you?”

      She’d have to get used to his voice. It did strange things to her. She sat up in bed and turned on the light. “Hi, Craig. If I don’t go out, I try to get in bed by ten-thirty, because I get up early. I just crawled in, but I was not asleep. Are you safely at home?”

      “Yes. I’m home. I called because I want to do something that I thought I’d better not try when we were together.” She held her breath and waited. “I want to kiss you good-night.”

      “Oh,” she said, after gathering her wits.

      His laughter rolled through the wire, exciting and arousing her. How she wished she could see his face when he laughed like that. “Are you saying you’re glad I didn’t kiss you or that you don’t want me to kiss you now? Which is it?” he asked her.

      “Neither. And stop trying to push me into a corner. Kiss me and let me go to sleep.” She wanted to bite her tongue, but a lot of good that would do.

      “Part your lips just a little,” he said in a low, whispered tone. “Just enough for me to slip in. Feast a little bit and let me know you enjoy it. Now, take me in fully, and let me love you. Good night, Kisha.”

      “Hey, don’t you dare hang up!”

      “Why not. That was the sweetest kiss imaginable, so I thought it was the perfect time for us to say good-night.”

      “You practically hypnotized me, and I’ve never heard of anybody doing that over the phone.”

      “Are you angry with me because I kissed you?”

      “I…I don’t know.”

      “Next time, I won’t kiss you over the phone. I’ll kiss you in person. Will that be all right?”

      “That will be fine, and if I’m not happy with it, I’ll let you know.”

      His laughter wrapped around her, warming and comforting her. “Sleep well, baby. I’ll phone you tomorrow.” He hung up.

      And she fell asleep. What would have happened if he had kissed her for real?

      He telephoned her the next morning at eight o’clock, minutes after she smelled the coffee beginning to perk. “Hi. If you didn’t sleep well, don’t tell me. I know you’re in a hurry, so I’ll only take a minute. I have an invitation to the Admiral’s Service on one of the harbor cruise ships. It’s really nice. Will you go with me Saturday evening?”

      “What should I wear?”

      “A dressy dress would be perfect. After the dinner, there’s dancing to a live band. What about it?”

      The more he talked, the more eager she was to see him. “That sounds wonderful, Craig. What time?”

      “I’ll be at your place at a quarter of six. Don’t forget.”

      “I’ll look forward to it.”

      “Great. But we’ll talk before Saturday. Have a very good day. Bye.”

      “Till the next time, Craig.”

      After what seemed like years, Saturday finally arrived. He rang her doorbell at exactly five forty-five. He had the impression that she’d waited for him, for she flung the door open at once with a beaming, expectant expression on her face. Craig knew his face betrayed his delight in her. Throwing aside caution, he wrapped her in his arms. “You make me feel great, Kisha, and not because you’re so pretty. It’s just…you make me feel good.”

      Wondering if she was witnessing a change in him, she hugged him in return, stepped back and looked at him. “You make me feel good, too.” She’d never known a man who played it so close to the vest. If he had secrets, she didn’t want to think about them right then. She wanted to enjoy the evening.

      “You look lovely. This is a beautiful dress.”

      “Thank you. Dusty rose is my favorite color. I like the way you look, too, Craig. Very nice, indeed.”

      He didn’t like compliments about his appearance, but wanting to please her, he’d dressed in one of his most flattering blue suits, a white shirt and a royal blue and dark pink-striped tie with a matching handkerchief in his pocket. He couldn’t help feeling special. A man wanted his woman to be proud of him.

      Kisha pinched herself. Nothing like being sure that you were wide-awake. She had to stop imagining that she was in a fairy tale when she was with Craig or she’d find herself head over heels in love with him. He’d hugged her in the sweetest and most…well, protective and unthreatening way, and she had ached for a kiss. Fortunately, common sense had not deserted her and she had stepped back.

      They boarded the harbor cruiser, and when he gave the maître d’ his reservation card, the man led them to the Admiral’s Service. She gazed around at СКАЧАТЬ