Naturally Naughty - Leslie Kelly [78]
From the back seat, he heard Armand snort a laugh.
She gave Jack a quick guilty look. “Uh, fine. I’m fine. Why do you ask?”
He shrugged. “You just seem distracted.” Taking her hand, he squeezed it and said, “But you also look amazing.”
She did. Her body turned the red fabric of her dress into pure solid sin. Though petite, Kate had curves men dreamed about. Curves he’d dreamed about many nights since they’d met.
Not to mention the fullness of her lips, the sparkle in her deep brown eyes. Her confidence, intelligence and attitude appealed to him even more now than the day they’d met. Especially since they’d become so intimate.
He got the shakes just thinking about the things they’d done together the night before in her bed.
He simply couldn’t get enough of her. Kate was the woman he’d been casually seeking and had never really thought he’d find ever since he’d left home fifteen years ago. How funny that he found her right here in Pleasantville, the very place he’d been trying so hard to escape.
She’d pulled her hair back, letting cascades of curls drop over her bare shoulders. The dress was not too short, ending a few inches above the knee, but below it her legs were bare. Her strappy, red high-heeled sandals had caught his eye several times during the short drive from the house.
“I’m fine. Now, who is going to be at this thing? Should I have worn body armor?”
He shook his head. “My mother’s not coming. She wasn’t feeling well. Frankly, I think it’s driving her insane to give up the title of First Lady of Pleasantville. She doesn’t want to see her replacement holding court.”
Kate chuckled. “But your sister will be here.”
“Yeah.”
“Ah, your sister, such a charming little thing,” Armand murmured from the back seat.
Jack saw Kate shoot her friend a warning glare, but didn’t have time to question it.
They made their way into city hall, blending into the crowd of people in the atrium. In a far corner a band played jazzy music and an area had been cleared for dancing. A bar had been set up on what was usually an information desk. Armand immediately beelined for it, offering to get a round of drinks, leaving Kate and Jack to circulate.
He felt her tension, the stiffness of her body. Her hands were like ice, though she maintained an expression of complete calm. Jack wondered again what it must have been like for her growing up here, if it could still make her so anxious all these years later. But she never flinched, never let anyone see a single sign of nervousness, not even when one of his mother’s cronies glanced at her, sniffed rudely, and turned away.
He saw Kate’s face grow pale. Leaning close, he brushed a kiss against her temple and whispered, “Ignore the old bat. Did you know she wears a wig?”
At Kate’s surprised expression, he continued. “My mother told me years ago. Seems she’s got a nervous habit and pulls her own hair, so she thought it would be easier—and less painful—to just buzz-cut it and wear wigs.”
Kate giggled. “That’s her story and she’s sticking to it, huh? I think she was rude to the wrong person and someone just snatched her bald.”
“That’s my girl.” Right there in the middle of the crowd, he pressed a soft kiss to her mouth. Her tension seemed to ease as he took her arm and continued to lead her through the crowd.
Finally they came face-to-face with the new mayor and his wife. Kate’s eyes widened in shock. “Mr. Otis?”
The elderly mayor, who, Jack remembered, used to teach drama at the high school, squinted and looked at her more closely. “Why, Kate Jones, how you’ve grown up!”
The mayor then proceeded to sweep Jack’s date in his arms and give her a tight hug. “You’ve gone off to the big city and done quite well for yourself, haven’t you?”
“Yes, I have. I had no idea you were mayor. I figured you’d retired from teaching and were off fishing somewhere.”
“Fishing for trouble at city hall,” he said with a wink.
While Kate and Mr. Otis chatted, Armand