Once Upon a New Year's Eve

  The charged moment was broken by the arrival of their meal. In the wake of their server’s departure, a new layer of awkward seemed to descend. Aaron floundered for a good way to break it. “So,” he began, “tell me about this Victor guy.”

  Smooth, Hendricks. Because you really want to hear about the other dude she’s into.

  “He’s an art dealer,” said Gemma.

  Aaron’s brows winged up. “An art dealer. Not what I expected. Are you into that kind of thing? Shows and galleries and whatnot?”

  “Not generally. But a good friend of mine is a metal sculptor. She recently had a show at a little gallery downtown. I went to be supportive and met Victor. He was…amused by my interpretations of the structures as an engineer. He was charming and attentive, so when he asked me out for tonight, I said yes.”

  “Exactly how broken up are you that Rick blew your shot with him?”

  Her lips quirked. “Subtle.” She shifted in her chair to cross those amazing legs and Aaron had some difficulty keeping his eyes off them. “I’m far too literal and grounded for the art crowd. Rick probably did me a favor. And if you tell him so, I’ll call you a dirty, dog liar. He’s still absolutely on my shit list for being an idiot. But I can’t see myself being with anyone long term who would expect me to put a swanky dinner over the welfare of family. Victor wasn’t concerned. He didn’t even offer to come with me.”

  “Jerk.”

  She tipped her head in acknowledgment. “Enough about me and my lousy date. What about you? Why aren’t you out on the town with some hottie tonight?”

  Aaron smiled. “Last time I checked, I was.”

  God, she was so cute when her cheeks pinked like that.

  “You know what I mean,” she said. “Why weren’t you out on a date yourself when you got the call? Or were you?”

  “I was playing through Call of Duty for the twenty-seventh time, so no great loss.” He shrugged. “I don’t know. New Year’s Eve dates seem to carry so much more weight than normal dates. There’s all that expectation of a midnight kiss, and all this meaning attached to it. Like those are the lips you’re supposed to be kissing the rest of the next year. And if the date bombs, then there you are with a lousy start to the new year. It seemed safer all around to just stay in.”

  “In that case, I’m glad things tanked with Victor. That’s a lot of pressure on one kiss.”

  “Exactly. There wasn’t anybody I felt like jumping off that bridge with, so I opted to stay in.” And thank God he’d been there to get the message.

  ~*~

  The sting of embarrassment had faded by the time they made it through their meal. Maybe because they’d finally cleared the air. Or maybe because the waitress brought a second glass of wine to replace the one she’d drained.

  “Better?” Aaron asked.

  Knowing he saw too much, she shrugged and admitted, “You still make me nervous.”

  “Well, there’s one, sure-fire way to fix that.” He plucked the glass from her hand.

  “What’s that?”

  “Immersion therapy,” he said, shoving back from the table. “Come dance with me.”

  She hesitated only a moment before taking his hand and following him out onto the tiny, packed dance floor. As guitars wailed and the singer crooned, he slid his arms around her. The pulse hammered in her throat as he nudged her into the rhythm of the music. Gemma was stiff and clumsy, her body seeming to jolt with his every touch.

  “Loosen up, Gem. This is supposed to be fun.”

  Fun. Right. She breathed out a long sigh and focused on progressively relaxing her muscles. It was a tough job with her inner teenager going OMG, you’re dancing with Aaron Hendricks! But after a couple of songs, she loosened up enough that he got more ambitious than a simple circle and sway. With a burst of momentum, Aaron spun Gemma out, then twirled her back more firmly against his body. In the heels she was almost eye level with him.

  “How’re those nerves doing?” he asked.

  They were sparking like fireworks, but she’d recovered enough to pull the mantle of calm and maturity back around her. “Better.”

  “Good. That makes one of us.”

  “One of us?” She arched a brow in question.

  “See, I’ve made an important observation over the last couple of hours.”

  “What’s that?”

  “You’re not fifteen anymore,” Aaron dropped his gaze to her lips, “and I find the woman every bit as appealing as the girl.”

  “Do you, now?” Gemma’s tone was playful, though the rumba in her stomach had transitioned into an Irish river dance.

  Somehow, when she’d stepped into Red’s, she had crossed into a parallel universe. There was no other explanation for how her greatest teenage fantasy had sprung to life out of the ashes of one of the worst nights of her adult life. How could she possibly have imagined that their awkward conversation would lead to this? She never dreamed that her attraction to him could be mutual. Had been mutual, even back then.

  “If you’re not on the same page here, this’d probably be a good time to mention it,” said Aaron, not letting her go as the song ended.

  Not on the same page? Was he kidding?

  “Do you see me running?” she asked.

  From the stage, the singer encouraged everybody to grab their honey. Dimly, Gemma was aware of him beginning the countdown.

  “Ten…Nine…”

  If I’m dreaming, I don’t wanna wake up, she thought, her pulse starting to thrum slow and thick as his blue eyes went dark.

  “Five…Four…”

  Aaron tugged her closer. The breath seemed to clog in her chest as the crowd around them picked up the chant.

  “Three…Two…One…Happy New Year!”

  Anticipation gave way to a stunned delight as he settled his mouth over hers. Heat rolled through her, bubbling up in a purr of pleasure against his lips. Gemma had never in her life been more grateful for the slow, easy pace of the South. Aaron kissed her with the focused patience of a man who knew how to savor, and she gloried in it, changing the angle to deepen the kiss. Her arms slid around his shoulders, banding there even as his arms tightened around her. How could he incite such a storm inside her with only his mouth?

  As the singer’s smoky voice launched into a new number and lulled them into a lazy sway, Aaron eased back again, allowing scant inches between them.

  “Well, that was certainly worth the wait,” she managed.

  “If you were any other woman, I’d be mentioning how my place is twenty minutes from here.”

  With her blood still roaring, Gemma wished she was any other woman. But whatever flared between them wouldn’t be simple and the potential fallout would affect more than just the two of them. “More’s the pity,” she said, giving in to the shiver as he stroked a hand down her back. “I really like your mouth.”

  Aaron gave a strangled laugh and dropped his temple to hers. “Don’t say stuff like that. It makes me want to use it on every inch of you.”

  “Oh, God.” Gemma closed her eyes and rode out the blast of lust that shot through her. “Don’t say stuff like that. It makes me want to let you.”

  “How do you want to proceed with this?” he asked.

  Straight to your bed. Do not pass Go, do not collect $200. She swallowed. “Carefully, I think. Very carefully.”

  “Okay then.” Aaron tugged her closer and rested his cheek against hers.

  She could feel his heart pounding against hers, but he kept his hold easy, as if this were nothing more complicated than a dance. When the song was over, he led her back to their table and kept her hand in his as they sat.

  “You want dessert?” he asked.

  “Maybe later.”

  “You want me to take you home?”

  And put an end to the dream? Gemma shook her head, and Aaron’s lips curved in that slow smile that made her heart skip a beat.

  “Then give me tonight. Let me show you Memphis as it’s meant to be experienced.??
?

  How could she say no to that?

  ~*~

  Aaron took Gemma dancing on Beale Street. They moved from club to club, sampling the best music Memphis had to offer. The energy of the New Year’s Eve crowds banished the sense of nagging exhaustion that might have brought the night to an end. When they ran out of steam, he took her to Gibson’s for fresh donuts. They talked for hours over an endless pot of coffee, catching up on years and playing footsie beneath the table. Dawn found them walking in a park beside the river, arm-in-arm and easy with each other.

  As the sky began to lighten behind the city skyline, Aaron tugged Gemma over to a bench to sit and watch. The wind off the water behind them was frigid, and she burrowed into him, resting her head against his shoulder. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

  “Tired?”

  “Mmm. I’m so tired, I’m wired. I think if we stop moving for very long, I’m going to crash and burn. I can’t remember the last time I stayed up all night.”

  “Grad school, for me,” said Aaron. “And certainly it wasn’t for anything as pleasant as this.”

  “It’s like that movie,” she said.

  “What movie?”

  “Before Sunrise. The movie that made every teenage girl fall in love with Ethan Hawke back in the 90s. He and Julie Delpy’s character meet on the train and end up spending all night wandering some city in Austria. Vienna, I think. Can’t remember. Anyway, they get this one, amazing night together before she has to get on the train to go back to Paris and he has to get to the airport to fly home.”

  “Is that all I’m going to get with you, Gemma? One night?”

  She lifted her head to face him. “This has been one of the best nights of my life. You’ve made one of my greatest teenage fantasies come to life, and I don’t know how to thank you for that.”

  It sounded too much like the preface of an apology. “I sense a ‘but’ coming on.”

  “But we have to face reality.”

  Aaron braced himself, already feeling the lash of disappointment. “And what’s the reality?”

  “The reality is…this is complicated.” Gemma gave a rueful smile and cupped his cheek. “I’m crazy about you. I’ve always been crazy about you. But you’re Rick’s best friend.”

  “Do you think he would have a problem with this?” He stroked a thumb over her knuckles.

  Gemma considered the question. “I think it would surprise the hell out of him. But a problem? I don’t know. He was never one of those hugely overprotective big brothers. There was such an age gap between us, there wasn’t really opportunity or need. And certainly, at this point, you and I are both unattached adults.”

  “A fact for which I find myself incredibly grateful, at the moment.”

  “Do you really care what my brother thinks?”

  “Do you?” Aaron countered.

  “Technically, whatever we do is none of his damned business,” she pointed out. “But I wouldn’t want to be the cause of any rift between you. You’ve been friends a long time.”

  “I don’t think Rick would be small enough to try and pull the protective big brother routine now, not if we were really serious about this,” said Aaron. He continued to play with her fingers as he fixed his gaze on hers. “So I guess the question is, how serious are we?”

  “How can we even answer that?” asked Gemma. “All we know at this point is that we have chemistry. Really great chemistry,” she qualified.

  “That’s not all we know,” he argued. “We know we enjoy each other’s company. That you’re not a half bad dancer when you can give up control and let somebody else lead.”

  She laughed.

  “We know we like the same kind of donuts and that you taste delicious with powdered sugar.” He nipped in to kiss the corner of her mouth, as if he’d missed a spot the last time. “We know that, once we get going, we can talk all night without running out of things to say. We also know that neither of us would be content with one night of no-strings-attached sex.”

  Gemma blinked, her brows arching in surprise. “And you say I’m direct.”

  “Calling it like I see it,” he said easily. “Whatever this is between us, it’s more than just an itch to be scratched and forgotten. Do you disagree?”

  “No,” she shook her head. “No, I don’t. No matter how earth-shattering I suspect that night would be.”

  Aaron grinned. “Careful. You’ll give me ideas.”

  “Somehow, I don’t think you need any help in that department,” she said.

  “I kissed you at midnight,” he pointed out.

  “You did,” she acknowledged. “And I keep worrying that any minute now, I’m going to wake up and find out that this is all some kind of crazy, whacked out dream.”

  “Then stay asleep with me,” said Aaron. “Today, tomorrow. The rest of the year.” The rest of my life. “However long we might last, I’d rather be dreaming with you than be awake with anyone else.”

  Gemma pressed her free hand to her heart and sighed. “Who knew you were such a romantic?”

  “You did. I believe you lobbed that charge at me while we looked at stars over the lake that summer.”

  “You vehemently denied the accusation, as I recall.”

  “Of course, I did. My man cred with Rick was at stake. And I didn’t want him thinking I had ideas about you.”

  “You have ideas now,” she said.

  “I certainly do. So how ’bout it?”

  “It just so happens I like the way you think.” Gemma leaned forward and brushed her lips lightly over his. “Take me home, Hendricks. If you play your cards right, I just might cook you some breakfast.”

  Finis.

  A Note From The Author

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  Other Books By Kait Nolan

  Contemporary Romance

  Wishful Series

  Once Upon A Coffee (Avery and Dillon): Available for FREE!

  To Get Me To You (Cam and Norah): Available for FREE!

  Be Careful, It’s My Heart (Brody and Tyler)

  Know Me Well (Liam and Riley)

  Once Upon A Setup (A Meet Cute Romance with Piper and Myles!)

  Just For This Moment (Myles and Piper)

  Wish I Might (Reed and Cecily)

  Turn My World Around (Tucker and Corinne)

  Wishing For a Hero Series (A Wishful Spinoff Series)

  If I Didn’t Care (Judd and Autumn)

  Meet Cute Romance

  Once Upon A Snow Day

  Once Upon A New Year’s Eve

  Once Upon An Heirloom

  Once Upon A Coffee: Available for FREE!

  Once Upon A Setup

  Meet Cute Romance: Volume 1 (Meet Cutes 1-5)

  Paranormal Romance

  Mirus Series:

  Genesis (an omnibus including, Forsaken By Shadow (Mirus 1.1), Devil’s Eye (Mirus 1.2), and Blindsight )

  Riven

  Whisper of Shadow(Also available in the Magical Mayhem anthology)

  YA:

  Red

  Whisper of Shadow

  Sneak Peek Once Upon An Heirloom

  Everett paused in front of a case of watches and tried to look like he wasn’t shamelessly eavesdropping. It was a terrible compulsion, but the moment she’d mentioned she was i
n financial trouble, he couldn’t help but tune in.

  She was southern. A drawl underscored the earnest tone as she tried to correct whatever impression she thought she’d given. As the jeweler picked up a loupe to examine the stones in the ring, Everett glanced over at the woman. She wore a good quality red parka, worn but good boots, and seemed properly dressed for the weather. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a loose braid. It gave him a clear view of her profile and the spots of color riding high in her cheeks. Embarrassment. And some anxiety, he thought, catching sight of the hands she was wringing as she waited.

  What had brought her so low that she was selling a piece that clearly meant a lot to her?

  “What do you think of this one over here?”

  “Huh?” Everett turned his attention to Brandon, crossing to a case on the other side to see what he was pointing out. “No, not marquis. Isabelle has little hands. You want something more delicate. Princess or round.”

  The jeweler finished his inspection. “It’s certainly an exquisite piece and there’s a market for antique rings, but you must understand, I won’t be your best bet for maximizing profit.”

  “You have a business to run and access to wholesale markets. I get that.”

  “I wouldn’t ordinarily bring this up, but given your unique circumstance, I feel I should. I have a colleague down in Denver who deals in consignment. He has a generous 70/30 split of the sale price. With the current market, you’d do considerably better going that route.”

  “I appreciate your honesty, but I’m not in a position to wait, and I don’t have a way to get to Denver at the moment. What’s the best you can do?”

  Everett shifted so he could see the woman as she took the slip of paper the jeweler offered. Her eyes closed after she read it and she swallowed once, hard.

  “I’m sorry it can’t be more.”

  Though she looked pained, the woman nodded. “Let’s do it.”