She understood what it was like to make up the rules as she went because there wasn’t a parent around to explain life to her. She understood what it was like to improvise her next meal because her mother had spent that week’s grocery money in a casino. Now in her mid-twenties, Nora understood what it was like just to want her mother’s love, and she recognized how many things she’d missed out on in life while chasing the dream of a “normal” childhood.
Nora exhaled slowly, pushing the familiar pain in her heart away as she focused on the little boy beside her. He was absolutely precious; small for his age, he had short black hair and the brightest green eyes she’d ever seen. And he also had a cleft palate. When she’d first met him, the deformity of his upper lip had jumped out at her, but she’d never let him know it, because it just didn’t matter. It didn’t detract from the sweet soul inside, or the love that poured out of his open eyes. Within minutes, she’d forgotten it was there and never really saw it again.
But the other kids did.
“Marco, do you think you’d like to go out and have your snack with everyone else before your mom gets here?” she asked, finally putting down the book she was flipping through.
He looked up at her slowly and shook his head. “I don’t want to.”
“Why not?”
His gaze flitted away, and his jaw tensed. “Brandon told everyone not to eat with me. He said that I’m contagious, and that everyone will have a face like mine if they touch me.” His voice caught in his throat, and tears sprang to his eyes, dripping slowly over his lashes. “So no one wants to eat with me.”
“Oh, Marco.” Pain tore through her at his confession, and she scooted closer to him on the floor, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. “I’m so sorry he said that. You know that’s not true, right?”
Marco nodded and wiped at his face with the back of one little hand. Nora hugged him and told him that everything was going to be okay, that he was such a handsome young boy and should always remember that. He perked up, slowly but surely, and together they stacked the books he’d been reading on the bookcase and went to rejoin the rest of the children as they ate their snacks before parents came to pick them up.
The moment they entered the room, hand in hand, Marco’s stubby fingers clutched hers even tighter. He pressed his body against the side of her leg as they walked to the snack table, where she collected a bowl of pretzels for him then guided him to a table in the middle of the room.
“Can I eat with you, Marco?” Nora asked, slightly louder than necessary.
He nodded and sat down, furtively glancing around the rest of the room to see who else was watching. Several other children sat at the long table, all engrossed in their own conversations. “Yes, Ms. Hannigan.”
“Ms. Hannigan, come eat with us!” a few kids called from the far end of the table.
She smiled and waved down at them. “Maybe next time! I’m eating with Marco today.”
At the next table, an older boy, whom she knew to be the infamous Brandon, stood up. He walked over to where Marco and Nora were sitting, his hands on his hips. “That’s not a good idea, Ms. Hannigan. He’s contagious. Look at his face—it’s gross.”
Marco stared down at the table, fumbling with a pretzel in one hand as he pretended not to hear.
Nora gently squeezed his forearm as a sign of support. “Marco, would you please pass me a pretzel?”
Marco picked up a pretzel out of the bowl and handed it to her. Nora quickly pushed it into her mouth and chewed, making a happy mmm sound as she did.
“That was delicious. Thank you, Marco.”
The older boy looked confused and nervous, but Marco was smiling and eating his pretzels. Sometimes people just needed someone next to them to stare down the bullies, and she’d be that person for any kid here. Noting that many of the kids nearby were paying attention to the exchange with wide eyes, she focused on the older boy. “Brandon, what you said was very unkind. Marco is not contagious, and he is not gross. He is handsome and wonderful, just like you. I think you owe him an apology.”
Brandon shifted his weight from one foot to the other, looking with concern at the stares of his peers. “My dad said—”
“Brandon,” Nora cut him off gently. “What you said was cruel and untrue. It would be a really good thing if you’d apologize.”
Shuffling over to the table, staring at his feet, Brandon sighed. “I’m sorry, Marco.”
“It’s okay,” Marco replied happily, completely truthful. Children had a remarkable rebound rate, and it was yet another thing she loved about them.
A little girl sitting two seats over from Marco slid down and looked at him. “I got cheese crackers. Do you want to split, half for half?”
Marco nodded excitedly and traded half his pretzels for some cheese crackers.
“Can I have a cheese cracker?” Brandon asked, pulling out a chair across from Marco and sitting down. “I only had pretzels.”
“Sure!” Marco replied, handing one over.
Brandon took it directly from his hand and ate it. “Thanks!”
Nora smiled at the interaction and stood up. She squeezed Marco’s shoulder affectionately as he and Brandon chatted. Almost done with her shift for the evening, Nora headed out of the rec room.
Stepping into the hallway without paying attention, she skidded to a stop to avoid colliding with the man who had been standing there.
Kane grinned down at her, their bodies inches apart, as she lifted her chin to look up at him. “You know you don’t need an excuse to get close to me, Nora. You’ve got an open invitation anytime you want.”
Nora scoffed, quickly looking around to see if any of the kids had heard him. Surmising that they didn’t, she pushed him back into the hallway. “Gee, how tempting.”
That made him chuckle, and he bit his lip. His eyes traveled up and down her body, and his gaze made her whole body heat up. He had this way of looking at her that made her feel like she was being devoured…and she loved it. If it had been anyone else, she’d probably slap him, but with Kane it had a current of affection and sincerity that made her feel desired and strong.
“You know, I saw that whole exchange in there,” Kane admitted. “What you did for that little boy, the way you get kids to change their behavior…you’re really amazing, kitty.”
She felt her cheeks heating as she blushed. “They’re good kids.”
“Partly because they have a good role model to look up to,” he said, lifting her chin to look up at him. “You keep surprising me, Nora.”
He was close…so close she could feel his soft breath on her face. She felt his hand touch hers, locking their fingers together as he lifted her hand up to his lips. He gently kissed the back of her hand, then each of her knuckles, his eyes still on hers.
She felt her legs wobble and her chest tighten as she forgot to breathe. She quickly yanked her hand away from his and looked around. “Kane, what are you doing? This is not the place for that.”
“Let’s go somewhere else, then.”
Nora let out a huff and she rolled her eyes then walked past him down the hallway. “Be serious.”
“Oh, I’m most definitely serious,” he assured her, following in her footsteps as they got to her office.
“Remind me again why you’re here?” she said, picking up a pile of folders from her desk and moving to a nearby filing cabinet, where she began putting them away.
“Kieran told me he’d left his wallet here. He asked if I’d stop by and pick it up for him on my way home.”
“Oh, right,” she said, remembering she’d found it earlier and had tucked it into her desk. “I’ll grab it.”
“Take your time,” he told her, sitting down on the couch in her office and watching her intently.
She rolled her eyes for the millionth time. “How is it that you manage to make everything you say sound dirty? It’s like a gift!”
“I’ve got a lot of gifts, kitty. You’ve already enjoyed a few of them.??
?
That made her blush—again. She finished filing the folders and returned to her desk. Opening the top drawer, she grabbed the wallet and held it out to him. “Here you go. I was actually going to drop it off myself since I’m about to leave and I live around the corner from Fiona.”
“Well, let me walk you out then.”
She eyed him suspiciously. “Why?”
“Because I’m a gentleman. Remember?”
Oh, she definitely remembered.
—
“Do you want a ride?” he asked, pointing toward the parking lot at the side of the youth center. Nora had said a rushed good-bye to him as they exited, and had then turned in the opposite direction. He assumed she must have walked here.
“No thanks, it’s not that far,” Nora called back over her shoulder.
Kane frowned, looking from his car to her retreating figure and trying to decide what to do. Pocketing his car keys once more, he jogged after her. “All right, then, I’ll walk you home.”
She paused. “But you drove here…”
“And you didn’t,” he countered with a smile and continued to walk down the sidewalk. She was forced to run a few steps to catch up to him.
“Yeah, but I live only a few blocks away,” she said when she was once again beside him. “Your place is on the other side of Woodlawn.”
“I’ll circle back and get my car after I walk you home, Nora. Don’t worry about me.”
“That’s a lot of extra walking,” she said, her voice a little snippy.
Kane grinned, looking sideways at her. “You think I can’t handle it?”
She blushed, and damn how he loved to make her blush. Every time he was able to say something that threw her off her game enough to make her cheeks go red, he considered it a personal victory.
“It’s a tiring walk for me most nights after a long day of classes and work, but I guess you’re some magic fitness guru,” she bantered, and he knew she was ready to play.
“Bingo! That’s exactly what I am,” he teased. “In fact, we should up the ante and make this more challenging, since I’m at such a superior level of fitness compared to you.”
Nora stuck her index finger in her mouth and feigned gagging. “Oh, sure, you should have to carry me the whole way back.”
Her words were dripping in sarcasm, but he was never one to shy away from a challenge.
“Deal,” he agreed, stepping behind her and lifting her straight in the air.
“Kane!” she screamed as he slung her over his shoulder so her legs were dangling down his chest and she was facing the direction from which they came. “Put me down!”
He kept walking, ignoring her. She smacked his back with both hands repeatedly, first in annoyance and then, finally, more playfully as she loosened up and started laughing. Like really laughing. Kane smiled and found himself chuckling, too, happy that he’d been able to knock down her walls and get to the Nora he’d seen only glimpses of so far.
And he was eager to see more.
“Kane, please just put me down,” she said, catching her breath as her laughter subsided.
They reached a street corner, and he lowered her to the ground carefully. “As you wish, m’lady.”
She grinned, letting her hands rest on his chest for a moment. “That’s a phrase from one of my favorite movies.”
“Princess Bride?” he asked, well aware of the famous line.
Surprise widened her eyes, but it wasn’t lost on him that she still hadn’t stepped away from him. Her hands rested on his pecs, his hands on her waist. They just stood there, and it was…happy. Nothing else, just happy.
“You’ve seen it?” she asked.
He nodded. “Inconceivable.”
“You use that word, but I do not think it means what you think it means,” she replied, her smile widening.
He tilted his head. “Are you flirting with me, kitty?”
“Inconceivable,” she teased back. He could see her trying to pull the smile from her face, but it wasn’t possible. So he didn’t let her.
Leaning down, he placed one soft kiss on her lips. Her smile faded, replaced with a look he wanted to see more of. It was hungry, and curious, and he wanted to answer every question as her gaze traveled from his lips back up to his eyes. He waited, because this was up to her. He wanted it to be up to her.
He wanted…only her.
Nora pushed up on her toes and kissed him. It was just as soft, but lingering, and the longer she let her lips explore his, the more he wanted to explore her. Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her tight against his chest and returned her kiss…harder this time.
They stood there on the Woodlawn street corner for several more minutes, just kissing. And it was just perfect.
Chapter 9
“You heading out, Killer?”
At the sound of the familiar voice coming from behind him, Kane paused at the locker room door and turned. “Yeah, finally. That workout kicked my ass.” He turned and fist-bumped one of his oldest friends in the neighborhood.
Donavan played basketball on the back court. He wasn’t a fighter, though he could have been, with his lean but muscular build.
They had met in high school years before. Along with a few other close friends who were still in Woodlawn, they got together every so often to shoot the shit and get wasted. They’d been part of a tight group in school, and friends who’d left the Bronx always made a point to see them when they came back.
“Come out with me and the guys!” Donavan invited. “I’m just going to shower real fast, then a few of us are going out to eat. You’ve missed the last few times, man. You owe us!”
Grinning, Kane pushed the handle of his bag up his shoulder. “You know I’m in training, Don. Two and a half months until Vegas.”
“We’re all training for something in life.” Donavan shrugged. “Me, Pat, and Saint are trying a new Mexican place over in Jackson Heights.”
“Which one?”
A slightly crooked but completely devilish grin spread over Donavan’s face, and his green eyes gleamed with debauchery. “You’ll have to see it to believe it.”
Kane furrowed his brow. “You’re not going to tell me the name?”
“Nope, you can follow us there. You in?” Donavan asked.
Kane shrugged. The stress of training for the championship was getting to him, and he was desperate to relieve the tension building inside. A fun time out with his friends might be just the answer. “What the hell. I’m in.”
“Good, and it’s my treat,” Donavan told him.
Kane shrugged it off. “Nah, man, it’s fine. I’ve got it.”
“Not a chance. Consider it a congrats for getting into the championships. You’re a beast, man!”
Warmth rose up Kane’s face, and he looked away. Compliments always made him antsy. “All right, D, then I’m getting the most expensive thing on the menu.”
An hour later, Kane stood on the sidewalk with three of his oldest friends: Donavan, Saint, and Patrick.
Kane found himself staring up at a sign that read Tacos & Ta-Tas. “You’re shitting me. This isn’t an actual place, is it?”
“Hell fucking yes,” Donavan said, slapping him on the back and heading for the door.
Saint clapped his hands, smiling. “It’s like the Mexican Hooters! Best tacos around! You’re going to love their secret ingredient.”
Patrick laughed. “I’ll give you a hint—the secret ingredient is boobs.”
Kane shot him a look. “I figured that much out.” His friends didn’t bother to wait around to ask his opinion. They were already heading inside.
Begrudgingly, he followed them. He didn’t want to seem like a pussy to his friends, but he had zero interest in ogling a bunch of strange women in tight clothes. That thought brought Nora to his mind almost immediately. For reasons he couldn’t explain, even to himself, she was the only woman he wanted. And he wasn’t getting her. Every time he thought he was making the smallest step forw
ard, like when she had kissed him on the sidewalk, he got pushed several steps back when she didn’t answer his texts for days on end.
At the youth center, he’d seen a side of her he couldn’t stop thinking about. It wasn’t her sensuality he had discovered, because he had already known about that. It was her heart. The way she’d helped those children, the way she embraced her job with such passion. He admired her and the work she did. His heart felt as if it had leaped out of his chest, and it confused the hell out of him.
“Holy shit!” Patrick breathed through his teeth next to him. Kane snapped to attention and looked around.
“Good fucking call on this place, Don.” Saint slapped a hand on Donavan’s back as they stood in the entryway of the restaurant and looked around.
It was exactly what it advertised. A variety of Mexican food crowded each of the tables as cute waitresses in red bikini tops and green short-shorts—they weren’t simply “short”—waited on them.
“Hi, there!” A perky brunette with giant fake tits bounced over to them. “How many in your party?”
“Four,” Donavan answered, not even bothering to look at her eyes.
“Ooh, perfect. I love a group of hot men around me.” She winked suggestively at Donavan, then made sure to give each of them a sultry look.
Kane raised his eyebrows as he turned to Saint. “Do we really want to eat here?”
Saint wasn’t even listening, and all his friends were already following the hostess to a nearby table. Sighing, he trudged behind them.
Once seated, he opened the menu, glanced at some of the suggestive food names, then quickly closed it. “Ta-Ta Tamales? Engorged Enchiladas? Seriously? This place is cheesy as fuck. I’m not eating any of this shit.”
“Who’s actually looking at the menu?” Patrick laughed, scanning the room. Kane rolled his eyes, wondering if his friends had always been this immature, or if he just didn’t find it fun anymore.
“I hope that’s our waitress, because that’s what I want for dessert.” Patrick wiggled his eyebrows suggestively as he watched the waitress at the table next to them.
Kane followed Pat’s gaze, but when the woman they were ogling turned around, Kane’s jaw dropped. Nora was staring back at him, looking just as shocked as he felt. His Nora. Here. For every other man in the room to feast his eyes on.