FIVE

Prepared for power, Celeste was surprised by the gentleness of what was more promise than proper kiss, as the entire world narrowed down to the drugging feel of Nathaniel Bernard’s lips against hers. It was as if he was the first man to kiss her, the first man she’d ever wanted to kiss her.

As Nathan deepened the kiss, degree by intoxicating degree, Celeste felt a golden heat flow through her, making her feel as if she’d swallowed the sun. they could have stood there in the cool night mist, Nathan kissing Celeste, her kissing him back for a moment, a minute, an hour, or an eternity.

Desire uncurled inside her and as she found herself wanting more, Celeste struggled to remember that she’d never been a type of woman who brief sexual flings after she divorced her husband or a typical woman falling for awesome stranger. She was only here to stay away for misfortunes. Which definitely precluded giving into the temptation where this man was concerned.

As if possessing the power to read her mind, Nathan slowly lifted his head, breaking the exquisite contact. “Why don’t you sleep on that?” he smoothed the lines in her forehead with a fingertip. “I’ll see you soon.” He winked at her seductively.

She drew in a breath, expelled it. “I…uh…will get going now.”

She’d have to stay on her ground now, she reminded herself as she entered her room and bumped on the bed helplessly.

Dammit, what was the point in being so strong and confident after her divorce, for the rest of her life, if she was going to melt whenever she got within kissing distance of this man? What happened to the hardened heart or the heart of stone towards men? Where was it when she needed it now?

Celeste asked herself that question continuously, pacing before she fell asleep.

After restless night, Celeste was glad that her father and especially Neil didn’t ask about what happened last night after they had left. She showed them the prizes and it was solved. Carly hasn’t called since she left home, she was desperately looking forward for her sister to come home, she needed a listener… a good one to hear what she was confused about. And a sister like Carly was a perfect candidate.

” Mom, I’ll be at Nathan’s when you need me, you can knock the door, Bye.” Neil informed her as he dropped his bag after he was back from school, “Bye.”

Celeste looked (watched) Neil as he ran off the gate, Neil was always happy anytime it comes to Nathan, she thought did Nathan cast a spell on her son and, was doing the same to her? She shouldn’t be looking for hidden motives in whatever he does, but she couldn’t help it.

“Celeste, could you please call Neil for me?” her father requested.

“Why? Father, I’ll be glad to help you out, anything.” She hesitated to go to that man’s place.

“I need to ask him something and you don’t have to know about it so you have to excuse us, then.” Her father replied making her. “Come on, go call my grandson, woman” he commanded her.

“Okay, I’m sorry.” She was starting to become nervous now. Why did she have to see him today, in the evening of all time. She stomped her feet as she entered through his gate and rang the doorbell.

He opened the door to her, pinning an amused smile of welcome on his face.

“Grandpa called for you, Neil.” She glanced at Neil who just finished attending to his assignments, packing.

“Okay, bye, Nathan.” He ran off again.

He closed the door behind her and gained intimately.

“Well, this is a surprise, what happened? Did you really miss me after yesterday?” The mockery that was never far from his voice was in full strength today.

“Miss you, why would I?” she gave a careless laugh “why would I want to do that?”

“You tell me.”

She was downright appalled by the way her heart skipped a few vital beats when they were inside his house, alone.

“Slept well, last night?” he asked.

“Absolutely,” she lied. She has been thinking of him even in her sleep. Gosh, it hurts.

“It’s fresh air,” he said “makes you sleep like a baby.” Blue eyes skimmed over her in a thoroughly masculine perusal “Nice suit” he pushed way from the wall ad moved a little closer. “women with a suit like that could probably conquer the world.”

He took two more steps forward; she took one back. “mmm” he was still looking at her in that silent thoughtful way. “Why don’t you have a sit?”

“sure.” He was too close for comfort; she was breathing heavily even when he already moved aside to sit on the cushion.

“You’ve visited me today. I can’t say I’m ungrateful for this gracious opportunity” now he sat beside her. “What do you think you’re doing?” she hissed when he rubbed her flannel lapel between his thumb and index finger.

“Yep, great flick,” he repeated distractedly, making Celeste wonder if he’d even heard her question or simply, in his own hard-headed way, choosing to ignore it. “Flannel and silk.” The blue in his eyes deepened as he took another unnervingly long perusal of her tailored white silk blouse. Didn’t the man ever blink?

“That’s quite an intriguing contrast.”

Reminding herself of all her late-night resolutions, she slapped his hand away. “Are you hitting on me again, Nathan?”

“Hitting on you?” he repeated as if trying the words out might provide a clue to whatever was happening here “No, I don’t think so.”

She heard the slight rasp of his thumb against the cloth of her lapel again. That gesture hadn’t been the slightest bit seductive, leading her to believe that Nathaniel Bernard was merely a toucher. She was not.

“Next time, I hit on you, darling, you wouldn’t have to ask, you’ll know.” His smile charmed yet again, but his dark, intense eyes made her mouth go dry.

Celeste was trying to think to something, anything to say so that provocative challenge when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

“What is it?” she ground out as she spun around to see she was back in her room.

Carly held up both hands “What’s wrong sis? Miss me?” she sat beside her sister on her bed.

“Don’t you think this miserable widower act has gone long enough” Carly added.

Celeste stunted a look towards her sister. “If a woman was looking for a man _____”

“Which I’m not”

“Come on, I really notice the way you barged out of Nathan’s gate flushing, when we invited him for dinner and…,” she purposely stressed her conclusion.

“It’s not an act.” She sighed. “It’s nothing. It’s not that I despise him but I’m scared.”

“That’s why you should give him a chance. I think he’s being honest” Carly assured. “Trying to hide your feelings from one man because you’re terrified from a previous one.”

“I… to tell you the truth, he kissed me yesterday- the couple day festival”

“Great, I’ve missed a lot.” She sat down properly “And what did you do? Come on spit it out.” Carly urged her.

“I can resist him; I just can’t seem to.” She waited “Just be frank, it felt breath taking.” She added blushing.

Carly clapped her hands “That’s why you should give it a shot, you never know this might last. And Neil likes him a lot already. Or should I help you?”

“Uhm…yes…No!” she stammered hesitating and confused. Carly smiled at first then laughed mocking her. “finally, I can see the light beaming.

Tired of staying home during week end, the dancing Bear-Dress-Shoppe was the best- and the only place to buy women’s clothing in Nocturndely. The store had been established by sisters, Elena and Emma Jefferson, identical twins who’d been married to Nocturndely’s only other pair of twins, Jayson and Justin Jefferson, for nearly fifty years.

“How wonderful that you’ve come back home.” Emma greeted Celeste as their sister began searching through a display of beautiful captivating dresses.

“You and your sister are just about all she talks about.”

“You both certainly did your father proud, that’s for certain.” Elena agreed.

“Not just your father and son.” Emma said before Celeste could respond. “We’re all proud of you.” They said and they left her.

Not long after the Jefferson sisters left. The well-known town criers. Elizabeth Filk and Anne Marie, the two friends who were aged above forty years old nearly fifty also.

Celeste decided not to share her initial impression of Nathan.

“Celeste, what a pleasant surprise, we were talking about the recent famous chef, Nathan. He is your neighbor right and friend?” Elizabeth said with a flare of her unsinkable optimism.

“Yes, He is” Celeste answered politely.

“What do you think of him?”

Since they were so poke-nosy she couldn’t resist them. She wanted to answer their question that man they were talking about was really having a lot of effects on her- That he was too sexy for comfort. “He seems like a fair man.”

“Oh, he is, But I wasn’t talking about that. I was talking…referring to his looks. Didn’t you find him absolutely dashing.

“I didn’t really notice.”

“Oh, my dear, if that’s truly the case, then you’ve been working too hard. Every single woman in town has been chasing after that man since he arrived. I suspect that quite a few of the married ones wouldn’t mind putting his cowboy boots beside their beds. We thought you were engaged when you both danced at the couple’s day festival.”

“Absolutely not, we aren’t dating.” She frowned.

“I understand you don’t want to get involved in this but don’t you think you can start all over, I mean re-marry.”

“Anne,” Elizabeth whispered, “Anne, don’t you think we should leave Celeste to herself now,” she spat out,

“Celeste didn’t come here to gossip about the chef.”

Elizabeth moved forward “Really, It’s enough, she came here to shop. So we should just let her get to it.” With that, she literally dragged her talkative friend away.

The other-ladies also present in the shop had already disappeared into the dressing rooms when Carly approached her with a silk dress a wash with tropical flowers.

“look, sis. Isn’t this lovely?”

“Gorgeous,” Raine agreed, easily picturing her sister in the vastly romantic dress.

“I’m so pleased you said so, why don’t you pick a dress.”

“That’s not necessary, I’ve already picked some jeans and tops.”

“Nonsense, what happened to address, you’re not in city anymore sis.”

“True. But I can’t imagine needing a dress like that here in Nocturndely.”

“You never know.” Ignoring Celeste frown, “Why do you pick a dress. Perhaps you’ll be invited for dinner by some man.”

Celeste just pick s red dress-cut low on the shoulders, cotton designed with a blue art craft. She picked in a haste, Carly nodded. “Let’s go.” They left the Shoppe.

* * *

They got home, Carly dropped every dress and wears they bought, scattered on their beds. She picked the silk dress she showed Celeste at the Shoppe.

“Why don’t you try it on?” asked Celeste.

“Me! I have mine. Actually, I bought it for you” Carly smiled.

“I told you, I don’t need a dress especially a dress like this.” She refused “I certainly didn’t come back home to date.”

“Well, of course you didn’t, dear. But it’s such a lovely dress.”

“It’s beautiful,” Neil who’d suddenly appeared, cajoled. “Mom, try it on, Please?”

It wasn’t her style. Celeste thought of all the casual wears hanging in her closet.

“It wouldn’t hurt to try it on,” Carly said, “unless, of course,” she added slyly, “you’re afraid.”

“Why on earth would I be afraid of a dress?”

“I have no idea.” Carly shrugged “Perhaps, because you’re afraid that you’ll discover a sexy, beauteous female lurking beneath that grim miserable widow façade you present to the world.”

It was more a challenge than an insult. Even knowing that her sister was pushing buttons, Celeste couldn’t resist taking her upon it.

She scratched the dress from Carly’s hand. “It’s not my size it’s so small.”

“I don’t think so.” Carly skimmed an appraising look over Celeste. “Give it a try and if you need a larger size, I’ll go get one… meanwhile, Neil and I will go to see a friend in town, we’ll be right back soon.”

It wasn’t her style, Raine repeated to hers as she stripped off her slacks and sweater. Beside her sister was wrong, there wasn’t a single-beauteous bone left in her body. She was intelligent and cool-headed.

As she pulled the dress over her head, Celeste overlooked the fact that it had been a very long time since she had been out to dinner. The dress slid over her like a silk water fall, she refused to be enticed, until she looked into the mirror and viewed the gorgeous stranger who was looking straight back at her.

“Celeste” Nathan called out to her. “Fascinating.” He walked in.

“I think it’s a little snug. How did you get in?” she asked him as he moved closer.

“Your sister told me you needed to ask me something, your dad told me to come meet you up here and I think I should be grateful for that.”

The bodies bared her shoulders and the silk hugged her avers like a lover’s cares on the way down her body to swirl around her calves. It felt cool and care free and dammit sexy, he thought.

Their eyes met. Another of those thick uncomfortable silence, settled over them. His gaze intensified a bit as he studied her. Then he reached out “That’s dynamite dress.”

“I was just trying it on”

Obviously, a man comfortable with touching, he rubbed at the line etching their way into her forehead “So”

“No.” she briefly closed her eye allowing herself to enjoy the soothing touch. “Don’t get the wrong idea.”

“You can deny the fact that you are the one really wanting it to be a wring idea.” His thumbs skimmed path from her temples, down her face, to her jaw. “Too Tense.” He brushed a light care in the silky hollow between lips and chin.

Celeste backed away “You really shouldn’t touch me like that.”

“I like touching you.”

“If you keep this up, it’ll be all over the town by night fall that we are lovers.”

“Would that be so bad,” he smiled dangerously.

“That it would be all over town?”

“No.” because she was finding his touch too alluring, Celeste was relieved when he dipped his hands in to his pockets “that we’re lovers”

She felt the color flood into her cheeks, “You shouldn’t be talking to me like that either.”

“You started it.” When she lifted a brow, he said “When you put on that dress.

“I certainly didn’t put it on for you”

“Perhaps not, I don’t think so” he walked to the door.

“I don’t want this.”

“What makes you think I do?”

“You’re the one who keeps looking at me that way. Talking to me that way.” She drew in a ragged breath that had the silk pulling against her breasts, and caused heat to flash in his eyes– “Touching me”

“I can’t help it darling. I like looking at you Celeste, talking with you. I especially like touching you. In fact, since you brought it up, I suppose this is where I warn you that I’d like to do a whole lot more of it.”

She held out a hand like a traffic cop. “you’re hitting on me again”

“Absolutely”

Electricity was arcing around them once again. Celeste felt as if a thunderstorm was hovering on the horizon, about to hit with a vengeance at any moment. Her nerves strung nearby to the breaking point, she nearly wept with relief when a small bonder of black hair walked in, ruining the expectant, intimate mood.

“I’ll get going then, bye Carly” He paused, walked in as he was about to leave. “I would love a favor, if you don’t mind Carly, I would like to steal your sister for dinner tomorrow could you help?” he smiled at Carly who seemed to understand all with just a look.

“Why not, I would love to give her to you. You can trust me on that.” Carly waved on a salute as he left the room to them.

“Definitely not, didn’t you see the way he looked at me.”

Celeste wailed.

“Yep! Thanks to my lovely romantic dress,” she clapped

“Tomorrow, I assure you, you’ll go.” She dumped her bed “Won’t you pull that dress or do you want to see him glaring at you. Come on, I know you wish to go, you’re such a lovely lair or seeing shy. Let’s just go to sleep, Neil’s asleep already. Tomorrow It is” she giggled and slept off.

Celeste pulled the dress into her night gown, she climbed her bed, pulled the bed cover to her chest. It seems she’d miscalculated thinking she would never fall in love or be in a swing with a man anymore. And here it landed her.