A Gleam In His Eye

A mower whined somewhere down the block. Across the street the dog that never shut up barked away. Children’s voices drifted down from an open window on his own second story. In short, the neighborhood was alive with sound. But Hunter’s gaze drifted from her wide brown eyes down to her mouth. He became so focused on her barely parted lips and slightly crooked front tooth that the surrounding cacophony became nothing more than a background white noise. Once more he leaned forward.

She didn’t need a road sign to know what came next.

Johanna’s breath caught in her throat. And there went her heart again.

She didn’t kiss on a first date and this could hardly even be called that. Some guy buying you ice cream out of gratitude for saving his kid’s life wasn’t a date, now was it? Especially since there’d been five kids in clear view the entire time. Speaking of which, Aubrey might come out at any minute. She’d be shocked. For sure she’d blab.

Johanna was an expert at blocking this kind of move on a guy’s part. A step back, a lowered head, even a quick insertion of some bright conversational gambit. All worked.

But then, maybe she was reading too much into this kiss.

It could be.

Wasn’t it possible that Hunter was simply a toucher? You know, not touchy feely in a bad kind of way, just…tactile. This could be nothing more than a sort of nonverbal appeal to a different one of the senses kind of thing. He’d done the verbal thing and was moving on. Could well be she’d get a thank-you card in the mail sometime soon. Who knew? Maybe he kissed everybody goodbye. For all she knew, he might have some French blood in his heritage. Then it wouldn’t be a first date kind of kiss, but just a social kind of thing. The French were always kissing one another.

Johanna angled her head to better meet Hunter’s kiss. She’d never been kissed by a Frenchman.

Their lips met and Johanna had to reach for the car door handle to steady herself. Holy smoke. He’d barely touched her with his lips and she was already reeling.

“Hell,” Hunter muttered, and moved closer, crowding her just a bit, but not enough that she could really lodge a legal protest.

He skimmed the back of his knuckles down her cheek, which gave her the shivers. He noticed and did it again. Then Hunter slid the backs of those same knuckles down the side of her chest, barely catching the beginning curve of her breast. Again, not quite enough to warrant a complaint but more than enough to have her questioning what she’d thought was a well-conditioned heart. He let his hand rest on her waist.

Oh, boy, here it came.

Once more their lips met. Not quite as brief, not quite as sweet and innocent.

Carnal was a good descriptive word that came to mind.

His tongue slid slowly along the seam of her closed mouth.

She could take a hint when she was hit over the head with one and Johanna parted her lips.

“That’s it,” he muttered, and tugged carefully on her bottom lip with his teeth.

The screen door slapped. Johanna and Hunter both startled.

Johanna pushed on his shoulders. It was like trying to move stone. Unable to see over his shoulder she had to lean and look around it. “Aubrey! Uh, hi! You ready to go?”

“All set.” The child paused on her way down the front steps, studying the two of them curiously. “What are you two doing?”

Johanna colored guiltily. “Nothing. Just saying good-night. That’s all.”

“Yeah, uh-huh.”

Damn, but for seven she had a suspicious mind.

“Were you guys kissing?”

Johanna shoved once more. This time he released her. “No. Absolutely not.”

Hunter swung around. “Yes.”

“I knew it!” Aubrey crowed. “That is so gross!”

Hunter began an exaggerated stalk. “I kiss all the beautiful women that cross my path.” He stopped and pointed like a well-trained setter. “What’s this? Another beautiful woman?”

“To be,” Johanna inserted.

“Another beautiful woman to be?” Hunter repeated dutifully.

“Oh, no, not me. Johanna, make him stop,” Aubrey ordered as she giggled and danced away. “You’re not doing that to me.”

“Oh, I think so,” Hunter insisted, still stalking as the seven-year-old backed up with both hands held in front of her in a weak attempt to ward him off. “Do you know what happens to little girls who think my kissing is gross?” he asked menacingly.

Aubrey was laughing so hard she could barely get the words out. “No, what?”

He lunged and caught her.

She shrieked.

Hunter questioned his wriggling burden one more time. “So you don’t think you’d like my kisses, hmm?”

Aubrey shook her head emphatically.

“I’ll give you ten years, my little pullet,” Hunter said. “Then we’ll see what you have to say about the subject.”

She really shrieked then and folded up laughing as he gently tickled her.

“I still think it’s gross and I’m still gonna tell,” Aubrey managed to say between giggles. “I’m gonna tell everybody you and Johanna were kissing.”

Just as Hunter was preparing a reply, a young voice yelled down from up above. “Uncle Hunter? Mikie threw Aaron’s toothbrush in the potty while I was using it. Then he flushed it down all because Aaron said his teeth were whiter than Mikie’s and Mikie probably wouldn’t get no stars. How’s Aaron gonna brush his teeth now? We coulda cleaned it up, couldn’t we? I mean, if we used lots and lots of soap? But it’s gone now. Mikie flushed it down. Aaron’s really mad ’cuz he only got half his teeth done. I think maybe it was the top half, but it coulda been the bottom. Want me to ask him?”