Kelly didn’t immediately draw away. Her mouth softened beneath his, and then moved in a tentative response that was enough to make his head spin. And then her lips parted. Just slightly. Just enough to give him a tantalizing taste of her.
He was suddenly ravenous for more. He wrapped his arms around her and gathered her close, nearly lifting her off her feet as he deepened the kiss. For one delicious moment, Kelly responded with a fervor that seemed to match his.
And then she stiffened and pushed frantically against his shoulders. As reluctant as Shane was to end the kiss, he released her immediately.
She jerked away from him, pressing against the kitchen counter and staring at him with wide, panicky eyes. Her breath came in broken gasps. “Don’t,” she said. “Don’t do that again.”
His hand wasn’t quite steady when he shoved it through his hair. “Stop looking so terrified,” he said a bit crossly. “I’m not going to attack you.”
She swallowed. “Is that the way you treat Dawne when you’re alone?”
He’d never heard a more ridiculous question in his life. “Of course not,” he snapped. “Damn it, Kelly, Dawne’s family.”
The silence that followed the comment was heavy with emotion. Her voice was as dark as her unhappy eyes when she finally spoke. “Any more questions about why I sometimes feel like an outsider?”
He swallowed a groan as the full import of what he’d just said sank in. “Kelly, I—”
She didn’t give him a chance to finish the stumbling apology. Instead, she turned on one heel and left the room, her limp more pronounced than usual, as if her distress weighed heavily on her. Shane started after her, then stopped with a curse when he remembered the cooler full of drinks. Even with her limp, he couldn’t catch up with Kelly while he was dragging a heavy cooler behind him. He was well aware that she would make sure there was no further opportunity for him to talk to her alone that night.
“Walker,” he growled to himself, reaching for the cooler handle. “You’re an idiot.”
There was no one around to dispute him.
Chapter Six
Kelly would never know how she managed, but somehow she made it through the remainder of Thanksgiving evening without anyone seeming to realize that anything was wrong. She smiled, she laughed, she mingled, she ate. She played games. And somehow she avoided looking at Shane. If she had looked at him, her hard-won composure would have shattered for sure.
It was finally time to leave. Kelly was kissed and hugged by seemingly dozens of people—a Walker family tradition. And every kiss reminded her of how much she loved these people, how much it meant to her to be a part of them.
She stood by the door while Brynn and Joe worked the room. Brynn kissed Shane, who’d just kissed three or four aunts and a couple of cousins. “Good night, Brynn,” he said.
“Good night. Shane.” Brynn hugged him warmly. “Happy Thanksgiving.”
Shane shook Joe’s hand. “See you next time, Doc.”
“Shane, you didn’t say good-night to Kelly,” Molly, who’d been hovering nearby, reminded him.
“No, I didn’t, did I?” Shane sauntered over to Kelly with his usual cowboy grace. He tipped her chin with his hand and leaned over her. “G’night, Kelly. Happy Thanksgiving.”
His lips brushed her cheek, setting off an explosion of reaction inside her. And somehow she hid it again behind a bright smile. “Good night, Shane. See you around.”
But not for a while, she added silently. Not until they got past whatever was causing this bizarre behavior between them lately.
Kelly considered making an excuse to miss the monthly gathering of her friends, which was to be held at Michael Chang’s on the first Friday evening in December. She could tell them she wasn’t feeling well. Or that she had other plans. It happened occasionally that someone couldn’t make it, and everyone understood.
Amber had called Kelly several times in tearful indecision about whether to attend. Kelly had no idea whether Cameron would make an appearance. She didn’t even know if Shane would be there. It depressed her that there were so many problems with the gathering this time. Why couldn’t everything have stayed the same as it had been? So easy and comfortable and pleasant. Why had Shane risked ruining their friendship with those impetuous kisses?
She didn’t finally decide to go until the afternoon of the party. There were several reasons for her decision. She didn’t want Michael to be hurt if no one showed up. She wanted to be there to support Amber if Amber did decide to attend after all. And, finally, she refused to allow the situation with Shane to keep her away from her friends. Wasn’t that exactly what she’d been so afraid of? That a mistake between them would ruin her relationship with their friends and his family?
She didn’t know what had gotten into him lately. Why he’d suddenly started looking at her differently. Touching her differently. Kissing her differently.
She should never have sent him those flowers.
There was a knot in the center of her stomach when she rang the doorbell of the small, one-story house Michael had retained after his divorce three years earlier. She hadn’t known him when he was married, but Heather had confided that Michael had been heartbroken by the breakup and was still recovering. Kelly had never heard Michael mention his ex-wife.
Was this entire group destined to be unlucky in love? She couldn’t help wondering as the door opened and Michael greeted her.
Shane, Scott and Cameron were already gathered in Michael’s sparsely furnished living room, munching chips and dip and sipping sodas from frosty bottles. Scott spoke to her first. “Hi, Kelly. Nice sweater.”