The Single Dad's Second Chance

She had to stop thinking about that kiss.

Because every minute that she spent with him, she found him more attractive and appealing, and she wasn’t looking for any kind of romantic involvement at this point in her life. She wasn’t ready to end her dating hiatus just yet. She didn’t want to feel all the feelings he stirred up inside her. In fact, she almost hoped that he would shove popcorn into his mouth by the handful or slurp on his soda or send text messages throughout the game so that she could focus on some annoying behavior and stop thinking about the feel of his mouth on hers.

* * *

He shouldn’t have kissed her.

Not that Andrew regretted the off-the-charts lip-lock they’d shared, but he knew it would have been smarter to resist the impulse that urged him to sample the taste and texture of her temptingly curved mouth. Because now he couldn’t think about anything but the softness of her lips, the sweet flavor of her and the surprising passion in her response.

And no matter how many times he told himself that what he’d shared with Rachel was just a kiss, he wasn’t reassured. Because now he wanted to kiss her again and again, and he wanted those kisses to lead to more. A lot more.

He spotted her immediately when he walked through the doors. She was standing just inside, waiting for him. He wondered how it was that he’d been into her shop more than half a dozen times over the past few years, had several conversations with her and never noticed how truly beautiful she was.

Sure, he’d felt a subtle buzz, but until their paths had crossed at Valentino’s two weeks ago, he’d never seen her as anything other than the woman who worked at the flower shop. Maybe, prior to that day, he hadn’t been ready to see her as anything more.

Her lips curved when she spotted him, and his gaze automatically dipped to the soft, sweet mouth. There was no doubt he was feeling the attraction now.

“Popcorn?” he asked.

“Absolutely,” she agreed.

He bought a large popcorn and a couple of drinks, then they went to find their seats.

The last time he’d been at the arena was with Maura. A guy at work had a couple of tickets to a Hurricanes game that he couldn’t use, so he gave them to Andrew. And they were great seats, too.

His daughter, unfortunately, had been less than thrilled with the close-up view of players ruthlessly crushed against the glass. And when a little bit of jostling ended with the gloves dropping and fists pumping, she’d started to cry. They’d left before the end of the second period.

Thinking about Maura at that game reminded him that he hadn’t mentioned his daughter to Rachel.

He wasn’t deliberately keeping the existence of his child a secret from her—he just hadn’t yet found a way to bring her name into the conversation. Maybe he hadn’t tried too hard, but, truthfully, he was enjoying talking about other things for a change. The basic getting-to-know-one-another conversations always seemed to take on a different tone whenever he revealed that he was a single father.

Some women weren’t interested in playing mommy to another woman’s child, but in Andrew’s recent and admittedly limited dating experience, most of them tried to use the existence of his motherless child to worm their way into his affections.

He didn’t disagree that a child needed a mother, and he felt fortunate that both his mother and his former mother-in-law were close to Maura. He also had three female cousins who doted on his little girl, so she had plenty of women in her life. And although a couple of his dates had expressed an interest in meeting his daughter, none of them had ever done so.

It was too early to decide whether or not Rachel would be the first, but if he planned to see her again after tonight, he knew that he had to tell her about Maura. Not now—not in the midst of a crowded arena only minutes before the game was scheduled to start, but definitely before their relationship progressed further than a few kisses.

As the players continued their warm-ups, he glanced over at Rachel and discovered that the low V-neckline of her soft pink sweater afforded him a tempting view of pale skin and a hint of shadowy cleavage.

He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. The initial attraction to Rachel had been nothing more than a mild curiosity, a subtle stirring in his blood. Then they’d had dinner together on Valentine’s Day, and they’d talked and laughed and he’d realized he actually liked her. That, combined with the attraction, changed everything for him. Or maybe it was the first kiss—the impulsive touch of her lips to his cheek. But somewhere along the line, what had started as a subtle stirring in his blood had escalated to a raging hunger, so that he actually ached with wanting her.

Was it simply a matter of timing? Was he finally ready to move on with his life? Or was it Rachel? Was there something about this specific woman that got to him?

He reached for more popcorn, and his fingers brushed over the back of her hand. The casual touch sent heat coursing through his veins, and the little catch in her breath confirmed that she’d felt something, too. Her gaze lifted to his, her blue eyes wide, aware. Her slightly parted lips glistened with butter, tempting him to lick it away.

The sound of a buzzer made both of them jump, and he forced his attention back to the court.

* * *

Two hours later, as they merged with the crowd exiting the arena, Andrew wasn’t ready to take Rachel home. His house was always so empty and quiet when Maura was gone, and he wasn’t eager to get back to it. Not that either empty or quiet had ever bothered him too much before—he was usually content with his own company. But today he was enjoying being with Rachel a lot more.

“Are you hungry?” he asked. “Did you want to go somewhere to grab a bite to eat?”

“I should say I’m not after all of that popcorn, but it would be a lie.”

“You burned off a lot of calories in that game,” he said, teasing her about her inability to sit still while watching the action.

“No one’s ever accused me of being passive,” she admitted.

It was an innocent remark, but that didn’t prevent his imagination from running with it and wondering if she would demonstrate the same energy in the bedroom.

“So—” he cleared his throat “—you up for O’Reilly’s?”

It would probably be smarter to decline his invitation. Sitting beside him at the arena, Rachel had been so hyperaware of every brush of his thigh and touch of his hand that she’d found it difficult to concentrate on what was happening in the game. Apparently sixteen months without sex had turned her into a mass of quivering hormones, and she was afraid that spending more time with him might be too much temptation for her to resist.

And she had reason to be wary. She didn’t know very much about him aside from the fact that her heart pounded a little bit faster whenever he was near. And despite the kiss they’d shared—all she had to do was think about that kiss and her blood started to heat—she didn’t want to get involved with a man who was still in love with his late wife.

His devotion to the woman he’d married was admirable, and she respected that. But Rachel also knew that, for her, the same loyalty and commitment could mean heartbreak. Of course, he’d only asked her if she wanted to get some food, not to move in with him, so she nodded.

“Sounds good.”

The blast of cold air that hit her when they exited the building made her shiver, and he slid his arm across her shoulders, tucking her close to his body to share his warmth. The action immediately succeeded. Every place that their bodies were in contact—even through several layers of clothes—she felt heat.

The intensity of the attraction she felt for this man was more than a little unnerving. She wasn’t looking to get involved right now. Although business was doing well, Buds & Blooms took most of her time and attention. More than once, Holly had accused Rachel of burying herself in work to avoid heartbreak, and she couldn’t deny that there was probably some truth to that claim.

The end of her relationship with Eric had left scars that she wasn’t sure were completely healed. She’d been in love and believed that they were planning a life and a future together. But he’d already found the one woman he would love forever, and it had taken Rachel a long time to realize that woman wasn’t her. His daughter was just one more factor in the already-complicated equation that centered around his ex-wife.

When she’d finally figured things out and walked away, he’d tried to change her mind. But he’d been unwilling to make any changes in his life. Wendy still called the shots and, because he was still in love with her, he let her. And that made their relationship a little too crowded for Rachel’s liking.

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