Holiday Kisses

“May I come in, Kisha?”

As she handed him the key, her hand shook and her nerves tingled. Inside her foyer, he flicked on the light and returned her key. For want of something better to say, and because she had never in her life been so nervous, she asked, “Would you like some coffee?”

He shook his head. “No thanks. All I want is you in my arms, and nothing else will satisfy me.” He stepped closer, and she gazed up at him. And waited. “I…I don’t understand it,” he said, “but I need you.”

Her left hand reached out to stroke his face, and his arms enveloped her. “Kiss me sweetheart.”

Kisha’s hands locked around his neck, and she thought she’d lose her sanity while he stared at her lips. “Craig,” she whispered, and his lips touched hers—gently at first and then with a powerful, seductive passion that shook her to the core of her being. His tongue searched every crevice of her mouth, plunging deeper in while his hands locked her so close that her nipples beaded. Her body jerked forward, and his right hand caressed her left breast. Heat plowed through her veins and pooled in her loins. She wanted his mouth on her body. Stifling a groan, she forced herself to resist moving her hips up to him. She wanted him then as she’d never wanted any man, but she knew that if she took him, she’d lose him. As he’d said, “Easy come, easy go.”

GWYNNE FORSTER

is a national bestselling author of more than twenty romance novels and novellas, as well as general fiction. She has worked as a journalist, a university professor and as a senior officer for the United Nations. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in sociology, and a master’s degree in economics/ demography.

Gwynne sings in her church choir, loves to entertain at dinner parties, is a gourmet cook and an avid gardener. She enjoys jazz, opera, classical music and the blues. She also likes to visit museums and art galleries. She lives in New York with her husband.

Holiday Kisses

Gwynne Forster

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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To my deceased parents, who gave me a legacy of faith

in God, instilled in me the virtue of honesty and the

importance of doing my very best at whatever I attempt,

and who shared with me and my siblings their love of

books and writing.

Dear Reader,

This has been a banner year for me. Holiday Kisses is my third Kimani Romance in 2009. I hope you’ve had a chance to read the other two, Private Lives and Finding Mr. Right.

As with all my books, the inspiration for Holiday Kisses came from my own experience. A dear friend of mine is terrified of going to the dentist, especially when needles are involved. So in this novel I imagined what would happen when a romance sparks over a root canal. I hope you enjoy it.

I have good news for all of you who have asked me time and again to continue the Harrington series. Telford, Russ and Drake Harrington soon find out that their extended family is larger than they think. Look for my next Harrington romance in the Arabesque line next September.

I enjoy receiving mail, so please e-mail me at GwynneF@aol.com. If you prefer to mail me a letter, you can reach me at P.O. Box 45, New York, NY 10044; if you would like a reply, please enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope. For more information, please contact my agent, Pattie Steel-Perkins of Steel-Perkins Literary Agency, at myagentspla@aol.com.

Warmest regards,

Gwynne Forster

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 1

Kisha Moran walked briskly toward her Baltimore dental office, hoping to get some paperwork done before her first scheduled appointment. She wanted to get an early start on what was sure to be a very long day. Lost in her thoughts, she barely noticed the tall, casually dressed man leaning against the doorway of her office until she was close enough to make out his features. She approached him warily, but saw in his eyes and facial expression that he seemed to be in serious pain rather than a physical threat, despite the fact that he easily towered over her five-foot-seven-inch height.

“I’m Doctor Moran,” she said. “May I help you?”

“I sure hope you can. I’ve got a terrible toothache, and this thing kept me up all night.”

She unlocked the door, and led him into a waiting room with a large, flat-screen television. She turned on the television. “This should distract you for a minute.”

“Doctor, nothing is going to distract me as long as this thing is throbbing.”

“Try to relax,” she said, taking off her jacket and putting on a white lab coat.

“Look, can’t you just give me some pills for the pain? Last night I tried to quell the pain with some bourbon, but this thing is killing me.”

She ushered him into one of the patient rooms, where he reclined in the dentist chair. She guessed he must have been at least six foot four from the way he had to contort his frame to fit in the chair. With her mask in place, she moved closer to him and looked down at his face just as he opened his eyes and looked at her.

Until now she hadn’t noticed how beautiful the brother was—gorgeous was more like it. His long lashes and dark, deep-set eyes seemed to promise everything a woman could desire. His thin top lip was offset by a full bottom lip that made him look as if he were pouting. She imagined what it would feel like if she’d bent down and run her tongue across his lips. How would it feel to run her fingers through the silky curls that framed his face, which was the color of shelled walnuts? She tried to still the butterflies in her stomach and chided herself for her thoughts, but to no avail.

“I’ll give you a Novocain shot, and in five minutes you won’t feel a thing,” she said, trying to affect an air of nonchalance.

He nearly sprang out of the chair. “Novocain? In a needle? No way. Give me a pill or something.”

She resisted staring at his handsome face and let a grin float across hers. “What’s your name?”

“Craig Jackson. And I hate needles. Please give me a pill for this pain.”

“A pill will take too long, and the dosage I’d have to give you would be too strong. You’d be in no condition to leave the office by yourself and there’s no one to take you home afterward. Besides, in the time that we’ve been talking about this, Mr. Jackson, the Novocain could have numbed your toothache and you wouldn’t be feeling a thing. You want the needle, or would you rather take a pill and suffer for another hour?”

“Some choice you’re giving me.”

“Aw, come now. Don’t be such a baby.”

“Baby! I’d like to see you deal with a tooth that hurts the way mine does.”

“I’m not making fun of you. I know it hurts. Open your mouth please. I really should x-ray this first, but if I took the time to do that you’d be in pain that much longer. Close your eyes and keep your mouth open.” She didn’t dare let him see the needle. Men were such babies when it came to needles. She injected the Novocain quickly, but winced when he stifled a groan.

“I’m sorry about that,” she said, “but that’s the worst of it.” Waiting for the Novocain to do its job, she took some digital X rays of his teeth and then studied the images.

“Mr. Jackson, would you look at this. How long have you had this cavity?”

“Quite a while. I didn’t have time to take care of it. I had to finish an important project. Besides, I dread seeing the dentist.”

She told herself not to take it personally, but to think of him as a patient that needed help. Not that she expected it to work. “You need a root canal, Mr. Jackson, and it’s going to take a while.”

“I don’t care how long it takes or how much it costs. I just want to leave here feeling no pain.”

“Really?” she said. “I thought that only applied when you were three sheets to the wind.”

He’d begun to relax, so she tested the area for numbness. He didn’t need to know that if it took longer than usual, she might have to give him another shot. “He raised an eyebrow and said, “Hmm. What do you know about three sheets to the wind? I’ll bet you don’t even drink.”

“You’re right. I don’t, except for the occasional glass of wine at dinner and a cocktail on special occasions. Though I suppose you know that pleasure need not require alcohol. The best highs are enjoyed cold sober.”

“I’m not going there,” he said, his speech slightly slurred from the effects of the Novocain.

Now, what had she said to bring that on? She could tell by his expression that he’d taken her comment as a double entendre. Well, she wasn’t going there, either.

With her body pressed against the arm of the chair to steady her hand, she began to drill. But the deeper she went, the worse it got. She stopped and stepped back from him. “I don’t see how you tolerated this.”

“You still think I was being a baby?” he said, petulantly.

“I wasn’t talking about the pain when I said that. And, yes, you were being a baby about the needle. Open your mouth, please.”

He opened his mouth, and she resumed drilling. “Ow! Hey!”

“My goodness. I touched a nerve. I’m so sorry. Rest for a minute.”

“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” he asked in a disparaging tone.

In light of the pain he’d experienced, she forgave him. “I’m a doctor of dental medicine, a DMD. And I certainly did not imagine all those years and student loans I spent studying dentistry. Open your mouth.” She quickly gave him another shot of Novocain and patted his shoulder. “I know it’s unpleasant, but at least I’m a dentist who cares that you’re in pain.”

He looked intently at her for a long minute. “Yeah, I guess you do. Sorry if I’ve been giving you a hard time.” He tried to smile, and she could hear the sudden pounding of her heart.

Around one o’clock in the afternoon, nearly four hours after he’d walked into her office, she removed the towel that covered his chest, gave him a cup of water and asked him to rinse his mouth. He did. “Bite down hard on that side,” she said. “It should be fine now.” She opened a can of Ensure, poured it into a glass and gave it to him with a straw. It’ll be a while before that Novocain wears off, so don’t try to eat for at least another hour, but this will hold you.”

Craig stood and rubbed his hand gently over his left cheek. He stared down at her. “How much,” he asked.

“My receptionist will take care of it. You’ll see her on your way out.”

He paused. “I can’t thank you enough, Doctor. The patients with appointments this morning must be furious with you. Thanks again. His gaze swept across the room and came back to her. Lights danced in his large brown eyes.

“You’re the definition of an angel,” he said, then winked at her and left.

Kisha sat down in the chair where Craig had just sat. It wasn’t just that she was tired. She wasn’t quite sure why she was so exhausted.

She knew Regine, her receptionist, would have him fill out the intake form and provide his personal information along with his payment. And for a fleeting moment, Kisha thought about using the information in his patient file to find out more about him.

She’d been around plenty of attractive men. In Key West, where she’d lived before moving to Baltimore, it was not unusual to see good-looking guys wearing the skimpiest of swim briefs. She enjoyed looking at them—after all she wasn’t dead. But she had never reacted the way she had toward Craig Jackson. His eyes! She took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. She’d love to experience what those eyes promised.

Three months ago, Kisha Moran had had all of her belongings packed and shipped to number 118 Palely Place in Baltimore, Maryland. She said goodbye to the never-ending Florida heat, the floods and the dreaded hurricanes. She loved living in the Keys, especially the casual lifestyle of fishing, swimming and tennis. But after seeing the damage from one too many hurricanes, she’d had enough.

Kisha had been concerned about opening her dental practice and starting all over again in a place where she didn’t know anyone. But Baltimore had a large African-American population and a number of institutions of higher learning. She planned to build her new practice by providing low-cost dental care, letting students pay on a sliding scale and offering free service to children from the poorest families.

By mid-September, she’d settled in, had a respectable number of patients. Her practice increased weekly, thanks to the proximity of her office to Morgan State University and its large student population to which she offered a discount. Not all of her patients attended the university, but many of them did, and they proved to be her best source of referrals.

Craig Jackson’s acquaintances thought of him as a loner, and to some extent, he was. In his undergraduate days at Howard University, his personality earned him the nickname of Stonewall. A brilliant, no-nonsense man, he was often brutally frank and always honest. Small talk annoyed him.

At age thirty-three, Craig’s career was about to take off, or so he hoped. He anchored a local five o’clock TV news program and prided himself in writing all of its scripts. His habit of including a “human interest” segment in each of his daily programs made him a favorite with viewers.

Back in his office at TV station WWRM, Craig cast a rueful glance at the chocolate bar, the refuge from desperate hunger, that he kept in his top desk drawer, and shook his head. If he had to choose between hunger pain and the return of that toothache, he’d welcome the pain in his stomach. He answered his phone.

“Jackson speaking.”

“Hey, son, how’s it going?”

He knew his dad hadn’t called to make small talk, so he asked, “What’s up, Dad?”

“I’m wondering how far you are from deciding that you want to be a lawyer after all. I just looked at a piece of prime office space that would be perfect for Jackson and Jackson. It’s—”

“Dad, I thought we agreed that if I don’t become syndicated or get a network-level job within a year, I’ll join you. Right now, I’m the only anchor on my level who writes his own news scripts. That ought to tell you something. I’ve got nine months to go.”

“All right. I want you to succeed at whatever you undertake, but this is my dream. I want to see you successful and happy, but, well, I’m between a rock and a hard place.”

“I’m beginning to think I’d make a lousy lawyer, Dad. The more I work as a journalist, the more I love it.”

“You got your law degree with distinction and passed the bar on the first try.”

“But I got my journalism degree at the top of the class. Look, Dad. If I don’t have a network-level program in nine months, I’ll join you. I’ll be as miserable as a wet puppy in freezing temperatures, but I’ll keep my word. But you know I have no intention of failing at this.”

He told his father goodbye and hung up. He didn’t blame his dad. By not joining the family firm he was breaking a tradition that had begun with his great-grandfather. He looked at his watch. She’d said an hour, but he still couldn’t feel a thing on that side of his face. Hunger pangs reminded him that he hadn’t eaten any solid food since the previous evening.

Thinking about what he could eat that didn’t require chewing, he went down and got a container of milk and a muffin from the snack shop. He soaked the muffin in the milk and managed to make it slide down his throat. Then, he busied himself editing the five o’clock news.

That doctor had a tender, caring touch. “I wonder what her first name is,” he said aloud, as he got his suit jacket and found the card that the receptionist gave him. “Kisha.” He pronounced it several times. She was a looker. And sweet, too. “I can’t believe I left that woman and didn’t even ask her for a date,” he said to himself. “I must be getting old.” He realized that the effects of the Novocain had finally worn off entirely when he felt a dull ache. A glance at his watch told him that he had an hour and forty minutes before news time. He closed his computer, locked his desk and headed for the restaurant at the end of the block.

Kisha couldn’t get Craig out of her mind and, for the remainder of the day, she thought of various reasons to call him. That night, she slept fitfully with intermittent dreams of Craig Jackson and the way his long-lashed, dreamy eyes teased her. She tossed in bed until her shoulder ached and awakened the next morning, sleepy, groggy and with an aching head. For the first time since she opened her practice, she arrived late to work. Her first patient needed front caps for cosmetic purposes, and after taking X rays and measurements, she got down to the business of making a forty-five-year-old man who should never smile look like Prince Charming. She attached the temporary caps and went to lunch, but not even a good crab salad improved her mood.

When she returned to work, she pulled Craig’s file, wrote his phone number in her address book, went into her office and closed the door. Using her private line, she dialed Craig Jackson’s phone number.

“Mr. Jackson, This is Kisha Moran. How are you feeling?”

She wondered at his silence. “Uh…thanks for calling. I guess I feel like a guy who just lost the inside of a tooth.”

She didn’t know what to make of that comment. “I’m not sure I know what that means. Does it hurt? I mean are you having any discomfort? You had very extensive surgery yesterday. I’d like to know how you’re getting along.”

Craig’s antenna shot up. She didn’t call him to ask how his tooth was. A dentist would expect him to call if he had a problem. He suspected that she was exceptional, but her modus operandi couldn’t be that different from the ways of other dentists.

“Did you have any discomfort after the Novocain wore off?”

He didn’t want to believe that Kisha Moran was just like all the other women who chased him, but he was taking no chances. “My tooth is fine, Doctor Moran. If it bothers me, you’ll be the first person to know, and you can trust me on that. Thanks,” he added, wanting to terminate the conversation with a measure of civility.

A minute of guilt plagued Craig for having treated Kisha to a brush-off. He resented women who assumed that he was available for their enjoyment, a dressed-up television turkey for their gourmet meal. He didn’t want to believe that Kisha was that type. He was as human as the man who worked in overalls, wore a hard hat, dug ditches or drove a bus. He had wants, needs, hopes and dreams just as they did. He worked in front of the TV camera, but when the cameraman put it aside, he turned off the smiles and the charm. His private life was his own, and he didn’t mix his personal affairs with his public persona.

Taken aback by what she regarded as a put-down, Kisha busied herself developing fliers to post in the neighborhood and at the university to attract patients. She hoped to have as much of her clientele as possible from the neighborhood in which her office was located. Days passed, and she made no progress in her efforts to forget about Craig. So it stunned her to receive a call from a member of the WWRM Channel 6 TV news staff telling her that she had been chosen citizen of the week and asking if she would come in for an interview.

“Thank you for the honor,” she said, “but I can’t imagine what I’ve done to earn it.”

“Citizen Of The Week is our regular Friday news feature,” the man said. “We chose you, because you’re offering free care to indigent children one afternoon each week. That’s a noble thing to do.”

“I never realized that it would be newsworthy. I only want to help the children. Thank you. I’m delighted to accept.”

“Great! We’ll send a car for you. Please be ready Friday at two-thirty.”

Onstage and on camera, Craig looked at the name of his guest and nearly swallowed his tongue. Kisha Moran was his citizen of the week. He read the notes that his staff had prepared for his interview and put them aside. That gibberish would never reveal Kisha Moran’s warm and feminine personality. He made a few notes for the interview and, surprisingly, looked forward to seeing her again.

Decked out in a feminine yet tailored red suit with black accessories and her hair around her shoulders, Kisha Moran was stunning. He did a double take as she walked toward him, but he had the presence of mind to stand and take a few steps to meet her as she crossed the small stage. None of the entertainment community’s habit of kissing any and everybody for her, he noted. She extended her hand for a cool and very businesslike handshake.

“How do you do, Mr. Jackson. Thank you for this wonderful honor.”

Both of his eyebrows shot up. “Thank you for coming, Dr. Moran. Do you treat any child whose parents demonstrate an inability to pay?”

She leaned slightly forward. “Absolutely. I’ll only do it once a week, but I’ll treat all children under age fourteen that I can fit in on Thursdays between twelve and five-thirty.”

“That’s remarkable. I don’t know of another private citizen who’s made such a gesture. Was this among your plans while you studied dentistry?” He held his breath, hoping that he’d given her a question that would enable her to open up and reveal herself to the viewers.

“Not specifically. But I spent a lot of thought on the most effective way that I could give something to the community in which I earn my livelihood. I had wanted to spend one afternoon a week at a senior citizen center, but I couldn’t make the necessary connections. I suppose I wanted results too quickly.”

“I imagine you’ll have more than you can handle on Thursday afternoons.”

“Treatment is by appointment. I require that the children get follow-up exams. All patients should have follow-up care. Dental surgery is surgery. Just because a doctor doesn’t use a scalpel doesn’t mean that aftercare isn’t essential,” she said, looking him in the eye with a cool and impersonal expression on her face.

After they talked for fourteen of the allotted fifteen minutes, he stood and presented her with the plaque. “Thank you, Mr. Jackson. I’m honored to have been chosen for this award.” She extended her hand for a shake. “Goodbye.”

“Goodbye, Doctor Moran. Thank you for coming.” She had flawless manners, he thought, and he felt as if he’d just had a blast of sleet in the face while trudging against the wind in a winter storm.

He reminded himself that when he sat down again he would still be facing the camera and that he should keep his reactions to himself. But that was easier said than done. Neither by word nor action did she let on that they’d met before. He had expected her to indicate that she was his dentist or at least to say it’s nice to see you again. But, oh no. The lady had cloaked herself in a thick layer of professional ice and stuck to the point. She looked as feminine and sexy as he remembered, but that was as far as it went.

He completed the program and went to his office. Sitting at his desk, he reached for a candy bar and unwrapped it. Damn! She’d just showed him that she was as expert as he at giving the brush-off. He wasn’t frivolous enough to go after her for the sport of paying her back. Besides, as he’d just discovered, he wasn’t immune to her. He saw a lot in her that he liked, but he didn’t have time for a relationship. He put his heart and soul into whatever he did, so he’d placed that part of his life on hold while he drove toward his goal. But Kisha Moran was definitely getting his attention.