In the Midnight Hour (21 page)

The woman swallowed and sighed. “That good, honey. I always knew the old guy could cook, but knowing it and tasting it’s a whole different thing.”

Ronnie thought of Danny’s kiss. A mind-blowing meeting of lips that had her completely baffled, troubled, and totally freaked out. She closed her eyes as she replayed her recent experiments. Four good-looking men, an equal number of kisses, and diddly in the aftermath department.

This was not happening to her.

She licked her fork clean of all traces of chocolate frosting and rummaged in her pocket for change for the vending machine. She needed another quick fix. A candy bar. A big one.

Three pennies and one quarter. She dove into her purse next and managed to unearth one more quarter from the no-man’s-land at the bottom.

“I guess I’ll have to return his plate,” Delta’s voice followed Ronnie as she hurried off down the hallway, money in hand. “Old, irritating codger or not, he did go out of his way.”

Ronnie arrived at the ancient-looking machine. An array of sugar delights stared back at her from rows of slots, each protected by a circular wire that rotated when the corresponding button was pressed. She fed her quarters into the slot, hit the button for a Hershey’s chocolate bar, and waited. And waited. A quick glance and she realized the candy had stalled; the edge hung on by a fraction of wrapper hooked to the circular wire.

The lip gloss story replayed in her head, along with her experiments, the disappointing results….

She pounded the machine with one fist, but the candy didn’t budge. She shoved her shoulder up against the metal edge and threw her weight into a fierce shove. The machine trembled and the chocolate bar hung on for dear life.

“Hey, lady. If you’re hungry, you can have the rest of my cookie.”

Ronnie glanced over her shoulder at a small blonde girl, one of the sixth graders visiting the library on a field trip. The kid held up a half-eaten cookie, and reality slapped Ronnie in the face.

What was she doing manhandling a candy bar machine?

She slumped back against the glass and closed her eyes. Her father’s voice echoed in her head.

“
Men and women are different, Veronica. Men think with their heads and women think with their hearts. That’s why men make better providers and women make better nurturers. That’s why both should stick to their traditional roles
.”

Ronnie had never believed him. She’d argued and fought against his old-fashioned, chauvinistic views on women. Now here she was about to bust into a candy machine because she was desperate for a chocolate rush. To soothe her feelings. Her desperate, confused, depraved
feelings
.

Calling all brain cells! Report for duty ASAP!

She took several deep, calming breaths, ignored the urge to snatch the child’s cookie—a double chocolate chip, by the looks of it—and forced herself to think. Calm, cool logic. That’s what she needed right now.

So she’d felt a spark with Danny? Of course she had. Not only had she been deprived of a really good kiss for all this time, but she’d been so worked up from Val’s lesson, stimulated by his detailed instructions, aroused by his close proximity, frustrated by his lack of participation. At that moment, with her nerves buzzing, her hormones crying, she could have kissed Pringles and she would have felt the same rush.

Okay, so maybe she wouldn’t have felt it with Pringles. The point was, any man would have had the same effect at that particular moment.

And she knew exactly how to prove it.

“Hey, Ronnie.” Danny glanced up from his physics book just as Ronnie strode across the student lounge in the basement of the science building. “What are you doing here? You haven’t had a science course in three ye—” His words drowned as she grabbed him by the collar, jerked him to his feet, and kissed him full on the mouth.

Ronnie?
Kissing
him?

While her mouth was soft and sweet, and she certainly had a way with a kiss, he couldn’t bring himself to kiss her back. This was Ronnie, of all people, and hers weren’t the lips from his fantasies.

She pulled away just as he started to. Thankfully. Because he and Ronnie were pals. Buds. He’d hate to have to get rough with her.

A smile split her face. “Nothing. I knew it. It was just the moment.”

“Ronnie, I’m not sure what this is about, but we’re just friends. You know that, right?”

“Is that what you think? Thank God, because after last night, I didn’t know if you thought what I thought, which was a pretty irrational, stupid thing to think. I mean, it was just one kiss under unusual circumstances.”

“Last night?”

“Yeah. The kiss.”

“What kiss—?”

“Danny?” The soft voice came from behind him.

He jerked around to see Wanda standing in the lounge doorway, her arms overloaded with books, a startled expression on her face that told him she’d witnessed the kiss.

Startled
, as in affected, as in maybe, just maybe, finding another woman kissing him bothered her.

He wasn’t sure why he didn’t dismiss the thought. This was Wanda I-can-have-any-jock-I-want Deluca. Why would she care whether or not another woman kissed him? She wouldn’t.

She did.

It was something in her eyes, a strange light that he’d never seen before, or maybe he’d just never noticed.

“I…” She licked her full, peach-tinted lips. “I didn’t mean to catch you at a bad time. I thought since we didn’t get a chance to meet last night—” she licked her lips again and heat shot straight to his jock “—you might quiz me a little while before my test.”

“He’s all yours.” Ronnie started to turn away, but Danny grabbed her by the arm and swung her back around.

For the first time in his life, he didn’t worry about what. Wanda might think of him, good, bad, or not at all. He wanted to give her something to think about.

“Now, honey, don’t get all mad,” he said to Ronnie. “I told you, I’m sorry, but it’s over.”

She cast him a puzzled look. “What’s over?”

“Us. You and me.
Over.”
He gave Wanda a shrug. “I keep telling her to move on, but she can’t seem to keep her hands off me.”

“What are you talking…?” Ronnie’s words faded as Danny rolled his gaze toward Wanda and silently begged her to play along. Understanding lit her eyes. “Oh,
us
. You and me and the fact that I can’t keep my hands off you even though I know it’s over. That’s what you’re talking about.”

“I never knew you two were going out,” Wanda said.

“We weren’t,” Danny replied. “It was just sex.”

His arm screamed as Ronnie took off a hunk of flesh with a discreet pinch that nearly made his knees buckle. He expected to see smoke blowing out of her ears, but instead she grinned up at him.

“Mind-blowing sex.” She shivered. “I get chills just thinking about it. It’s no wonder I’m lovesick. Sorry I disgraced myself again, Love Muffin, but I just can’t stay away. You understand, don’t you, Wanda? I mean, when a girl finds a man who has such strong hands and knows how to use them …” She shook her head and bit back a fake sob. “I can’t even think about it, or I’m liable to burst into tears, and I’ve embarrassed myself enough for one day. I won’t bother you again, Baby Cakes.” Ronnie sighed dramatically, gave Danny one last look as if she were eyeing the last brownie before starting a fast. “Have a good life.”

“So,” Danny clapped his hands together once Ronnie had walked away with a big pretense of sighing and sobbing. He didn’t miss the way Wanda stared at his hands. “About that quizzing…”

She shook her head, her gaze snapping to his. “What?”

“You wanted me to quiz you?”

“Oh, yeah.” She handed him her book. “Kiss me. I mean, quiz me. Would you?”

“It would be my pleasure.”

Ronnie felt much better.

So why didn’t she
feel
better?

A faint pounding took up permanent residence in her temples for the rest of the day as she finished her classes and went back to the libary. She was standing in the middle of the L section when the shivering started.

“You are coming down with something,” Delta said when she found Ronnie coughing in the back room, looking pale and drawn and ready to collapse. “I’ll drive you home.”

“No, I can walk,” she insisted.

Big mistake.

She wasn’t sure how she made it home, except that she had to stop twice because the ground tilted a little too much in certain spots and her vision failed her. She actually thought she saw Elvis on one particular street corner. Or maybe that was Hunk-a-hunk. Make that “Jailhouse Rock.” No, “Heartbreak Hotel”—

Aw, who cares?

She stumbled into her apartment much, much later than usual. The throbbing did a furious Macarena against her temples and she was freezing despite the humid night air.

Val met her at the door. “
You’re late
—” he started, then his gaze narrowed as he drank in her appearance. Worry lit his eyes. “
What’s wrong
?”

“Nothing. I just need to sit down a few minutes.”

Another thorough study and he frowned. “
I think you need to
lie down.”

“I know what I need.” She collapsed on a nearby chair. “I just need to sit here a few minutes, then I’ll be fine.”

He touched her forehead. “
You’re sick
.”

“I’m never sick. I don’t have time to be sick. I have to study. I’ve got to read a chapter on tax credits and do our lesson and document today’s experiments.”

“
What experiments?
”

“Kissing experiments. I kissed four different subjects today.” She blinked furiously against the haze infringing on her vision as she stared at Val. “Would you just stand still?”

“
But I’m not moving
—”

“Ronnie!” Danny’s voice cut into Val’s response. A loud banging followed. “It’s me. You’ll never believe what just happened!”

Val speared her with a fierce look. “
Who did you kiss?
”

“Just a minute,” she called out to Danny as she stumbled to the door.

“
Who?
” Val demanded, dogging her steps.

“It doesn’t matter. I needed some evidence to support the lessons, and the technique worked perfectly, and I found out I wasn’t nearly as affected by last night’s kiss as I thought I was.”

An expression dangerously close to pleasure crossed his handsome face. “
You were affected by last night’s kiss?
”

“I thought I was, but I blew that theory out of the water, thank God.” The last sentiment earned her a frown before she hauled open the door.

“Who were you talking to?” Danny asked.

She stared at the empty space where Val had been standing. “Um, that was the TV.”

“The TV’s off.”

“Now, but it was on a few seconds ago. So what’s your news?”

“It’s about Wanda.” His words stalled as his gaze swept her from head to toe. “Geez, Ron, you look awful.”

“I feel even worse.” She turned and plopped down on a kitchen chair. “So what’s up?”

“Wanda’s going out with me.”

She grinned. “You really asked her out?”

He nodded. “I don’t know how it happened. One second we were sitting there, and the next, it’s coming out of my mouth. I wasn’t even worried about her reaction, I just stared into her eyes and, bam, out it came.”

“It’s about time.”

He grinned, before the expression faded into worry. “Look, about saying you and I were … you know. I just wanted to make her see me
that
way.”

“Looks like it worked.” She cleared her scratchy throat, which earned her a worried glance from Danny.

“You really look terrible.”

“Delta sent me home early.”

“Then I guess you didn’t see this.” He handed her a campus newspaper. “It’s the evening issue.”

She read the headline and her heart stalled.

KISSING BANDIT LOOSE IN DUPRÉ LIBRARY

“Four guys were attacked by this sex-crazed woman earlier today, during your shift. Did you see anything suspicious?”

“Sex-crazed? That’s going overboard a bit, don’t you think?”

“So you did see something?”

“N-no,” she stammered, “I’m just saying these guys probably exaggerated.” Her watery gaze scanned the column. “Listen to this… ‘She wore a raincoat and flashed a complete frontal view before she pressed herself up against me, gyrated to some, silent beat, and kissed me.’ Oh, please.” She slapped the paper closed. “Give me a break.” She didn’t even own a raincoat. “In their dreams.”

“What did you say?”

“I said, um, why didn’t they scream? The library’s full of people. If one of them had screamed, someone would have come to their rescue.”

“They were too stunned, but the campus police are going to beef up security. If there’s some crazed woman sneaking around, they’ll find her.” Danny flopped into a nearby chair and grabbed the remote.