Six Impossible Things: Part One Read online

  Erotic.

  She had never shown it. She’d turned down the gallery owners’ offers when she got out of school. She’s gone to work at an ad company because that’s what responsible people did.

  And she continued to do her In Motion series whenever she could. Over the last six years, she’d taken hundreds of photographs and had winnowed them down to forty for a real gallery showcase. But she could never bring herself to call up those gallery owners whose business cards she still had, tucked away in a box under her bed.

  Sometimes, her own insecurity got the better of her. When it came to her art, it always got the better of her.

  “I get that,” he said. “Photography is a very intimate art.”

  She blinked, a little surprised at how known she felt in that moment. It should’ve scared her. Maybe it did, a little. But any trace of fear was blotted out by a glowing, sparkly feeling in her chest.

  It was so nice, to be here, with a man who listened to her. Who saw beyond the short little black dress and the high heels to the woman—the artist—within.

  It was a little like that magic she’d told herself to stop believing in.

  Four

  Luke

  As they finished dinner and he helped her into that flirty little cape-coat that swung back and forth with every movement, Luke couldn’t help but let his fingers linger a bit on her shoulder before pulling away.

  “Let me walk you to your car,” he said.

  “Oh, I parked quite a bit away,” she said, like she was afraid she was putting him out.

  “It’s no trouble at all,” he said. There was no way in hell he was letting a woman walk alone at night. He knew all too well the fear that so many women had to constantly carry within them, the wariness and awareness that was ever-present. He’d always considered himself a pretty enlightened guy, but working with the women at Our Safe Place had opened his eyes big-time about the safety he took for granted as a guy walking in this world.

  The idea of Nora feeling even the barest flash of fear as she walked alone down a dark street and saw a stranger approaching made him sick to his stomach.

  He liked her, he thought, as her lips twisted into a smile as he held out his arm. She took it and he noticed that her nail polish was chipped on her thumb, like she had a habit of worrying it between her teeth. What other little bad habits did she have? Or good ones? Or naughty ones? His mind tilted to place it shouldn’t—not on a first date—but he couldn’t help himself.

  She’d been beautiful in the candlelight, laughing with Antonio and the waiters, sharing a slice of tiramisu with him for dessert. He’d coaxed some information out of her about her photography, the little bits she was willing to tell him making him even more intrigued. Her eyes had lit up when she’d talked about the science and art of motion, the challenge of capturing it with the camera.

  This woman had passion in her. And God, he wanted to stir it into a storm. But he was trying to keep Margaux’s words fresh in his mind. Nora had been hurt badly by a man. Her scummy ex-fiancé. He needed to be cautious here. He didn’t want to scare her off.

  Because he liked her. He really liked her. He hadn’t felt this attracted to someone in years. If he had his way, they’d be halfway to his place by now, but he wasn’t about to propose that. Not when he wanted a second date. And a third.

  They passed by an antique store, and she paused for a moment, looking in the window, before continuing on.

  He smiled when he noticed she did it again a few minutes later, peering into another antique shop window like she was a bird, drawn to something shiny.

  “You like antiques?” he asked.

  “Hmm?” she looked up, looking a little startled, those big green eyes doe-like. Her cheeks bloomed pink, and his stomach tightened in reaction, his fingers itching to touch her. “Oh, sorry,” she said. “It’s a quirk.”

  “A quirk?” he echoed questioningly. He was so damn curious about her. He wanted to know everything. Every quirk, every idiosyncrasy. He wanted inside jokes with her. Little innocuous things he’d say that would make her burst out laughing.

  “My grandmother once had a locket,” she explained. “My grandfather had given it to her for their first anniversary. White gold. Engraved with a little house by a creek.”

  “It sounds lovely,” he said.

  “It was,” Nora said. “But right before they had their first baby, my grandfather lost his job. Things were really tough for quite a few years. And my Grandmother pawned all of her jewelry, including the locket. When things got better, my Grandfather got most of her things back, but the locket…” she trailed off, shaking her head, as if to clear it. “I’m sorry, I’m rambling.”

  “Not at all,” he said. “So you look in every antique shop you come by, hoping to find that locket someday?”

  She bit her lip. “I know it’s silly,” she said. “An impossible task. But my Grandma Nora… she always said you should do six impossible things before breakfast.”

  He grinned. “Alice in Wonderland!”

  She nodded, her eyes sparkling when he got the reference. The light in them was so hard to resist.

  “I don’t think it’s silly,” he said softly.

  “It’s fanciful,” she said.

  “Hopeful,” he countered. “It speaks to your heart.”

  She sighed. “But there I go again, listening to my heart over my head. I need to focus on sticking to my new rules. ”

  “This is the first time I’m hearing of rules. I think you should let me know what they are, so I can help you break them.”

  “You’re a bad influence!” She laughed, that beautiful, bell-like sound ringing through the empty street.

  “My new leaf is all about being practical,” Nora said with a determined nod. “Thinking things through. Possibly making lots of pro/con lists.”

  “Did you make one about going out with me?” he asked, half-joking, but then when she turned bright red, he laughed. “Really? Now I’m really interested what was in the con column.”

  “All the cons were about me, not you,” Nora said, looking relieved he was taking this so good-naturedly. How could he not? She was great. Funny and smart and just a little quirky.

  He liked unique women. And Nora Phillips was definitely a singular one.

  “What about the pros?” he asked.

  “All the pros were about you,” Nora said. “Well, at least, what I knew about you from Margaux and Hunter.”

  “And what did they tell you about me?”

  “That you were nice and funny and handsome and absolutely fated to be my soulmate,” Nora said with a wink that made the pull he felt toward her so hard to resist. He wanted to grab her hand and give her a little twirl as they walked down the street, slip his hand around her waist, so his fingers were resting on the soft curve of her hip. “You know, all the things people say when they’re setting you up.”

  “I am absolutely all those things,” he said with a deadpan expression. “Especially the soulmate part.” And sure enough, it made her laugh again.

  He loved making her laugh.

  “This is me,” she said, nodding her head toward the dark blue Volvo parked on the curb. “Thank you for the lovely evening. And the walk to my car.”

  She hesitated, a shy, unsure look crossing over her face, and heat lanced through him as he realized she didn’t want to evening to end.

  A slow smile spread across his lips. Oh sweetheart, he thought. You and I are going places.

  “If this wasn’t a first date, I’d kiss you right now,” he said.

  Her head tilted. For a moment, he thought he’d pushed a bit too far, because her eyes flickered and he could see nervousness there. But then, oh, then… her lips—that perfect red cupid’s bow of a mouth—curved.

  “Kiss me,” she said softly.

  It was an answer and a question wrapped all in one. A request, and maybe a bit of an order.

  And when his hand settled on her waist and his lips closed over her
s, something clicked into place deep inside him, like a key fitting in a lock. Her mouth opened beneath his, and the heat and taste of her—ladyfingers and coffee and whipped cream—pulsed through him like the best kind of sugar rush.

  One step, and he could press her against her car and angle her head, taking the kiss deeper, hotter, wetter. And for a moment, God, it was all he wanted to do. He wanted to take her home and spread her out on his bed and worship her until dawn was streaking the sky.

  Slow down, cowboy, he thought, forcing himself to break off the kiss. But he couldn’t quite force himself to fully retreat, so for a moment, they stood there, their foreheads pressed together, breathing each other in. When he opened his eyes and saw her looking into his, it took his damn breath away. Made his heart skip a beat like he was a prince in a story. Just being so close to her, caught in her gaze, was more intimate than some kisses he’d experienced.

  “You make it hard for a man to walk away, Nora,” he said softly, his voice rougher than he liked. “But I’m going to. For tonight.”

  She licked her lips as he pulled back, nearly swaying when they finally parted.

  “Goodnight, Luke,” she said.

  “Drive safe.”

  He watched her drive away, unable to look away until her headlights had long-faded into the darkness, wondering if this was what meeting his future felt like.

  Five

  Nora

  Nora could still feel the heat of his lips against hers the next morning.

  That kiss…

  She spent the rest of the night thinking of nothing else, and now, in the gray, rainy morning light, she still couldn’t stop thinking about it.

  It wasn’t like she hadn’t had great kisses before.

  Or maybe… it kind of was. Because that kiss?

  It blew every other kiss she’d ever had—the ones she thought were epic or sweet or romantic—so out of the water she was wondering how she could even compare them.

  Kissing him had been like finding something joyful and mischievous inside her for the first time in years. It had heated her up from the inside out, and it had taken every ladylike bone in her body to not climb that man like a tree, right then and there in the street. Her mind and body had been wild with desire, consumed with the thought of wrapping her legs around his strong, lean hips, pressing right up against his…

  Down, girl, she told herself sternly, feeling a little hot under the collar. She pushed off her comforter, trying to cool down.

  She reached for her phone, realizing it was much later than she thought. Still dazed from Luke’s kiss, she hadn’t even set her alarm last night. Holly had been asleep by the time she got in, so she still had to catch her roommate up on all the details of her date. Plus, Margaux would want to know everything.

  Speaking of Margaux, there were two texts from her. And one from Luke.

  Her heart in her throat—a text so soon had to be a good sign, right?—she tapped to open it.

  Nora—

  Thank you for such a great evening. I had an amazing time—it’s been awhile since I’ve laughed like that.

  I know you’re probably busy with prepping to teach your photography students, but do you think you can spare some time to spend with me? Give me a call. I’d like to propose something maybe a little crazy.

  She was instantly intrigued—and instantly tempted to give him a call right then. But she needed to play this cool. So she got up and fixed some coffee and avocado toast, sitting in the cozy living room, having her breakfast and leafing through the latest portraits she’d done. Her friend Alyce was a ballerina in San Francisco who had taken a leave of absence to have her baby. She’d asked Nora to do some pregnancy photos of her and her choreographer husband to celebrate this special time in their lives. They had turned out beautifully, the photos full of maternal power and grace, Alyce’s lush body artfully and tastefully draped with dark blue silk as she danced. She just had to finish touching up the lighting in the last few portraits before she sent them to the happy couple.

  Everyone’s getting married and having babies, she thought, with just a touch of bittersweetness.

  She had been telling the truth when she had told Margaux and Hunter she was grateful that Gregory had finally owned up to his cheating and called off the wedding. She was so grateful she wasn’t his wife right now, blissfully unaware of the cheating bomb that could be dropped on her life at any time.

  But she had been looking forward to the next phase of her life. She was a person who was more about the marriage than the wedding. She had been looking forward to married life, to having a full, committed partner. A wonderful father to her children.

  Now, she realized that marriage to Gregory wouldn’t have given her that, because her relationship with Gregory couldn’t even give her that. He was too selfish for those things even when they were just dating. How could she have expected vows of forever to change that?

  It had been silly. Yet again she had chosen her heart over her head. And obviously, her heart was faulty when it came to picking the right man. Now it was time she chose with her head first.

  Maybe Luke’s the right choice, that damned little voice said.

  She had felt so comfortable with him from the start. She hardly ever had that experience with men. Her father’s infidelity had made her wary—and Gregory’s had made her question everything, because she hadn’t seen it coming. She’d dismissed every late night and every missed date, telling herself he was busy, that it was normal.

  She’d been a fool, and she wouldn’t be again.

  But Luke…

  There was something about Luke Stone, a steadiness about him, that instantly soothed her. And there was a mischief to him that made her want to be a little reckless, a little wild, because she somehow knew he would catch her, always, if she fell.

  Unable to stop herself, she brought Luke’s number up on her phone and pressed Call.

  There were butterflies in her stomach as the phone rang a few times, and then his deep voice answered.

  “This is Lucas Stone.”

  “Hi, Luke, it’s Nora.”

  “Hey, Nora,” his voice, if possible, grew even deeper, wrapping around her name like a velvet kiss. “I’m glad you called.”

  “I wanted to thank you again for such a nice night,” she said. “I had a lot of fun, too.”

  “I’m glad,” he said.

  “And I must admit, I was a little intrigued by your text,” she continued.

  “Oh yeah? That was definitely my aim,” he said with a laugh.

  “So what’s this crazy thing you want to propose?”

  “I know you’re all about the practical now,” he said. “What with your pro/con lists and your new leaf and all. But something you said during our walk kind of struck me.”

  Her curiosity growing, she asked, “And what was that?’

  “You said your grandmother believed in doing six impossible things before breakfast,” he said, and she could hear the smile in his voice. She loved that she could actually hear it, how his voice changed just a little, just like how his eyes crinkled every time he smiled at dinner.

  You’ve got it baaaaaadddd. You are in such trouble if you’re already memorizing his eye crinkles.

  “She did,” Nora said, not knowing where he was going with this.

  “You have a few weeks before your classes start, right?”

  “That’s right.”

  “Then this is what I propose, Nora: Let me show you some impossible things. I can’t guarantee they’ll all be before breakfast, but I can guarantee they’ll be incredible. Spend some time with me. Maybe you’ll start dreaming again. Because a woman like you? Deserves to have her dreams come true.”

  Her heart fluttered in her chest. It freaking fluttered. What he was offering was…

  Romantic. Sweet. Thoughtful.

  Impossible.

  “I can wait for you to make that pro/con list,” he offered, and she couldn’t hold back her laughter.

 
; “I really like your laugh, for the record,” he said, and wow, was he making it hard to say no.

  She needed to say no, right? What did even showing her the impossible mean?

  You’ll never know if you don’t let him show you.

  “So… what do you say, Nora?” he asked.

  She bit her lip. You’re supposed to be practical, she thought.

  But maybe this was practicality. Maybe it was stupid to not take him up on his offer.

  Maybe… just maybe… this could be something special. She thought about how he looked at her as she’d rambled a bit too long about photography the night before, how he’d never looked bored, but instead was hanging on her every word, asking her questions that showed her he’d actually thought about what she was saying.

  She could use more of that. Being valued. Being listened to.

  “I say yes,” she said.

  Also by Skylar Hill

  The Purely Pleasure Series

  All Worked Up

  All Dressed Up (A Purely Pleasure Short)

  Coming Soon:

  All Loved Up

  Steamy Standalones

  For Keeps

  The Exile Ink Series

  James & Cam:

  Something New (Book 1)

  Something Right (Book 2)

  Something Real (Book 3)

  Exile Ink: James & Cam (The Complete Trio)

  Aiden & Lydia:

  Just One Night (A Exile Ink Short)

  Coming Soon:

  Just One Word (Book 4)

  Just One Touch (Book 5)

  Just One Kiss (Book 6)

  About the Author

  Skylar Hill writes steamy romance about once-in-a-lifetime love.

  She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her very own lumberjack/soulmate. When she’s not writing, she’s hiking one of the trails around her beautiful city, or in a cafe, drinking chai lattes and eating way too many cinnamon rolls. She has several tattoos, but in places only her husband gets to see!