Questing (Cosmis Connections, Book One) by Barbara Huffert Page A

Friday night. Oh right, he might really be home but he certainly wouldn’t be alone.
    Without thinking, Kiley dialed the number she’d committed to memory. She’d simply hang up when she got his machine without leaving a message. He’d said he’d be thinking about her. Hopefully he had caller ID that would show she had called. Then she’d see just how charming he could be after he realized she knew he’d been out on the town instead of at home, pining away for her as Brett claimed he would be.
    “McKade,” Jordan answered, not looking at the display since he’d been expecting Brett to call with some scheme in mind.
    Kiley was stunned when he picked up before the second ring. He was home. And he couldn’t be entertaining too intimately or he wouldn’t have bothered with the phone. Her cheeks burned as the unreasonable anger her imagination generated evaporated. Was she jealous?
    “Hello?” Jordan repeated.
    “Uh, Jordan, hi. It’s me, um, Kiley,” she finally sputtered.
    “Wow, Kiley! What a nice surprise.” She could almost hear him smiling.
    “You don’t mind? You did say I should call you again sometime. If you’re busy?”
    “Kiley, I’m never too busy for you. And why would I ever mind if you called when I suggested it? I’m very happy to hear from you.”
    “Oh, okay,” she paused, wondering what she thought she was doing. “I’m just surprised you’re home.”
    “Why?”
    “Well it is Friday night. I thought you’d be out.”
    “Where are you?” he asked softly.
    “Home,” she responded.
    “Why?” he echoed her question.
    “Oh, yeah, okay.” She felt so confused.
    “Sorry sweetest, I didn’t mean to put you on the spot like that. Actually, I’ve been working…”
    She gasped. “I don’t want to interrupt…”
    “As I was saying, I’ve been working but I just wrapped everything up. If you want the truth, I was just thinking about you and wondering what you were doing.”
    “Well, I sorted my mail, took a shower and…”
    “Wait.” Jordan took a deep breath, “Let me picture that.”
    “What? Me in the shower?” she giggled.
    “I was going for you and your mail but if you’d rather I tried for you in the shower, I’ll give it a shot.”
    “Jordan!”
    “Hey, you can’t blame a guy when you say something like that. What else did you do?”
    “Paid my bills.”
    “Now there’s an image for me. Do you chew on your pen? Bite your bottom lip? Stick the tip of your tongue out when you concentrate?”
    “Stop.” She was laughing comfortably. “None of the above if you must know. I did lick the envelopes though but the stamps were self-stick ones.” Kiley groaned. Why had she said that?
    “Wait, I’m imaging myself as the envelope.”
    “Hmm, how long have you wanted to have a stamp stuck on you?”
    “Oh about four months now.” Jordan wondered if she knew how much she was killing him.
    “I’m sorry that I was still a jerk this week.”
    “I told you before. You are not a jerk. I think we made great progress. Thursday you completed two whole sentences before I scared you off.”
    “Jordan McKade, you are an honestly nice man,” she sighed. “I’m not scared of you. I never was. It’s just that around you, I, um…”
    “I bet you’re blushing.” He couldn’t stop himself. “Sorry ’bout that. After we hung up Monday, I promised myself that I wouldn’t say anything to intimidate you if you ever called me again.” When she didn’t answer, he continued, “I was thrilled the other day when you said you liked me too.”
    “Oh, well…” She sounded frustrated. “Why can’t I think with you? When you’re not around I come up with all sorts of things I’d like to say. But then, as soon as I hear your voice, every one of them flies right out of my head,” she said, gasping. “Jeez, there I go again.”
    “Do you have any clue how you make me feel when you say something honest like that?”
    “Like you wish you’d never come into Mr.