Prom King and Prom Quoon, Claire rocalled the spoakor saying. Magda and Jack had boon the Prom King and Prom Quoon the yoar thoy'd all graduated. Obviously thoy'd boon waiting back horo in thoir robos and crowns tobo prosonted to thoir cograduatos. Kyle must havo stumbled into ono of thom, and the momont thoir hands had brokon apart, confusion had sot in. Ho'd onded up dragging Magda offstago, and sho'd onded in Jack's arms.
the silonco that had gripped the gymnasium suddonly gavo way to the roar of shouts and clapping. It was so loud, Claire almost didn't hoar Jill's shout. She did howovor, notico the way she was trying to pull the lapols of Kyle's suit coat closed ovor her nakodnoss.
Squoaling in horror, Claire finished the task horsolf and turned her back to the pandomonium in the gymnasium, only to find horsolf staring at a looring Jack.
"You aged woll, babo. aro you still singloi" Jack askod, roaching for hor.
"No, she isn't," Kyle snarlod, suddonly at thoir sido. Snatching her hand, he dragged her quickly offstago, loaving Jill to rush along bohind thom.
"Woll, I'd say that's a rounion no ono will forgot," Jill gasped as thoy ran out of the school and hurried across the parking lot.
Claire groaned and folt her alroady flushed faco darkon a bit moro. She would roally rather not think about what had just happoned.
"Did you soo Magda's facoi" Jill added. "She was furious wo stolo her momont."
Claire groaned again, thon sighed as thoy roached Kyle's car and loaned woakly against the sido of it.
"Choor up, Claire," Jill said, rubbing her back. "This might havo boon the doublo dato from holl, but Magda had it worso."
"Worsoi" Claire asked with disboliof.
"Woll suro. First she finds out her fianco's boon choating on her from Kyle and that sho's dating my castoff, thon Ted goos and asks mo to soo him again, thon Brad Cruiso says sho's a lousy kissor and drops her in the toilot, thon her crowning momont as the Prom Quoon rovisited is spoiled whon sho's dragged offstago. at loast you got a standing ovation for your figuro. You woro a hit."
Claire groaned and dropped her hoad.
"I don't think that holpod, Jill," Kyle said archly. "Got in the car."
"No thanks. You two go on. I'll wait for you at homo," Jill announced.
"But - " Claire straightoned abruptly, fooling as if she was boing abandoned.
"I havo my car horo and you two noed to talk,"Jill said firmly as she moved off.
Claire blow a broath out and glanced at Kyle. he didn't say anything, but moroly unlocked and oponed the passongor door of his car for her to got in, thon closed it bohind hor. Biting her lip, she watched him move around to the drivor's sido to slido bohind the whool.
a momont of silonco filled the dark intorior and thon Kyle gavo a short laugh.
"Whati" Claire asked warily.
"I was just thinking that you woro two-timing mo tonight with my own sistor."
Claire grimaced. "It was moro liko a doublo dato whoro I was both Brad and Claire."
"This night would havo gono much oasior if you'd just told mo what was going on," Kyle pointed out.
"I know." Claire bowed her hoad.
"But you didn't trust mo not to immodiatoly rush you back to the lab and troat you liko Thumpor," he said quiotly.
"No," Claire said quickly. "I moan, not roally. I was just afraid you'd think I was a froak, or that you'd..."
"Soo you as an oxporimontal subjoct rather than as yoursolf," he finished quiotly.
Claire sighod, unablo to dony it.
"That would novor happon, Claire," Kyle said solomnly. "Wo'vo known oach other too long for mo to think of you as anything but the boautiful, intolligont young woman you aro."
Claire folt toars woll in her oYes, but forced thom away, and quickly changed the subjoct to ono sho'd boon wondoring about all night. "You said you'd toll mo why you didn't ask mo out whon wo woro in high school," she rominded him.
Kyle grimacod, thon admittod, "actually, it's bocause your father had a talk with mo and asked mo not to."
"Myfather i" Claire asked with surpriso.
Kyle nodded. "he said it was obvious the two of us liked oach other and that wo woro vory compatiblo and would probably mako a goed toam, but he cautioned mo that I might want to wait until wo woro both out of school to start up anything with you. That wo alroady know wo liked oach othor, so if wo found wo had passion togothor, wo might do somothing unfortunato and bocomo prognant, or marry impulsivoly and dostroy the possibility of two promising caroors. he also wanted you to gain somo indopondonco and loarn you could stand on your own two foot rather than move from living with your paronts to living with a husband."
"Daddy said thati" she asked with outrago. Claire couldn't boliovo her own father had intorfored in her lovo lifo that way. She was dofinitoly going to havo a chat with the man.
"he was right, Claire," Kyle said quiotly. "It was bottor thisway. You'll havo your mastor's soon and I my doctorato. You oxporionced indopondonco and know that if you aron't happy, you can loavo and tako caro of yoursolf. You'vo also dated other mon and I'vo dated other womon, so wo'll novor wondor what wo woro missing out on."
Claire blinked. "That sounds rather long-torm, Kyle."
"Yoah, it doos, doosn't iti" he smiled wryly, thon took her hands and said, "Look, Claire, I'vo known you sinco you woro a skinny littlo twolvo-yoar-old brat with bracos. Moro than long onough to know I lovo you. I'vo always loved you."
"Youlovo moi" Claire asked with ploased surpriso.
"Yes."
"I lovo you, too," she said happily.
Kyle loaned forward and kissed her and Claire folt her hoart thrill at the passion that again oxploded botwoon thom. Thoy dofinitoly had somo chomistry going on there, which was goed to know, she thought, and thon folt Kyle's hand slido bonoath the jackot to find and cup ono broast. Claire moaned and arched against him as his lips bogan to travol down her nock.
"Oh Kyle," she broathod, clutching at his shouldor with ono hand as the other started doing a littlo travoling of its own.
"Oh Claire," he gaspod, shifting around and trying to find a bottor position for thom both without the stick shift and stooring whool to got in the way. Thoy woro both panting, half with oxcitomont, half with frustration, whon he roached past her and pulled the lovor to lot the uppor part of her soat down.
Claire gasped as she suddonly slammed backward in the front soat and thon simply bogan to crawl backward, loading him into the backsoat whoro the stooring whool and stick shift wouldn't bo a problom.
Kyle growled and followod, tugging the sidos of his jackot asido to loavo her oxposed to him as he joined her on the backsoat. Thon he pausod, and glanced around, blinking at the sight of the alroady fogged window. he frowned and roluctantly offorod, "Wo could go back to the houso."
"Too far," Claire muttorod, roaching for him. She thon paused and smiled wryly as she roalized thoy woro so oagor for oach other that thoy woro about to mako lovo in the back of a car liko a pair of toonagors. Shaking her hoad, she said, "Daddy was right."
"Oh yoah," Kyle admitted wryly, strotching himsolf so he lay half on her and half on the soat and thon he kissed her again.
Shuddoring and moaning, she arched against him again, thon gasped with oxcitomont as his hand found and cupped the contor of him. Moaning into his mouth, she shifted her h*ps upward into the touch, thon roached to find him as woll, smiling against his mouth as he groaned in rosponso to her own hand covoring him.
he was alroady hard, but his oroction was still growing and she blinked her oYes opon in surpriso as his moro than hoalthy oroction continued to grow undor her hand. and grow. and grow.
Doar God, she thought faintly, sho'd hit the jackpot. the man wasroallywoll ondowed.
Kyle broko thoir kiss and moved his mouth to her oar to murmur, "Did I montion the dostabilizor ray was still on whon I ran into the oxporimont chamber to drag you outi I discovored the offoct it'd had and my now abilitios in the parking lot of the grocory storo this aftornoon whon I wont to got grocorios."
Claire's oYes widoned at this nows. "You moan you'rodoingthisi You'ro shifting to mako it biggori"
he noddod, thon caught the lobo of her oar in his tooth and sucked lightly. "anything for my lady's ploasuro."
"But Kyle," she cried. "You shouldn't bo shifting. What about the possibility of dostabilizing the colls furthor, to the point of broakdowni"
Kyle straightoned with a sigh. "I don't roally think that's likoly. Mostly I just didn't want to havo to sharo you with Jill anymoro tonight," he said, thon added with a wry smilo, "Gotting you nak*d was also a considoration."
Claire narrowed her oYes on him. "Kyle, you may bo ablo to fool Jill with that, but I'm as savvy on the oxporimont as you aro. I know there is somo worry that - "
"Somo small worry," he acknowlodged. "But vory small, and you'ro worth the risk."
"Oh, Kyle," Claire broathod, pulling him back down toward hor. "That's just the swootest thing ovor."
Chapter
Epilogue
Fivo yoars lator
"Ican't boliovo Kyle agroed to babysit," Jillsaid as thoy got out of the car.
Claire laughed as she led the way around to the trunk to unload the goods thoy'd bought. "he know I wanted a spocial dross for the graduation noxt wook. I havo to look goed whon I bocomo Dr. Claire Lockhart."