Kissing Her Crazy(21)

He reached up and touched her temple, letting his finger linger to make his point. When he dropped his hand, his finger trailed down her skin for a second, but it was enough to make goose bumps erupt on that side of her body.

She realized she was sitting frozen, staring into his amber eyes. She tore her gaze away and looked down at her hands. “Well, I don’t know. Do you want me to start throwing ideas out there?”

“Yes,” he said, leaning back onto the chaise with his hands behind his head. “Throw away.”

Lena laughed. “Okay. Well, do you have a particular group of kids you want to help?”

“I know there are a lot of kids that need helping, but I’d like to do something that isn’t being done yet. I think I’d actually like to do something with foster kids. Maybe sponsor a summer camp. Or give them some sort of gift basket or care package when they move to a new home.”

“You know, that’s not a bad idea.”

“Really?”

The surprise on his face was beyond adorable. Lena fought to keep her mind on the topic at hand. “Really. I mean, not a gift basket.”

“No,” Elliot continued. “But something similar. Foster kids usually don’t have much, if anything, as they move from home to home. Some kids only have a trash bag to haul whatever belongings they might have with them. And many of them first coming into the system have nothing at all.”

“That’s terrible.”

Elliot nodded. “So what can we do to fix that?”

Lena’s heart skipped a beat or two at the word “we.” She pressed on, the familiar excitement rushing through her with the onset of a new idea. “What if we took your care package idea but expanded it?” She sat forward, her hands starting to fly as she spoke. “You could coordinate with whoever is in charge of placing the children in homes, and when someone new enters the system, you can do something special for them.”

Elliot sat up, his intent gaze totally focused on her. “I love that idea. We can give them something of their own. They’d have their own things to take into a new home. That would not only give them their own stuff but would help out the foster parents as well, so they wouldn’t need to provide so much.”

“Yes! What if we got something like those large plastic bins? We could decorate them pretty, put the child’s name on it, and fill it with everything they’ll need.”

Elliot nodded. “Exactly. Like sheets, clothing, books, toys. Even toiletry items, brushes, toothpaste. So that when they go to their first foster home, and if they have to move to others, they’ve got their very own things to take with them, in a case that’s theirs alone.”

“That would be perfect!”

He grabbed her hands and pulled her into a quick hug. “It is. It’s simple, but something those kids really need and would love. And it wouldn’t cost much for each child, so we’d be able to stretch the money further. We could even get the community involved. People could sponsor a child. Volunteer to create the case and fill it with items. This is so good. Really.”

“It is!”

Elliot stood up and pulled her to her feet, yanking her in for another hug. This time it lasted a little longer. He let her go a little slower. Her excitement for their idea died away, replaced by a very different kind of thrill running through her. One she hadn’t felt in a very long time.

She looked up, met his gaze while his arms were still draped loosely around her. It would be so easy to lean in a bit, press the rest of her body to his, rise up onto her toes, and close the distance between their mouths.

Elliot leaned down a little, as if his thoughts mirrored her own. She knew she shouldn’t. But… One little kiss wouldn’t hurt…

She moved enough for her lips to brush his. He jerked a little in surprise but recovered quickly, tightening his hold on her to keep her against him. His mouth moved over hers with increased intensity.

Oh my God.

Lena trembled and pressed herself closer, every nerve in her body blazing in a flood of heat that left her head swimming.

Her watch alarm went off, and she jumped with a little squeak, her heart pounding in her chest. She slapped at the thing until she connected with the button that shut it off. Elliot laughed, but he didn’t let her go. He held her lightly enough that she could pull away if she wanted, giving her the choice.

She almost hated to make it, but she knew it was the smart thing to do. She drew away from him, but smiled to take the sting out of any rejection he might feel.

“I need to go pick up Tyler.”

“Ah. Well. May I escort you back?”

She looked back into those shining, eager eyes. How he managed to both make her want to laugh like a total goofball and shove him up against the wall with her tongue down his throat, all at the same time, was beyond her. Just talented, she supposed. And she knew she should say no. Business talk was all well and good, but more than that could be bad.