Just Like Heaven

Also by Steven
Slavick

Romantic Comedy

Just Like Heaven

Falling For You

Romantic Suspense

Lost in the Shadows

City on the Edge of Darkness

Never Remember, Never Forget

Justine Bryce Series

The Streets of Broken Dreams

The City of Broken Shoulders

CHAPTER ONE

At the
diner where she
waited tables, Nina Gilford had
tried chatting
up the
sandy-haired man
in his early thirties
with the sexy stubble
on his angular jawline
, but
he hadn’t
removed his gaze from the artwork in his notebook.
He’d only mumbl
ed “coffee and toast
,
”
crumbled up
a
page,
and added it
to the eight other
ones
that lay across the table.

Since then, when s
he’d strolled
by
with a cheery smile
to refill his coffee mug, he’d
only
nodded and thanked her without
looking up
from his work.
S
he felt
stupid for trying
to attract the attention of someone who had no interest in her
(a recurring theme throughout her life)
. Then again,
after he failed to transfer the vision in his mind to the page,
she preferred to
think
that he
’d
blocked out
all
external stimuli
.

So i
f he didn’t
even notice her existence, why did she find this man s
o captivat
ing?
No doubt,
his rugged good looks and passionate artistic endeavors would have made most women swoon
. B
ut
while Nina appreciated beauty just like any other woman, she had never all
owed this trait
to dominate
what she needed from
a relationship: a sense of humor,
kindness, strength of character,
and a conviction
that family came first. But since the stranger hadn’t uttered one word to her, Nina couldn’t
pretend that
these
characteristics
conveyed
why she found him so…compelling
.

Onc
e
more, his
intense green eyes
failed to
convey
the image
he hoped to put onto paper. He
crinkled another page
with an exasperated sigh and
tossed it aside
.
The tightly
knit ball slipped off the table and fell
onto the floor.

Having just served breakfast to a family of six, Nina
took that as her cue to once more
draw him into conversation. She picked u
p her pac
e, intent on beating him to the artwork
, which might
also
give her a
chance to examine his
artistic
talent.

He
glanced
at the ball with a grimace and
ti
l
t
ed his body to retrieve it.

But
Nina swooped in a
nd snatch
ed it.
“You know, littering is a crime. I could call the cops.”

“Soun
ds like a
wise decision
,” he said, his
voice
like honey and containing the irresistible allure of complete confidence
.
“I might concentrate better in jail.”
He looked into her eyes
, and the corners of his lips perked up
wards
. “Fewer enticing distractions.”

The notion that he found her attractive
set her pulse racing.
“But would you enjoy the
intimate, late-night rendezvous with your
fellow inmates?
”

“Yeah, I get the impression they might not be
too…
passionate or sensual. And those are pre-requisites for me.”

“Don’t be so quick to judge. Who knows, your cell-mate might be a romantic.”

“Hmmm, I don’t think they’d allow candles and scented oils behind bars. Besides, you can’t really cozy up a room with only a bunk bed and only a toilet.
My
biggest obstacle is that I find the female body the most beautiful piece of art in the world.”
He
lifted an eyebrow,
insinuating naughty desires that conflicted with his charming demeanor.

Tho
se two
contradictions made Nina lose her breath.
Even worse, t
he mirth in his eyes penetrated her soul, stripping away her deepest fears, the ones she couldn’t reveal to her closest friends: difficulty in trusting others, which stemmed from past romantic relationships gone awry; her inability to make her dreams a reality; and the lifelong dread that she may never find
The One
.

“Besides,” he said, “each time I’ve been sent to prison, I was lucky enough to fight th
ese… gentleman callers.
Now, d
on’t get the impression that I’m a permanent fixtu
re in the county pen
. I mean, I’ve only been incarcerated four times.”

That
admission shocked Nina into silence.

“
The
first time I got put away for shooting an intruder who had burglarized our home.
I mean, h
ow is that even fair? I have a license and permit for my
revolver,
but I get locked up for shooting someone who enters my home and steals my stuff – just because he was trying to get away?
I’m the one getting victimized, am I right?
”

“You shot someone?” Her stomach dropped. Her mouth went dry. And an alarm sounded in her head.

“Not just anyone: a criminal. There’s a difference. Oh, and the second time? This one was actually kind of funny—”

“Um, I’ve g
ot to go,” she said, turning to walk
away.

“Come
on, do I look like a convict?
”
He cracked a smile. “I don’t even own a gun.”

The tension in her shoulders relaxed at the joviality in his voice. She spun back to him. “That wasn’t funny.”
But she battled to keep her lips in a straight line.

“So you’re saying I should give up moonlighting as a comedian? That’s harsh.”

His lighthearted
tone made her smile.
Beyond all reason, every second he stared into her eyes unleashed other
aspects of her personality that
acquaintances had to
earn
: that when she gave her heart, she didn’t hold anything back
; she never betrayed someone’s trust; and
she treated others the way she
want
ed
to be treated.

But
still, unless he had ESP, which allowed a person to receive information not recognized by the five senses but with the brain, he could never snatch snippets of her personality. And
while s
he knew he couldn’t infiltrate her mind to collect her
thoughts
,
so
why did it feel like he’d done just that?
She didn’t know which
idea frightened
her more:
that he’d found a key to unlock her thoughts, or that
he’d used the key to steal her thoughts
.

But one final concept matched those two bizarre convictions: Nina didn’t mind that he’d somehow reached these conclusions. It had been so long since she shared herself with a man, and just the p
rospect
of do
ing so set her pulse racing with excitement.
But then, realizing th
at she may have already given away
the upper hand, she decided to shutter her emotions. S
he
put up a vacant stare, steadied her body language, and closed off thoughts from entering her mind.

Yet, his gaze lingered,
slipping down to her lips before once more
caressing her eyes.

Oh, it’s been so long since someone looked at me like that.

That thought and the loneliness that usually accompanied it ha
d somehow gotten redirected. The stranger’s disarming smile returned, and his
eyes
promised something beyond a
mere
hookup. B
ut she couldn’t quite identify
his intent
ions. And this dichotomy, alon
g with the possibilities that might
result from getting to know him
made her quiver with anticipation.

Only now, after steadying every muscle in her body, did she realize that she’d misinterpreted
h
is
insight into her psyche.
He didn’t have an uncanny aptitude to read her mind. She only wished he had, so she wouldn’t feel so alone. But Nina had ne
ver attributed this thought to
any other man in her life…at least not so quickly after meeting him. So why had she chosen this man? What about him spoke to her on such a
deep level? And why did she feel so connected to him? None of it made any sense.

His
boyish grin
returned,
revealing that he knew t
he effect his charm
had on women.
And i
n any other instance, Nina might
have turned her back on him
and walked away
. But
looking
closer,
she
saw something surprising: he wanted her to
believe
that he bedded a different woman every day of the week. But why? How could that benefit him?

W
hile Nina never had (and never would have) a fling, the idea of a spontaneous hookup had always been her favorite fantasy
, but
she
w
as a “relati
onship girl,” a term she coined as a teenager,
which now seemed quaint considering her age.
If anything, she was kind of a prude – at least that’s what a couple of her girlfriends told her. And while she acknowledged the truth in that critique, she didn’t place too much emphasis on whether or not she attracted tons of men
on a lonely Saturday night
. She
was more concerned about whether or not one of those men would stick around on Sunday morning. And in order to live by those values, she had to place more emphasis on sharing her life with someone than
by
looking for a night of excitement. 

Besides, having
worked as a bartender for the past five years
, Nina had seen
all of the unseemly behavior men engaged in just to get laid,
and
she couldn’t help but let these experiences, albeit far removed from her
own
value
s, affect her
outlook on dating and
relationships.