Better Deeds Than Words (Words#2) (43 page)

“You mean we might have to stay in all weekend?” I asked.

“We might.”

“Maybe we should just stay in
bed
all weekend,” I suggested.

He leaned over to kiss me. “I love the way you think. Okay, grab your purse. You ready?”

“Yep.”

We both climbed out and hurried along the gravel driveway toward a flagstone path. A few steps along the path, I stopped, stunned at the sight before me. Cottage? This was a
cottage?
This was so
not
a frigging cottage! It was a
mansion
that happened to be in cottage country. Daniel unlocked the door and turned to look for me.

“Poppet? You coming?”

“Yes, I…This isn’t…It’s so…”

He held out his hand. “I’m pretty sure black flies have teeth.”

I willed my feet to move along the pathway and through the open door.

I slipped my shoes off and took his outstretched hand. “Here,” he said, leading me into the kitchen. “Have a look around while I grab the rest of our things.”

I was stunned. This was what he’d been referring to as the family
cottage?
I spun around in the middle of the kitchen. Hardwood floors, stainless steel appliances, wine fridge, stove with six gas burners, granite counter tops, large harvest table…

The door opened and closed several times as Daniel collected our stuff. Finally he brought in the groceries and deposited them on the large island counter.

“Well, this is it,” he said, gesturing around him.

“It’s…wow. Daniel, it’s unbelievable.”

He shrugged out of his jacket and placed it on the back of one of the kitchen chairs.

“Come on, I’ll show you around.”

He took me on a tour that had me gasping with surprise over and over again. I tried to keep track of everything as we moved from one area to another on the sprawling main floor of the cottage. There were five family bedrooms, two guestrooms, a nanny’s quarters, four bathrooms—one with a claw foot tub, another with a Jacuzzi tub—and all hardwood floors throughout with sumptuous throw rugs everywhere.

The games room made the basement of the Grant home in Toronto look rinky-dink. It had to be at least fifteen hundred square feet and had every type of entertainment accessory conceivable. Most impressive were the cathedral ceilings and the floor-to-ceiling windows through which you could see the lake sparkling below.

“You must have had so much fun here growing up,” I said as Daniel showed me the bar and then pointed out the hot tub outside the games room door.

“It
was
fun. I have some really good memories.” He pulled me into his arms and leaned against the pool table. “And I look forward to making some new ones,” he said, brushing my hair away from my face and kissing me.

When he took my hand to lead me back upstairs, I began to wonder how things would play out. As much as I wanted to run down the hall to his room and get started
making memories
, I also wanted this to be special. Daniel must have agreed because, after we’d unpacked and put everything away, he suggested an afternoon walk so he could show me the property.

“It’s so beautiful out it seems silly to wear long sleeves,” I said as I zipped up my hooded sweatshirt.

“You can always take it off if the bugs aren’t a problem,” Daniel suggested. “It’s warm now, but I think I’ll make a fire tonight,” Daniel said. “The temperature will probably drop.”

“That sounds nice.”

“I hoped you’d think so. Those pillows around the fireplace are new,” he said, smiling secretively.

“
Are
they now?”

Was this part of his master plan? A fire. Throw pillows. Fur rug.

“Penny helped me buy them on Thursday. She chose some new candles for the mantel, too.”

“I see. So
this
is where you were on Thursday?” I asked, looking up at him as he guided me out to the pathway.

“That’s right.”

“You’ve had a busy week.”

“You have no idea,” he chuckled.

We walked hand in hand away from the cottage, with Daniel pointing out various noteworthy sites along the way—the big rock where he’d shared his first kiss with Nancy Dawson when he was nine years old; the hill he’d tobogganed down when he was ten, landing awkwardly at the bottom and breaking his arm; the trail the family enjoyed hiking on in the summer and cross-country skiing through in the winter.

“So, this is all your family’s land?” I asked, gesturing around us.

“Yep. This isn’t the original cottage though. The one Patty and my grandfather built was smaller. This cottage has been here for about twenty-three years. The nearest neighbor is about a quarter mile that way.” He pointed back down the road.

“That’s amazing. The privacy, I mean. Your family is very lucky. So, growing up, you came up here a lot?”

“We used to spend summers up here. We came up a few times for Christmas. One Christmas—I think I was seven—we got a huge train set and had it assembled in the games room. Man, I loved that thing. That was the year Santa brought me my first guitar as well.”

I thought about Daniel strumming his guitar, looking hotter than Hades. I couldn’t help sighing.

“I love Santa.”

He smiled and threw his arm over my shoulder, leading me to the other side of the road to point through the trees. “Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell’s cottage is over there.”

“That’s cool that you share a lake with celebrities. I wonder if their daughter’s ever been up here—Kate Hudson, right? Have you seen her around?
She’s
quite the looker, eh?”

He shrugged. “Not really interested, to be honest. Besides, I happen to be a little distracted by this gorgeous green-eyed girl at the moment.”

I smirked. “Really? Tell me about her.”

He propped himself against a tree and hugged me close.

“Well, she’s smart, stubborn as a fuck, and funny as hell. She’s beautiful, and she has these crazy long legs that go on forever.” He kissed me in a way that made me weak in the knees—all soft lips and gentle tongue. Then he pulled my hood back a little so he could whisper in my ear. “And her legs stop right here.” He cupped one of my buttocks. “At this phenomenal ass.”

“Wow. She sounds awesome,” I said, holding onto his shoulders to steady myself.

“She is.” His eyes were clouded with emotion.

We stood kissing under that tree for who knows how long. Finally, we headed back inside before the black flies started to eat us alive. Frankly, giant man-eating squirrels could have been feasting on my ankles, and I would have been oblivious.

“Happy tummy?”

Daniel was hugging me from behind and rubbing my stomach through my T-shirt as I dried my hands on a dish towel. I tossed the towel on the counter and spun around in his arms.

“That steak was incredible. My tummy is
very
happy.”

“I’d like to make some other parts of you very happy,” he said, nuzzling my ear. I shivered straight down to the tips of my toes. He brushed my hair away from my face and regarded me seriously. “It’s about time I stopped making you
miserable
, that’s for damn sure.”

I pressed my fingers to his lips. “Daniel, don’t. The past three months—everything was out of our control.”

He lovingly kissed my fingertips. “I adore you.” He shook his head. “Words. Not good enough.”

“Maybe it’s time for some of those deeds you were telling me about yesterday.”

“You’re right. There are a couple of deeds that might show you precisely how I feel. If you’re interested—” his lips moved to my ear “—I’d love to try,” he whispered.

I bit my lip shyly. “Is it okay with you if I change first? I was hoping to show you the dress and shoes I bought for our trip to Taboo.”

“Even if you won’t have them on for very long?”

I laughed. “Absolutely.”

“In that case, can you do me a small favor? Can you put your hair up?”

“I’m sure that can be arranged.”

“Did you want to have a soak in the tub or something? You can use the bathroom down the hall. I’ll shower in my parents’ bathroom, and then I’ll get the fire going.”

“Sounds perfect.”

“So, you’ll be all dressed up. What should I wear?”

I looked down at his jeans. “These,” I said. “And whatever else you want. My only request is the ratty pants.”

“Fair enough.” He refilled my wine glass and handed it to me, his eyes shining. “I can’t believe you’re mine and this is finally happening.”

He kissed me slowly, sucking on my tongue, tugging at my lip, moaning quietly into my mouth. Finally, he broke away.

“You’d better get going before I ravish you right here on the kitchen table.”

“That doesn’t sound unappealing.” I playfully tugged at the top button of his jeans.

He slapped my ass, pointing down the hallway to the bathroom. “Go!”

I laughed, making my way to Daniel’s room, grabbing my bag and taking it into the bathroom with me.

For the next half hour I soaked in the tub with my wine, moisturizing my skin liberally afterward and finishing off with a vigorous tooth brushing. I selected a black lace bra and accompanying panties, smiling as I anticipated Daniel’s reaction to the hot pink polka dots. I slipped into my dress and shoes and arranged my hair in a loose bun, securing it with a clip. At last, I surveyed myself in the mirror and smoothed my dress.

“It’s show time, Aubrey,” I whispered to my reflection.

My shoes clicked on the hardwood floor, announcing my arrival. Daniel was sitting on the sofa in front of a roaring fire. A row of tea lights glowed across the mantelpiece. Smoky jazz music filled the room. He’d opened another bottle of wine, and two glasses sat on the side table. He’d thought of everything.

He turned as I crossed the room and then stood up, eyes wide. “Wow. You look stunning.”

“Thanks,” I said, trying to
own
stunning as I stepped into his embrace. He held me tightly and then moved back to take a closer look at my dress and shoes.

“Gorgeous. How do you feel?” he asked.

I smiled. I felt gorgeous. And sexy. And
ready
. “Nervous as hell,” I said. “You?”

“Same.”

“Any anxiety?”

“Only the performance kind.”

I laughed lightly. “I don’t think
that’s
going to be an issue.” I rested my hands on his chest. “But how are you feeling about losing your independence?”

He frowned and played with a loose tendril of my hair. “What do you mean?”

“Well, you’ve been
self-employed
for so long, I’m concerned you might have trouble getting used to having someone working
with
you,” I teased.

He threw his head back and laughed. “Ah, I honestly don’t see that as a problem.”

“Are you sure?”

He nodded. “Oh, I’m sure.”

He ran his hands down my back and rested them on my hips. Then he told me with his lips, his tongue, and his sighs exactly how much he wanted me. As our bodies pressed together, it became abundantly clear that, like me, Daniel was
ready
.

“This dress
is
beautiful, Aubrey, but unfortunately it’s in the way of something I really,
really
need,” he murmured.

“Zipper’s in back.” I slowly undid the buttons of his shirt, sliding it down his arms and tossing it on the couch. I snuck my fingers under his white T-shirt and rested my hands on his sides.

He looked into my eyes and found the top of the zipper, slowly easing it down.

“I can’t wait to see you step out of this dress.” He lowered his lips to my shoulder. “God, I want you,” he whispered. He slid his hands down my back, cupping my buttocks.