Indulgence (37 page)

I turned slowly as my mother’s shocked face looked Hank up
and down before her stoic exterior wall went back up.
Yeah, he’s that
impressive.

“Hello, Mother,” I said with no endearment. I needed to talk
to the clerk managing the doors. Remove family members from having immediate
access to my home. Now that Hank was here, you never knew what position we’d be
in. That thought put a little smile on my face.

“Aspen, Darling. I just heard about your accident,”
even
though it happened two weeks ago,
I wanted to add,
“
and wanted to
come and check on you.” She looked between Hank’s imposing form and then back
to me. “I see you have company. I apologize for intruding.” Her long
over-trained manners made her sound almost polite and concerned for my welfare.
I knew better.

“I’m fine, Mother, as you can see. This is Hank Jensen. He’s
the man who saved my life.”

“Oh?” Her eyebrows rose to the ceiling. “So I am in your
debt then.” She thrust out a hand. Hank lifted it to his lips and kissed her
knuckles in a move that was very old-fashioned. His Southern ways were quite
charming.

“Pleasure to meet you, ma’am.” He gestured to a seat and
pulled it out for my mother. Damn Hank and his gentlemanly behavior. I wanted
the woman out of my house, not sitting at my table.

“Don’t mind if I do, Hank. Thank you.” She sat ramrod
straight and delicately placed her hands into her lap.

“Would you like some dinner, Mother? I can have Gustav bring
you something.”
Please say no, please say no, please say no …

“No thank you. A lady has to keep her girlish figure.” Her
eyes grazed over my huge plate of pasta. Normally I didn’t eat this way, but I
did work out a lot and Hank had been working me double-time in the bedroom. “I
would love a martini though, Darling.”

“Sure. Just a moment.” I got up and went to the kitchen to
request the martini and another bottle of wine for me. I had a feeling this
unannounced visit had more to it than motherly concern. She was not the type to
fawn over her children.

Growing up, she never cleaned a wound, kissed a boo-boo
better, stayed up with us when we’d had nightmares. None of that. All of the
normal things a good mother did were done by highly paid nannies. London and I
still spent time with ours and bought Christmas presents for them, celebrated
our birthdays together, but Rio probably couldn’t even remember their names. He
had always been self-absorbed. Just like my mother.

I made my way back to the dining room and could hear her
highness grilling Hank.
If she ruins this relationship for me, I’ll disown
her
. Relationship? I came to a screeching halt. Thinking about Hank and me
as anything more than friends with benefits was going to get me in a world of
hurt. Besides the jealous outbursts with Oliver and the possessiveness of my
body between the sheets, he’d never so much as hinted at anything more.

I wasn’t even sure I wanted more.

Yes, things between us had been great—fantastic even—but how
long would that last? Until he recovered? Probably. He was a cowboy from Texas.
His business happened to be doing work in New York. That didn’t mean he’d be
here indefinitely, and there was no way I’d be able to leave the city. Leave
Air Bright for what? A man. Even in my head it sounded ludicrous. We were
having fun. A lot of fun.

We were compatible physically and I genuinely enjoyed his
company. He was different from anyone else I knew, better somehow. His honesty,
character, and moral values were appealing, but that wasn’t enough. You
actually needed to live the in the same state. Everyone knew long distance
relationships never worked out, and trying to make it work with people from two
different classes was an added knife in the shit cake that was my love life.
Confused and downtrodden, I entered the dining room.

“So you’ll come, then?” were the dreaded words I heard come
from my mother’s perfect crimson-stained lips.

“Sure thing. I was just telling Aspen here that I was going
stir crazy on account I’d been stuck here for two weeks. Dinner with the family
sounds great!”

“You’ve been staying here for two weeks?” It was the first
time in a long time I’d seen my mother at a loss for words. Her perfect
temperament slid off balance. Her fingers gripped the seat of the chair cushion
and her lips formed a tight line. It gave me a great deal of pleasure to see
her slip off her pedestal. Point for Hank!

“Yes, ma’am! Aspen’s been taking real good care of me.” He
threw a wink my way. “So don’t you worry yourself none.” Oh Hank. She didn’t
give a damn about him and his health. She was worried about what it would look
like for others to find out that he was staying with me. To her it was as if
I’d taken in a filthy stray.

“Excuse me … ” I butted in.

“Oh, it’s settled then. Darling, your friend Mr. Jensen is
going to attend our dinner party at the estate.”

“You know, I don’t think that’s such a good idea. Hank’s
treatments have been exhausting and … ”

“Oh nonsense. The man obviously wants to get out, don’t you,
dear?” The sweet man ate it up. It was like watching the evil witch give Snow
White the poisoned apple.

“Absolutely. Angel, you know I’m doing heaps better. ‘Sides,
I’d love to meet your family.” He dug into his pasta, happy as a clam. Poor guy
just didn’t know any better. She was planning to feed him to the society mavens
and make a spectacle of him. My mother was nothing if not imaginative in her
attacks.

Her plastic smile was on full display, her emotionless mask
making her appear even colder.

“Angel?” she asked, her eyes pointed and squinting.

“Hank likes nicknames.” I didn’t really need to defend his
pet name for me, but my mother brings out the psycho in anyone within a
ten-foot radius. Hank seemed completely immune, just eating his dinner with
fervor.

I pushed my plate away, no longer hungry.

“I’m glad you didn’t eat all of those carbs. You’re not as
young as you used to be. You’re close to thirty. A good man doesn’t want a fat
wife, remember that, dear.”

I held my breath and counted to ten so I wouldn’t throttle
her.

“Hey now, she’s got nothin’ to worry about in that
department.” His eyes bored into mine, heated desire pooling in those honeyed
depths. “Her body is fantastic.” His gaze scanned my plate. “You’re not hungry,
Darlin’?”

My mother was stunned, mouth agape and eyes wide. If there
was a doubt to the extent of our “relationship” before, there definitely wasn’t
now. The thought actually thrilled me. Knowing she’d spend hours on end
fretting over my lack of social class and snubbing my nose at my proper
upbringing would give her a heavy dose of anxiety. Maybe she’d rethink that
invitation and call it off.

“Not anymore, thank you, Hank. Mother, if that’s all, I’ll
see you out.” Hank stood when I did, the consummate gentleman. He walked us
both to the door.

“Mrs. Reynolds, it was good to meet ya.” Hank brought her
hand to his lips for the second time that evening. I made a mental note to have
him wash his face before he kissed me again.

“It sure was a surprise meeting you. Thank you for assisting
Aspen. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow, Mr. Jensen.” Her saccharine sweet
tone made me want to gag.

“Goodbye, Mother,” I said, trying to close the door. She air
kissed both sides of my cheeks. When she was gone, I leaned against the door
with a heavy thud and closed my eyes.

“What’s the matter, Darlin’?” Hank’s fingers traced the
edges of my hairline. Home. His touch was becoming a necessity, something I
craved and I leaned into it until his large hand was cupping my jaw.

“Hank, what’s happening between us?”

“What do you mean? We’re enjoying each other’s company.
Immensely, I might add.” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively, his hands
gripped my hips. “And I’m healing up. Gettin’ stronger every day.” He thrust
his pelvis against me playfully.

His response was exactly why I hadn’t allowed myself to
fall, to feel something more for this beautiful man. When he was healed, he’d
go back home to his ranch, to his real life.

“I’ll make excuses about the event tomorrow. There really is
no need for you to attend. I, on the other hand, will not be able to avoid it.
If she paid a visit that means my father will be next if I don’t show.”

His face scrunched up, his mouth twisting into a grimace.
“Why wouldn’t I go? I meant what I said. I’d love to meet the rest of your
family. I met your wacky sister and your mother seemed nice enough.”

“Don’t let her fool you. She’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
She only came here to check you out.”

He shrugged his shoulders. “Don’t care. Doesn’t bother me
none. But we’re going to that shindig.”

This was going to be a disaster. Hank would be his
fun-loving, straightforward cowboy self, and my family would be ready to
pounce. It was like throwing a steak in a tank of piranhas.

“Hank, this is not like a family barbeque.” I blew a
frustrated breath over my forehead. “It’s a high society social gathering. The
place will be chock full of high-powered executives, politicians, people with
more money than God … ”

“Are you saying I won’t fit in, Darlin’? I can hold my own.”
His gaze searched mine. The next four words shook me to my core. “Do I
embarrass you?”

“Of course not! No, I … no. I just don’t think you’ll enjoy
yourself.”

“And you will?”

“Well, no. But I never do. Being with my family is a
necessary evil.” I slid my hands over his broad torso, trying to express how
very much I didn’t want him to be near that kind of evil. He gripped my hands
to his chest.

“Angel, I’m going to escort you to that party. I’m going to
dance with you in front of your family. I’m going to show you that you can have
fun anywhere as long as you’re with the right person.” Was he even real? It
wasn’t possible that there was something so good in the world.

“God, Hank, I could get used to you so easily.”
But I
won’t
.

He laughed and kissed me, tentatively at first, then pulled
an inch away, our breath still mingling. “I should hope the hell so. I’m not
going anywhere anytime soon. You’re stuck with me, Angel.”

“Do you mean that?” I whispered, keeping my eyes closed
tight, not wanting to see his response. He kissed each eyelid and leaned his
forehead against mine.

“I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t.”

Ever since her mom visited yesterday, Aspen acted
differently. She seemed almost sad when she got ready for work this morning and
left for the office. We didn’t make love. She said she had a headache and
scampered off like a scared kitten to the washroom to shower and get ready for
work.

Alone.

She barely pecked me on the lips as she left. Thinking back,
that may have been the first morning we hadn’t made love since I moved in. Had
I really moved in, or was I just staying here? I thought things were
progressing nicely between us. When I wasn’t with her, I wanted to be. But
maybe she didn’t feel that way.

Something was off. When she left this morning, it felt like
she was stepping back from me. All I knew is that she held my heart in a vice
and my balls in her grip. All she had to do was bat those pretty eyelashes and
I was damn near putty in her tiny hands. Whatever it was, I was gettin’ to the
bottom of it tonight.

A knock sounded on my bedroom door. Technically I hadn’t
actually slept in the room yet, but it held all my clothes and things. It was
probably the therapist. That girl was a looker, but nothin’ like my girl. One
thing they had in common though was the over achieving. She was set on pushing
me just to my breaking point every day with my treatments and Aspen encouraged
her. I didn’t look forward to it, but if I was honest with myself, the progress
I was making did give me something to smile about.

“Come in,” I hollered, a smile plastered across my face.
Thinking about my girl did that.

“Hello, Hank.” Oliver strode in, a fierce set to his thin
lips. He went straight to my closet without a word and swung the hangers on the
rod from left to right with a quick, practiced hand.

Such a strange fella. He’d pause a moment on one piece or
another, then continue smacking the hangers around. He was Aspen’s best
man-friend, not mine. I was making an effort, though. Seemed as if the guy was
happy, my woman was happy. So, I did what any hot-blooded American man who
wanted to keep getting laid would do: I decided to befriended the guy. Well,
sort of.

“Mind telling me what you’re doing there Buddy? Aspen’s
already at work. Shouldn’t you know that?” He smiled secretively. I didn’t
particularly like his face, especially not when he was hiding something.

“Well, cowboy, our Aspen tells me you are going to the
Bright-Reynolds estate to attend a social gathering. Everyone who’s anyone will
be in attendance, including yours truly.” He pulled at my clothes, a deep frown
set to his pinched features. “You don’t have anything suitable. Just as I
thought. We’re going shopping. I’m rescheduling your therapy for this
afternoon.”

“Shopping’s pretty much the last thing I want to do today.”
I crossed my arms over my chest as best as I could with a busted shoulder and
tried to look menacing.

“Too bad.” His eyes turned to look me up and down. “What,
pray tell, do you plan on wearing to a formal social event? Aspen will be
dressed in Versace. You can’t be a prince going to the ball dressed in
Wranglers.”

“And why the hell not?” Who was this guy anyway? Just
because he dressed my girl didn’t mean that rolled down the chain of command to
dressing me now.

“Because you’ll embarrass her. Is that what you want?” His
words ripped right through my heart. That was the absolute last thing I wanted
to happen. I was certain that when I met her family I’d win them over with my
Southern charm and chest full of party jokes. I had a good one planned for the
evening, too. Either way, it was important that I impress her family tonight.
Being from different worlds was hard on any relationship, but more so on women
because they tended to have the innate need to please. Boy, did I want to
please my angel.