Matchmakers Box Set: Matchmakers, Encore, Finding Hope (13 page)

Breathless, he fell against her damp body. Their chests heaved, their hearts pounding out the same rhythm.

“Marry me.” The words flew from his mouth as he breathed in the scent of her beneath him.

Sophie gasped, and he covered her mouth with his to stifle any answer she may give him. He didn’t want the answer. He wanted to live, right where he was, in the moment…for the rest of his life.

It was past seven when he watched her eyes flutter open.

“Good morning.” He kissed her on the mouth. Her lips were soft, full, and warm, and he lingered over them before pulling back to enjoy the play of sunlight in her hair.

“Good morning.” Sophia bit her lip. “We didn’t think this through, did we?”

“What’s that?”

“You should have left my room hours ago.” Panic filled her voice. “What are they going to think?”

“Why should you care what they think? I’m forty. I can sleep in the bed of a woman if I want to.”

“Oh, David!” Covering her body, she shot up. “This just isn’t some fling. My grandmother is downstairs. Your aunt is downstairs. Your daughter.” She covered her mouth. “Oh, God! She’s next door. What if she heard us?”

“We were quiet.” He smiled as he ran his finger down her bare arm.

“This is horrible.”

“It was not,” he teased.

“Oh, David.” Sophia slapped his hand away. “You have to get out of here before anyone finds out.”

“Let them find out.” He pulled her back to him and wrapped his arms around her tightly. “Make love to me again. This time the sun is up, and I can see you.”

“David…” He stopped her protest as he rolled her over and made love to her one more time.

Another hour passed before David decided it was time for them to make their appearance downstairs.

“Why don’t you get in the shower? If they think something is going on up here, they’ll hear the water and not pay any more attention. I’ll sneak out and head down the hall.”

Sophia lazily shook her head with a satisfied smile. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her naked body against his once more.

“I can’t believe what we’ve done.”

“I’ve waited ten years to wrap my arms around you again. Trust me, this isn’t just a one-time thing. I plan to do this a lot more.” He kissed her forehead and turned her around, sending her toward the shower.

He collected his uniform and laid it out on the bed. There were two weeks before he had to go back. The thought had him smiling. Not only did he not have to work, he had Sophia. The time he had off was going to be exclusively hers.

As he pulled on his pants, he thought about what he’d said to her just after he made love to her. He’d asked her to marry him again. What had he been thinking? As he picked up his shirt and draped it over his arm, he realized he hadn’t been thinking. He’d been feeling. His heart knew what it was he wanted most.

What he wanted was Sophia Burkhalter as his wife. Finally.

When he heard the water running, he opened the bedroom door and stepped out quietly. He shut it behind him and turned right into Carissa.

Her eyes grew wide as she saw him. He stood with his uniform shirt draped over his arm, shoes in his hand, chest bare, and his hair rumpled.

A knot formed in his stomach as he stared at his daughter. Oh, they’d had the talk. The you-really-should-be-married-before-you-make-love-to-someone
talk. Now he stood face-to-face with her, and a heat rose in his cheeks.

She grinned.

God, could a grown man die of embarrassment? Sophia was right. He should have left in the wee hours of the morning. Perhaps he shouldn’t have been in her room at all. That thought was fleeting. He’d risk death by embarrassment, or firing squad, to make love with her just once.

“Good morning, Dad.” Carissa walked closer to him, her smile still wide on her lips.

“Good morning, sweetheart.” Any other day he would kiss her on the cheek, but his feet froze in place.

“Flight get in really late?” She was inching toward him, her arms crossed over her chest—smirking.

“Yes. Sophie picked me up.” His voice caught.

Carissa nodded. “Yeah, I thought she might if I got home early enough for her to have the car.”

His daughter was such a thoughtful person it made his chest hurt.

“I missed you, Dad. I’m glad you’re home.” Carissa rose on her toes and kissed her father on his unshaven cheek. Then she ran her hand over the stubble of whiskers. “Better get showered and shaved.” She smiled again and let out a little laugh. “Mmmm, you smell like roses.”

Sophia applied her lip gloss and gave herself a once-over in the mirror. She’d struggled with the decision of even putting on makeup. For the first time in a long time, she hadn’t seen a need. She was glowing from the inside, and she’d never felt so satisfied.

The sundress she chose she’d bought in Italy. She slipped it over her head. Then she reached for her Saint Nicholas medal and fastened it around her neck. She took a long look at herself and smiled. For a brief moment, she had to study herself extra close. The scar seemed to have faded. It was nonsense, she knew, but now in her eyes it wasn’t as big as it once had been.

That’s how it had always been when she was with David. Her scars and bad feelings didn’t exist when he was around—when he loved her. A smile crossed her lips, and her heart beat a little faster.

She closed her eyes and thought about last night. It was as though not a day had passed since he’d touched her. The memories of those feelings were so close. Then her eyes shot open.

He’d asked her to marry him.

Panic flooded her again. Surely he couldn’t have meant it. She’d been back in his life only a week. She’d be gone in another week.

Sophia lifted her hand to her chest, hoping to calm her rapidly beating heart.

She’d be gone and away from him…unless she bought the house on Cherry Street. She could do it. She’d never done anything with the money she’d earned while touring with Pablo. He’d seen to it that all her expenses on tour were always paid. Her only expense was her apartment in Seattle, and that truly had never been much of an expense.

Her palms grew moist, and she rubbed them on the skirt of her dress. The house could be hers. But what about the house David was building for himself and Carissa? What about Carissa? She couldn’t assume that just because he’d said the words and they’d made love one night, he really wanted to marry her. Perhaps he’d changed. Perhaps she had, too. What would happen if they found out they weren’t compatible anymore? Perhaps they weren’t compatible with Carissa. The only time she’d been around both of them together she was flinging insults as fast as the seventeen-year-old.

She walked back to her bed and sat down. She let out a long breath and took a moment to sort out her thoughts. If she gave into the what–ifs, she’d need to leave Kansas City immediately and return to Seattle or Italy. Perhaps if she gave it at least the rest of the week, she’d have a better grasp on things. Just perhaps, it would work out for them—all of them. After all, he’d asked her to stay, and Carissa had seen to it she’d known that her old house was for sale.

It was a lot to think about.

David heard Sophia’s door shut and her feet pad on the stairs as he reached for the knob to his door. He stepped back. He’d give her a moment to arrive before he did.

Guilt plagued him. She’d walk into a room full of people who knew they’d made love last night, and his daughter would surely be among those with smug faces. He realized he’d been cowering in his room behind the door, waiting for her. He’d danced, and now it was time to pay the band.

Slowly, he made his way down the stairs. The house was quiet. How could four women be so silent when there was gossip?

He turned the corner to the kitchen and saw her there. She stood in front of the window, a cup of coffee in her hand, looking out over the yard. She was alone.

David slid up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. Leaning into him, she rested her head against his chest and closed her eyes.

He brushed his lips against her neck, pausing between kisses to ask, “Did you run everyone off?”

“No one was here. And it’s only seven forty-five.”

“Where did they all go?”

She turned in his arms and looked up at him, her expression mystified. “I don’t know. There wasn’t a soul around.”

“Carissa?”

“Not here, and neither is your car.”

“She didn’t say anything this morning when I saw her.” The words slipped through his lips, and he frowned when he realized he hadn’t intended to tell her about that.

“You saw her?” The worry on her face had him wishing he could bite back his words.

“Yes. Ran right into her as I left your room. I tell you, I haven’t felt that little since I was a child.”

“Oh, God.” She walked away from him. “She heard us, didn’t she? She knows what we were doing.”

Sophia sat down at the table and buried her face in her hands.

“She didn’t hear us. But, yes, I think she has a pretty good idea of what was going on. She’s seventeen. We’ve talked about sex.” He sat down next to her and took her hand in his as she lifted her head. “She loves you. She called me and texted me the whole time I was gone. She loved every moment with you. You’re the first mother figure she’s had around that seems to have made a good impact on her life.

He kissed her fingers.

“I told you, she’s a good kid. She’s very smart, and I promise you, had she heard us or been bothered by my making love to you last night, I surely would have heard about it. You may have noticed Carissa holds no punches.”

Sophia took her free hand and ran it through his hair, then rested it on his cheek.

“I love you.”

“And I love you.” He kissed the palm of her hand.

“I love your daughter, too.”

“You know, she’s still young enough to adopt.” He smiled, but Sophia’s lips pursed. “Sophie, I didn’t mean to…”

“David…about last night…about what you said.”

“No. Don’t go there now.” He stood and paced the kitchen. “It’s there. You know how I feel, and you know what I want. When you’re ready to commit or ready to run, let me know. But for now, I have you for seven more days. Carissa has her audition Wednesday. We go through the new house on Thursday and approve everything before closing. Saturday is the party for the women, and Sunday, before you fly away from me, I’m going to make love to you for hours. Then you can tell me your answers to all the crazy things I have asked and will ask.”

She nodded, but worry filled her eyes, and he hated that part.

“Okay, now I’m starving. We don’t have a car, but the sun is shining and it’s a beautiful August morning. What do you say we hit an old favorite and walk down to The Spot for breakfast?”

“They’re still in business?”

“Sure are. Even expanded to ten tables. And, of course, they still have Betsy serving at the counter.”

“Wouldn’t be The Spot without her.”

David offered her his hand, and she stood. He gathered her into his arms and pulled her close.

“You know, maybe they left us here alone on purpose. Maybe they want us to make love all day without being interrupted.” He raised his eyebrows suggestively, and she laughed.

“We’d better get breakfast. Besides as soon as that little girl of yours gets home, we have to practice.”

“Damn.” He gave her bottom a playful smack. “I’ll always be second to that cello, won’t I?”

The diner was just as she’d remembered with its metal siding and neon lights. The only change was the tables around the walls. David escorted her to a corner booth where they could be alone.

Betsy had tears in her eyes when she pulled Sophia from the booth and wrapped her large arms round her.

“I thought you’d never come back. I missed you, kiddo.”

“I missed you, too.” They chatted for a minute before Betsy returned to her duties. Everyone had missed Sophia, and it warmed her heart.

David spread jelly on his toast.

“Aren’t you hungry?”

“You’d think I would have worked up an appetite, but…”

“Ah, after-sex breakfast just isn’t the same ten years later?”

“David!” She looked around to see that no one heard him, but he was laughing. “I just have a lot on my mind, I guess.”

She pushed around the eggs on her plate.

“So, tell me about your new house,” she finally said, lifting a forkful of eggs to her mouth.

“Well, it’s nice, but I’m having second thoughts about moving into it.”

“Really?” She set down her fork. “Why?”

“When we decided to build it, Carissa was only a sophomore. We toyed with the idea, found the area, picked out the layout, and by the time they broke land, she was a junior. It took longer than I thought.” He sipped his coffee. “She’d been having some problems at school. I told you about the counselor.” Sophia nodded. “Well, that same counselor moved from the middle school to the high school and was continuing to give her problems, so the initial thought was it was best to move and change schools. The new house is thirty minutes from your grandmother’s.

“Then as soon as we broke ground, that counselor changed schools again. Now, if Carissa stays at the school she’s at, she’ll be commuting an hour a day. With the opportunities coming at her with orchestra and her being elected to the student council, I just can’t see pulling her out and moving her. But I don’t want her commuting either. Then there’s the fact that I’m still gone eight to ten days out of the month. I don’t know why it didn’t cross our minds when we picked out the house. Desperate to move on, I guess.”

Sophia’s head spun. He was adding more things to the mix that she was being forced to think about. Suddenly the house they were building didn’t seem to be a problem. If she bought the house on Cherry Street, they could live together as a family.

Family. Did she really understand the meaning of the word? She’d been a little girl when she lost her family. Her grandparents had been her only family. Carissa had never really had that storybook family, and David…well, he was the only one with a real grasp on that. His mother and father lived only a few states away, lapping up the sun in the Gulf of Mexico in their dream retirement home.