Paris or Bust!: Romancing Roxanne?\Daddy Come Lately\Love Is in the Air (7 page)

He shrugged out of his suit jacket and tossed it aside, then added his silk tie to the pile. A few moments later, he pulled his shirt over his head rather than unbutton it. Roxanne took it from him and dropped it with the rest of his clothes. After he kicked off his shoes and socks, he stopped, choosing to leave the rest for later.

The beauty of his body took her breath away—the wide shoulders, the muscular arms, the flat belly. With deliberate ease, she ran her hands over his chest, exploring the hard sinew and smooth skin. A soft line of hair traced a path from his collarbone to a spot beneath his belt. Suddenly, she wanted to know where it led. She reached down for his belt, but he drew her hands away.

“When are the kids coming back?”

“Tomorrow,” Roxanne murmured.

“Then we have all the time in the world.”

The fire crackled and Roxanne felt her skin flush with warmth. His fingers moved to the clasp of her bra and her pulse quickened. And when he’d discarded it and covered her nipple with his mouth, her knees went weak. Every caress of his tongue sent a wave of sensation racing through Roxanne’s body. She forgot all her apprehensions and focused on the feel of his hands and his lips on her flesh.

He wasn’t satisfied to linger in one spot. Where hands went, his mouth followed, as if he felt compelled to taste as well as touch. Roxanne had never really experienced foreplay, but Kit seemed to relish it. He was at times playful, then intense, his only aim to make her moan with pleasure.

They ended up on the floor in front of the fireplace, lying amidst the pillows she’d tossed there. He stretched out on top of her, their bodies pressed together. The ridge of his erection pressed into her belly, hot and hard through the fabric of his trousers, and Roxanne arched against him. Kit reached down and grabbed her legs, drawing them up alongside his hips, making the contact even more erotic and enticing.

“Touch me,” he murmured, his voice ragged, his lips pressed against her neck.

Roxanne reached between them and tried to un-buckle his belt, but when she couldn’t, Kit moved to lie beside her. A tiny squeak sounded from beneath his hip. Frowning, he reached beneath him and pulled out one of Jenna’s stuffed toys, a little penguin. He chuckled softly as he stared at it. But then his smile faded.

“What is it?” Roxanne asked.

Kit cursed softly. “What the hell am I doing?” he muttered. “What the hell are we doing? I can’t do this.”

“What do you mean?”

“Oh, I can, believe me. The body is quite willing. I just…can’t.”

“I bought condoms,” Roxanne said. “Five different kinds.”

He shook his head. “That’s not it. This isn’t right, Rox.”

“Why? We both want each other. We’re both adults. And the kids are gone.”

“But what happens after this?”

“After?”

“Tomorrow. The next day. A month from now. Where is this leading?”

“Does it have to mean something? Can’t it just be about sex?”

His jaw went tight. “What do you want from me, Rox?”

“I don’t know,” she said, tears pressing at the corners of her eyes. Right now, she didn’t know anything at all! Except that he wasn’t touching her and he wasn’t kissing her and it had something to do with a stuffed penguin.

He got up and began gathering his clothes. “And that’s exactly why I shouldn’t be here.” As he walked to the door, he pulled his shirt over his head and stuffed the tails in his pants. He didn’t bother with his socks, just shoved them into his pants pocket and slipped his bare feet into his shoes.

“Don’t leave,” she said, grabbing her dress and clutching it to her chest. She scrambled to her feet, humiliated and confused.

“I have to,” Kit replied. “I’ve got to straighten out a few things.” He paused, then strode back across the room. In one quick movement, he furrowed his hand through her hair and pulled her into a deep, mind-numbing kiss. “I love you,” he murmured.

With that, Kit walked out, leaving Roxanne to stand amid the flickering candles, completely baffled by his behavior. And dumbstruck by his words. “He loves me,” she repeated as she fingered the string of pearls.

The problem was, she didn’t know if that was good news or bad.

K
IT STOOD AT THE DOOR
of his father’s condo, trying to figure out what he was going to say to Carl Lawrence once he knocked on the door. It was nearly ten o’clock, late for Carl who usually was in bed by nine and back at the station by 5:00 a.m. But this couldn’t wait. This was about Kit’s future and he wanted that future to begin tonight.

How had this all happened? A little more than a month ago, Kit had been a confirmed bachelor, enjoying all the perks that came along with a string of beautiful women—including sex without guilt. But the minute he met Roxanne, his life completely changed.

At first, he’d told himself that he sought her out so he could discern her motives. He’d rationalized his interest as an attempt to protect his father. But all along, he’d spent time with her because he couldn’t help himself. He was in love with Roxanne Perry.

He used to look upon “family men” with pity. They were always forced to divide their energy, between work and family. And what could be more tedious than coming home to the same woman every night, dealing with the same problems, listening to the same conversations. He’d just assumed that life wasn’t for him.

But it wasn’t like that at all. There was a real pleasure in coming home to Roxanne and her kids. He enjoyed the noisy dinners at the kitchen table and the quiet evenings snuggled up with her on the sofa. And the kids. He liked helping them put on their shoes and watching them brush their teeth. It balanced him, making him forget the stress of his business day. And it gave him perspective. Acquiring the next radio station or newspaper didn’t seem so important compared to the problems Danny was having with a bully at school.

Kit raked his fingers through his hair and tried to settle the chaos in his head. Loving Roxanne was a big responsibility. It wasn’t just the two of them. He would become a part of five lives. Was he really prepared to be a full-time father? Could he make Roxanne happy for the rest of her life?

Deep in his heart, he knew he could. But that didn’t stop the doubts from bubbling to the surface. And then there was the problem of his father. If Carl still had any feelings for Roxanne, he hadn’t made them obvious of late. But Kit needed to be absolutely sure before he and Roxanne went any further.

He reached out and knocked at the door. He wouldn’t know until he asked. A few moments later, the door swung open. “Hey, there. What are you doing here?” Carl asked.

Kit walked past him, then turned. “We have to talk.”

“Sit down. Do you want a drink? I think I have some scotch.”

Kit shook his head, ignoring the sofa for a space on the rug to pace. He thought better when he was moving. “Just tell me one thing. Do you love her?”

“Love who?” Carl asked.

“Are you in love with Roxanne Perry?”

“Are you still worried about that?”

“Answer the damn question. Do you have any romantic feelings for her at all?”

His father chuckled and shook his head slowly. “No. But I’d expect you do or you wouldn’t be here. You’ve been spending nearly every night with Roxanne for the past month. Even if some poor sap did have romantic feelings for her, you’ve been monopolizing her time. When she’s at the station, you’re always hanging around. Ernie the janitor saw you two coming out of his closet, and ever since then, it’s been pretty obvious.”

“How does that make you feel?” Kit asked.

“As if I was right all along. I knew she’d make a great wife…for you. So, have you asked her to marry you yet?”

Kit held out his hand. “Wait a second.” He paused, trying to read his father’s expression. “Oh, no. Don’t tell me you set this all up. You pretended to have a thing for her so I’d throw myself in between you two.”

“It got you off your ass and moving in the right direction, didn’t it? Protecting the family fortune from a greedy little gold digger. Well, you certainly changed your tune.”

“I thought you were in love with her!” Kit said.

“Did I ever say that?”

“Well…no, not directly. But you implied it. You were always talking about how wonderful she is.”

“I wasn’t trying to convince myself, I was trying to convince you.” Carl paused. “Kit, I loved your mother very much. And that feeling doesn’t go away. Not in a year, not in ten. I’ve been lucky in my life to have just one good woman to love me. That’s enough. I wanted that for you. And I thought maybe Roxanne might be able to provide it.”

“You set me up,” Kit repeated, unable to believe he’d been so gullible.

“I greased the gears a little,” Carl said. “I want grandchildren. Can you blame me?”

Kit slowly lowered himself to the sofa. “This is serious.” He groaned softly then buried his face in his hands. “Oh, hell. I walked out on her because I had to square things with you. She had this sexy dress on and all the candles lit. And now I find out, there’s nothing to square. We could have…”

“I don’t need to hear the details,” Carl said. “I assume you’re in love with her?”

“Yeah, I am.”

“And she loves you?”

“I don’t know. It’s all happened so fast. We’ve only known each other a month, but it doesn’t seem to matter. We just fit together. When I’m with her, I don’t need anything else. But I’ve never been in love before. How am I supposed to know if this is real? Or more to the point, if it will last?”

“You have to make it real,” Carl said. “Falling in love is the easy part. Keeping the relationship interesting takes a lot of work.” His father paused. “The moment I met your mother, I knew she was the one for me. She hadn’t even said word. I just saw her across the room and I told myself she was the one I was going to marry.”

“I can’t make a mistake on this, Dad. She has kids and they need a father. I can’t step into their lives and then step out again if it doesn’t work.”

Carl reached down and clapped Kit on the shoulder. “Well, you’re an adult now. You’ll need to make that decision for yourself.” He paused. “You know, this is going to mess everything up.”

“I just told you I’m in love with Roxanne. How will that mess everything up?”

“We’ve done all this promotion, positioning Roxanne Perry as a single mom and she’s captured the audience’s attention. Our afternoon ratings for the show have increased. If you decide to marry her and she accepts, her blossoming radio career might go right down the tubes.”

“Are you saying you’re more concerned about ratings than about your son’s happiness?”

Carl shook his head and smiled. “I know she makes you happy. And you certainly make her happy. I suppose I can deal with the ratings.”

“This job you gave her was part of the plan, too?”

“It was the only way to keep you two in the general vicinity of each other. And you have to admit, she’s good.”

“She is,” Kit admitted.

“So what are you going to do, Kit?”

“I don’t know. I’ve got to think about this for a while.”

“Well, don’t take too long,” Carl said. “I might just decide to steal her away from you.”

Kit glanced over at his father and smiled ruefully. “And I might decide to break both your arms.”

CHAPTER SIX

“C
OME ON
, R
OX
. You have to put this behind you and move on. Aren’t you glad you found out before it was too late?” Renee gave Roxanne’s hands a sympathetic squeeze.

“Found out what? I’m not sure what happened. One minute we were rolling around on the floor half-naked and the next he was running out the door.” Roxanne swallowed hard. “And I don’t know if this means anything, but before he left, he told me that he loved me.”

“What?” Renee shouted.

“He said he loved me. At least, I think he did. I could have imagined it. Or maybe he said something else and I misunderstood.” Roxanne rubbed her temples, trying to calm her confusion.

“What could he have said that sounded like ‘I love you’?”

“I don’t know. Isle of doom? Eye glob do? I’ve been trying to come up with something all morning. If he really loved me, then why did he run out on the only chance we had to…you know.”

“You can say the words, Rox. Have sex. Do the deed. Get nasty.”

“Shh! The kids are upstairs.”

“So what are you going to do?” Renee whispered.

Roxanne sighed. “I don’t know if there’s anything I can do. He walked out on me. He said he couldn’t make love to me.”

“You have a man who loves you, but who can’t
make
love to you. That’s a real bummer.”

Roxanne sighed. “I guess that’s better than a man who makes love to other women. At least I’d know he wasn’t cheating on me.”

Renee nodded her head. “He’s not going to run off with the Velvet Hammer.”

“I suppose I’m going to have to talk to him,” Roxanne said, getting up to pour herself another cup of coffee.

Renee stood and slipped her arm around Roxanne’s shoulders. “Talk to him. Maybe he just got scared off.”

“I’m going to wait until he calls me.”

Roxanne walked her sister to the front door, then waved at her as she walked down the front steps. She turned around and went back inside, drawing a deep breath as she closed the door behind her. It was odd not having something to look forward to. For the past month, she’d lived her life in anticipation of the next time she’d see Kit. Was that all over now?

She glanced up as footsteps sounded on the stairs overhead. Danny raced down, his new remote-controlled car tucked under his arm. “Mom, can we go over to Kit’s tonight to swim?”

Roxanne forced a smile. “Honey, we weren’t invited.”

“Sure we were. I asked Kit and he said I had to ask you.”

“When did you ask Kit?”

“I called him to thank him for the car. Rachel talked to him, too.”

“You called Kit?”

Danny nodded. “He gave me his number and he said I could call anytime. So can we?”

Roxanne bit her bottom lip. She had to straighten this mess up. Their lives had become so tangled with Kit’s it was impossible to know what to say. “I’ll think about it,” she said.

Danny started back up the stairs, then stopped and came back down again. “Are you going to marry Kit?”

She laughed, a high-pitched, slightly hysterical giggle. “I don’t know, Danny. We haven’t known each other very long.”

“But he makes you happy, right?”

Roxanne climbed up the stairs and gave him a long, hard hug. “Why don’t you go upstairs and get your brother and sisters? It’s a nice day. We’ll drive over to the park. And after we play, we’ll go out for some dinner.”

“And then we’ll go swimming?”

“No, sweetie, not tonight.” Maybe not ever, she mused. She climbed the stairs and walked into her bedroom, then flopped down on the bed. The remnants of the night before lay scattered on the floor—her little black dress, the sexy underwear. She reached up and skimmed her fingers over the pearls.

With a soft oath, she rolled over on the bed and grabbed the phone. Renee answered her car phone after just one ring. From the background noise, it was clear she was still in her car. “Hi, it’s me,” Roxanne said. “Can you come back and get the kids? I’ve got to find Kit and talk to him.”

“Four and a half minutes,” Renee said.

“What?”

“That’s how much time it took. Four and a half minutes. I was giving you five before I went home. I’m still parked out front.”

“O
UR FIRST QUARTER
ad revenue was up five percent from last year. And we’ve had a nice ratings bump in our early-afternoon programming. Some of Roxanne’s listeners are tuning in on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.”

Kit took the report from his father and set it on the kitchen table, then went over to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of water. He took a long drink, then leaned back against the edge of the counter. “So what is this leading up to?”

“I want to offer her a contract for five afternoons a week.”

“She has kids,” Kit warned. “She probably won’t take it.”

“We won’t know until I offer,” Carl said. “With the increased ad revenue, we’ll more than pay for her salary. And it’s building our core demographic.”

“And what if I ask her to marry me?”

“I’ve been thinking about that since we talked last night. And I don’t think it will make a difference. She’s still a mother of four and she’s still a solid on-air talent. And if I make the offer attractive enough, she’ll take it.”

“That means I’ll be seeing a lot more of her around WBAM,” Kit murmured.

“And that’s a bad thing?”

“Only if she refuses my proposal of marriage.”

“Do you want me to wait?” Carl asked.

Kit shook his head. “No. I’m going to go over there this afternoon to talk to her. I don’t like living in limbo.”

“Good,” Carl said.

The doorbell rang and Kit started toward the door. “That’s the messenger with the bids for the studio renovations in Raleigh.”

Carl held up his hand. “I’ll get them,” he said. “I’ve got to get back to the station. Thanks for breakfast.”

“Just leave the envelope on the hall table,” Kit said. “I’m going for a swim. It’ll give me time to think.”

Kit watched his father walk out, then took another long sip of his water before starting toward the pool house. He didn’t bother going upstairs for his trunks. He was alone in the house so he stripped off his clothes, walked around to the deep end and dove in.

Swimming always gave him a good opportunity to think. The repetitive movement, the sound of the water rushing past his ears, the feel of his body skimming over the surface.

He came to the end of the pool and flipped, but caught sight of something out of the corner of his eye. Kit kicked his feet beneath him to tread water, then shook his head. Roxanne stood at the shallow end of the pool, watching him. A surge of desire raced through his body as he thought about what had happened last night. It was quickly followed by guilt. He never should have walked out.

“Hi.”

“Hi,” she said. “Your dad let me in. He said you’d be back here.”

“I was just taking a swim,” Kit said.

“I can see that,” Roxanne replied, her gaze fixed below the surface of the water.

He smiled. “I was planning to call you when I finished. We need to talk.”

“I want you to know that I understand about last night,” Roxanne said, her words coming out in a rush.

“I shouldn’t have walked out,” Kit said. “Fear of commitment might scare a lot of men, but it doesn’t scare me. At least, not anymore.”

“I was putting too much pressure on you. I know.”

“No, it wasn’t your fault,” Kit said. “It’s just that I wasn’t really sure that we should be making love. I left because I didn’t want you to regret what we were about to do.” Kit raked his hand through his wet hair. “I left because I had to find out how my father felt about you. I left because you deserve more from me than one night of lust and passion.”

She pressed her palms to her cheeks. “I’m sorry.”

Kit swam over to the side of the pool, then pulled himself up and out of the water. He stood in front of her, naked and dripping wet. Then he took her face in his hands and kissed her, slowly and deeply. “I meant what I said last night. I love you. And I’m not afraid of what that means.”

“And I love you,” Roxanne said. “And I
am
afraid of what that means.”

“You never have to be scared of me,” he murmured, covering her mouth with his. “I promise, I will never, ever hurt you.”

When he drew away, she looked up into his eyes. Then with a tiny smile, she slipped out of her jacket and tossed it on a nearby chair along with her purse. “I could really go for a swim right now.”

Kit watched as she took her clothes off in front of him. But this time, he knew there wouldn’t be a swimsuit underneath. When she stood in just her bra and panties, he expected her to stop as they had the night before. But Roxanne just smiled and discarded them, as well.

With a giggle, she stepped around him. “I’ll race you.” She dove into the shallow end, just skimming the surface. He watched her stroke through the water, her naked body slick and smooth. When she reached the other end of the pool she stopped. Stretching her arms out on the edge and kicking her legs, she smiled at him, daring him to come and get her.

He drew a deep breath and slipped beneath the surface, swimming underwater the entire length of the pool. He came up right in front of her, allowing his body to slide along hers. The contact was electric, the water amplifying the sensations, her breasts against his chest, his hips against hers. Kit grabbed her around her waist and held on, bobbing in front of her.

“Now that I have you, what am I going to do with you?”

She smiled, then pushed his head underwater. Caught by surprise, Kit let go of her and when he came up again, she was swimming for the other end of the pool. He caught up with her halfway to the end, grabbing her foot and pulling her down. But she was slippery and wriggled through his arms, a reluctant mermaid.

By the time he reached her, she was waiting. Tired of chasing her around the pool, he grabbed her and pulled her legs around his waist. Then, holding her tightly, he carried her over to the steps at the far corner of the pool. Though she weighed nothing in the water, she weighed next to nothing out. Kit carried her over to a chaise and laid her down, bracing his arms on either side of her head.

He wanted to take his time, to enjoy her the way he had last night, to make her moan with pleasure. But they’d waited long enough.

She grabbed her purse and pulled out a box of condoms.

“You came prepared,” Kit murmured with a smile.

“I was optimistic.” She tore open the foil package and gently sheathed him, then leaned back and drew him down with her. When she arched against him, he slipped inside of her.

Desire raced through him, heating his blood and making his pulse pound in his head. As they made love, Kit knew that this time, for the first time, it meant something. The physical pleasure was intense, but with every stroke, he felt the emotional connection to her grow stronger.

He loved Roxanne. He loved the color of her eyes and the scent of her hair, the feel of her flesh beneath his hands and the sound of her voice urging him on. He loved her laugh and her smile and the way she blushed after he kissed her. And he loved her children, as if they were his own.

And as he brought her to her release, then joined her there, Kit knew that no matter how many years they had, it would always be like this, so sweet and so perfect and so simple.

That’s what it was to love Roxanne.

“C
OME ON
,
KIDS
!” Roxanne shouted. “Get down here. Kit is going to pick us up for the zoo soon. You need to find your shoes. And it’s windy, so everyone has to wear a hat.”

She smiled to herself. Shoes. How much of her day was spent searching for shoes? Like socks, they always seemed to separate themselves. She walked over to the living room sofa where Jenna was sitting. The toddler held out a sock and as Roxanne took it from her, she realized it didn’t belong to one of the children. It belonged to Kit.

Roxanne fingered the soft wool and smiled. Such a simple domestic chore, picking up his socks. But there was a time when she thought she’d never have that responsibility again, that she’d spend the rest of her life as a single parent. Now she had a partner. Although they hadn’t discussed marriage, Roxanne knew that their relationship was serious. Kit had become part of the family. They hadn’t spent a day apart in an entire month. She and the kids had all come to depend upon him.

Still, he didn’t spend the night. Roxanne had been adamant about that, unwilling to confuse the children with questions about the relationship. So they found the occasional afternoon or evening when Renee offered to take the children or they’d lock themselves in Kit’s office at the station. Once a week, the baby-sitter Roxanne had hired to take care of the kids while she worked at the station would stay late and they’d go out for dinner.

Though having a sex life was complicated, that made it all the more exciting and passionate. She was in love with a wonderful man and Roxanne wasn’t about to ask for anything more.

The doorbell rang and she walked over and pulled it open. Kit stood on the porch, a huge box in his arms.

“What have you bought them now?” Roxanne said.

“Just a little present. Come on, Mommy, don’t be such a stick in the mud.”

“A little present? You spoil them. You have to stop this.”

“This is the last present for a while, I promise.”

“Wow! What’s in the box?”

Kit grinned as Danny, Rachel and Michael came thundering down the stairs. “It’s a present.” He set the box down and Danny pulled off the huge bow. Then Rachel opened the top.

“A puppy!” she screamed.

Roxanne gasped. “A what?”

“Look, Mommy, it’s a puppy. Kit brought us a puppy.” Danny reached into the box and withdrew a wiggling cocker spaniel pup. He gave it a kiss then set the little dog on the floor and Roxanne knew the puppy wasn’t ever going to leave the house.

“May I speak to you?” she said, sending Kit a look that made her feelings perfectly clear. “In the kitchen, please?”

When he joined her there, she turned on him. “How could you do this without talking to me? We can’t have a dog. We live in a busy neighborhood in a house that has a yard the size of a postage stamp.”