Rachel Laine (The Women of Merryton Book 3) (23 page)

“I
know we said we would wait for this,” he breathed out, then covered my lips
with his.

Our
melded lips ignited a flame within me I had never known existed. My hands ran
up his chest and through his hair. I felt like I couldn’t get close enough to
him. I wanted to be part of him as I tasted him and he explored my mouth with
his own. I wasn’t sure how long we stood there taking each other in, but it
wasn’t nearly long enough.

It
was Andrew who pulled away with a deep breath. “Rachel.” He caught his breath. His
twinkling eyes were fixed on my own. “It’s always the quiet ones.”

I
tilted my head and tried to steady my breathing. “What does that mean?”

He
brushed his hand across my cheek and smiled. “I knew kissing you was going to
be amazing, but had I known you could kiss like that, I wouldn’t have waited.”

“Why?”

“Because
no one before prepared me for what I just experienced with you.”

I
leaned into him. “I’m so happy you’re here.”

“Merry
Christmas, beautiful.”

I
pulled Andrew into the house. I didn’t want to let go of him. But worry set in
when we entered the house. I wasn’t sure how my parents were going to feel
about our guest.

Before
I went to find my dad, I turned toward Andrew, who was still wearing the same
smile from our brief but passionate encounter. “Can I get you anything to drink
or eat? You must be exhausted.”

With
that same smile, he ran his finger down my cheek. “You’ve seemed to perk me
right up, but some water would be great.”

“I
still can’t believe you’re here. Drew will be ecstatic. I would wake him up
now, but he’ll be up before dawn.”

“I
can’t wait to see him, but for tonight, I had hoped his mother would keep me company.”

“I
think she can handle that.”

He
leaned in for another kiss, but this time he only skimmed my lips. “I missed
you,” he whispered against them.

“I
missed you, too. More than I thought I would. How long can you stay?”

“Not
long. I have to drive back the day after Christmas.”

I
tried to hide my disappointment that we were only going to have one day with
him.

He
pulled my hand up and kissed it. “Hey, March will be here before we know it. Or
at least that’s what I keep telling myself.”

“Why
don’t you relax and I’ll get you something to drink.” I pointed to the couch in
the living room, the soft light of the Christmas tree twinkling in the darkened
room.

“Let
me get my bag first. I’ll be right back.” He kissed my cheek before heading
back out the front door.

I
decided I better go out to the garage and tell my dad. I was surprised he hadn’t
already come out. He had to have heard Andrew’s SUV pull into the driveway. I
made my way to the door that led to the attached garage. I opened the door to
find my dad looking none too happy. He was throwing his tools back in his small
metal toolbox. “Dad, is everything okay?”

He
looked up, red in the face. “You could have told us he was coming.”

I
stepped into the garage. The smooth concrete felt cold on my bare feet. “I
didn’t know he was coming. I don’t think he knew until this morning.”

“I
want you to be careful with him. He’s much more experienced than you.”

“Dad,
he’s been nothing but respectful toward me.”

“Is
that what you call what you were doing in the front yard?”

It
was my turn to change to a nice red tone in my face. Nothing like being caught
making out, but I was thirty years old. I could kiss whomever I wanted.

“How’s
Drew going to feel about that?”

“We
aren’t telling Drew until he knows who Andrew really is.”

“I
don’t like all this sneaking around business.”

“Do
you think I do? I’m trying to protect our family, and most importantly, my son.
I’m sorry you don’t like Andrew, but if you give him a chance, I think you’ll
find you have a lot in common—most of all, your love for Drew.”

My
dad looked at me with a coldness I had rarely seen on him. “What happens when
he abandons you like he did Sydney?”

I
closed the distance between my dad and myself. I hugged him, even if he was
stiff and barely reciprocated. “I’m not Sydney, and if he left today, it would
hurt, but I can stand on my own.”

He
relaxed some and hugged me back. “I know you can. You’ve always been able to.”

“Dad,
I care for Andrew. Can you please trust me?”

A
guttural noise escaped him. “I trust
you
.”

He
didn’t sound convinced, but I wasn’t going to argue with him. I released him
and looked at the bike. “It looks great. Do you need help bringing it in?”

“I
got it. You better see to your guest.”

I
kissed my dad on the head and rushed in to find Andrew looking at the Christmas
tree. He smiled when he saw me approach.

“My
dad is in the garage finishing up Drew’s bike from Santa,” I whispered. “I
wanted to let him know you were here.”

Andrew’s
smile faltered. “How did he take the news?”

I
could feel my face tighten as I bit my lip.

“That
good, huh?”

I
took Andrew’s hand in mine. Our fingers interlaced perfectly. “It’s going to be
great,” I tried my best to convince myself, and him.

On
cue, my dad walked in with Drew’s bike. Andrew rushed over. “Can I help you with
that, Douglas?” I could hear the nerves in his voice.

My
dad looked at me and I pleaded with my eyes for him to be nice.

“Sure.”
His tone was surly. “Rachel will tell you where she wants it. I’m headed to
bed.”

Andrew
deftly took the bike from my dad. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight,”
Dad grumbled.

“Goodnight,
Dad. I love you to the moon and back.”

“And
back again?” he asked.

I
nodded with a smile.

He
gave me a small grin in return before stalking off down the hall in the
direction of the bedrooms.

Andrew
picked up Drew’s bike and centered it in front of the tree for me. “I don’t
think your dad likes me very much.”

“He’s
just worried. He’ll warm up to you.” I placed my hands on Andrew’s chest and
smiled up at him. “I know I did.”

He
leaned in and groaned before kissing me once. “I’m really going to need you to temper
your sexiness.”

He
had me smiling from ear to ear. “Let me get you a drink.”

“How
about I shower first and you meet me back here on the couch. I want to give you
my gift in private.”

“Sounds
good to me. Let me show you where the guest bathroom is. This house only has
three bedrooms, so you can take my room and I’ll take the couch.”

“How
about we both take the couch? I want to spend as much time with you as I can.”

I
had to think about that request. It wasn’t as if we hadn’t slept on a couch
together already, but that had kind of happened naturally. I didn’t make a conscious
decision to “sleep” with him.

“Are
you afraid you won’t be able to restrain yourself?”

I
wasn’t sure if he was teasing or not. I rolled my eyes at him. “Go take your
shower. I’ll be waiting for you.”

After
showing him the bathroom and where the extra towels were kept, I crept over to
Drew’s room to make sure I didn’t hear any noises. He usually slept like the
dead, but he had been so wound up I was worried, but I relaxed when I didn’t
hear a peep coming from his room. I thought about how thrilled he was going to
be when he saw Andrew.

I
readied the couch with pillows and blankets even though it was warm in the
house, per my mom’s preference. It wasn’t uncomfortable, but it was borderline.

I
dumped the warm milk Drew had poured for Santa down the drain. For good measure,
I took a few bites of the cookies. They were too sweet for my taste, but I got
them down. I poured Andrew and me each some ice water before sitting and
waiting for him. I didn’t have to wait long. He was back out in minutes, with only
a pair of athletic shorts on and a towel wrapped around his neck.

I
choked on the ice water as I took in his bare chest and rippled abdomen. I
didn’t know if he waxed his chest, but I loved the smoothness of it.
Breathe.

He
took delight in my obvious observance of him. “Contain yourself now.”

“Where’s
your shirt?”

“It’s
hot in here. You’re lucky I’m wearing the shorts.”

“Remember,
we aren’t alone here.”

“Don’t
worry, I’ll be fully dressed when everyone else wakes up.” He threw himself
next to me on the couch, and before I knew it, I was in his arms. “Now where
were we?” His lips met mine.

I
ran my hands across his tight, bare shoulders and around his neck. He tightened
his hold and intensified his kiss. It was as if he couldn’t get close enough to
me as his tongue delved deeper to explore my willing lips and mouth. The
earlier flame I felt was now a full-blown fire. Before we got carried away, I
reminded myself I was a mother and I couldn’t lose control. We needed to take
things slow. I reluctantly pulled away and leaned my head against his bare
chest. My labored breathing matched his racing heart.

He
leaned back with me in his lap. He pulled my hair out of its bun and ran his
fingers through my hair. “My mom says hi,” he said into the silence.

I
smiled against him. It was probably a good thing to talk about our parents. We
needed a cool-down period. “I’m sorry she’s by herself for Christmas.”

“Don’t
be. She’s happy we’re together. By the way, we both loved our gifts. That
scrapbook is the most thoughtful thing anyone has ever done for me. And I can’t
wait for us all to go skiing together.”

“Me,
either. Did you open Drew’s gift?”

I
felt him shake his head no. “I brought it with me. I wanted to be with him when
I opened it.”

“He’ll
love that.” It was a simple professional baseball with a stand, but Drew had
signed the ball.

Andrew
kissed my head. “I love him.”

“I
know you do, but please tell me there are no guns under that tree.”

He
laughed deeply, but kept it down. I could hear the rumble reverberate across
his chest. It was the perfect place for my head to rest.

“No
guns, but there is something for you.” He untangled himself from me and went to
the tree where he picked up a tiny, wrapped package among the throng of gifts.
I hadn’t noticed the addition.

He
made his way back to me and sat next to me, to my disappointment. I leaned my
head on his shoulder. I had this need to be as close to him as I could get.

He
handed me the perfectly wrapped box in designer silver wrapping paper.

I
took the gift and looked it over with care.

“You’re
supposed to open it.”

“I
know, but it’s been a while since I’ve received a gift from a man, and it’s the
first one you’ve ever given me.”

He
put his arm around me and pulled me closer before kissing my head. “The first
of many.”

“I’m
not the kind of woman that needs to have gifts thrown at her.”

“I
know that, but I’m the kind of guy that likes to give gifts to the woman in his
life, so open it.”

I
smiled and tore at the pretty paper until it revealed a tiny white-lidded box.
I lifted the lid to find a black velvet box. The kind of box that made my heart
race. I sat up to find Andrew eagerly waiting for me to open the contents of
the velvet box. “Um … Andrew … I can’t … I mean we don’t know …” I handed him
back the unopened box.

He
looked between me and the tiny box that seemed to fill the room. His smile
danced with amusement.

I
thought it was an odd reaction, considering I was rejecting him.

He
opened the box to reveal a stunning pair of diamond stud earrings.

While
it made my heart rate slow down, I felt foolish for my assumption.

He
kissed my lips and smiled. “As much as I feel for you, we aren’t even close
yet.”

I
was relieved to know he felt the same way, but I still closed the box.

“You
don’t like them?” he asked with obvious disappointment.

“They’re
beautiful, but I can’t accept them.”

“Why?”

“Because
I know what a pair of diamonds like that costs. They probably cost more than my
last engagement ring. I can’t return the favor. I have Drew’s college to save
for and bills to pay.”

He
opened the box again and offered them to me. “I didn’t buy these expecting
anything in return. I bought them because I wanted to show you how much I care
about you. These are coming from my heart.”

I
eyed the sparklers again. Stunning was an understatement. Even in the dim light
of the Christmas tree, I could tell these weren’t your run-of-the-mill diamonds.
He easily paid a few thousand dollars for them. I made him a scrapbook and got
him ski-lift passes.

“Please,”
he said.

With
great hesitation, I reached out and took his gift.

“Try
them on.”

I
took them out of the box and one by one placed them in my pierced ears. I had
never worn anything so extravagant. “Thank you,” I whispered.

“They
look lovely.” He brushed my lips.

I
leaned my forehead against his. “This is all so new to me.”

“Believe
it or not, me too. I’ve never felt this way about anyone before. And just so
you know, you aren’t alone anymore. I’m here to help take care of Drew. I want
to pay you all the back child support I owe you.”

“I
don’t want your money.”

“It’s
not my money. It’s money that should have already been Drew’s.”