She braced her hands on the counter, and her head lolled back against his shoulder giving him even better access to her neck. He nibbled at the same time his finger stroked her swollen clit.
“Oh, Damián.” She moaned, becoming a little breathless, and suddenly he, too, wished he hadn’t started something they couldn’t finish. “Don’t tease me like this. You know what the doctor said. A few more days.”
“She said no sex and limited orgasms until New Year’s Eve. While I want to bury myself so deep inside you, querida, you can taste me, we aren’t going that far. Just relax and enjoy.” Pushing her panties aside, his middle finger slid along her cleft and curled inside her wet passage. He shifted his hand until he could reach up as far as his finger would go.
“Oh, yes! There!” She moaned low in her throat, her response spurring him on. With his thumb on her clit and his middle finger stroking her G-spot, her knees buckled. Holding her more securely with his arm, he brought her closer to the brink. They couldn’t safely count on more than a couple more minutes alone.
Her mewling whimpers turned to a groan when he pulled his hand out of her pants. “I think I hate you for doing this to me, Sir.”
He guided her body around and pressed his hard-on against her swollen belly. “I nearly came in my pants, savita. This is the definition of torture. But I don’t regret a thing.” With her eyes on him, he inserted his wet finger into his mouth and licked it clean. “Mmm. Delicious.”
Her pupils dilated as she smiled back. “That wasn’t part of the meal I’d planned as your Christmas gift, but glad you enjoyed it.” Her hand started to reach for his engorged dick, but he took a step back.
“No, bebé!” He’d cream his pants for sure if she touched him. “We talked about this last night. It’s not fair for me to come if you can’t. Besides, I want more than two minutes. Six more days, querida”—he tapped her pussy lightly—“and then you’re all mine.”
She placed a chaste kiss on his lips before pulling away. “If I’d known you had ulterior motives for helping me, I might have asked Rosa to stay in here longer.”
He grinned as she looked down at the wet stains over each of her breasts. “Damn it, Damián! I’m leaking! I need to go upstairs and change my blouse.” She wriggled away from him. “I’ll put double pads in my bra this time, in case you turn me on too much over dinner.”
Damián laughed heartily as she made a beeline toward the bedroom, taking the back stairway so as to avoid their guests.
He needed to start making plans for New Year’s Eve now. First up, finding a babysitter for Marisol. The last thing he wanted was any interruptions.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Savannah poured the guava jelly over the sweet potatoes in the casserole dish, and Damián returned it to the oven. Rosa had shared their mother’s recipe, and she hoped it turned out as close to Mrs. Orlando’s as he remembered from his childhood. He said he hadn’t had any since she died, not even at Rosa’s.
She was trying a lot of new recipes this year, from the spicy turkey to roasted green chile cornbread dressing. This past weekend, Megan had given her some fresh green chiles from New Mexico that her brother Patrick supplied her with on a regular basis. Damián preferred those over jalapenos or whatever could be found in local supermarkets.
Everyone from Aspen Corners and Fairchance to Denver had gathered at Adam and Karla’s over the pre-Christmas weekend to celebrate the end of the trial and the holidays before they all dispersed to spend Christmas and New Year’s with their parents, children, and/or siblings. The Montagues would be spending the rest of the year at the family’s historic cabin in the Black Hills where Adam and Karla had honeymooned a year ago. Angelina’s restaurant was closed, and they were in Aspen Corners with her mother and brothers. Luke and Cassie were joining them for dinner today. Megan and Ryder were in Chicago with her mother and brother. Ryder’s sister had flown in from Santa Fe, too.
She checked on the dressing in the stoneware bowl warming in the oven. The meat had been resting long enough. “Are you ready to carve?” She and Damián had opted out of doing the ceremonial carving at the table, so she’d set out two platters on the counter—one for white meat and one for dark.
“Absolutely. I can’t wait to taste this bird.”
“Again, you mean?”
“That was only the skin. And if it’s any indication, this is going to be the best turkey I can remember.” He told her how his mother’s employer gifted the family with a turkey every Christmas. “Often she couldn’t begin our dinner until she’d come home from working half a day at the house in Rancho Santa Fe. She worked at least part of every day of the year” His bitterness at how she’d been treated remained raw for him to this day.
Damián sharpened the carving knife and picked up the meat fork to begin. She enjoyed having Damián helping out. There was something so special about this meal. Tears pricked her eyes as she thought about giving him a gift that would evoke memories of happy childhood Christmases.
Savannah removed the casserole from the oven. “Is this how you remember it looking?” The glazed sweet potatoes did look delicious to her.
“I remember the smell more than how they looked, and you’ve transported me back to Eden Gardens, bebé.” He placed a kiss on her cheek. “Muchas gracias for your beautiful gift, querida.” His accent sounded stronger. The food must have transported him to his mother’s kitchen.
With a burst of giggles, Marisol and José ran into the kitchen, followed by Chiquita who made her way to her water bowl and lapped noisily. “Maman, Aidan said their parents went on a cruise, and they don’t have anyone to have Christmas dinner with. Can we invite him and his brothers to ours?”
She tried to remember any child from school or the neighborhood named Aidan. Had Mari talked with him while walking Chiquita earlier today? Mari wasn’t supposed to use her cell phone except in an emergency.
But that was neither here nor there. Why would the little boys’ parents go away and leave them alone, especially at Christmas? She might have to file a complaint with protective services for child neglect unless one was old enough to take care of his younger siblings. Foremost, she needed to make sure they were safe.
“Sure! Why don’t you ask them to join us? We have plenty of food.”
“Awesome! I’ll go tell him!” Mari and José ran out of the room with Chiquita in fast pursuit. “Don’t forget Chiquita’s leash!” she called after them. A few seconds later, the front door slammed. So Aidan must be a neighbor nearby. Savannah had been so consumed with everything going on since they’d moved in here that she really hadn’t taken the time to get to know their neighbors as well as she should have. After the baby arrived, she’d remedy that.
“I’ll carry these platters out to the buffet,” he said, lifting the foil-covered dishes and heading for the door.
Checking her list to see what else needed doing, she said a selfish prayer hoping everything would taste as good as he remembered. She turned around to see Rosa standing in the doorway. “Do you need any more help, Savannah?” she asked.
“I think we’re about ready.”
“It smells like Mamá’s kitchen in here.” Her sister-in-law’s smile faded, and she stood wringing her hands nervously. Was something wrong? “I wonder if you have a minute,” she asked meekly.
“Absolutely! Come in, Rosa.” She placed the lid on the sweet potatoes and returned them to the warm oven until Damián could carry them out.
“I just have to tell someone,” she said, sitting on one of the bar stools. Savannah took a seat beside her.
“What’s up?”
“It’s Robert.” Again, Rosa played with her hands—no, one finger in particular. For the first time today, Savannah noticed she wore a new ring, entwined hearts with two small emeralds.
Before she could ask, Rosa shared, “He gave me this ring for Christmas and said it’s a token of his promise to me.”
Wow! Things were moving faster for the two of them than
she realized, practically under Savannah’s nose at the clinic, although she really hadn’t been around there much this month. She placed her hand under Rosa’s and pulled it toward her for a closer look. “It’s beautiful!” Savannah wasn’t quite sure what the promise was or where their relationship was headed, but would let Rosa tell her story without peppering her with questions.
“Honestly, Savannah, he actually asked me to…”—she turned her gaze toward the door to make sure they were alone, Savannah supposed—“marry him while you were in California. But I told him I wasn’t ready to take that step. While he’s been wonderful to me and my children, I’m not sure I can trust any man in that way ever again.”
Poor Rosa. Her ex-husband, Julio, had done a number on her and her children.
“But this morning when he came to pick us up, he pulled me over to the Christmas tree and gave me this ring.” Rosa stared at it in silence a long time before meeting Savannah’s gaze again. She had tears in her eyes. “I’m afraid, Savannah. I trusted Julio, and look what he did to Teresa.” Not to mention José’s beatings and all the beatings and rapes Rosa had endured.
Savannah was living proof that a person could survive a lot and still find love again. She hoped Rosa would experience the kind of love Savannah had for Damián someday, but just as no one could have convinced Savannah by words alone, Rosa would have to find that conviction in her own heart. Still, she stood and wrapped Rosa in a mama-bear hug, whispering, “Doctor Mac isn’t Julio. He’s a gentle, kind soul. I would say you can trust him based on all I know about him, but you’ll have to go with your gut.”
Savannah pulled away, cupping Rosa’s chin, and stared into her big brown eyes. “Take things as slowly as you need to. If it’s meant to be, he’ll still be there if and when you’re ready for something more. And it sounds to me as though he’s willing to wait until you’re ready. I think this promise ring makes perfect sense. It will be like a symbol of protection for you and keep unwanted advances away.” Savannah had worn a fake wedding band for years in an effort to do the same thing.
“Yes, he said that he would always be here to protect me and my children. And that he chose emeralds, because the stone means positivity, hope, and loyalty. But everything is happening so fast.”
Savannah had fallen in love with Damián in less than a day. “Rosa, I know how hard it is for you to trust a man after what you and your daughter have been through, but give him time to prove to you that he’ll stick around and be a good father and husband.” A promise ring was the perfect choice for someone still skittish about relationships, and a way to help Rosa see him in a different light than as the physician she worked for at the clinic.
“The muy grande question is whether I can work for him while dating. What if things don’t work out?”
“You’ve been dating?”
Rosa nodded. “We actually started seeing each other outside the clinic before Thanksgiving.”
Ah. “I thought I saw some sparks flying across the table.”
Rosa grinned sheepishly. “I wasn’t ready to say anything yet. I wanted to see what Damo’s reaction would be if he saw me with Robert, but I didn’t want to jinx the relationship, either.” She sighed. “I’m not sure how far I can go in an intimate relationship.” Her eyes opened wider, and she splayed out her hands, palms outward. “Not that we’ve slept together or anything. I won’t commit a sin for any man.”
Rosa followed her faith much more strictly than Damián or Savannah did. While Savannah had found sanctuary in the church after escaping Gentry and Mari attended parochial school, they weren’t devout. Of course, they did go to Mass most Sundays for Mari’s sake.
“Trust your instincts and your heart, Rosa. You’ll know when the time is right to move to the next step. Whatever that might be. But having the love of a good man, an honorable one like Mac who will love, protect, and defend you no matter what, well, there’s no other feeling like that in the world.” Something occurred to her. “Does Damián know things are getting serious?”
Rosa shrugged. “He didn’t notice the ring, if that’s what you mean. But I think Robert might be talking with him about me now. He’s old-fashioned and thinks he needs permission or something.”
Savannah knew Mac better than Damián did. She wondered how Damián would take to another man coming into Rosa’s life. Savannah grinned. This might be interesting to watch. It was a good thing Robert McKenzie had patience. He also seemed a bit old-fashioned, which should work well for what looked to be the start of a long, slow courtship.
The timer chimed. “I think we’re about ready.”
“How can I help?”
“If you could ask Damián and Robert to help clear the entertainment center, I think we’ll move the buffet there, and we’ll use the folding table for the kids.” Trying to add three more people to the dining room table would be a tight squeeze. “Then send everyone in to grab a dish, and we will be ready as soon as Mari returns with Aidan and his brothers.”
* * *
Damián started toward the front door to call for Marisol at the same moment he saw several tall shadows silhouetted against its stained-glass oval window. Once upon a time, he’d have worried it might be a threat to Savannah. After checking through the peephole, he opened the door, surprised to find Marisol and José standing in front of three tall boys who looked to be in their late teens.
At his furrowed expression, Marisol quickly explained. “Daddy, this is Aidan and his brothers.” This was Aidan? She pointed to the boy on the far left when she said his name. He looked familiar. Sandy blond hair. Kind of a beach bum look, although he’d bet ski bum was more accurate, given they were in the Rockies of Colorado.
“If there’s been some misunderstanding, sir,” Aidan began, “we’ll be fine with our frozen pizzas.”
Damián glanced at the other two slightly shorter boys—who must be twins, with their identical hair color and facial features—then back at Aidan. Remembering his manners and that this was Christmas Day, he said, “No, everything’s fine. Come on in.” Wait until Savannah met Marisol’s “little” friend. “Feliz Navidad.”
Where the hell had Marisol met Aidan?
Then it hit him. They were the college boys living in the house next door. All three kept odd hours, and Damián hadn’t done much more than give a casual wave whenever he’d seen one or two of them in the driveway or backyard. He wasn’t even sure which ones he’d waved at.
Marisol took Aidan’s hand, making Damián more than a little uncomfortable, and led him into the living room where the smaller folding table was being converted from the buffet to a seating arrangement for up to six. Savannah had tossed a green tablecloth over it, and Rosa and Doctor Mac were placing folding chairs around it.
Marisol introduced everyone else to Aidan first and then to his twin brothers, Finn and Tyler.
One of the twins said, “I hope we aren’t putting you out, ma’am.” They’d been taught their manners from someone.
“Oh, no!” Savannah assured them, graciously. “I hated hearing you might be having Christmas alone, although I must say I was expecting children closer to Mari’s age.” She gave an uncertain smile to the boys who towered over them both, all three exceeding six feet in height.
Aidan cleared his throat somewhat nervously. “Marisol and I got to know each other over the back fence when she was outside with Chiquita. I’m a pre-vet student.”
“Aidan loves dogs, too, Maman,” Marisol said.
“No wonder you two hit it off,” she said, her smile slightly less worried.
After the handshakes and greetings were done, Damián glanced over at Teresa, who seemed indecisive about whether she wanted to stay at the table with the adults or join Marisol and the boys.
One of the twins—he truly couldn’t tell one from the other—gestured toward an empty chair, and Teresa accepted it, smiling shyly as she thanked him.
Cool it, Uncle Damo. It’s not like his niece just agreed to date the boy. She’d on
ly accepted an offer to sit at his table.
While Teresa had been out with Jonathan a few times since their first date over a month ago, she’d told him about her difficulties talking with him about anything other than music. Maybe she could practice her conversational skills today in a safe setting with Aidan and his brothers.
Rosa and Doctor Mac had carried in the remaining side dishes and placed them on the credenza that would now serve as a buffet after they’d moved the stereo equipment to the floor. “I think everything’s ready,” Savannah announced. She asked Rosa to say grace then said, “Just grab your plate and get in line, everyone.”
“Sit down, querida.” Damián wrapped his arm around her waist and guided her to their table. He wanted her off her feet as soon as possible.
“But I need to make sure our guests have everything first!”
“Sit. Down. I’ll bring you your plate,” Damián insisted as he pressed her shoulders until she was seated. Growing up, Mamá rarely sat down to eat until everyone had finished. He didn’t want Savannah to sacrifice her own health and well-being that way, to say nothing of the baby’s. Especially after she’d slaved on the meal all morning. The kids went next. Then the other adults followed.
“Everything’s delicious, Savannah,” Rosa said as they dug into the food. “Your turkey and dressing remind me of Mamá’s, too.”
“Sí,” Damián chimed in. “Thanks so much for preparing this feast for us.” He’d nearly choked up when he tasted the green chile dressing, catapulted back to Mamá’s table.
“I’m glad everything turned out right,” Savannah said, smiling. “I wasn’t sure how anything was supposed to taste.”
“Just the way you made it,” Damián said, leaning over to give her a peck on the cheek. Even that innocent contact made him hard. Dios, he was going to explode before New Year’s Eve got here.
When he turned his gaze to the other couple at the table, if he could call them that, Rosa and Mac exchanged a smile. It made Damián wonder how serious this was becoming. The good doctor had told Damián earlier this afternoon that he was interested in dating Rosa when she was ready. She must have told him her story about Julio, not something she shared with everyone. Mac promised to watch over her and the kids as a second protector. Since Rosa spent so much of her time in the clinic, it gave Damián a sense of relief knowing that he didn’t have to worry about her as much. Not that Julio could hurt her or Teresa again, unless some asinine parole board let him out sooner than the twenty or so years he was sentenced to before being eligible for a parole hearing.
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