“He can’t, huh?” Without thinking about the trouble he’d be in with Kara, he dipped his finger in the green icing and dabbed his fingertip on Samantha’s nose.
Her mouth gaped open. Her eyes rounded with surprise. It took only a second for the shock to subside. She dunked her finger in the same bowl and reached out, giving him a matching green nose. They both started to laugh.
“What are you two up to?” Kara turned and he braced himself for a stern lecture. “You’re supposed to decorate the cookies, not each other.” With a smile tugging at her very kissable lips, she turned to check the oven. It appeared he and Samantha weren’t the only ones enjoying this evening.
By eleven o’clock, Samantha was asleep in bed and they had just finished wrapping the cookie trays. Kara walked him to the door. “Thank you for all the help. We couldn’t have gotten so much done tonight without you.”
“I’m glad I could help. Samantha is a great kid. And her mother isn’t so bad, either.” Thoughts of kissing her bombarded his mind.
“She isn’t, huh?” Kara smiled up at him and that was all the encouragement he needed.
He pulled her to him. With their lips a hair apart, he paused. When she didn’t move, he brushed his mouth over hers. She tasted sugary and delectable. It surprised him when she didn’t resist his advances. In fact, she sidled up against him, chest to chest, lip to lip. He moaned. This was the sweetest torture he’d ever experienced. He’d been wrong—kissing Kara wasn’t enough to appease his mounting desires. In fact, it just made him want her even more.
“Let’s go back inside,” he murmured.
Kara’s hands pressed against his chest. She tilted up her chin. “Are you ready to talk about the past?”
Part of him was willing to say anything just so this moment wouldn’t end. It’d been so many years since he’d made love to her...but tonight wasn’t the right time.
If he was to stay here and make love to her, it would be tantamount to declaring that he was ready to spend forever with her, and he just wasn’t there yet. Kara and Samantha were a package deal, and until he was ready for all that it entailed, he’d be left with nothing but sweet kisses at the door.
“I should go.”
“You know you could stop by tomorrow and we could deliver the cookie trays to the care home—”
“I can’t.” He just couldn’t go, knowing his father was there. Not even for Kara. “I still have a ton of stuff to do before the resort’s grand reopening.”
Her smile faltered. “I understand.”
“But I’d like a rain check. How about Friday I take you and Samantha out to see a holiday movie?”
The smile came back and lit up her eyes. “You have yourself a date.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
FRIDAY EVENING, KARA loosened her seat belt, allowing her to twist around in the passenger seat of Jason’s SUV to check on Samantha. The little girl’s head had lolled to the side and her eyes were closed. The hint of a smile still pulled at her lips, while bits of buttered popcorn dotted her chin.
It had been quite an evening, with dinner out followed by an animated Christmas movie. In fact, the whole week had left Kara breathless, from her phone interview for a promising junior management position in Ohio, to letting her guard down with Jason and remembering what a good friend he could be.
She tried telling herself that with things improving with him, she wouldn’t lose her job. But she couldn’t hang her and her daughter’s future on wishful thinking. Not only hadn’t he mentioned the possibility of her staying on at the Summit, but they still had so much left unsaid between them.
She’d put off talking to him about what had happened all those years ago, thinking that once he understood he wasn’t Samantha’s father, he wouldn’t be back. But he’d surprised her. He’d been so thoughtful, so attentive. Now that this thing between them no longer seemed so casual, she had to tell him the whole story. Her insides shivered with anxiety.
Although it really worried her that Jason was unwilling to forgive his father. Would he be as unforgiving with her when she explained the circumstances of Samantha’s birth? The soda and popcorn she’d had at the theater suddenly didn’t sit so well in her stomach.
At her house, Jason carried Samantha inside.
“I’ve got it from here,” Kara said, taking hold of her daughter.
His searching gaze went from her to Samantha and back. “I should get going—”
“No.” She wanted to get this talk over with, now that she’d finally worked up the nerve. “Stay, please—unless you have someplace to be.”
He shook his head.
“Good. You can wait in the living room while I tuck this little one into bed. I’ll be right back.”
“But Mommy, I’m awake.”
Kara let her stand on her own, but made sure to grab her hand, not wanting her to scamper away. “You’re still going to bed. It’s way past your bedtime.”
“Aw, Mom.”
“No ‘aw, Mom’ with me. Scoot.”
Samantha yawned and headed to her room. The lack of protest told Kara her daughter was beyond exhausted. She’d be asleep in no time. Once they got her teeth brushed, her clothes changed and the covers turned down, Samantha begged for a bedtime story. Kara firmly believed reading to children should be a priority, but she had really hoped Samantha would be too tired to notice tonight.
“Read me ‘The Night Before Christmas.’” Samantha sent her a pleading look.
“But sweetie, Jason is waiting for me.” Kara pulled the pink comforter up and tucked it under her daughter’s arms.
“He can read to me.”
What? Jason reading to her daughter? No, not tonight. Before they got any closer, Kara had to talk to him—had to set things straight.
“Jason! Jason!”
“Samantha Jean, quit screaming,” Kara said in a stern but hushed voice.
In the next moment, she heard hurried footsteps in the hallway.
“Is something wrong?” He peered into the room.
“Will you read me a story?” Samantha held up the Christmas storybook while clutching Bubbles with her other arm. “This is my favorite.”
He looked at Kara. At this point, she supposed making a fuss would only cause more problems. She nodded her consent. She took a seat at the foot of the twin bed while he approached Samantha and accepted the book.
“Sit by Mommy,” her daughter insisted.
His glance met Kara’s and she nodded again. She scooted over and he eased down beside her. His thigh brushed hers. The heat of his body permeated her jeans, warming her through and through.
He opened the book and cleared his throat. Samantha settled back on her pillow as his lyrical voice read each line with intensity. Kara closed her eyes and listened. His voice wrapped around her with its warm tones, like a plush blanket being draped around her shoulders.
The coziness of the situation swept over her. She longed for it to continue forever. Don’t get too comfortable. She forced her eyes open. Tonight might be the last time they saw Jason. If he couldn’t handle the truth behind Samantha’s birth, he’d bolt—like last time.
When Jason flipped to the last page, Samantha let out a great big yawn. Kara peered around him and witnessed her daughter’s struggle to keep her eyes open.
“The end.” He closed the book. “Time to go to sleep.”
Kara saw this as the perfect opportunity to put a little distance between them. She slid off the bed and took the book from him.
“Aw, one more, please,” Samantha whined, but without her usual enthusiasm.
Another yawn escaped her lips and Jason chuckled. “Maybe another time.”
Kara replaced the book in her daughter’s abundant collection and turned to find Jason standing in the doorway, waiting
for her.
She straightened the covers once more and hoped he didn’t notice the slight tremble in her hands. It was time for the “talk.” Time to clear the air. Suddenly it no longer seemed like such a good idea. Like her daughter, she enjoyed Jason’s company—but she’d already delayed telling him for way too long.
After a kiss and an “I love you,” she flicked off the light. She turned and caught the warmth glowing in Jason’s eyes. Reading a story to Samantha had gotten to him, too. Kara’s fate was sealed, but she had to make sure he understood about this family he was insinuating himself into. This time around she didn’t want secrets or omissions to come between them.
She followed him to the living room. When he stopped to turn on the tree lights, she nearly ran into him.
He turned to her and stroked his thumb down her cheek. “Thank you for sharing the evening with me. You have no idea how much it meant to me.”
Her mouth went dry and she swallowed hard. “Samantha...she likes you, too. A lot.”
His finger traced Kara’s jaw. Her heart pounded in a most irregular rhythm. “I like her, too.” He stepped closer. “And I really, really like her mother.”
Drawn into this enchanting spell, she heard herself utter, “And her mother really, really likes you.”
In the soft glow of the Christmas tree, her gaze locked with his. Common sense warred with her body’s desires. With her exhausted daughter tucked in bed, her plans for talking began to give way to the crazy sensations Jason evoked in her. Why ruin such an enchanting evening?
His hand slid to the back of her neck as his head lowered. His lips gently brushed hers, but the restrained eagerness was undeniable. She wanted him more than she’d thought possible. And his hungry kisses were so much better than her dreams.
Snuggling closer to him, she trailed her hands behind his neck. Her soft curves pressed to his rock-hard body and a moan escaped her lips.
Suddenly, Jason grabbed hold of her shoulders and held her at arm’s length. In a passionate haze, she sent him a baffled look. He wanted her as much as she wanted him, so what was the problem?
His breathing was heavy. “Remember how I owe you an explanation about my leaving?” When she nodded, he continued, “I think you better hear it now...before we go any further.”
The seriousness in his voice and the worry in his eyes sent an arrow of alarm piercing her chest. She wanted to talk to him, too, but something told her that if he didn’t get this off his chest now, he might never do it.
* * *
Jason drew an unsteady breath. He’d been thinking about this talk all week. And he didn’t see where he had much choice. Kara deserved to know what kind of man she was getting involved with before they took this relationship to the next level—something he’d come to desire with all of his being.
But first, he had to give Kara the facts—every last horrid one. He knew he was kidding himself. She would despise him once she knew everything, and toss him to the curb. Still, since he’d been spending time with her, he was starting to believe in miracles. He had to at least take the chance, even if it was a long shot.
Kara perched on the edge of the couch and looked at him expectantly. “It’s okay. Whatever you have to say, we’ll work through it.”
He really wished he could believe her. With his shoulders pulled back, he said, “Remember the fight between me and my father?” She nodded and he went on. “There was more to that argument than I told you.... My father was drunk, and livid that I was leaving him to deal with the resort on his own.”
She didn’t interrupt, even though part of Jason wished that she would. Facing combat and his own mortality had been easier than what he was about to do.
He paced the floor, searching for the exact words. When he found them, he stopped in front of her. “He told me no son of his would abandon him like I was about to do. He yelled that I was not his son...that I never had been and never would be.” Jason’s voice caught and he swallowed hard. “He said I was the spawn of a monster.”
Kara pressed a hand to her chest as her eyes shimmered. “How horrible.”
Jason’s head hung low. “There’s more. He told me no woman would ever accept me as a husband, much less want me for the father of her children.”
He forced himself to stand ramrod straight, his shoulders rigid. He drew on the discipline hammered into him over the course of his military career. He would complete his mission.
“My mother was raped...just after my father met her.” Jason ignored Kara’s horrified gasp and kept going, or he’d never get it all out. “I was the consequence of her rape. My dad is not my biological father. Some unidentified monster brutally attacked my mother and...” His voice cracked and died in his throat.
In an instant Kara was standing in front of him. Her arms wrapped around his shaking body, pulling him close. The self-loathing and pain surfaced. In her embrace, he let himself feel everything he’d kept bottled up for years.
Kara held on to him, whispering words of comfort. He desperately wanted to believe it’d be all right, but it wouldn’t be. It couldn’t be. There was no way to rip that bastard’s DNA from his body.
But now it was all out there. In the open. Kara knew he was damaged goods, inside and out. Jason pulled back and turned away to swipe his flannel shirtsleeve over his cheeks. Now it was time to face the moment he’d been dreading for years, seeing the repulsion in her beautiful eyes.
Suck it up, soldier. Facing her can’t be avoided. Get it over with and move on.
He lifted his head, pulled his shoulders back and turned. With him towering above her five-foot frame, his gaze shot over her head.
Look down, soldier. One glance and it’ll be done. The damage will be evident.
He forced his eyes down over her rumpled hair—hair he’d only moments ago been running his fingers through. The air became caught in his lungs. His gaze skimmed her forehead, passed her gathered brows and settled on her eyes, which held no hint of repulsion or disgust.
How could that be?
Kara stood there, returning his stare, as though he was the same man she’d always thought him to be.
“Say something,” he ordered. He wanted this over. It’d already dragged on for too many years.
“I’m sorry...”
“Sorry? For what?” This wasn’t making any sense.
“For your father being so horrible to you. Obviously you were never meant to know any of that. I’m sorry that in a drunken rage he’d say such hateful words.”
Jason’s gaze bored deeply into hers. He had to be missing something. “Do you understand what I said? My biological father is a rapist. A monster. And I have his blood pumping through my veins.”
Empathy glistened in her eyes. “You’re nothing like that man. You’re the son of a very wonderful and loving woman.”
He recalled his mother and her eternal smile. She had always been an upbeat person. His dad used to refer to her as a Mary Poppins wannabe. Always looking for the good in people. And she’d most definitely loved him.
“Can you honestly say you don’t see me differently?”
“You had no control over your conception. And your mother loved you. She never held the past against you. So why should I? You’re nothing like your biological father.”
Jason took a hesitant step toward Kara, watching for any sign of fear in her. She didn’t budge. Her steady gaze continued to hold his.
“You really believe I’m a good guy, inside and out?” His breathing stopped as he waited for her ultimate decision.
She stepped up to him. Her gaze never wavered as her hand reached out and caressed his cheek. “Absolutely.”
With a smile, he swept her up into his arms and held her tight. With her feet suspended, he swung her round and round. In that instance, he knew what he wanted—what he’d al
ways wanted.
“Jason, there’s more we need to talk about.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
KARA NEEDED TO get this over with as soon as possible. But before she could utter another word, Jason’s lips were pressed to hers. She should pull away so they could finish talking, but after what he’d just told her, she didn’t have the heart. He needed to know without a doubt that he was still worthy of love.
As the kiss intensified, desire flooded her body and short-circuited her best intentions. For so long now she’d been holding herself back from him, but no longer. She met his kiss with a burning heat of her own. Her arms wrapped around his trim waist, pulling him to her. His body was hard and solid against hers. She could barely believe this was happening, that he was holding her close again.
She’d dreamed of this moment for years, never believing it’d happen. Perhaps her fairy godmother was lurking in the shadows of the Christmas tree, waving her magic wand.
Jason sank down onto the couch, pulling Kara with him. His lips still teased and taunted hers. He tasted buttery, like the big tub of popcorn they’d shared at the theater. She traced his lips with her tongue, savoring the added saltiness.
His kisses trailed up her jaw to her earlobe, where he probed and tickled her, sending waves of shivers down her spine. His fingers played with the hem of her sweater, sneaking underneath to her bare waist. More goose bumps swept over her skin.
He stopped kissing his way down her neck long enough to say in a breathy voice, “We’ve wasted too many years apart. Marry me?”
“What?”
She yanked herself out of his embrace. He couldn’t be serious, could he? Her breathing still rushed, Kara moved to the far end of the couch, trying to gather her composure. She straightened her clothes before running a hand over her hair.
“That’s not exactly the reaction I was expecting.”
“You’re serious?” When he nodded, she continued, “You’re not just getting caught up in the moment?”
A broad smile lit up his eyes. “It shouldn’t be that big of a shock. After all, this isn’t exactly the first time I asked you.”
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