“About dinner tomorrow, I’m at a crucial point in the coding of the program I’m working on and probably won’t be able to make it.” It wasn’t a lie. He was fast approaching the part of the software where he would need several hours of total concentration.
“I understand,” she said.
But she looked so dejected he wanted to kick himself. He’d just been thinking how grateful he was that none of their neighbors had hurt her feelings, then he’d gone and done it himself.
Taking a deep breath, he shook his head. “I might be able to make it if we have a late meal.”
Her instant smile and the hopeful expression on her pretty face convinced him he was doing the right thing. “How does eight o’clock sound?”
“Eight is good,” he said, returning her smile. When she hid a yawn behind her delicate hand, he called to Harley and reached for his coat. “We’ll say good-night. You need to get some rest.”
He attached Harley’s leash and turned to leave, but her hand on his arm stopped him. “Thank you, Will.”
“For what?” he asked, confused.
“You’ve been a good friend these past few days and I really appreciate it.”
The sincerity in her voice and in the depths of her blue eyes sent warmth from the pit of his belly straight to the region below his belt buckle. He couldn’t have stopped himself from taking her into his arms if he’d tried.
“I just did what any decent neighbor would do,” he said, feeling guilty for trying to avoid her earlier.
But the softness of her body pressed to his filled him with a need that quickly replaced his remorse, and when she leaned back to look up at him, he was lost. “I’m going to kiss you again, Macie.”
“I...would like that very much, Will,” she said softly as she wrapped her arms around his waist.
Without waiting for either one of them to come to their senses, Will covered her mouth with his. He didn’t want to think about the foolishness of his actions or that Macie wasn’t the woman for him. With her sweet lips clinging to his, no one had ever felt more right in his arms, and that’s all he cared about.
He coaxed her to open for him, and when she allowed him entry, Will tasted heaven. To his surprise, she stroked his tongue with hers. He’d never experienced a kiss more erotic or exciting.
His body responded immediately and with an intensity that made him light-headed. Holding her close, he slid one of his hands along her side to the swell of her breast, then, cupping her fullness, teased the hardened tip through the layers of her clothing with the pad of his thumb. A sense of deep satisfaction spread throughout his chest at the sound of her contented sigh and the tightening of her arms around him.
But Harley must have decided that the humans had paid enough attention to each other because he wedged himself between them, much as he’d done the other night when they’d kissed under the mistletoe.
“I think—” Will had to stop and draw in some much-needed air “—he’s trying to tell us something.”
He gazed down at Macie and the blush of passion on her creamy cheeks and the faraway look in her expressive blue eyes robbed him of breath. She was as turned-on as he was.
“Th-thank you...for coming to my party,” she said, sounding delightfully breathless.
“I’ll see you tomorrow evening around eight,” he said, brushing back a strand of her strawberry blond hair. Deciding it would be best to leave before he took her back into his arms, he kissed her forehead and stepped away. As he picked up Harley’s leash and opened the door, he added, “Merry Christmas, Macie.”
“Merry Christmas to you, too, Will.”
* * *
MACIE STARED AT THE closed door for several long moments. What was she doing kissing Will? She was only setting herself up for even more heartache.
He was the first man to tempt her since Stan had left her with a broken promise and a diamond engagement ring that had turned out to be cubic zirconia. She’d found that out when she’d tried to sell it back to the jewelry store. But as she thought more about the man who’d cast her aside for his willowy secretary, Macie had to admit that Will was nothing like her ex. Stan had been the life of the party and had never cared about his career, while Will worked hard and, until she had gotten to know him better, appeared overly serious. And yet, there was the issue of her job....
Sighing, she turned out the lights and headed down the hall to her bedroom. Maybe it would be better if she called Will to tell him that she was donating the leftover food to the nearest homeless shelter and he would need to make other arrangements for Christmas dinner.
But even as the thought occurred to her, she rejected it. She told herself it would be impolite to invite him and then call to cancel. But the truth of the matter was, she liked being with Will. He was easy to talk to, a good listener and, Lord help her, the best kisser in the entire state of Washington.
CHAPTER FIVE
ON CHRISTMAS EVENING, Macie had the table set and her grandmother’s china ready when Will and Harley arrived. Greeting the dog with a hug, she smiled and took Will’s jacket to hang on the coat tree.
“I’m reheating some of the leftover food for us,” she said, leading the way to the dining area of her living room. “After you left last night, I decided I would donate the rest of it to one of the homeless shelters.”
He grimaced for some reason and then asked, “Do you want me to open the wine?”
“I decanted it earlier,” she said, placing the decanter on the table. “But you could pour each of us a glass.”
“I need some wine after the day I’ve put in,” he said, filling their glasses with the regional merlot.
“Did you achieve as much as you’d hoped on the computer program?” she asked, motioning for him to sit at the head of the table.
“Actually, I got more code written than I expected.” His grin reflected his sense of accomplishment. “I should have it done with time to spare before I go back to work after the first of the year.”
“Congratulations. I’m sure that’s a welcome relief.” She smiled. “Now you’ll be able to relax a bit and enjoy some of your time off.”
He nodded as he sat in the chair she indicated. “It will give me the chance to tweak it and make sure all of the bugs are worked out before it’s released. It’s something I haven’t had the opportunity to do since the cutbacks at the beginning of the year.”
When the timer on the microwave went off, Macie started toward the kitchen. “I’ll only be a minute or two.”
“Do you need help with anything?” he asked.
“Thanks, but I think I have everything under control.”
When she brought their plates and set them on the table, Will stood up to hold her chair. Stan had never done that when they’d had dinner together—not even when they went out to one of Seattle’s fanciest restaurants.
“Oh, I almost forgot,” she said, getting up from the table. Walking over she picked up the long brightly wrapped present she had placed under the tree the day before. “I got something for Harley’s first Christmas with you. I forgot to give it to him last night.”
“I keep telling you it’s his only Christmas with me.”
She noticed that Will didn’t sound nearly as adamant as he had the first time he’d told her he was only fostering Harley. “We’ll see.” She watched Will remove the bright wrapping paper from the rawhide chew bone with a smile. She had bought the bone the day she’d gone shopping for the party. “I predict that by the first of the year, you’ll be filling out the papers to give Harley a forever home.”
“You’re wrong about that,” Will said, smiling back. “But Harley and I thank you for his gift anyway.”
Macie sliced one of the stuffed mushrooms on her plate and, spearing a piece with her fork, put it into her mouth. She started to tell Wi
ll that if it was a matter of someone taking Harley out during the day, she would be more than happy to pitch in, but the words died in her throat as the biting flavor of the mushroom spread throughout her mouth. Her allergy medication had finally started working and her sense of taste had come back, but now she wished it hadn’t.
Reaching for her glass she took a big swallow of the merlot. “Oh, dear heavens, that’s awful!” She looked at Will. He was cautiously watching her. “Was it this bad yesterday evening?”
“You didn’t eat anything at your party?” he asked instead of answering her question.
“I was too excited to eat during the party and I still couldn’t taste anything because of my allergies so I didn’t bother.” She took another sip of wine to try to wash the offensive taste from her mouth. “Is everything as bad as the mushrooms?”
When Will hesitated and then shrugged one shoulder to keep from answering, Macie felt like a complete fool. “That’s why my guests left the party early. I served them the worst food in the world. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t want to hurt your feelings,” he admitted. “And you had already served it to your other guests, so I didn’t see any point in ruining the evening for you.”
Tears filled her eyes. She had never felt more humiliated in her entire twenty-eight years. She had wanted so badly to fit in to the community and they had seemed to accept her. But now? Her neighbors would probably never speak to her again.
Getting up from his seat, Will walked around to pick her up, then sat down in her chair and settled her on his lap. His comforting arms surrounded her, and that was all it took to open the floodgates. Laying her head on his shoulder, Macie sobbed.
She had hoped this Christmas would be an improvement over last year when Stan had called her at her parents’ on Christmas Eve to tell her he was leaving her for someone else. But this year was even worse. She had just found out that she wasn’t any good at the hobby she loved, and now all of her neighbors were convinced she had tried to poison them. She had thought she was getting better at cooking, but the food she’d served at her party was the worst she had ever made.
“It’s all right, honey,” Will said, holding her close. “It’s not the end of the world. I’m sure it was because of your allergies—you couldn’t taste anything.”
Sitting up to face him, she shook her head as her tears continued to flow. “You don’t...understand. Last year, I had a horrible Christmas...and this year has turned out...even worse. I think I’m going to give up...and stop celebrating the holidays.”
“What happened last year?”
“My fiancé ran off to Las Vegas...to marry his secretary.”
Will gazed at Macie and wondered if the stupid bastard who’d left her had lost his mind. She was everything a man could want in a woman. She was kind, caring and passionate. Any man would be lucky to share his life with her.
His thoughts might have scared him to death if he had given himself a chance to analyze them, but he was too focused on consoling the woman in his arms. Macie’s tears caused a knot to form in his gut. He hated watching any woman cry, but seeing Macie so dejected was more than he could bear.
“That’s why you started cooking, isn’t it?” he guessed. “You were trying to stay busy to keep yourself from dwelling on his betrayal.”
“I was so lonely and hurt,” she said, staring at her hands.
Will understood exactly how she had felt. He had experienced the same emotions when his ex-wife had left him for another man. The only difference was that he had thrown himself into his work instead of finding a hobby.
“I’m sorry you had to go through that, Macie.” He kissed away the remainder of her tears. “But you’re lucky he showed his true colors before you married him. I didn’t discover how shallow and deceitful my ex-wife was until we were eighteen months into a two-year marriage.”
She nodded. “I suppose you’re right. But it’s the same pain, isn’t it? No matter how long the relationship, it hurts to be told that you aren’t desirable, to find out that you could be so easily replaced, so easily discarded by the one person you thought loved you unconditionally.”
Whether it was the feel of her soft body against his, the sense that she understood or the overwhelming need to assure her that she was very desirable, Will wasn’t sure. But he didn’t give a second thought to lowering his mouth to cover hers.
The moment their lips met, a spark ignited in the pit of his stomach and, tracing her lips with his tongue, he sought entry to the sweetness that was uniquely Macie. Teasing her with featherlight strokes, he explored her with a thoroughness that sent heat straight to his rapidly tightening groin. Will shifted her slightly on his lap so that she knew exactly how she affected him, how she made him want her.
Easing away from her mouth, he nibbled tiny kisses along her satiny skin to the shell of her ear. “Never doubt that you can make a man want you, Macie,” he whispered as he cupped her full breast with his palm. “Just feel what you’re doing to me now—what you’ve done to me since that first kiss under the mistletoe.”
He heard her sharp intake of breath a moment before she leaned back to look at him. “Will, I—”
“It’s all right, honey,” he said, meeting her intense gaze. “I know you don’t want this to lead to anything more and I give you my word that it won’t.”
But to his surprise, she shook her head. “That wasn’t what I was going to say.”
His heart came to a screeching halt a moment before it started thumping a fast rhythm in his rib cage like a sultry jungle drum. “What were you about to tell me, Macie?” he asked slowly.
“You make me want you, too.” Her throaty admission sent another wave of heat surging through his body.
“Before we take this any further, I need you to know that I didn’t kiss you with seduction in mind. I’m not trying to take advantage of you or the situation. I’m not that guy.”
“I know, Will,” she said, touching his jaw with her soft hand.
“Nothing would make me happier right now than carrying you into your bedroom and making love to you for the rest of the night. But I have to be absolutely certain that’s what you want, too.” He needed her to understand how important lovemaking was to him. “I’d rather stand in a cold shower until I spit ice cubes than have you waking up tomorrow morning regretting what we shared.”
She stared at him for what seemed like an eternity, then rose from his lap to take him by the hand. “My only regret will be if we don’t make love.”
Will glanced over to make sure Harley was still sound asleep, then followed Macie down the hall. He had tried to keep his distance from her, but why? Because she might hurt him just as his ex-wife had? Macie was nothing like Suzanne. He had wanted Macie from the moment they met. It was past time to stop running from it and see where their explosive attraction took them. Maybe they could even have a future....
* * *
WHEN THEY ENTERED HER bedroom, Macie’s hand trembled as she reached to turn on the bedside lamp. She was nervous. Not because she was unsure about making love with Will, but because there hadn’t been anyone before or since her fiancé.
What if she was bad in bed? What if that was the real reason Stan had found someone else?
“What’s wrong?” Will asked, turning her to face him. “Are you having second thoughts?”
She caught her lower lip between her teeth a moment before she shook her head. “My former fiancé was the only man I ever—”
“You’re feeling a little self-conscious.” The understanding in his deep voice made her warm all over.
“Yes,” she said. “What if the reason Stan left me was because I’m not very good at lovemaking?”
Taking her hands in his, Will sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her down beside him. “You’re a passionate, caring woman, Macie.
Stan was likely the one with the problem.” He gave her a kiss so tender that it sent a shiver of anticipation coursing through her body. “Taking things slow and discovering how to give each other pleasure is one of the most enjoyable aspects of making love.”
There was a promise in his green gaze as he reached up to release the top button on her silk blouse, then lifted her hands to do the same with his shirt. By the time the lapels of his shirt and her blouse were free, Macie was quite breathless. She never would have imagined that the simple act of unbuttoning a man’s shirt could be so erotic.
Needing to fulfill the fantasy she’d had the day she saw him in boxer shorts, she placed her palms beneath the Oxford cloth and skimmed them over the width of his shoulders, brushing his shirt aside. The warmth of his skin and the light sprinkling of hair on his broad chest thrilled her as she mapped every ripple and bulge, just as she’d imagined doing.
Will closed his eyes as her hands moved over his pectoral muscles and his flat nipples. But when she traced the ridges of his abdomen and the thin line of hair arrowing down to his navel and below, his sharp intake of breath stopped her.
“I’m either doing something wrong or something very right,” she teased.
Will opened his eyes and the temperature in the room went up at least ten degrees as he gave her a meaningful smile. “You’re doing just fine, honey,” he said, his tone slightly rough. He slowly took off her blouse and tossed it on the floor to join his shirt, then reaching behind her, he unfastened her bra. “In fact, you’re doing such a good job, I think it’s time I treated you to some of the same.”
He slid the thin straps of her bra down her arms, and Macie held her breath in anticipation of his touch. When he cupped both of her breasts with his large hands, her heartbeat took off as if she was running a marathon. Her nipples beaded into tight nubs as he caressed and teased, and she had to press her lips together to keep from moaning aloud. But when Will splayed his hands on her back and lowered his head to take one of the tight tips into his mouth, she couldn’t stop the sound of her pleasure from escaping. But instead of interrupting the mood, it seemed to encourage him. Kissing his way across the valley between her breasts, he treated her other nipple to the same sweet torture.
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