She must have broken down any remaining hesitation he had because soon, his massive hands gripped her waist. He pulled from the kiss and picked her up—again. He stepped forward and in two strides, he had taken her back into her room.
“What would you think if I asked you to take me now, Andrew?” she purred in his ears before he lowered her to the ground.
“Mmm. God, Abby,” he groaned. “I would think you’re the wildest sex kitten that ever graced my presence.”
“Well, maybe we should wait until this evening,” she admitted, letting logic get the better of her.
“I was thinking the same thing,” he agreed, bending to kiss her hair. “For the sake of your friends.”
“You’re right,” she said, and planted one more kiss at the spot on his chest where her lips met him in height.
“We’d better get out there so no one comes looking for you again. Feel like something to eat?”
“Gosh, yes! I can probably prepare something on my own now. Want to show me around the kitchen?”
“Sure, but your friends have already made lunch. After you.” He held the door open for her.
They walked to the living room, and it seemed that no one was the wiser about their mind-blowing escapade.
ANDREW wanted to let Abby have her time with her friends. As much as he preferred to ravage her breathtaking body, he could wait. He was a patient man, if nothing else. As she greeted them and made light conversation, he took the opportunity when it presented itself and left the room. Small talk in a group had never been his kind of thing.
He unlocked the front door and had to give it a forceful push to open it. It was a matter of moving aside the snow that had fallen on the porch.
He turned back to get his boots and rifle in the closet so he could check things out. The snow had definitely stopped, and the weather felt surprisingly mild. He looked out to the tree line, their tops and branches all bowed down from the weight of the snowfall as though worshipping Mother Nature. Like I worshipped Abby last night. The sky was a brilliant blue, as though there had never been a raging blizzard.
He made a quick assessment of how much snow had fallen. By the looks of the porch and guesthouse door in the distance, it could have been anywhere between four to five feet. He hoped his plowing service would get freed up to come dig him out. They were a private service, but it was unlikely they would come before the roads were done.
He would have to get the men inside to help him clear enough so they could get to the firewood. It meant manually shoveling from the side door to the shed so he could pull out the snow blower. That would be enough to clear a path from the shed to the porch steps. Maybe the able-bodied ladies could help too.
He went back inside and took off his boots, intending to warm up some food for Abby before he got started on the outdoor job. Thankfully, she had made her way to the kitchen with Trina, who had served her lunch. When Trina looked over at him, she blushed. Andrew wondered whether she knew more about him and Abby than they were aware. Women could be so intuitive. Some of them, anyway.
“Hey.” Abby called to him, seeming to be on her best behavior in the company of her friend. “How’s it looking out there?”
“It’s dangerously beautiful. We probably got five feet of snow, but it’s so peaceful.”
“That’s what happens when Mother Nature puts the world on notice that she’s still in charge,” Trina commented. “All anyone and anything can do is pay her their respects and wait it out, right?”
“Exactly,” Andrew answered and nodded politely. “So where are Rob and John? I’m going to need them to help get the firewood.”
“I think they went to your gym to work out,” Trina answered. “Want me to get them?”
“Please,” he answered. “They’ll get enough of a workout outside. Can you tell them to check the closet outside the gym for winter boots? There should be a few that will fit. There are mittens and gloves on a shelf in there too.”
“Sure,” she smiled and left.
As she got past the kitchen doorway, Andrew made a beeline for Abby. He had to kiss her. It was becoming like breathing. He just couldn’t be in the same room without all his senses buzzing.
“Enjoying the meal?” he asked, bending forward to kiss her hair while she ate.
“Yes!” she answered with zeal. “I could probably eat a twelve-course meal right now.”
“I could probably eat you right now,” he whispered in her ear.
“Mmm,” she moaned her weak rebuttal and turned her head to meet his welcoming lips.
Andrew stood up quickly when he heard someone walking into the room. Rob and John entered, dressed in their winter coats, boots, and gloves.
“Ah, good timing, gentlemen,” Andrew announced and moved toward the hallway to the front door.
He looked back at her and raised his eyebrows.
“See you later, Abby.”
ABBY saw Trina walk back into the kitchen with her jaw dropped and her mouth wide open.
“What’s the matter, Trina?” she asked.
“You guys did the nasty!” she said with a muffled squealed.
“I’m not saying a word,” Abby answered tersely. “We’re all adults and I don’t need to explain my actions to anyone here.”
“Relax, girl, I’m happy for you!” she squealed again, this time so loud that anyone still in the house must have heard. Trina did a little jig on the spot and shook her hips, while her hand wound around like she was twirling a wand.
“You’re incorrigible,” Abby commented, then burst out laughing.
“This time, I didn’t need to check your face,” Trina said when she stopped her sex dance. “It was his. That man is so into you, no one in this house can ignore it.”
“Is it that obvious?” Abby asked.
“As clear as day, girlfriend. But who cares? As you said, none of our business. I’m still so happy for you.”
Abby was tempted to share how she felt with Trina, but decided to let her do all the talking. She stood up and placed her dirty dishes in the dishwasher. It was full, and already had a dishwashing pod inside, so she started it.
“Let’s go to the living room,” she called to Trina. “Please don’t…”
“Yeah, yeah, you know my lips are sealed,” she answered as they walked to the living room. “Especially not with Barb. She’s been acting like such a twat this morning. She’s already picked a fight with me, and she’s out there now, probably bullying Ruth.”
“Hey,” Ruth said as they walked in. She was standing at the window. “Think they might plow the roads to get to us out soon?”
“Andrew mentioned to John it may be in a couple days,” Trina answered.
“God, what in the hell am I going to do here for two more days!” Barb shrieked from the fireplace. She stormed out the room and they could hear her bound up the stairs. A door slammed upstairs shortly after.
“Sore loser,” Ruth said and turned toward them.
“Hey, ladies,” Trina tried to change the subject. “I checked and the landline phones work this morning.”
“Oh, good,” Abby replied with relief. “My cell phone is dead and I haven’t called my father since we left Sparks. He’s probably so worried. I’ll go call him from the guest room and will be back in a minute.”
She limped back to her room and walked over to sit at the chair beside the window. The phone was on a table in that corner of the room. She dialed the number and he picked up on the fourth ring.
“Hi, Dad,” she said calmly, not wanting to add any more worry to what he probably had stored up for two days.
“Abby honey,” he answered. “I’m so glad to hear from you, love. Did you make it okay to Truckee? When I didn’t hear from you I assumed you might have gotten all the way back to school.”
“No, Dad,” she said, noticing he was not as wound up as she had expected him to be. She wondered why, but parked the thought to let him know about the SUV. “I’m fine, though, Dad. We ha
d to take another route to pick up one of Rob’s friends. I ended up getting into an accident. I crashed the SUV that night. And it got stuck. We had to find shelter and a local took us in. We’re down at Lake Tahoe.”
“Accident? Wait, honey. Are you okay?”
“Everyone is okay, Dad,” she answered. “I just have a sprained ankle, and it wasn’t from the accident. But the car is not okay. We’re going to have to call the insurance company. I think it’s totaled.”
“Honey, I don’t care about the car,” he answered. “You and your friends are okay? Are you safe where you are?”
“Yes, Dad. We’re warm and safe. Andrew…the local who took us in, says the plows will be here in two days. After I finish this call, I’ll phone school to let them know about our delay.”
“Well, you give this Andrew fellow my thanks for taking care of my daughter, okay?”
She smiled and held back an unexpected sob. “I love you, Dad. And yes, I’ll give him your thanks. Are you doing all right?”
“I am fine as wine, honey,” he said. It was his favorite thing to say when he was happy. She hadn’t heard him say that since long before Mom died.
“Dad? Did something happen?” she probed. There was something different about him.
“Nothing to worry about, love,” he answered. “We had our share of stranded vehicles all up and down Highway eighty. The house is filled to the rafters with a busload of middle aged women who were on their way to some kind of Tupperware convention. Most of the neighbors here are hosting stragglers. Everything is okay.”
“That’s good, Dad,” she answered. She knew something was up. Could he have found someone due to the storm too?
“Don’t you worry about your old Dad. Just take care of that ankle. I’ll call the insurance company and have them authorize a rental for you. This phone number that’s showing up on my call display, is that where you’ll be?”
“Yes. I’ll find a cell charger soon, and you’ll be able to call me there too. Okay, Dad. Speak to you soon. Love you.”
“I love you too, honey. Take care.”
She smiled when she hung up, relieved her father was so calm. She wondered whether he could hear any change in her voice too.
Chapter 18
ANDREW and the men had finished their work outside and everyone was back in their rooms by midafternoon and now relaxing. Or so he thought. He had left Abby to her friends and her reading, and had been in his office reviewing some of the lower priority documents his dad had couriered the week before.
His father was intent on keeping Andrew firmly rooted in their businesses. With Joy single-mindedly focused on her long-term obsession, he was the only logical choice. With billions at stake, Andrew conceded, it was the least he could do. His father had been the one man to stand firm at his side throughout his most painful moments after Emma died.
His dad never wanted him to become a doctor—was there even one other parent on the planet who didn’t want their offspring devoting their lives to the medical care of others? When Andrew abandoned medicine, he needed a distraction. Something, anything to end the tumultuous pain. And his dad took the opportunity to thrust as much of the business onto Andrew as he could.
Andrew was adamant he didn’t want to set foot in an office, boardroom, or any meeting or negotiation of any kind. And he asked for Lake Tahoe. His father was only too pleased to allow him both. For one thing, his dad had never liked Lake Tahoe. It had been his mother’s favorite place to vacation in the summer.
And then she left him after he and Joy had gone off to university. To Paris. To paint. No other man. Or woman. Asking for nothing from his father but to be left alone. And for no other reason except to enjoy her love of being a painter. At least, that was what she told him and Joy. When she left, she didn’t look back. He had heard from her only once, after Emma died.
Because the divorce had already left the Lake Tahoe cottage neglected, he found it the perfect place to retreat from society. And when his father pried Andrew’s arms open and shoved the responsibility for all their companies’ back end business strategy development into them, he took it willingly. It was something to do to kill the time and distract his mind from it. He wondered whether anything would change inside him, now that he’d met Abby.
By early evening, he had read some reports created by his remote staff who worked at the Manhattan headquarters. None of them was a priority, so he got up to check on Abby and prepare dinner if needed.
Rob and Ruth were in the kitchen, just finishing dinner, so he went to look in on Abby.
“Come in,” she shouted when he knocked on the door.
As soon as he touched the doorknob, he was already hard for her. He cursed his erection for tenting his jeans. He stepped in, willing it to go down, but it had its own mind.
“How are you?” she asked as he walked in.
“Do you really want to know?” he asked, looking down at his pants with a mixture of longing and mild shame.
She stood up from her chair and limped to him. There was no hesitation when she placed her hand on his pants and moved it up and down the jean-clad shaft.
“I wish I could help you right now,” she whispered.
“What you’re doing there is definitely not helping,” he said between moans, not wanting her to stop, but knowing the timing wasn’t right to continue. “I came to call you for dinner.”
“I can go so many places with that right now,” she teased.
“How about we have dinner now, and then we can sneak away from the crowd and go to my room?”
“Sounds like a dessert date,” she answered. “It’s a deal. Okay, let’s go.”
He held out his arm for her, if she needed support to walk, and she took it, leading him out of the bedroom and down the hall.
Barb had made it to the dining room for the meal. It was so convenient how she showed up to eat, yet he had never seen her prepare a meal or offer to help the others with chores. She reminded him of the numerous women who had pursued him before Emma. They came out of the woodwork only because of what his family had. He paid her no mind. In fact, the less he saw of her, the better.
Rob and Ruth brought out the food. Rob had meatloaf—one of two things that Rob confessed he could cook—on a serving platter, and gravy in a bowl. Ruth carried two serving bowls. One held mashed potatoes—the second thing Rob knew how to cook—and the other, a garden salad.
“Is anyone going to call John and Trina?” Abby had not seen them for a few hours.
“They’re not here,” Rob answered nonchalantly.
“What do you mean, they’re not here?” Andrew asked impatiently. “Where are they?”
“They took Abby’s keys about an hour ago and went to get some things from the SUV.”
“You’re kidding me, right?” Andrew shouted.
“Nope,” he answered. “John said he could get back to it with his eyes closed and he needed his phone charger to find the number of some school project partner he was working with on an assignment.”
Andrew stood up so quickly he bumped the table with his thigh. It shook and rattled the dishes. He swore under his breath and charged off to the hallway. A moment later, he came back.
“Rob, can you drive a Ski-Doo?” he asked.
“Yes, we have a couple at home.”
“Good. You’re coming with me,” he commanded. “You’ll need to wear one of my parkas and boots.”
Everyone followed them to the hallway with worried looks. Even Barb, which was a surprise.
“Can you use a rifle, too?” he asked. The anger and impatience was clear in his voice.
“Yes.”
Andrew handed him one rifle. He went back to his room and brought out another, with a box of ammunition and his medical bag. He swallowed hard, trying to ignore his sinking feeling that things would go sideways. By the time they were ready to go out, they looked like winter hunters about to shoot deer.
“The rest of you stay here. No one leaves this house,
understood?” He didn’t wait for them to reply.
“Ruth, did you learn to use the sat phone?”
She was so afraid, she only nodded.
“Good. Go get the one in the kitchen. I have the other and will call it if I need you to get help. Rob, let’s go.”
He and Rob hurried to the shed and opened the larger garage door. In moments, they were on two Ski-Doos and headed off the property in the direction of Broad Oaks. If they even made it there. He took a brief look at the front of the house and saw all three women peering out the window. God, how he wanted to be curled up beside Abby right now, instead of charging into almost certain danger to find the pair.
The surface of the pristine snow had hardened with the frigid temperature. It allowed the Ski-Doos to skim the surface with ease. They were built for these kinds of outdoor conditions. There was no mystery about where John and Trina had passed. They had left a human-wide path through the five-foot high snow. Rob kept pace beside him as they rode toward Broad Oaks, and Andrew was relieved to have someone to cover him should things become problematic.
He was most worried about the cold, and the likelihood they had not dressed well enough to be outside for this long. Buried beneath that worry was his sinking feeling about the coyote, or any other wildlife that would be out and about after this severe storm. With so much snow, everything that nature’s winter predators could hunt would be buried or taking deep shelter. It had been only two days, but two days were more than enough for all manner of predator to be on the prowl.
Within minutes, they were a few hundred yards from the entrance to Broad Oaks. Rob waved at Andrew to get his attention and they stopped.
“That’s it there,” Rob shouted over the engines.
The headlights from their Ski-Doos reflected on the SUV; then they saw the two faint figures. He sighed a breath of relief.
Billionaire Daddy's Virgin Page 26