by Rhodes, Beth
“Hey,” he barked, as her use of that word sparked his own temper. “Don’t say that.”
But she was on a roll. “Your dad already thinks I’m a gold-digging, hussy tramp.”
“You’re not—”
She grabbed his hand and flattened her palm against his own with the ring between them. The touch sent a jolt through his system.
“Please don’t—” He took the ring and grabbed her hand right back. David shoved the ring right where he wanted it, right where it belonged. “Don’t take that off, ever again.”
The tears fell. “You don’t even love me.”
He dragged her against himself, and she struggled for a moment before surrendering the fight. He dug his hands into her hair, palmed the contours of her head, and kissed her.
This was what he’d wanted when he came home. To touch her. Love didn’t matter, not when he felt this way, felt this desperate. He just needed his world right and until he’d gotten his fill of her, he was sure he’d never be right again.
He broke from her mouth and trailed kisses down her cheek, to the soft skin at the base of her neck. “God, I missed you.”
“What?” she said, all groggy and disoriented. “Wait. No.” She gripped his shirt and pushed back. “This isn’t right.”
He rested his forehead against hers. “Why not?”
“You were with her, David. In Florida. I can’t—”
“I was never with Tammy.”
A sad look came to her eyes. “I saw the photos.”
“I can explain.”
“I don’t want explanations!” Her voice thickened but her hands gentled on his shirt. “We had a deal—safe and simple.”
“I didn’t know she was going to be there, Ree. My dad—”
She sucked in a breath and frowned. That man. What did he have against her? She turned out of his arms. “But you took her to a room.”
“Because she was starting to make a scene, because I needed a private place to tell her no.”
Maria looked back at him, a glimmer of hope in her eyes. And something else. Compassion? Sympathy? “What happened down there, David?”
He hadn’t planned to tell her everything. Might have told her nothing if those photos hadn’t shown up. All his life he’d taken the easy road and avoided anything that smacked of emotional or messy. But Maria, she drew it all out of him anyway by just being here.
“It was like having a mirror shoved in my face and being forced to look. I didn’t like what I saw.” His throat tightened as unexpected emotions flooded through him.
“Oh, babe.” She wiped at the tears.
David turned to away and rubbed at the tension in his neck. “She thought I’d be seduced by her offer of a relationship with no strings. By the idea of a business arrangement.”
“She’s right, though, isn’t she? Isn’t that what we’re doing? No strings?”
He needed to think. “I don’t know. I thought so, but I didn’t like what she said, Maria.”
“She was mean.”
“Yes.” How did she know all this? Like with intuition. “She suggested crazy things.”
“She thought she could get you to sleep with her and that you’d be finished with me.” She sounded so matter-of-fact, like she was reading from a manual, and it was starting to bug him.
Heat rose on his neck as he frowned. “Am I that easy?”
“Did you sleep with her?”
“No,” he denied.
“Then I’d say you’re not that easy.” She tilted her head, thinking. “Do you remember our first time?”
His gaze found hers and saw that she seemed calm but there was so much in there, roiling around. “Of course.”
“I almost had to rip your clothes from your body. I about begged when you kept putting me off.”
And there it was…
He cleared his throat as evidence of that attraction began a slow throb. “You were different from anyone else I’d ever been with.”
“A virgin?”
He couldn’t take his eyes from hers. He wanted to drown in them. “Maybe that. Sheltered, for sure.”
“Having a big, overprotective family like mine will do that to a girl.” She smiled then, almost shyly. “I needed you.”
“No way. I needed you.”
Her mouth fell open. “Now, that’s not true, either.”
“Just a couple of needless people?” He really liked seeing a smile on her face.
“Needy people.”
They smiled at each other, her gaze dropping to his lips. “I wanted you then. So badly. And I’d never stepped over the line in my whole life.”
“When you do things, you do them big.”
She laughed, her gaze dropping even further to his waistline.
“I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.” The sound of wood being chopped had David looking from her to the doorway. “I should help Grandpa.”
“Okay.” Maria hesitated. “Of course.” She followed him into the kitchen. “Are you going to be okay?”
He nodded and knew, as long as she was with him, the chances were very good he would be okay for a long time to come. She forgave like no one he knew.
His heart felt too big for his chest. When had he ever brought a woman here? Never, not even Tammy. David took Maria into his arms, leaning against the counter and pulling her to that spot between his legs. He liked her there.
She pulled back and squeezed his arms with a smile before getting on her tiptoes and kissing him. “We can’t be rude. Go.”
She went for a big pot on a hook above the island
“Maria?”
She stopped mid reach. “Yeah?”
He pulled the pot down and handed it to her. “I don’t think I deserve you.”
Her grin zapped his libido, giving it a boost he didn’t need at this exact moment.
“You can make up for it later.”
~*~
He might not know it; he might worry over his past and what people thought of him, but David was not a cheater.
Years of break room talk at the hospital or out with girlfriends for another freedom party—friends breaking up, another deadbeat boyfriend or husband to toast—had skewed her vision.
He had this perfect plan—a life without pain. That, she didn’t understand. Pain brought life, as far as she was concerned. Life was meant to be felt. Her David did not like to feel. And for a time, she agreed to his plan, because…
Well, hell. She’d wanted the independence he teased her with. And maybe she still wanted that…but even more, since being here, she wanted him. Some strings don’t have to chafe.
The chopping outside went double time.
Maria sidled over to the small window over the sink. A huge pile of wood covered the side of the cabin, and the men had taken off their jackets and were splitting logs in the flurry of snow. They both wore flannel shirts and jeans.
Tilting her head, she made out similarities in their movements, hands, and faces. She wondered that they hadn’t been two peas in a pod while David was growing up. He’d have come here, just to get away from whatever was bothering him at home.
She shook off the speculating thoughts and dug into dinner, finding stew meat thawed in the fridge and an array of vegetables in the drawer at the bottom. She opened a cabinet next to the stove and picked out a few herbs and seasonings for a nice hearty stew.
And she cooked, letting her mind go, letting the worry of her and David sit on the back burner so that she could enjoy the break-through they’d had today.
Her movements were automatic and routine. Comforting.
“Well, now, I haven’t smelled anything so good since my Ellie passed on.”
Maria looked up from the big cast iron pan and grinned at Tanner. “I hope it passes muster.”
“I’m sure it will,” David said then, coming up behind her and reaching around her for the wooden spoon. He lifted it and tasted.
“Hey!” She laughed, embracing the delicious pull
of his presence so close to her. “Go get cleaned up and set the table. I’ll put these rolls in the oven and we’ll be ready to eat in about ten minutes.”
The desire in his gaze made a blush rise on her neck. She turned from his heat and blindly stirred the stew. But a smile played on her lips.
Dinner at the cabin was the first true family occasion she’d had since leaving home. Being sick in California had tweaked her plans to do dinners and hang out…really enjoy the companionship of her siblings. She wasn’t with siblings now, but the conversation flowed, and as Tanner began telling stories of David’s misspent youth, she laughed at them, sharing her own bits of home.
He was a different person here.
He was her David. The one who had come to California and made her believe love could look different than she expected.
She was glad they couldn’t leave.
Perhaps they could stay, forever.
“The deal never went through,” David was saying to Tanner when she cued back into their conversation. He was across from her at the small table. His legs stretched before him, invading her space so that his leg rested against her calf. And even that contact was enough to distract her, warm her, and otherwise make her think of all the things she wanted to do to him. “Not yet, anyway.”
“Oh, no. David. The Florida deal?” Maria frowned.
But he shrugged. “Valiant made a counter offer. They want to dance, but I don’t think anything will come of it. I hate to say it, but I think it was mostly Tammy, sticking her nose in where it doesn’t belong. I’ll go back down when things are settled.”
She ignored the hesitation in his voice at the word when. Things? Like Tammy the bitch ho? Calling her that didn’t help though, and she nodded as if she understood, but deep inside, a tiny little green monster woke from its sleep. He would go back. He would travel a lot—for business.
“Maybe you could come with me,” he suggested, as if he knew what she was thinking. His gaze was intent on her, and her heart fell down that slope to love a little more.
“I might be busy with a baby soon—” The surprise on his face, the almost-disappointed look made her shake her head with a smile. “But, I’d love to travel with you. Heck, we’ll raise a jet-setting baby who travels to countries, far and wide.”
“William will love that,” he answered without losing a beat, and his eyes lost the shocky glaze. He grinned, even as she bit off the retort on the tip of her tongue.
They would need a name, eventually. At least he was thinking about it.
He took her hand, and she felt unbelievably complete—like a real couple. Then he turned his attention back to Tanner, who was following their conservation with an interested gaze. “I’m sorry I didn’t invite you to the wedding, Grandpa.”
Her hand went slack in his. This was definitely a night for surprises.
“You know what they say about shotgun weddings.” He grinned sheepishly. “We didn’t want to waste any time.”
Tanner got up for more food. “Well, if this stew is any indication, she’s a keeper, son.”
Maria blushed and sipped the last of her milk. “I wonder how long we’ll be snowed in.”
Tanner sat back in his chair. “Heard on the radio this afternoon it’s going to snow through tomorrow before it starts to clear. It’s not the snow so much making it dangerous as it is the visibility. I’ve got a couple of snowmobiles in the shed. I’ve done the run enough times, if there was an emergency, I could get out of here while it’s snowing. Just more dangerous is all.”
David’s frown deepened the line over his brow.
“Do you have a doctor yet, dear?” Tanner asked.
“Actually.” She blushed. “I’ll be seeing Colleen.”
“You will?” David asked, surprise on his face.
Tanner patted her hand. “That’s good, dear. Your mother is the best around without driving all the way to Burlington, David.” Tanner slapped the table as if the discussion was over. “I’m doing the clean-up. Why don’t you two go get a game from the hall closet? Or the cards off the desk.”
Instinct had her standing up. “No. I’ll help clear the table.”
Tanner waved her back. “Now, now. You need to relax, go put your feet up.”
David stood too, and he held out a hand to her. “Come on. You can do the dishes tomorrow morning. I promise. I’ll even cook.”
She raised her brow. “The cook never washes the dishes.”
David grinned as he led her into the living room, but instead of stopping, they walked up a narrow, hardwood staircase. Upstairs, the walls were covered with wood paneling, and the ceiling was very low. Two bedrooms—one on either side of the hallway—and one door, a narrow closet, straight ahead. First David opened the door on the right, into a bedroom. The ceiling sloped down to a small six-paned window over a little, window seat. The double bed jutting out from one wall had an old patchwork quilt on it.
“We can stay in this room.”
She leaned on the door jamb. “Good.”
It wasn’t a secret that she wanted them to be together as man and wife. Even if he freaked out at the last minute and pulled the this-is-an-arrangement card. She was done letting him create distance between them.
He brushed the hair from her face. “I’ve been desperate for you for days, and I want you, want to be so deep inside you I can feel you start to come even before you make those sweet little noises at the back of your throat.”
Desire ran hot through her veins and pooled deep inside her.
Okay. Maybe he was getting the message.
15
With a quick stop at the hall closet to pull out a couple boxes of games, social etiquette drew them back downstairs. And David relaxed for the first time since she’d shown up on his steps. They played Trivial Pursuit for a while and then sat around the fire place.
He and his grandpa sipped the aged liquor while Maria told stories from home and made them laugh. He found himself lulled by the rough-hewn sound of her voice. Add to hers, the familiar tones of his grandpa, and it didn’t take long for the week to catch up with him and their voices to fade.
At the sound of her laughter, he blinked and sat up, shaking off the dregs of the home-cooked meal and bit of alcohol. “I’m going to shower and hit the hay.”
Maria sat next to him on the couch with her feet up on the pillow-topped stool and a blanket over her lap. She was the picture of comfort. He turned and held out his hand. “Ready?”
Grandpa also stood. “It’s been a good day.” He started around the room to shut off the lamps. Two in the corners and one over Maria’s head on the end table.
Maria took David’s hand, and he pulled her up but didn’t let go until she’d given him a hug. He couldn’t stop himself from kissing the top of her head. She pulled away and folded the blanket before laying it over the back of the couch.
“Good night, young’uns.”
“Thank you,” Maria said.
He walked toward the back of the cabin and gave her a wave as he disappeared into his bedroom.
David might have been about to fall asleep on the couch, but the thought of getting Maria into bed again turned the tide. He followed her up the stairs, his hands drawn to her rear and then her waist.
She swatted them away. “David.” She glanced at him, with a look of what-are-you-doing, but it just made him smile and take the next step more quickly so he could get his hands even further around her. He felt the sexy indent of her waist and then the sweet swell of her breasts.
The urge to take her, right here on the steps, to squeeze her, tug her down, and thrust into her was a physical ache deep down inside his soul. He moaned and nipped at the back of her neck.
She slowed. “Your grandpa will hear us,” she whispered, even as she leaned back into him at the top step.
When he lifted her into his arms, she drew in a breath and wrapped her arms around his neck.
“You’re definitely getting heavier,” he teased.
&n
bsp; The look she gave him then was pure petulant, and filled with humor. “You’ll pay for that.”
He almost tripped at her retort. “Shit. That did it.”
Maria reached back to push open the door to the small bedroom. He gently laid her down and moved to the foot of the bed where he began to undo her shoelaces. First one shoe and then the other until she was barefoot.
“I have nothing to wear.” Her voice was quiet. In the dim light of the room, she almost seemed unreal, a dream.
“Are clothes really necessary?”
Her lips pressed together. “It might get cold.”
His brow rose, involuntarily.
“It might,” she reiterated, and he rolled his eyes. But he looked in the old bureau anyway. “Men’s t-shirts—”
“That’s fine. Anything.”
David took one off the top and held it up. It was going to be big on her, if she had the chance to actually put it on. When she reached for it, he snatched it back. “I’m sorry. I can’t let you do that.”
Her eyes were intent on him as he dropped the shirt and reached for her. His hands went to the low-rider waistband of her jeans that sat just below her baby bump. Her snap came undone with a flick of his fingers and the zipper slid down. She wore dark purple underwear, nothing fancy.
With her warm skin under his fingertips, his swollen length nudged his jeans.
He groaned, ignoring the need to sink into her, and pressed his ear to her stomach. Maria’s hands came out and threaded through his hair, brushing against his scalp. He couldn’t move, didn’t want to. The passion raging through him simmered below the surface of this dark need to drink up every last drop of goodness from her soul.
He kissed around her belly button then followed the smooth skin lower so that he had to pull back on the waistband of her panties. Her breath hitched, and he looked up the length of her body to eyes filled with anticipation. Slowly, she lifted her hips.
David slid her pants and underwear down her legs. He kissed the mole above her knee then stripped the clothes from her body. Starting back at her feet, his mouth moved up, tasting every inch.