What to Read After FSOG: The Gemstone Collection (WTRAFSOG Book 3)

by Lauren Hawkeye

  “You can tell me.”

  He jerked his hand away. “There’s nothing to tell.”

  Disappointment flooded her. “There has to be. You thought I was her and you told me you missed her and Greg.”

  Mark stood, shoving away from the table.

  “Mark,” she called after him as he left the kitchen without a word.

  There was definitely something there—something he didn’t want to share. It had to be eating away at him to get as angry as he did. Annabelle had to have been his wife, and maybe she left him, taking their son for selfish reasons. And he left wherever he came from because of the memories. She couldn’t believe someone might do that. If Jeremy wanted anything to do with their child, she wouldn’t keep it from him. She, however, was in a whole different boat. Jeremy wanted their baby dead.

  The day seemed to be dragging. Julie was going through some of the postcards her mother had sent as Mark cleaned up the kitchen from lunch. For the most part, he had avoided her as much as possible. Anytime she entered a room, he left it. Most of the day he had been down in the basement doing God knows what.

  She flipped through the postcards and felt a twinge of happiness. Her mother had to be having the time of her life. All Julie’s life growing up, her mother and father had talked about traveling. Once her old man retired, they were going to set their sights across the USA and see what kind of trouble they could get into. Ten years ago, when Julie’s father died, she’d thought her mother was never going to leave this house. She’d grieved for a long time.

  Julie’s emotions took over and a few tears leaked from her eyes. She really was just so happy for her mom. Surely she was laughing with the windows down and the wind blowing through her hair. Her father would be watching from Heaven and smiling.

  Mark cleared his throat. Julie dropped the postcards and looked up at him.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  “Yeah, fine. I was just thinking about my dad. That’s all.”

  “Okay.” He nodded.

  “Listen, I’m sorry for earlier.”

  He put his hand up to stop her. “I’m going to try to dig out some more. Do you mind putting the kettle on so I can have a hot drink when I come in?”

  “Uh, yeah, sure.” She glanced toward the window. “Has it warmed up at all out there?”

  He shrugged. “A little.”

  “Good.” She didn’t want him to get frost bite.

  Mark didn’t say anything else as he headed down to the basement again to get whatever he needed.

  Putting the lid back on the box, she laid it on the table before heading into the kitchen. A nice cup of cocoa sounded good to her and maybe a chat with Claire also. Once the water was finished boiling, she poured it into a mug and stirred. As she took a sip, the chocolaty goodness hit just the right spot.

  She picked up the phone off the wall and called Honeycreek Bed and Breakfast. Claire answered right away.

  “Hey, Claire,” Julie said.

  “Julie! Hi! Crazy storm. How are you holding up?”

  Oh, I’m all right with his sexy man with a past he won’t share. “Decent. A tree fell through the power line. Thank God Mom had a generator.”

  “Yikes. Well, I heard the crews are starting to clear the roads, and the power company is working around the clock.”

  “Good.” She was ready for things to get back to normal.

  “So how’s it going with that hunk?”

  Julie giggled. “It’s going. There is definitely a story to be told though.”

  “Any ideas?” Claire asked.

  Julie listened for Mark but didn’t hear anything. Quietly, she spoke into the phone. “I’m working on it. Last night we decided to sleep next to each other for warmth, and he called me Annabelle.”

  “Hmm, any ideas who it is?”

  “I asked, but he got on the defense real fast and closed himself off. Maybe an ex-wife. I think a child is somehow involved, too. This man knows a lot about pregnancy.”

  Julie covered her mouth. Shit.

  “Why would you guys be talking about pregnancy?” Claire asked with hesitation in her voice.

  “I have a friend back home who is pregnant,” she said quickly.

  “Are you sure it’s a friend?”

  Darn, what was she to say? She didn’t want to lie to her friend, but was she ready to start telling people? Hell, she hadn’t even told her mother yet.

  “I’m not ready to talk about it.”

  “I understand.” She could hear the pause from Claire. “Just know I’m here with a shoulder to lean on if you need it.”

  “Thanks.”

  “So did you and that hunk every woman in town wants happen to cuddle?”

  Julie smiled. She was so relieved Claire had dropped the subject of her pregnancy without pushing her.

  Images of the warm fire and Mark came back. “He wasn’t cuddling with me so to speak. He thought I was Annabelle.”

  “Maybe she isn’t an ex then. Typically, men don’t dream and miss their ex-wives, especially if they did them wrong.”

  She had a point, but what then? He didn’t seem like the kind of guy to just abandon his family. “I didn’t think about that. I wonder who she is then.”

  “Maybe he’ll tell you.” Claire started to talk to someone in the background. “I got to go, girl. Come see me when you get un-snowed in. My lips are sealed, girl. Bye.”

  Julie placed the phone back onto the wall. What was she to do now? Getting dinner started was always an option. Since there was no power, it got dark fast, and they had to eat earlier. She needed to make something warm and filling.

  In the freezer, she found some ground meat then checked the cabinets. Spaghetti and meatballs was perfect. She filled the sink up with water and placed the meat in to defrost. Now to find something to do while she waited.

  Just as she was able to settle in for a game of Solitaire, there was a knock on the front door. Who the hell could that be? When she opened it, she saw Mark standing there with her luggage in hand.

  “Oh my gosh! You’ve been busy.” She grabbed the bags from him. “Let me get you some cocoa.”

  When she returned to the living room, with a mug in hand for him, he was warming up by the fire.

  “You really shouldn’t have gone all the way to my car.”

  “It’s not a problem. I know how much you wanted your things.”

  She set his mug down on the table then reached out for his hand and pulled him into a hug. She longed to feel him close again.

  “It was also my way of saying sorry for earlier.” He wrapped his arms around her waist.

  Julie gazed up at him and, before she knew what she was doing, she was pressing her lips against his. She brushed her hand through his hair and pushed herself up on her tiptoes to deepen the kiss. It was magical and better than she’d expected it to be. When his tongue met hers, fireworks burst behind her eyelids.

  His hand caressed her lower back, slightly dipping toward her bottom. His other hand rubbed her side and gently slid inside her T-shirt. Instinctively, she sighed. His kiss was doing all kinds of amazing things to her body. She didn’t want it to end.

  Mark gently pushed her back until she sat on the couch. She leaned against the pillows and enjoyed the feel of his masculine body above hers. She explored his chest and arms, and was in awe of the rock-hard muscles this man had.

  Just as she was about to tug his shirt off to get a look at him, a strange beep echoed from her luggage through the quiet living room. Mark pulled away and gazed down at her. His hand caressed her cheek then he stood and headed for the basement. Julie sat there, wondering what had just happened. If her stupid cell phone hadn’t beeped, letting her know of its low battery, how far would their make-out session have gone?

  Mark paced back and forth across the cold cement floor. He wished his shoes and socks were on, but he’d stripped them off after coming in from the snow.

  It had been a long time since he’d kissed a woman. Ju
lie was as soft as he’d thought she would be. She tasted sweet and she enjoyed the touch of his hand. She was all female and he wanted to go back up there and have more of her.

  Julie was beautiful, even in her mother’s clothes. She was kind, and he knew if he told her about Annabelle and Greg, she wouldn’t look at him differently like other people did. Once anyone knew what had happened, they always treated him differently. But there was something about Julie that made him think she just might open her heart to him and maybe love him. She wasn’t like all these other women. He couldn’t yet pinpoint what it was about Julie. Just that she was special, and he wanted to get to know her more.

  But he wouldn’t be getting involved with just Julie. There was a baby growing inside of her. A child that belonged to some other man, who wanted nothing to do with either of them. But it was still a child and he didn’t know if he could take that on again.

  He grunted and decided to chop some firewood. What better way to pass the time and get his thoughts away from Julie?

  After all the wood was chopped, he loaded some into a basket and headed back upstairs to place it by the fireplace. The temperatures were dropping and, even though they’d reached temperatures above freezing, tonight they would surely drop, and there would be a nasty, icy mess.

  Once he got the fire going again, he noticed the cup of cocoa he’d left. It was cold now, but the microwave could warm it. When he entered the kitchen, he froze. While he had been away, Julie had changed and was now in her own clothes. She was gorgeous before, but now she was a drop-dead beauty. She wore blue jeans that hugged her curves perfectly, and a pink turtleneck that also was form-fitting. On her feet, she wore a pair of black boots with several inches on the heels.

  His erection pressed against his zipper, and he took a seat at the table, pulling himself as close to the edge as he could before she noticed the bulge.

  When she looked at him, he noticed she now wore make-up like she had the morning he’d met her. She didn’t wear a lot but just enough to accent her eyes and make her beautiful browns stand out.

  “Hope spaghetti and meatballs is okay,” she said.

  He nodded. Yes, she was that pretty, and he was speechless.

  Julie set a big plate of food and a beer in front of him. “You’ve been working so hard today. I figured you might want one to relax.”

  He smiled. A massive pile of meatballs awaited him with a cold beer. This woman was after his heart—at least he hoped.

  Julie sat also and started to eat. For the most part, they ate quietly like usual. He wasn’t too sure of what to say. A kiss between two adults could make any situation awkward. She seemed happy though, so that was all that really mattered.

  Once they finished eating and cleaned up the kitchen, he grabbed another beer and took a seat on the couch in the living room. Julie joined him with a glass of water.

  She set her glass down then turned so her body faced him. “I’d like to apologize again for earlier. I shouldn’t have been so pushy. It’s obviously something you don’t want to talk about.”

  Taking a sip of his beer, he said, “It’s fine. It’s just a touchy subject. I didn’t handle it very maturely.”

  “Well, just know I’m here if you want to talk. You were so kind to me when you learned of my pregnancy.”

  Should he tell her? He already knew she was someone he could trust, and she wouldn’t say anything to anyone if he asked her not to.

  Staring up at the ceiling, he began. “Annabelle was my wife. We had only been married a short while. When I learned she was pregnant with my son, Greg, I married her right away. I knew I had to do right by her.” He stopped and took another big gulp of beer. “When Greg was born, I knew my life was complete. I had a beautiful, smart, and wonderful wife, and she had given me a son, who was the spitting image of me. Or so everyone said. They brought so much joy to me.”

  Julie took his hand. “Where are they now?”

  Could he say it? Could he tell her? He’d always had a hard time saying the next few words. It was torture, and he had to relive it over and over.

  “Did she leave you and take your son?” Julie asked.

  “Kind of.” He looked away from Julie. He didn’t want her to see the tears in his eyes. “When it was time for Annabelle’s six-week appointment, she was heartbroken I couldn’t go with her, but my boss was a dick and I couldn’t get off work. Believe me, I tried though. So she and Greg went to her appointment. Only they never made it there.”

  “What happened?” He could hear the concern in her voice, and he knew just what expression she was making.

  “Someone ran a red light and hit Annabelle and Greg.” He paused for the lump to pass in his throat. “They died instantly.”

  Before he had a moment to think, Julie leapt into his arms, hugging him as tightly as she could. With his face pressed into her shoulder, he finally let the tears he’d been holding back free.

  Julie pulled his head up so he was looking at her, and then she kissed him. He met her with a force of urgency, thrusting his tongue in. His hands were all over her body, and she gave back as much as he was giving.

  Mark lifted her up and laid her in front of the fire. He nudged her legs open and nestled between her thighs. He couldn’t believe all they were doing was kissing and the state of arousal he was in.

  She tugged at his shirt. He helped her by pulling it off and tossing it behind him. Her eyes devoured his chest. He pulled at her sweater, needing to see what she had underneath. Her shirt met his on the couch in a pile. He now let his own eyes feast on her full breasts, which looked as though they were ready to pop out of her pink lace bra.

  He leaned down and let his mouth explore her. Her hands ran through his hair. He kissed a little lower until he was at her bellybutton. Julie slightly arched her back and, as tempted as he was to go further, he knew, if they did, she would regret it come morning. Julie did not come across as the type of woman who would fall into bed with just anyone.

  He kissed his way up and found her lips again. She moaned. Her hands caressed his lower back and his ass. However, she didn’t attempt to take it any further.

  Mark stared down at her. She was so beautiful and made his heart feel alive again. She had comforted him in a way she’d thought he needed and, strangely enough, it was just right. To feel a woman’s body again. To hear her feminine sounds. It made him feel like a man again.

  “Ready for bed?” he asked, rolling off her.

  “I suppose.” She looked away. “I was enjoying what we were doing.”

  “Me, too.” Mark pulled the covers back and she climbed in. Once he was in on his side, he asked, “Do you mind if I hold you?”

  Her eyes lit up and she nodded. Turning her back to him, she scooted close. He wrapped his arms around her, putting his head in the crook of her neck. Inhaling her floral scent, he realized how much he missed the smell of a woman also.

  Chapter Eight

  The next few days flew by. Mark spent most of his time working outside, shoveling piles of snow, and Julie did things around the house to keep herself busy. The power turned back on last night while they slept. It was a refreshing thing to wake to.

  She folded the last of the quilts then sighed. Things between her and Mark were improving. They were to the point where they were pretty open with one another. She didn’t dare bring up his past again. It had nearly broken her heart the night he told her the story. She wasn’t expecting him to tell her they’d died. She couldn’t even imagine. He had only known his son a short time, six weeks to be exact, before he was taken from him.

  She could understand now why he left his hometown. How could someone get past that when everyone knew? She was sure they all felt bad for him and probably had always been doing favors for him because he had lost his wife and child. A loss like that also explained why all the women in town were itching to get him between their legs, and he wasn’t having it. The man was gorgeous, mouth-wateringly hot. If his heart wasn’t broken, he would pr
obably be laid up at one of the local bars, picking up a different woman each night of the week.

  But, currently, his nights were being spent with her. Since the evening by the fire, things were still pretty vanilla between them. They hadn’t kissed again since that evening, but there was a lot more flirtation. She would like to have a little more happening between them, but she didn’t know if either of them was really ready.

  She shook her head, needing to get her mind off this before she wasted the whole day dreaming as she had yesterday. There was no reason to be worrying about it.

  The front door opened, and Mark came in. “The driveway is clean, and the road crews have cleared our road. We are officially free.”

  She smiled, and noted the way he had said our road. It was silly, but things like that made her heart swell with joy.

  “Great. I need to run into town.” Julie clapped her hands. “It is going to be so good to get out of this house.”

  Mark looked hurt, and she realized how insensitive she might have sounded. However, it wasn’t like he could expect things to stay the same now that the snow had melted, could he?

  “Thank you for all you’ve done.” She sucked in her bottom lip.

  He shrugged. “Not a problem.”

  She crossed her arms as the air seemed thick between them again. “Is it okay if I stay here tonight? If not, I understand. Maybe Honeycreek has a room.”

  He waved a hand “Don’t be silly. Come back here.”

  “Are you sure?”

  He reached out, pulling her arms apart and holding her hands in his. “Yes, I like having you here.”

  And she liked being here with him. “If you don’t, now’s the time to say different. God knows when another snowstorm might be dumped on us, and we’ll be stuck together again. This is Brookfield.”

  He tugged her to him and kissed her. It was soft, but the passion shone through. “You belong here as long as you want.”