A Very Merry Romance

by Brenda Jackson

  She thought back to his question. “Not that I’m judgmental or anything. But, considering who you are, and your family’s reputation, I would think you’d date someone more your equal.”

  “My equal?”

  “Yes. More on your social scale.”

  “And you’re not?”

  “Hardly. My father is a delivery truck driver. My mother stayed at home because Dad never wanted her to work. They own their own home in a quiet neighborhood. And the only things they ever raised were their children--no herds of cows or horses. But I am proud of them and love them to death.”

  “And you should. But what you said is all wrong. In my family, there’s no social status. We accept people for who they are. And I look for the same attitude in the women I date.”

  She didn’t say anything as they turned onto the street where she lived. “I know you said you were usually forced into dating while you were in college, but you like to go out with women now, right?” she asked.

  “Yes, now and then.”

  She nodded. “I see.”

  * * * *

  Jonathan doubted that Marilyn understood what he was getting at, but eventually she would. She thought she had him all figured out, right down to what he’d consider the perfect woman. But she was wrong. The only woman he wanted was her. Once he convinced her of that, he’d be ready to move to the next level.

  Marriage.

  She was the woman he wanted to spend his entire life with. He wanted to grow old with her and have a house full of babies. More than anything, he wanted her to wear his name. He thought Marilyn Madaris sounded pretty darn nice.

  “Just so you know, I have never become serious about someone. The women I date understand that. We have fun, but it’ll never be anything more. But when I find the right woman, I intend to marry her.”

  “Fun? Is that what they call it now?”

  He heard the disapproval in her voice. “Is that what they call what?”

  “When a man spends time with a woman, makes her wish for things, and then drops her without a backwards glance?”

  He shoved his hands into his pockets as they walked. He recalled what she’d told him last night about her brothers. Evidently they were die-hard players. He wasn’t like that, and he needed to make sure she understood it.

  He deliberately slowed their pace. “Let’s get something straight, Marilyn. I date women. I don’t play them. There is a big difference. I never had any sisters but Felicia Laverne Madaris made sure her sons respected women. I would never intentionally hurt one. Like I said, I make sure that any woman I date understands what I am and what I want.”

  She didn’t say anything and he hoped he was giving her something to think about while he was gone. He hadn’t told her yet, but he would be leaving next week to attend a leadership conference in New Orleans.

  “Here I am. Thanks for walking me home.”

  He’d been so deep in thought, he hadn’t realized they were so close to her apartment. “You’re welcome.”

  He leaned against the lamp post just outside her door. “Are you going to invite me in for a glass of water? I have to walk back to the ice cream shop, you know.”

  * * * *

  Yes, Marilyn thought. She did know. But giving him a glass of water meant inviting him inside. She couldn’t exactly ask him to stay outside while she went in and got him a glass of water. Well, she could, but she had more manners than that. Besides, she had to admit, she’d enjoyed his company. “Sure, you can have a glass of water,” she said, unlocking her door. “Come in,” she said, moving aside to let him in.

  Marilyn watched as he went into the center of her living room and glanced around. She was glad she’d tidied up this morning. Saturday was usually her day to do chores.

  “Nice place, Marilyn,” he said, returning his gaze to her.

  “Thanks. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll get your water.”

  She left him standing in her living room as she quickly walked into the kitchen. Other than Ro and a few of his friends who’d driven to Houston to help her move in, no man had ever stood in her living room. And she didn’t want to admit that he was doing more than standing. He was adorning the place with his overpowering masculine presence.

  She’d moved in the early part of the summer, right after she’d learned she’d got the job at Parkwood. Even though she considered herself a friendly person, so far, she had yet to meet any of her neighbors. Her chatty landlady had given her the “lowdown” on all of them, and she couldn’t help wondering what the woman had told them about her.

  After filling the glass with ice water from her refrigerator, she went back to her living room to find Jonathan standing in front of her wall of family pictures. “Here you are, Jonathan,” she said, offering him the glass.

  “Thanks.”

  He tilted his head back, chugging the water down a huge gulp. Funny sensations filled her stomach as she watched him. Especially when he handed the empty glass back to her and licked his lips. “That was good.”

  She swallowed past the lump in her throat. “I’ll walk you to the door.”

  He chuckled. “Trying to get rid of me?”

  Honestly, she couldn’t imagine why he would want to hang around. “No, but I figured you had more important things to do.”

  A smile spread across his lips. “They can wait.” Then he turned towards the wall of photos. “So, this is your family?” he asked, pointing to a portrait.

  “Yes. All five of us. Mom wanted more kids but after complications when I was born, the doctor suggested she stop with me.”

  He glanced away from the portrait to look at her. “I assume you like children or you wouldn’t be teaching. How many kids do you want?”

  He’d asked the question as if she could just place an order and get them. “I’d like a large family and hope the man I marry will agree. Four children, or maybe even six, sounds good.”

  He lifted a brow. “Five isn’t an option?”

  “No. It has to be an even number or someone will feel left out. Trust me, I know.”

  “Okay, I trust you.”

  Something about the way he made that statement had her searching his features. “Do you?”

  “Yes, I do.” He smiled down at her again. “And by the way, I meant to tell you earlier that Elijah did well on his report card. We’re still using your book to keep him busy. Will you believe he got a B in citizenship?”

  “That’s wonderful.”

  “First time ever. Not only is the book keeping him occupied, it has helped his math scores as well.”

  She smiled. “That’s good to hear.”

  “Oh, and just so you know...I will be out of town next week for a leadership conference in New Orleans.”

  She wondered if there was a reason he was telling her. “Have a good trip.”

  “I will.”

  Marilyn took a step toward the door. There was no reason for him to hang around any longer. He’d gotten his water and should be ready to leave.

  When he reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder, she looked up at him. “Yes? Is something wrong?”

  The expression on his face was unreadable. “No. I think everything is absolutely perfect, Marilyn.”

  Then he leaned down and slanted his mouth across hers.

  * * * *

  The moment Jonathan’s lips met Marilyn’s, passion overrode his intention to take things slow, to savor all the subtle variations of the fiery heat he was feeling. The need. The desire. Instead, he couldn’t resist kissing her with all the hunger that had been building since the moment he’d first met her. Sensations he’d never felt before surged through Jonathan, rocking him to the core and convincing him that he’d found his soulmate.

  He could tell from the way she was responding to their kiss--as if she was fighting not to get caught up in the moment--that all this was new to her. There was an innocence about her that made him want to pour even more passion into the kiss, made him want to dive in even deeper. But
he held back. He didn’t want the depth of his desire for her to frighten her. But then at the same time, he wanted her to feel the bone-melting need spread through her body, the same way it was spreading through his.

  He had to remember Marilyn wasn’t just any woman. She was the one he had chosen. The one he’d fallen for, the moment he’d looked into her charcoal gray eyes.

  With as much strength as he could muster, he ended the kiss. Taking a step back, he drew in a ragged breath and looked at her. Beautiful gray eyes that had fluttered closed at some point slowly opened and stared at him. He was tempted to lean in and give her lower lip a gentle suck, but figured it best to do that at another time. She stood there staring at him speechless, as if trying to figure out what the hell had just happened. He was tempted to tell her, but he didn’t think she was ready to hear it yet.

  Reaching out, he brushed curly strands of hair back from her face. “Think about me while I’m away, Marilyn. I will definitely be thinking about you,” he whispered in a husky voice.

  Dropping his hands he stared at her for a moment before turning to leave.

  12

  Marilyn tossed and turned in bed, then finally gave up and decided to lie on her back, staring at the ceiling as Jonathan’s words ran through her mind. Think about me. She’d been unable to do anything else since that kiss.

  Had it been almost a week since they’d met for ice cream and he’d walked her home? A week since he had entered her home for the first time, doing so in a way that indicated it wouldn’t be his last.

  Now a restless need she could not define flowed through her, taking over her senses and making heat curl in her stomach. Nothing like this had ever happened to her before. But then, she’d never been kissed like that before, either. Just from that single kiss, she now knew the shape of his lips, as well as what it felt like to have every inch of his body pressed close to hers. More importantly, she now knew how it felt to be kissed by a man who knew what he was doing. It hadn’t been that way with her only high school boyfriend, Marshall Tindal. Looking back, she was surprised he hadn’t soured her on the experience completely.

  All week she’d wondered...had Jonathan’s kiss really been that mind-blowing? Or was she so inexperienced that she’d only thought it was? She didn’t know. But when he’d slid his tongue between her lips, it was like nothing she’d ever felt before.

  She should be annoyed with him, not mooning over him. Especially since she’d had a visitor on Monday morning, right before she left for work. A nice woman who looked to be in her mid-twenties had appeared on her doorstep, telling Marilyn that she was there to drive her to school. Marilyn hadn’t needed to ask who had arranged such a thing. She’d become angry until the woman explained that Mr. Madaris had only made the arrangements. He wasn’t paying her. The woman, a widow named Robin Ingram, had told Marilyn that it was up to the two of them to come up with a way to cover the cost.

  Robin had also explained her own situation. She was single mom with a seven-year-old disabled daughter name Nola, and she needed the income that this kind of work generated. So she operated a private car service during the hours her daughter was taken care of by her parents.

  By the end of the week, Marilyn realized that the arrangement was working out superbly. And she’d gotten to know Robin better, as well. She’d discovered the accident that had left her daughter paralyzed had taken the life of her husband. But thanks to arrangements made by Jonathan, Robin’s daughter was being home-schooled through the Houston school system, since they’d refused to make accommodations for the girl to attend regular school. The home-school concept had been an idea Jonathan had pushed in his school district.

  The week had passed uneventfully. Ms. Chapman, who’d also attended the leadership conference in New Orleans, had returned to school on Thursday. She’d wondered if Jonathan was home as well.

  Carolyn had called her later that evening. Although she liked Carolyn, Marilyn was careful not to reveal too much to her gossip-loving friend. The last thing she needed was to have anyone speculating about her relationship with Jonathan. Because there wasn’t one. All he’d done was kiss her.

  She drew in a deep breath. As much as she wanted to downplay their kisses, she couldn’t. She’d tried to convince herself that the first one hadn’t really counted as a kiss. It had been a quick a brush across the lips, nothing more than a peck, really. And as far as the second kiss...well, the fact that she hadn’t kissed him back should count for something. But she hadn’t needed to participate. Jonathan had taken complete control, leaving her feeling wanted, desired...cherished.

  She’d relived that kiss more times than she could count throughout the course of the week. It was something she couldn’t seem to get beyond. Not when her toes tingled whenever she thought about it.

  After she finished talking with Carolyn, Traci had called too, but had had to rush off. When Marilyn’s phone rang again, she figured it had to be Traci, calling her back. They’d been talking about Jonathan, and what Marilyn should do about him, when their conversation had been interrupted by Erika, who needed Traci to come and tuck her into bed.

  Marilyn picked up the phone, ready to pick up where they’d left off. “I stand behind my decision, Traci. I will not date Jonathan. If you think he’s such a good catch, then you date him.”

  There was silence on the other end of the line and Marilyn got a funny feeling in the pit of her stomach. How could she be such an idiot? What if it wasn’t Traci on the other end, but Carolyn, the last person she wanted knowing her business?

  When there still wasn’t any sound on the other end, she said, “Hello?”

  Then a male voice came on the line. “I agree with Traci. You should date me. I’m flattered that she thinks I’m a good catch, but I don’t need a replacement. You are the woman I want, Marilyn.”

  * * * *

  Jonathan couldn’t help smiling. So Marilyn had been discussing him with this Traci person? That meant he’d been on her mind, whether she’d wanted him there or not.

  “Why are you calling me, Jonathan?” He could hear the annoyance in her voice and could imagine the expression that went along with it. He’d seen it before and honestly, he thought it made her look even cuter.

  “I thought about you, a lot. But then, I told you I would, didn’t I?” he asked.

  “Yes, but…”

  “But what, Marilyn? I shouldn’t have?” He sat down at his kitchen table with a cup of tea and rubbed a finger across his jaw. “I couldn’t help myself. You are unforgettable.”

  “Jonathan Madaris, your nose is growing.”

  He couldn’t help himself... He tilted his head back and laughed. The woman was one in a million. Surely she knew how special she was? Umm, then again, given her dating history, maybe she didn’t. But she should have been told--and told, often--just what an unforgettable woman she was. A real man would make sure she never forgot it. And he was the perfect man for the job.

  “Glad I’m amusing you, Jonathan.”

  If only she knew what else she did to him. “You do amuse me, Marilyn, but not in a negative way. It’s all positive, trust me. But the reason I’m calling is to see if you’ll go out with me tomorrow. Then you can see that my nose hasn’t grown at all since you saw me last.”

  “I thought you understood the reason I don’t think we should date.”

  Jonathan took a sip of his tea. “Sorry, I still don’t buy it. You’re a single woman and I’m a single man who would like to get to know you better. You’re not a man-hater, are you?”

  “Of course not.”

  “Then, what’s the problem?”

  * * * *

  In all honesty, Marilyn knew the problem was of her own making. Hadn’t Traci just pointed that out to her? What if she and Jonathan had met at church instead of at Parkwood? Would she be this hesitant to go out with him? She knew the answer would be no. So why was she resisting now?

  Was it because she knew he was a man who was used to getting his fair share o
f female attention? Someone who women, including herself, drooled over, in the same way women drooled over her brothers? Was she being fair to him by comparing him to her brothers, who acted as if they were God’s gift to women?

  And then there was the fact that for two months, he had been her boss. Why did that matter to her? The main thing was that there had been nothing going on between them while she’d been at Parkwood. She’d noticed him, of course. What woman wouldn’t have? But he’d never given any indication that he’d been interested in her then. In fact, she’d bet he hadn’t even looked at her twice.

  That, in itself, made this whole situation kind of strange. Why would he seek her out now, after seeing her at Barbara’s campaign party? Had he seen something in her that night that sparked his interest, something he hadn’t noticed in those two months at his school? Could men suddenly see a woman in a whole new light, like that?

  “Are you thinking about a good answer to give me?”

  Jonathan’s voice made her realize she hadn’t responded to his question. Drawing in a deep breath, she made a decision. “No, because there isn’t a problem.” She then thought of something. “Thanks for sending me Robin.”

  “You’re welcome. I hope the arrangement is working out for you, Marilyn.”

  “It is. I like her.”

  “I like her, too. Her husband Justin and I were childhood friends. Around our neighborhood, we were known as the two J’s. When you saw one, you saw the other. Losing Justin in that car accident was hard on all of us, especially for Robin.”

  “I could tell she loved her husband a lot.”

  “Yes. They were high school sweethearts. I’m glad they got the driver of the car that smashed into theirs. He’d been drinking. As far as I know, he’s still serving time for Justin’s death. The extra money Robin earns with her private car service helps pay for the portion of Nola’s medical bills the insurance doesn’t cover.” Then as if Jonathan needed to change the subject, he said, “So if there’s no problem, will you go out with me?”