by Bella Grant
And we were about to spend five hours in the close confines of his car. Together. Damn, how would I forget that kiss? And I wasn’t about to let him get a hotel room either when we got to my hometown. He could stay with us. It was the least we could do after he volunteered his time to drive me all that way. He could occupy the guest room. My father would understand. Wouldn’t he?
The persistent ringing of my phone snagged my attention. I searched for the phone which was somewhere on the bed. My fingers closed around the device and I brought it up to my face to squint at the screen. Dad.
“Good morning, Dad,” I greeted him.
“Morning, Debra,” he returned in that familiar voice which made my heart tighten in fondness. “Are you still going to be able to make it down today? It’s been snowing steadily here since yesterday.”
“Yes, I’ll be there. It’s not snowing here yet. At least I don’t think so.”
“All right, take care on the road. I’ve got a few jobs lined up for today but I should be at the house before you get there.”
“Okay, Dad. No fuss, I still have the key.”
“Good,” he said then paused. “Is your car in good enough shape for you to make it all that way?”
The opening had just provided itself for me to mention I wouldn’t show up alone, to give him a little warning. But I didn’t. I was afraid if I told him, he would disagree with me bringing a guy over with me. Better to wait until we got there and then it would be too late for him to say anything about it. Was that decision the best? I had no clue. I’d never brought a man home to meet my father before, and that was the big problem. How would he react? And when he found out Lucas was wealthy? Would he be able to let the past go or would he make me out to be my mother?
The few times I’d seen him very upset had been related to my mother. Like once per year when it would have been their anniversary. He would recall how my mother had run out on us to make life in the big city with a new, wealthy husband.
“I’ll be fine, Dad,” I commented. “No need to worry about me.”
“You know I’ll always worry about you being away from home,” he responded. “But you’re an adult now and I respect your decisions, even if I don’t agree with them.”
I blinked back tears. ‘I love you’s between us were few and far between, but I knew he loved me and he knew the same. I hoped he remembered these words when Lucas and I arrived.
“I’ve got to go, Dad,” I announced, seeing from the clock mounted on the wall that it was almost seven-thirty. “Will see you shortly.”
“All right then. See you.”
I scrambled out of bed after hanging up. If I was going to be ready when Lucas stopped by, it was imperative I get a move on.
Thirty minutes later, I was dressed and stuffing a few outfits in my large brown tote for the two days I’d be away when a knock came at the door. Ruby was still sleeping since she’d gotten home just a few hours before from the club and I didn’t want to wake her, so I hastened to answer the door.
Lucas. A smiling Lucas dressed in jeans, a hooded sweater with the hoody down, and boots. Flurries of snow clung to his long, black hair. He wore gloves. Damn, was it snowing already? An image of us locked in a passionate kiss made me squirm a little.
“Hey,” I said breathlessly.
“Hi, you ready?”
“Almost. Let me grab my bag and put shoes on,” I replied nervously. “I would invite you in but my roommate’s still sleeping.”
“No problem. I’ll wait out here.”
I left the door ajar and grabbed my low-heeled boots from the closet. Slipping my arms into my gray sweater my Dad had gifted me last Christmas, I felt a little pang of regret that I looked nothing like I did last night. Maybe now I was back to my old self, the real me, Lucas wouldn’t be as interested as he was last night. I shrugged and picked up my bag. He already knew my financial status and he still hung around, so I would give him the benefit of the doubt.
I scribbled a note for Ruby that I was gone although it was obvious, but I thought it would be polite considering she’d been kind about last night. When I walked out the room and closed the door behind me, Lucas pushed off the wall he leaned against to retrieve the bag of gifts I had to distribute tomorrow.
“I’ll take that,” he announced and dropped a kiss on my lips before taking the bag. His kiss made me giddy and melted away some of my worries about how I looked now versus last night.
The snow was coming down lightly when we got to his car parked outside the residential hall. We stowed the bags in the back seat of the car and then we were off.
“You excited to be going home?” he asked me while he maneuvered the car through the busy streets. Traffic was hectic but would taper off as soon as we got out of the city.
“Yes, I haven’t seen my dad since last summer,” I explained. “I didn’t get to visit for Thanksgiving this year, so that’s why I was so adamant about getting the car to go home. How is it, by the way?”
“Coming along,” he answered vaguely. “You and your dad sound close. What about your mom?”
“Whatever you do when you’re around my dad,” I warned him, “do not bring up my mom, and I’m not exaggerating. They’re divorced—bitterly. I’ve not seen her since I was four.”
“At least you’re still close to one parent.”
“You aren’t?”
He gave a bitter laugh. “Which one? I decided parents weren’t special anymore when I wound up with too many.”
“What do you mean?” I pried, wanting to know more about him.
“The last time I saw my mom, she wanted me to pretend I was her brother, not her son.”
“What? No way!”
“Yes way. My mom likes younger men. Just like my Dad likes younger women. The difference is that she doesn’t actually marry them, while my Dad is on wife number six. At least he was the last time we spoke.”
“That sounds confusing,” I murmured.
“I stopped trying to learn the names,” he responded. “I’ve two brothers and two sisters. Other than my older sister, the others have been by different wives of my father.”
“Do you at least get along with them?” I asked hopefully. I couldn’t imagine living with the family he had.
“It’s not that we don’t get along, but everybody is doing their own thing. For instance, we all planned Aspen for this Christmas. Suddenly, my Dad has to take his new wife to Maui.” The disappointment was heavy in his tone as he spoke. “Giselle has a modeling career and has a show booked for Paris. Samantha, barely eighteen, got herself hitched to an Italian guy and prefers spending time with his family, and I can’t say I blame her. Josh decided he wants a warm Christmas, so he’s somewhere in the Caribbean with friends. A graduation present from my dad. Then there’s Lionel, my step-brother…well, he’s under house arrest.”
The more he spoke, the more everything he said sounded all made up. “House arrest?”
“He has a drug problem.”
“That’s so sad.”
“Yes, it is. Our parents are screwed-up people with screwed up kids.”
“You’re not screwed up,” I protested.
“You’ve no idea,” he said on a chuckle that made a shiver run down my spine.
I noticed then we were on the wrong road. I had been so distracted by our conversation I didn’t realize.
“Lucas, we’re going the wrong way,” I pointed out. “We should have been on the I-25.”
“Relax, I know what I’m doing.”
I found it hard to relax when I wasn’t sure he did know what he was doing.
“Lucas…”
“We’re almost there. Just a couple more minutes.”
I stared in confusion at a sign indicating a private airport. What the hell was he doing?
“I’m not getting out this car till you tell me what’s going on,” I argued when he cleared the security post and we drove up the parking deck.
“A five-hour flight to your hometow
n is way too exhausting, Deb,” he answered finally, reversing into a parking space. “We’ll get their quicker this way.”
“What way?”
He was already out the car and reaching into the back for my bags. I got out of the vehicle and squared off with him over the top of the car.
“What are you doing?”
Lucas walked around to my side and handed me my tote. I took it from him and he placed his free hand around my waist and guided me from the deck.
“We’ll discuss it when we’re in the air.”
As if it wouldn’t be too late then.
“I don’t understand,” I protested.
“We’re taking my father’s private jet.”
My footsteps halted, my eyes wide. “No, we’re not.”
“Come on, Deb. Don’t be stubborn. The pilot’s already waiting.”
“I can’t fly!” I insisted a little panicky. Why did he want to do this? I wasn’t used to taking commercial flights much less flights on a private jet.
“Trust me on this, babe. My father doesn’t mind.”
The way he called me ‘babe’ made my legs turn to mush and warmth spread throughout my body and infuse my cheeks.
“I’ve never flown before,” I blurted out.
“Never?” he asked in surprise.
“Never.”
His hand left my waist to cup my cheek. “Then it’s time you did. Trust me on this, Deb. I believe you’ll enjoy it. For a first-time flyer, it doesn’t get better than this. We’ve our own personal pilot and airhostess for the flight.”
He kissed me then and scattered all my thoughts. When I moaned into his mouth, I knew I wouldn’t resist him. But I was afraid—so afraid to get caught up in this extravagant lifestyle of his. Because God help me when he decided he needed a new challenge.
Lucas
“There, this is it.”
I pulled into the driveway Debra indicated and gave her a reassuring smile. After getting her to relax on the flight over in the jet, she was back to being high-strung. Her demeanor had changed when we landed at Stevens Field where a rented car had awaited us. From the airport, it had taken only fifteen minutes to get to Homestead Drive where her house was situated.
The ride in the jet had gone better than I’d hoped for. I’d watched her readable face as she took in the luxury of the aircraft, the plush seats, the HD TV, the self-service bar and our own private hostess who had made us both breakfast. She’d barely eaten, though, contending that she was too excited, and we’d chatted on the hour-flight about our families and our childhood.
From listening to her, she had a close bond with her father and I was a bit hesitant to meet the man. Meeting a girlfriend’s father was never in my list of top things to do, but there I was. I could understand her nervousness because I was just as anxious to be there. This was nothing like I was used to. I didn’t do small, underdeveloped towns with very little to do. Yet there I was.
Her house was located at the end of the street with a pile of snow on either side of the driveway as though someone had recently cleared it. So, this was where she grew up, I thought as I parked in the yard where she indicated I should. The house was about the size of my Aspen condo and nothing compared to the sprawling mansion where I grew up. The one-story board-structure had a porch accessible by steps on either side. The porch contained wooden chairs with padded cushions.
“Well, this is it,” Debra announced, unlocking her seatbelt. She had the car door open and was outside, pulling her sweater closer to her slim frame before I could comment. I unlocked my seatbelt and got out too, reaching into the back seat for her two bags.
“I doubt my dad is home yet since he didn’t expect us until later,” she said, walking around the car to me, snow crunching beneath her feet.
“Will you be fine on your own till he gets back?” I asked, not really wanting to leave her but having to check in at the Wyndham, the hotel I’d booked for the two days. “I have to go check in at the hotel. Would you like to do something later?”
She reached up to brush snow from my coat, a wasted gesture since it was still snowing on us.
“I was thinking,” she murmured. “Why don’t you stay here? It’s the least I can do since you went to so much trouble getting me here.”
Her invitation made my mouth dry. I wanted to. I didn’t relish the idea of spending Christmas in a hotel but didn’t want her to feel uncomfortable having me over with her father.
“Hmm. Your father—” I started to say before she cut me off.
“I’m sure he’ll be fine with it. He’s a reasonable man. I understand if you don’t want to stay here. It’s far less than what you’re used to and—”
“Deb, your home is fine,” I assured her. “But I’m not sure how your father will react to you having me stay over. I’ve never done this before. Go to a girl’s home and meet her parents.”
“You haven’t?”
I chuckled at her shocked expression. “No, I haven’t.”
“Oooh. I still want you to stay.”
How could I say no to her eagerness? I swallowed hard and nodded. “Okay.”
“Great.” She smiled brightly. “Of course, you’ll have to play your part in the Christmas celebrations around here.”
I reached out on the back seat to retrieve my bag and locked the car, engaging the alarm before following her up the steps. She opened the screen and unlocked the door, stomping snow off her shoes before entering. I did the same. Whenever in Rome and all…
The house was cozy. A small hall opened up into a living room with worn furniture, a pair of loveseats, an ottoman, and a TV with a long back that I’d only ever seen in television programs eons ago. A center table had magazines stacked on the shelf beneath it and an ash tray in keeping with the faint smell of tobacco in the place. On the stand to the right of the TV was an old-fashioned VCR player and a radio. The small dining room which had a four-seater, long wooden table and a glass-enclosed buffet and hutch was partitioned from the living room with a waist-high wall.
“There are three bedrooms so you won’t have to sleep on the couch,” she teased. “Most of everything you see has been made by my dad.”
“Really?” I was shocked at this. The furniture had the markings of excellent craftmanship.
“Yes, he built the house too. The guest room was added a few years ago. Come on, I’ll show you so you can put down your things. Then you’ll help me to decorate the Christmas tree.”
The room she led me to was small but neat. A double bed covered with an old-fashioned quilt took up most of the room. The floor had a rug in front of the bed. A folding door to my right featured a closet that wouldn’t hold half the clothes I owned. There was also a dresser and a padded chair.
“On second thought, maybe you’d be more comfortable at a hotel,” Debra murmured behind me.
I dropped my bag to the floor and turned to her with a smile to let her know I wasn’t worried about the size of her house. All that mattered was getting to know her more over Christmas. Something was different about this girl than other girls I’d dated, and I wanted to discover what made her so special. Or why my heart told me she was special.
“This is fine, Deb,” I told her. “I’m sure I’ll prefer being here than staying at the hotel.”
She had a dubious expression on her face and I took her by the arms and guided her towards me. I sat on the edge of the bed with her between my legs.
“I much prefer being here to a hotel because you’re here,” I said plainly, lest she misunderstood what I meant. “There’s something about you. Since I ran into you that night, I can’t stop thinking about you, wanting to know more about you. This will give us a chance to get to know each other.”
She placed her arms around my neck. “I can’t believe you’re here,” she whispered. “So many times, you walked by me and didn’t even see me. What’s different this time?’
“I don’t know,” I answered truthfully. “Maybe I wasn’t ready for you
. But the moment I saw you, you opened my eyes to view things differently. Suddenly, all that mattered was getting to know you.”
“Lucas, are you being serious?”
“I’ve never been so serious in all my life.”
This time, it was she who kissed me first. Her lips descended on mine like the brush of angel’s wings. She made to retreat but I wanted more so I recaptured her lips and kissed her hard. I intended for the kiss to be passionate but brief then get the hell out of the bedroom before something more developed.
All good intentions fled when she climbed up into my lap, straddling me on the bed. She surprised me doing that but I wasn’t one to complain as her bottom rested against my rising erection. Her arms tightened around my neck, her fingers tugging playfully at the hair at the nape of my neck, and all while she sucked on the tongue I thrust into her mouth the way I wanted to thrust into her body.
I rained kisses over her face and down the smooth expanse of skin about the graceful column of her neck. I licked the pulse beating erratically at the base of her throat, sliding my hands up to cup her firm breasts through the layers of clothing she wore. We wore way too much. Grasping the hem of her sweater, I pulled it over her head. She pushed my coat off my shoulders as well. I had a hesitant moment, wondering where her eagerness was coming from. She’d always struck me as a girl you’d have to take time with, but she ripped at my clothes like she knew very damn well what she wanted and she was going after it.
I felt a moment’s disappointment at the thought that she’d done this with different men. What did I expect from her anyway? She was twenty-one and hardly a virgin. Hell, I’d not been a virgin since I turned fifteen and joined the football team in high school. I’d been initiated by the other guys with a girl on the cheerleading team. I’d had countless run-in with girls on campus and had yet to find a single virgin, and while Debra didn’t strike me as a girl who had been passed around like a bag of marshmallows at a campfire, there was likely a lover or two in her past.
We were both naked from the waist up as she’d pulled my shirt over my head and hers along with her bra while I had been musing about her past sexual activities. The instant I saw her pouty pink nipples in the center of the darker hue of her areolas, past lovers became exactly that. A thing of the past.