“It’s just his brother, sister, and their dates. And it’s okay. They’re eating. No one is going hungry. So I’ll hold it until you guys get here. End of discussion,” I tell her, then watch Blaine walk back into the kitchen. “Blaine’s here. Let me tell him everything and call me when you land in Houston. Love you, bye.”
“Tell me what?” he asks as he strolls toward me. His hips move in a rhythmic fashion, and I don’t know why I can’t take my eyes off his rippling body. His white, button-down shirt is tucked into dark-gray pants, his abs move underneath the slightly tight shirt, and my insides are getting jiggly.
On their own accord, my hands move up his arms, then I grab his lapels and pull him in for a kiss. I melt into him as our lips touch and his hands move up my back until they’re tangling in my hair as he pulls my head back a bit, parting my lips. His tongue comes in and I relish the taste of him.
The sound of a woman clearing her throat stops our kiss, and we look to see who has interrupted us. “Steamy,” his sister says as she goes to the fridge. “I’m just here for a bottle of water. Don’t mind me.”
A bit embarrassed by what she caught us doing, I move away from Blaine’s arms and grab the aluminum tray as the oven beeps at me, telling me it’s heated up and ready. “Sorry about that.”
“Don’t be,” Blaine says, then moves in behind me, cuddling me from behind. “It’s what people in love do, baby. Right, sis?”
She laughs. “How the hell should I know?”
“Blaine!” I hiss as I try to shrug him off. “Come on!”
With a deep chuckle, he lets me go. “You were going to tell me something.”
“Oh, yeah! Damn, that whole thing completely slipped my mind.”
“Nice to know I have such an effect on you,” he says and comes at me again.
I step to the side of the island in the middle of the huge kitchen to put something between us. If I let him keep this up, we’ll end up in the laundry room with me bent over the washing machine while he takes me from behind. My insides clench with the thought and I’m sorry I even let that little scene go through my head!
“Blaine, I was about to tell you the pilot of the private jet is bringing my parents to Houston. You need to get with that neighbor and see if he can make it.” I take another few steps to go around the island as he follows me.
Kate leaves the kitchen, giving us a sideways glance as she does. “I think I’ll be an aunt very soon by the way you two are acting.”
Heat fills my face. “Blaine! You have to chill! Damn, baby!”
“One more kiss,” he says as he catches me. “That’s all I need, then I’ll chill. But I can tell you right now, tonight I’m going to make you mine all over again. Every last inch of you.”
My knees go weak as he takes me easily into his arms. My breasts smash against his hard chest. Then he’s kissing me hard and wanting, and I’m thinking about that laundry room and how much time we have to get the deed done. But his phone rings, vibrating his right front pocket. It’s very near my personal pleasure zone, and the sensation makes me moan.
Our mouths part and he looks at me with lust-filled eyes. “Should I answer that or let it finish you?”
I know I’m blushing again as my cheeks heat and I break into a sweat. “Blaine!” I give his chest a faint punch and step back as he releases me to answer his phone.
“It’s Max,” he says, then answers the call. “Hi, Max. I was just about to call you.”
“Good, so they’re on their way here?” he asks.
“Yep, they left LaGrange a few minutes ago. What’s the weather looking like?”
“Great for at least the next hour. We have a nice clear spot, then more is possible, but not likely. I was hoping that pilot was watching things and moving on. I’ll take off to get them. It’s Mr. and Mrs. Richards, right?”
“It is, and I’ll tell them to look for the tall hulk of a man,” Blaine says, making me wonder what this man looks like. “They’ll be coming in the gate where the private jets land. You know where that is.”
“I do. I’ll have them to you in no time,” Max says.
“Oh, tell him I have a pumpkin pie for him to take home. He should come inside when he gets here. I’d love to meet him,” I call out as I pull the pie out of the fridge. Roxy made six of them, and I doubt we could ever eat them all.
“I will certainly do that. I’m always up for free pie. See you guys soon.”
Blaine puts his phone back in his pocket and moves toward me again. “Okay, now, where were we?”
Holding up my hand, I tell him, “No! You and I have to heat this meal up. So no more kissing until later. Much later! We have so much to do, baby.”
“Well, hell!” he says and turns to start getting things out of the fridge. “Can you turn the other two ovens on to start heating them up? We have a lot of stuff here.”
With a smile, I turn the ovens on and think how nice this is. Our first Christmas together, and he and I are working together in the kitchen. We’re so domestic already. It’s adorable!
BLAINE
Her red apron with white trim makes her look like a little homemaker. So cute and spry, she moves around the kitchen. I can hardly keep my hands off her!
But she’s insisting we get this done, and I’m not about to piss her off today if I can help it. Her hair keeps getting into her face as she hustles to get things out of the oven. “Let me help you, baby. I can get these things. Why don’t you set the table and call Kate in here to help us?”
“Good idea,” she says, then gives me a peck on the cheek. “I’ll be right back. They should be here soon, I think.”
I watch her hurry out of the kitchen and think about what a great team we make. I’m a little nervous about her father, but hopefully that won’t go too badly. Then the sound of chopper blades cutting through the air has my stomach going tight, and I know the time has come.
“Blaine!” I hear her call out. “They’re here! Come on!”
She runs into the kitchen and grabs my hand. “Slow down, Delaney. We have to get coats on. It’s cold as hell out there.”
“Our coats are on the rack in the entry room, clear across the house, Blaine. Crap! We need to …”
A knock on the back door, off the kitchen, stops her from saying another word. I walk over to the door with a knot in my stomach from the nerves I’m feeling and trying hard to hide. “No need. That’s them now.”
Delaney rushes to my side, taking my hand. “Okay, let them in. Damn, I’m nervous!”
I kiss the side of her head, for luck mostly, then open the door. Max stands at the door as her parents come up behind him. “I brought you two a couple of presents.”
We step aside to allow him to come in. He’s carrying an old, brown, beat-up suitcase and sets it to the side of the door. Delaney lets my hand go as she’s grabbed up in a hug between her mom and dad. “We missed you,” I hear her mother’s muffled voice say.
“We sure did,” her father says, then they let her out of their arms and her mother looks at me.
Her smile is wide as I extend my hand to her. “Nonsense,” she says, then hugs me. She’s a thin woman, almost frail-like in stature. Her hair has gone gray and she keeps it short. I can see her eyes were once as green as her daughter’s are now. They have faded, most likely due to the stress of being so poor.
I can’t help but feel badly for that. But I push it away, as I know I am going to rectify that for them. “I’m glad you could make it, Mrs. Richards.”
She lets me out of her thin arms and smiles at me, then steps back to stand beside her stoic husband. “I’m glad you invited us. This has all been amazing. The private jet and then a helicopter ride too! We’re on excitement overload!”
“I’ve ridden in a helicopter before,” her father says. “I worked on offshore rigs when I was younger. Now those chopper pilots were notorious for scaring the shit out of their passengers. I have to say, Max here is a hell of a lot better than any I’ve ridden
with before. You can tell he’s experienced.”
Max’s hand lands on my back with a swift pat. “Blaine has yet to ride with me, despite being invited many times.”
“I was a very busy man, but that’s all about to change,” I say, then extend my hand to her father. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Richards.”
He shakes my hand as Delaney comes to my side, running her arm around me. His eyes stay focused on her. “We’ll see if you still think that after our visit here, Vanderbilt.”
“Dad,” Delaney warns him. “Be nice. Don’t bring out the redhead in me.”
Her mom laughs, and by the way her white-haired father cuts his eyes at his wife, I can tell he’s been on the bad end of redheads before. I feel for the poor man if they’ve both ever gotten crossways with him at the same time!
Delaney kisses my cheek. “I’m going to show them to their room so they can freshen up.” She heads off with her parents behind her. Her father stops to pick up the one suitcase they’ve brought with them, making a pang of guilt hit me square in the heart. Delaney looks over her shoulder. “Nice to meet you, Max. Don’t go anywhere. I have that pie for you and your family.”
“I’ll be right here,” he says, then looks at the counter with the half-empty trays of appetizers Kent brought back in here when they started setting the table. “And that looks like some good stuff right there. Do we have mini lobster rolls here?”
“We do. Try one,” I say and pick up one too. “My chef used phyllo dough to wrap them. They are light, airy …”
He finishes my description after he swallows the bite he took. “And scrumptious! It seems you and I need to have a little potluck one Sunday evening. My chef, Hilda, is a wiz too. She specializes in authentic Mexican cuisine, but she’s great at anything.”
“We will have to do that. Domestication has fallen all over me since I met Delaney. I never saw myself as this man I’m quickly becoming.”
With a nod, he says, “I know what you mean. When I met Lexi, she was a diamond in the rough. And so was I. Together, we brought out more in each other than either of us knew was lingering just under our surfaces. Love is fantastic. You’re in for a whirlwind of emotions, feelings, and sensations.”
“So what you’re saying is, this is just the tip of the iceberg?”
“It is. You think you know what love is now. Wait until you watch your wife bring your children into this world. Your love for her grows deeper and the love you have for your child isn’t even a thing one can describe, it’s so encompassing.”
“Wow, you make it sound a lot better than most married men do.”
“Most men don’t take the time to make the intimate connection it takes to really get to the meat of a marriage. It takes work and patience. But like anything that turns out well, it’s worth the time and effort you put into it.”
As I gaze out the door, waiting for Delaney to return to me, I have to thank God again for her. My special gift.
Chapter 6
DELANEY
My father has managed to act like a nice, normal man for the Christmas dinner, which we ate later than expected. All of us are stuffed and moving into the den where we have the tree set up.
We have a limited amount of time to open gifts, then Blaine and I need to get back to the hospital. We haven’t told anyone about how we’re going to be baptized in a few hours.
I printed out pictures of the Lake Tahoe cabin, as Blaine calls it. I tend to think of it more as a lodge, it’s so huge. And I know my parents are going to be shocked by the gift.
Kent and Kate have quite a shock coming to them as well. Blaine has outdone himself this Christmas. With plenty of gifts under the tree, Blaine puts on a Santa hat and tosses me a green elf hat. “Care to play my elf once more? Last time this year, I promise,” he says, ending with a ho, ho, ho.
I place the little pointy hat on my head and go to his side. “Okay, but next year I want to be a Christmas fairy. Not an elf.”
“We’ll see what we can do about that, Delaney,” he says and hands me the first gift. “This one is for Tiffany and here’s one for Kent too.”
Taking the neatly-wrapped gifts, I hand them off to his brother, who hands his date hers. “Now, wait until everyone has one, please.”
Nods of agreement assure me they will, and I go back to grab two more from Blaine, who says, “Kate and Randy.”
I take those to them and watch my parents as they stare at the loads of presents under the tree. When I go back to Blaine, he hands me two more. “Your mother and father.”
Handing them theirs, I find my father looking grim. “We weren’t notified in time to buy you anything. I’m sorry.”
“Dad, don’t worry about that. Blaine and I need nothing in return.” I step back, and Blaine stands up. “Okay, open them up.”
Blaine and I hold hands in anticipation and see smiles everywhere we look as they all find the boxed sets of different perfumes and colognes we bought. It was the first time I had ever purchased such extravagant things. But I did enjoy it immensely!
The next round of presents gives them all manicure and pedicure sets in sterling silver. “You should never have to buy another set of nail clippers ever again,” I say as they look their gifts over.
One more round of presents leaves them each with titanium bracelets for the men and diamond earrings for the ladies. Everyone seems really happy with their gifts.
Kate notices the grins Blaine nor I can manage to wipe off of our faces, as we know the best is yet to come. “You two look like a couple of cats who ate canaries.”
Blaine reaches under the tree to retrieve the four small boxes and letter-sized envelopes that go with each box. He hands Kent his, Kate hers, then my parents theirs. “I hope you like this, Mr. and Mrs. Richards. It comes from the heart.” He looks at his brother and sister. “You guys too. I really thought a lot about this, and with Delaney’s help, we found what we think are perfect gifts for you all.”
They all are looking at the small boxes and the long envelopes and all seem curiously confused. “Open them!” I say, and Blaine comes back to me.
He wraps his arm around my shoulders and pulls me in tight to his side, leaving a kiss on my cheek. I can feel his excitement, and I bet he can feel mine too as we watch them discover the gifts he’s given them.
My mother is shaking her head as she looks at the set of keys on a keyring that says, ‘There’s no place like home.’
Dad’s face is stoic, the expression he usually wears, as he opens his box to find a set of keys. His keyring is a souvenir from Lake Tahoe, with the city’s name on it. “What does this mean?” he asks as he looks at me.
Kate rips open the envelope with an excited rush and shouts, “It means Blaine has bought us all new homes!” She pulls the pages with the pictures of her brand-new, upscale Houston home out and looks at them as I watch her eyes go shiny with emotion. “Blaine! How gorgeous!” Then she’s up and hugging him with all she has.
Kent opens his envelope and looks at the picture of his country home with acreage and a brand-new tractor sitting outside the red barn. “Blaine, no way!” He’s up and hugging him, too, after he pulls his sister off of him.
I make my way to my parents, who are looking over all the pictures of their new home and not quite understanding them. “How do you guys like that?”
“Is it a vacation?” Mom asks me.
“Can we pick when to take it?” Dad asks.
Kneeling down in front of them, I place one of my hands on each of their legs. “That’s no vacation. That is your new home in Lake Tahoe. It comes with a full staff. It’ll be like you’re living a vacation. It’s Blaine’s gift to you. He knows it won’t make up for all you’ve lost, but he’s got more to make up for that.”
“We can’t take this.” Dad looks at me with a frown. “We couldn’t even afford to pay the taxes on this behemoth.”
“You will after you get the settlement he’s giving you for ruining your tire business. So feel fr
ee to thank him for this.” I stand up and hold out my hands to help them up.
They look at one another as they have a silent conversation, using only their eyes. Then mom takes my hand. “We can accept it. Come on. This is our time, honey. The hard times are officially over.”
I see a misty expression on my father’s face. The first of its kind. “Are the tough times really behind us, Delaney?”
With a nod, I take his hand, too, help them up, and take them to Blaine. His brother and sister have left him alone to show one another and their dates their new homes.
“How do you like the place?” he asks my parents.
“It looks beyond my comprehension of what a house is,” mom says, then reaches out for him and pulls him in for a hug. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”
Dad clears his throat and mom steps back. “Well, Vanderbilt, you have surprised me. I have to say this is one heck of a home you’ve given us. We’ll have to relocate. Change our lives up completely.”
“Yes, you will,” Blaine says, then wraps his arm around me and pulls me back to him. “And I hope we’ll be welcomed visitors to your new home.”
I had taken my engagement ring off so they wouldn’t ask any questions and had given it to Blaine to hold. He pulls it out of his pocket and holds it up. “I gave this ring to your daughter last night. She’s agreed to marry me. We’re going to be married on New Year’s Eve. We’d love it if you stayed with us until then so you can be at the wedding.” He slips the ring back on my finger. The weight of it was missed.
I sigh as I look at it, then at my parents. Mom’s hands are over her mouth and dad’s eyes are very narrow. I hold my breath to see what he’s going to say or how he’ll act with this news.
When his face blooms into a smile, I can breathe again as he says, “Well, congratulations!”
Mom’s crying as she says, “It looks like things are changing for us all.”
Blaine and I are pulled into a group hug as mom cries, and I pat her on the back. “Things are changing. Don’t worry. All the changes are going to be positive.”
Under Her Skin Page 95