Lone Star Holiday Proposal

by Yvonne Lindsay

  Raina got to her feet and went over to the cheval mirror she had propped in the corner of her small office and checked her appearance. Nolan was picking her up soon and taking her out for dinner. Her dad had JJ at his place for one of their much anticipated Saturday nights together and for some stupid reason Raina felt more nervous about tonight than she had on her very first date with a boy.

  This is Nolan, she kept telling herself. You know him. You trust him...mostly. She shook her head. She trusted him, she just didn’t know everything she needed to know about him yet. There was a difference. Of course he had secrets, so did she, didn’t she? She sighed. Maybe that was her trouble. She trusted too darn easily.

  She studied her reflection in the mirror. The long floral skirt she’d teamed with a pair of high black boots made her feel feminine and pretty, although after a day on her feet, her toes were beginning to complain. It’d be worth it, she’d told herself as she examined her reflection and smoothed the soft sweater she’d chosen over her hips. She didn’t often wear black but the contrast between the sweater and her creamy skin brought out the light in her eyes. Noticing her makeup could definitely do with a touch-up, she grabbed her makeup bag from her purse and made a few running repairs, eager to look her best for the man who continued to send her pulse flying.

  The bell chimed out front and she quickly shoved her makeup bag back into her purse and went out into the shop, a smile already stretching her lips.

  “Nolan, you’re early!” she exclaimed.

  “Would it sound ridiculous if I said I couldn’t wait to see you?”

  He bent and kissed her cheek and even though the touch was about as innocent as you could get, Raina immediately felt her body flare to aching life. She wanted him so much and it was quite clear to her that he felt the same way.

  But why didn’t he tell her about his wife and son?

  Oh, sure, she could come right out and ask him, but she strongly felt that this was Nolan’s story to tell on his own terms—even if waiting didn’t sit comfortably with her. She’d learned the hard way not to push a man for the truth. In the past, and with Jeb in particular, men had only told her what they thought she wanted to hear. She didn’t want to travel down that road with Nolan. He’d tell her about his family when he was ready, she reminded herself for the umpteenth time.

  She pushed the niggling thoughts to the back of her mind, determined to enjoy his company tonight.

  “I’ve been looking forward to tonight, too.”

  “Is there anything I can do to help you lock up?” Nolan asked.

  “No, I’m just about finished. It’s been quiet today. I guess not everyone wants to buy antiques for Christmas.”

  “I’d say that was a shame but if it means we get to spend more time together, who am I to complain?”

  Nolan smiled at her but Raina’s attention was caught by a dark bruise on the edge of his jaw. She raised a hand and gently touched the mark with her fingertips.

  “What on earth have you been up to to get this?” she asked.

  Nolan grabbed her hand and kissed her fingertips before letting it go again. “It’s nothing. Something just flew up and hit me when I wasn’t expecting it.”

  She searched his face, but he just smiled at her in return.

  “Are you ready to go? We can get a drink before the movies if we leave now.”

  “Sure,” she shrugged. “I doubt I’ll get any last-minute customers at this stage of the day.”

  Raina grabbed her jacket and set the alarm system before they left through the front door. She shivered as the cold air outside cut through her.

  “It almost feels as if it could snow,” she commented as Nolan held open his car door for her and helped her up into the SUV.

  “Yeah, it might. But even if it does, I doubt it’ll stick. You know what it’s like around here this time of year.”

  They made small talk in the car, mostly discussing JJ and how excited he was about Christmas being only six days away. Nolan was good company, the best male company she’d ever had, she decided. If only he’d open up about his past.

  The movie was a comedy, and Raina was glad because she loved to hear Nolan laugh—which he did, loudly and often. Afterward, they walked to a nearby Italian place she’d never been to before. The proprietors greeted Nolan like a long lost son and she didn’t miss the glance that passed between the Italian couple when Nolan introduced her.

  They were shown to a secluded table with low lighting and the ubiquitous red checkered tablecloth and a candle inserted in a used Chianti bottle.

  “This is lovely,” Raina commented as they studied their menus. “Do you come here often?”

  “Not in a long time,” he admitted. “It used to be a favorite.”

  A favorite with his wife perhaps? Maybe that explained the owners’ slightly uncomfortable expressions when he’d introduced her.

  “So, can you recommend anything?”

  “Let’s see,” Nolan drawled, running his eyes across the menu card. “The veal scalloppini is always good, especially if you’re not crazy about pasta. Hell, I didn’t think. You do like Italian food, don’t you? I just assumed—”

  “I love Italian food, and the scalloppini sounds perfect,” she hastened to reassure him.

  “Okay. What about an appetizer?” he prompted.

  “You choose. I’m pretty much okay with everything.”

  He nodded and beckoned the waiter over, ordering them a platter of antipasto to start, followed by the veal and a bottle of Chianti to go with it.

  Raina was feeling decidedly mellow by the end of the evening. The movie, the food and the company had all been incredible, and when Nolan drove back to her house she knew what her next step was.

  “Will you come inside?” she asked as they sat in the car in the pitch-dark night.

  “I’d like that,” Nolan agreed, and together they walked up the front path to her house.

  Inside, she hung their coats up and led him to the sitting room. Her heart was beating double time. She knew what she wanted, but was it what he wanted, too?

  “Did you want a nightcap, or a coffee?”

  Nolan only shook his head and reached for her, pulling her into his arms. “No, I only want you.”

  “Then we’re in agreement,” she said softly, feeling a run of excitement deep inside. “Because I want you, too.”

  She cupped his face and pulled it down to hers and kissed him with all the pent-up longing she’d harbored since their kiss on Thursday night. Instantly her body leaped to life, her nipples tightening into hard nubs and her breasts growing full and heavy. She pressed against his chest, as if that could somehow ease the aching demand, but instead it only heightened it.

  Nolan’s hands splayed across her back, holding her to him as if they could be molded together forever. One hand drifted to her lower back and pulled her body more firmly against his. The hard ridge of his arousal pressed against her, sending a thrill of anticipation throughout her entire body and ending in a pulse of longing that centered at her core.

  “I want to touch you,” she whispered against his mouth. “All of you.”

  She tugged at his shirt, pulling it from the waistband of his trousers and pushing her hands underneath. His skin was smooth and hot, and he shuddered at her touch. Raina forced herself to draw away slightly so she could work his buttons loose. Eventually she succeeded and she pushed the fabric wide open, exposing his tanned skin. A light dusting of hair peppered his chest before narrowing in a tempting path down his abdomen and lower. She traced that line with her fingers and felt his stomach muscles contract beneath her touch.

  “Raina, I—”

  Whatever he’d been about to say was lost as she leaned forward and pressed her lips to one nipple, her tongue swirling around the smooth disc and teasing its tip i
nto a taut bud. She raked her nails lightly across the other, eliciting a groan of need from deep inside him. The sound gave her a sense of power and she took her time exploring his upper body with her hands, her mouth, her tongue. When Nolan pulled her up to kiss him again, she was one hot mess of need, and when his hands drifted to the waistband of her top she didn’t hesitate to let him remove it for her.

  Nolan backed her toward the couch and gently guided her down before joining her there. He held himself up on one elbow as he traced the lacy cup of her bra. His eyes looked darker than usual, his pupils almost consuming the brown of his irises, and a light flush of color stained his cheekbones.

  “You are so beautiful,” he murmured before leaning down and tracing a line in the valley of her breasts with his tongue.

  It was what she wanted and yet it still wasn’t enough. Raina squirmed against him, desperate to ease the insistent demand of her body. Nolan reached behind her, unsnapped the clasp of her bra and gently tugged the garment away from her before dropping it to the carpet.

  For a moment Raina felt self-conscious. She had stretch marks all over her body, silvered now, but a continuing reminder of the son she’d borne. But her insecurity soon vanished as Nolan paid homage to her breasts, teasing first one tip, then the other, with his mouth and tongue. As he drew one into his mouth and suckled hard, she felt a spear of pleasure drive through her body, almost sending her over the edge. She’d never felt so responsive.

  She murmured his name as he worked his way down, tracing the lines of her rib cage with his strong fingers and following each touch with a kiss, a lick, a suck of his mouth. Her nerves were screaming for more and she squirmed under his sensual assault. She’d never felt this much before. Never wanted another human being like she wanted him.

  Her body felt empty, demanding to be filled, to be led to the precipice of the pleasure she knew she’d find under his touch. Nolan pulled away and she made a sound of protest, which he silenced with a swift kiss.

  “Just making you more comfortable,” he said, and then he reached for her boots.

  He undid first one, then the other, easing them off her feet and peeling away her stockings and tossing them to the floor to join her top and her bra. When Nolan reached for the fastening on the side of her skirt and eased the zipper down, she lifted her hips, allowing him to slide the garment off.

  Dressed only in her panties, she was assailed by a sense of awkwardness and moved her hands in an attempt to cover herself. Nolan merely caught her wrists in gentle fingers and pulled her hands away.

  “Don’t,” he admonished. “I meant what I said before. You’re beautiful. Every. Inch. Of you.” He punctuated his words with a kiss on her belly. Her hips. The edge of her panties.

  Raina let her head drop back against the arm of the couch and closed her eyes, giving herself over to the delicious sensations that poured through her. One moment Nolan’s hands and mouth were at the edge of her panties and the next her panties were gone and she could feel the heat of his breath against the soft skin of her inner thighs.

  He pressed a wet kiss against her skin, and then blew out cool air. She shivered as anticipation threatened to destroy her mind even as her body coiled in hope and eagerness, awaiting his next touch. She wasn’t disappointed. His fingers traced a delicious line from her hip to her groin and back again before moving ever so slowly lower.

  She knew she was wet and ready for him and yet when his fingers parted her outer lips and traced the entrance of her body she almost jolted right up off the couch.

  “Too much?” he asked softly.

  “No, not too much. Never too much,” she gasped.

  She forced herself to relax and let her thighs fall open, giving him easier access to the secrets of her body. When he eased one finger inside her she murmured her approval and clenched against him involuntarily, sending delight spiraling outward from where he touched.

  “You feel so good,” Nolan said, his voice growing huskier by the minute.

  “You make me feel so much,” Raina countered breathlessly.

  She could feel her climax hovering just on the periphery and knew, without a doubt, that it wouldn’t take much more to send her on a trajectory of pleasure that would shatter her into a million pieces. Nolan eased his finger from her body and then reentered her with two. She loved the sense of fullness it gave her, and as he brushed against that magical part of her, she felt the first pull of orgasm.

  Her last rational thought was of his mouth closing over her, of his tongue rolling around the tight bead of nerve endings at her center and of the draw of his mouth as he pushed her gently over the edge and tumbling headlong into bliss.

  Nolan gathered her into his arms as the final waves of satisfaction petered away into lassitude, and he lifted her off the couch. She made no protest as he carried her down the hallway and deposited her in her bed, but it wasn’t until he pulled the comforter up over her naked body that she realized he didn’t intend to join her there, or stay.

  “Nolan?” she asked, reaching out for him. “We haven’t finished.”

  He bent and pressed his lips to hers. “We have—for tonight.”

  “But you... I...” She was lost for words to describe the imbalance of what had happened.

  “It’s okay. Now sleep. Tomorrow’s another day. I’ll let myself out.”

  This wasn’t how she’d imagined things ending tonight at all, Raina thought as she lay in the darkness and heard the front door close, shortly followed by the sound of Nolan’s car driving away. And, while her body was sated, she still felt as though an essential ingredient was missing. She reached across the vacant expanse of her bed and realized that she already missed him. And still she didn’t have the truth.

  Fourteen

  Raina spent the next few days in a blur of confusion about her feelings for Nolan. Their evening together had been wonderful, truly so. And he’d made her feel cherished and special and all those things that she’d decided, after Jeb, were nonnegotiable. But high on her list was honesty, too. Was withholding things about himself the same as being dishonest? She began to worry that the longer it took, the less likely it was she was going to hear about his past from him. And Raina knew she didn’t want to hear it from anyone else.

  Even so, it didn’t stop her from looking forward to seeing him as she had at lunch on Monday, and then for a quick coffee yesterday afternoon. Her father had cautioned her about rushing into things too fast, with a reminder about where that had left her the last time, and she’d acknowledged his concerns. After all, hadn’t he been the one to stand by her through all the fallout from each previous disastrous relationship?

  The thought brought her back to Jeb. There had still been no contact from him and when she attempted to call his cell phone, it was disconnected.

  At least there were still some things in her life she kept a handle on. She smiled to herself as she adjusted the Christmas display in her store window. The antique Santa and the child’s sled had garnered a great deal of comment from passersby, bringing them into the store and boosting her small-ticket item sales quite comfortably. And the sled itself had sold, too—with the new owner planning to pick it up before New Year’s Eve.

  All in all, her December sales had been very strong. Factoring in the success of her craft lessons, things were definitely looking up for the New Year. Which reminded her, she needed to finalize the newsletter she’d be sending out with the new classes and timetables for January.

  Outside the store, a car pulled up in the parking area and Raina noticed a young woman alight. She recognized the petite blonde instantly—Clare Connelly. Raina waved as Clare started to walk toward Priceless.

  “Good morning,” Raina said with a welcoming smile as she opened the door for her. “Have a day off?”

  Clare’s role as chief pediatric nurse at Royal Memorial Hospital
kept her very busy but if anyone could handle busyness with a liberal dose of chaos, it was Clare. Her no-nonsense approach to her work was well-known around Royal and she held the respect of everyone who’d had babies under her care.

  “I’m on a late shift tonight but I needed to get some last-minute Christmas shopping done. I need something special for my elderly neighbor. She’s such a darling.”

  “Does she collect anything in particular?” Raina asked as they walked deeper into the store.

  Clare wrinkled her brow in concentration. “Not anything specific. Do you mind if I look around for a bit? I’m not 100 percent sure of what I want but I’m hoping I’ll recognize what I’m looking for when I see it.”

  “Sure,” Raina said with a smile. “Holler if you need me. I’ll just be out back, okay?”

  “Thanks,” Clare answered as she turned away with a distracted look on her face.

  It wasn’t like Clare to be indecisive, Raina thought as she pottered around in the back of the store, wielding her dusting cloth and giving some of the larger pieces of furniture a rub with furniture oil. After a few minutes, she looked up at Clare, who’d barely moved from where she left her. The other woman was staring blankly at a Royal Albert tea set as if she was waiting for some genie to waft out of the teapot’s spout or something.

  Raina worked her way back toward Clare.

  “Are you sure I can’t help you find something?”

  Clare started and gasped in surprise. “Oh, I’m sorry. I was a million miles away. Yes,” she said on a sigh. “I would be glad of your help. I know my neighbor has a thimble collection that she’s added to ever since she was a little girl. She used to be quite skillful with a needle and thread from what I understand, and most of the thimbles are well used, but her eyesight’s deteriorated as she’s grown older, and she’s developed arthritis and can’t work with her hands anymore.”

  “That’s a shame,” Raina sympathized. “We have some beautiful handcrafted lace and linen doilies here from the early 1900s. Do you think she’d be interested in them?”