Degrees of Passion

by Michelle M. Pillow

  They made quick work of their clothing and picked up the paper towel rolls that had fallen to the floor. Kevin took her arm, escorting her towards the door. Sasha suddenly stopped. ‘Oh, the camera!’

  Kevin went to the shelf and grabbed the camera, slipping the strap over his head. He touched her face briefly before reaching for the doorknob. ‘We should go. Prichard will expect us to check in.’

  Peeking outside, he made sure the way was clear before leading the way back down the hall. As they emerged near some paintings, she pushed a piece of damp hair off her forehead. A woman glanced in their direction, her pen pausing over the notepad she carried. Sasha pointedly turned away, not wishing to draw too much attention to herself until she could be sure she didn’t look like she’d just had sex in the janitor’s closet of a big New York museum.

  Sasha buttoned her coat as they made their way outside. They came out street side, along Fifth Avenue. Behind the building was Central Park. ‘I love this part of the city. I wish I could afford to live here, but after I graduate I’ll be lucky to split a rundown with five roommates.’

  ‘Nothing but museums and the park, what’s not to love,’ Kevin agreed.

  People ignored them as they passed by, keeping to themselves. The streets were busy, partly due to the break in snowy weather. The sun shone, warming the crisper temperature of winter and the snows melted into fat puddles promising of nicer times to come. Excitement filled the air, the kind of humming, mutual electricity brought on in the earliest days of spring-like weather.

  They navigated the crowd, moving in joint purpose. Kevin held her hand, leading through the denser parts of the sidewalk until he could walk beside her once more. She couldn’t help staring at his back, thinking of the secret they shared. The aftermath of his touch glowed within her, warmer than the sun could ever shine. She’d been close to telling him she loved him, but held back, determined not to mess up what they had.

  ‘Want to walk through the park? The weather’s great and Belvedere Castle is close by. I haven’t been there in a long time.’ Sasha leaned close to his arm, smiling. ‘Or we could stroll aimlessly with no plan and just see where we end up.’

  ‘Don’t you think we should get back to Project Aztec?’ he asked.

  ‘Oh, you’re probably right,’ she agreed, sighing loudly. ‘We really should help out the twins. It’s not fair to leave them alone with Prichard. Do you think we should have invited them to work on this project with us?’

  ‘I thought about that, but we’re supposed to do our own projects. Besides, Jacob mentioned they were working on a live presentation they’ll give as a special lecture at the college. They have permission to use the actual artefacts.’ Kevin offered his arm and Sasha took it, linking her wrist over his elbow. ‘Would you like me to get us a cab?’

  ‘No.’ Sasha shook her head. ‘Let’s save the cash for our trip this weekend.’

  ‘It’ll be nice to get out of the city.’ He glanced over the street before stepping down off the curb.

  ‘I’m looking forward to it.’ Sasha followed, looking more at Kevin’s profile than the street. ‘Which reminds me, what do I need to know about your family?’

  ‘What do you mean?’ He frowned slightly, glancing back.

  ‘What will we tell them? We’re just lab partners? We’re friends from school?’ Sasha hopped up on a curb. ‘We should get our story straight. I don’t want to make things uncomfortable for you.’

  He gave her a strange look. ‘Story? How about the truth? We’re dating, why keep it a secret? I’m not ashamed.’

  ‘I’m not ashamed,’ Sasha said, ‘but I know how families can be.’

  He stopped walking, a grin spreading over his face. ‘Are you nervous about going?’

  ‘Well, it’s your family.’ Sasha lifted her arms to the side, trying not to show her panic. ‘What if they don’t like me? What if they hate me?’

  ‘What if they love you?’ He chuckled, touching her cheek. It was clear by his expression that he thought she overreacted.

  ‘Then I’d say you’re in trouble,’ Sasha answered, winking. She liked the easiness with which he talked about introducing her – no stories to remember, no hiding or worrying.

  ‘I knew I was in trouble the first time I saw you.’

  Swaying on her feet, she leaned into him. Every nerve reached to be closer to him. Kevin’s eyes stayed on hers, not glancing back and forth to see who watched. People swept by them, laughing in conversation, arguing on cell phones and generally ignoring them.

  ‘We should get back,’ she said quietly, when he didn’t make a move.

  ‘Kiss me first,’ he insisted.

  Sasha offered her mouth to him, closed her eyes, parted her lips and waited. Nothing happened. Gradually, she opened her eyes. ‘You’re not . . .’

  ‘Kiss me.’ He tilted his head, not moving.

  ‘Kiss him already, sweetheart!’ someone yelled obnoxiously.

  Sasha pushed up on her toes, brushing her lips along his. She kept the kiss light and teasing. Kevin groaned, pulling her tight. The camera on his neck bumped into her chest and she made a weak noise of protest. He loosened his hold but didn’t let go. His tongue swept into her mouth and she was forced to push him away before her body became too heated to reason with.

  ‘We need to get back,’ Sasha whispered, panting.

  ‘I guess that will have to hold me over until after work,’ he said.

  Chapter Eleven

  ‘I should have warned you that this drive can feel like it takes for ever.’ Kevin lifted his soda bottle, taking a sip before recapping it. They’d been driving for nearly three hours in the rental truck. The vehicle cost a little bit more than the cheaper compacts, but was much more sensible for this time of year. One good mountain snowstorm could have them stranded in a drift. ‘At least we got an early start this morning. The traffic will only get worse as the day progresses.’

  Sasha gave a short laugh. His words broke the silence that had settled over them for the last hour. ‘Is that your subtle way of telling me you’re bored with my company?’

  ‘No,’ he quickly defended, looking instantly apologetic. ‘I meant you’re quiet and I thought . . . Oh, you’re joking.’

  Sasha laughed harder. ‘Yes, I’m joking, but you are kinda cute when you’re flustered.’

  ‘Really?’ His eyebrow arched and she did her best to ignore the seductive playfulness in his expression.

  ‘I don’t mind the drive.’ Sasha gazed out the window, over the dark-mud earth with dirty patches of snow leading up the sides of the forest-covered mountains. They would travel long distances without seeing a town, but the unhampered beauty more than made up for the lack of civilization. ‘The Adirondacks are beautiful this time of year and the smell of pine beats the city air hands down.’

  ‘Mm, I agree.’

  Frequently thought of as part of the Appalachian Mountains, the Adirondacks stretched over northeastern New York between the Mohawk River valley, then north towards Lake Champlain and the St Lawrence River valley. The area was protected by law, leaving it in a very natural state with minimal land development and human interference.

  Sasha tilted her head, watching the tall countryside blur through the dirt-streaked glass. ‘Do you think the snowmobile enthusiasts will let us tag along? I’ve never been and it sounds like fun.’

  ‘It is,’ Kevin affirmed. ‘I’ll have to see about borrowing my brother’s snowmobiles so I can take you out if the weather permits. It’s unseasonably warm. The weatherman said we’re looking at moderate snowfall early in the week and then it should be up in the fifties. I’m afraid the enthusiasts will be disappointed if the snow keeps melting.’

  Sasha bit her lip, nervous about meeting his family. She hoped they liked her. After those agonizing meals with Trevor’s parents and Catherine Kingston’s snide comments, she was a little gun-shy when it came to meeting the family. It didn’t help that meeting Kevin’s family was infinitely more important to her
.

  ‘I think you’d like the valley over Christmas. The family hooks up the bobsleds and we all go ice skating on the creek. Then, Christmas Day, my brothers and I have a hockey tournament.’ He reached over, patting her leg. ‘But don’t fret. We’ll have plenty to do. There are ample outdoor activities for nicer weather – hiking, horseback riding, fishing—’

  ‘You sound like a travel guide. I’m not worried about having something to do. I kind of like the idea of just lounging around and staring at the trees.’ Sasha slid her hand onto his leg, sliding closer to him so she could rest her head on his arm. ‘Besides, this is a working vacation. There is loads to organize for our project and a script to write. Then I have a mountain of reading I have to get done for my classes.’

  ‘I thought your bags were a little heavy.’ Kevin made a show of rubbing his arm. ‘I should have known they were filled with textbooks.’

  ‘Oh, you poor thing.’ She kissed his bicep through his shirt.

  ‘I think you’ll like my family. My mom and grandparents are great. They get along with everyone. My brother Samuel can come off as a bit surly, but it helps if you just think of him as a displaced cowboy from the Wild West. I don’t think the other two will be there.’

  ‘I’ll admit that I’m a little nervous about meeting your family.’

  ‘Why would that make you nervous? They’re nice people. Though I can’t promise they won’t tease you if you’re not used to the cold.’ Kevin nudged her good-naturedly.

  ‘Yes, I’m sure they’re very nice,’ Sasha agreed. ‘It’s just . . . never mind. I’m tired and I think I need something to eat. Any chance a stop is coming up?’

  ‘I think our choices are going to be gas station sandwiches or hotdogs.’ He lifted his arm, moving it over her shoulders to hold her next to him as he drove with one hand. ‘Maybe if you ask nicely, I’ll throw in some nachos or potato chips.’

  Sasha chuckled, closed her eyes and wryly mumbled, ‘I don’t deserve this. You’re too good to me.’

  Kevin steered the truck through the overhang of tree limbs, up a muddy incline and over an old wood bridge. A mixture of hardwoods and evergreens created a dense forest growth, so thick it was impossible to see through in places. As they crossed a swollen stream, he saw a couple of teenagers playing along the rocky bank, just as he had with his brothers growing up. He loved the mountains, the wide open spaces of the valleys, the dense forest trails, horseback riding, skiing, hunting and lungfuls of fresh air. Being in school, he’d gotten used to the city over the last several years, but there was definitely something special about coming home.

  The narrow road split into three directions and he turned down the left drive. ‘My mother’s house is right up here. It was a nineteenth-century farmhouse we remodelled and updated. The straight road will take you to the old Victorian house that the sawmill’s original owner had built. It’s where my grandparents live and the main Sawmill Pine Inn. There are also the stables. Right takes you to the log cabins.’

  Sasha stiffened, moving away from his side. He missed the close contact of her body, but didn’t say anything as she pulled down the visor and began checking her makeup. ‘Shouldn’t we go to a cottage first and freshen up?’

  ‘You look perfect,’ Kevin assured her. He wasn’t lying. She always looked perfect to him – in the morning with her sleepy mascara-smeared eyes and disorderly hair, in the museum janitor closet with her mouth opened wide in rapture, when she glared at him in anger and he had no idea what he’d done to make her mad. Even now, in the red tonal-striped ribbed-knit sweater with the deep V front that showed off a now coffee-stained white undershirt. ‘We can freshen up inside. My family won’t care if we’re a little road worn.’

  ‘But that’s after I meet your mother.’ Sasha glanced down. ‘Oh, no.’ Frantically, she swiped her hand over her chest. ‘I spilled something.’

  ‘It’s coffee,’ Kevin answered. ‘It dribbled out of your cup this morning when you were climbing into the car.’

  ‘It’s been here all day and you didn’t tell me about it?’ She swiped harder.

  Kevin bit back his chuckle, not sure she’d appreciate how adorably frantic she appeared. ‘Your jacket and scarf will cover it. I’ll get us to a room so you can change.’

  Sasha wrapped her scarf around her neck, loosely tying the ends so it rested over the coffee stain. ‘Perfect.’

  Yes, he thought, you are.

  The dense tree-lined road opened up into a wide clearing surrounded by trees and back-dropped by mountains. His mother’s house stood proud against the blue-gray sky, just as he remembered it. The barn’s red wood siding with bright-white accents had been freshly painted to match the patio furniture on the back concrete slab. He could see his grandparents’ house further down the valley next to the stables and corral. Worn trails lead between the two houses, made by the constant horse, three-wheeler and foot traffic.

  ‘There’s my brother.’ Kevin motioned to the horses in the distance. Samuel’s features were impossible to decipher, but the black of his cowboy hat gave him away. ‘He’ll ride over later. Sam never misses a meal.’

  Sasha didn’t say a word. Her chest rose and fell in heavy breaths.

  ‘Are you all right?’ Kevin asked.

  ‘Sure.’ She breathed harder. A light flush pinkened her cheeks. ‘Why wouldn’t I be?’

  Why wouldn’t I be?

  Sasha almost laughed at the absurdity of that statement. Of course she wasn’t all right. She was about to meet his mother. Her personal history proved parents didn’t think too highly of her. What if the woman didn’t think she was good enough for her son? Mothers always seemed to think girlfriends weren’t good enough for their sons. And what would Kevin do if his mother didn’t approve? She saw the way he talked about his family. Their opinion of her would matter greatly. Would he end their relationship before Sasha had a chance to convince him he wanted one – exclusively and forever?

  Just breathe, Sash, she told herself. Breathe and smile.

  Kevin pulled the truck to a stop. Sasha nervously adjusted the scarf around her neck, making sure the stain was hidden. Grabbing her jacket, she worked it over her shoulders. She bet in the late spring, with tall green grasses and mountain flowers, the farmhouse would look like something from a postcard. Right now, dirty patches of mud marred the white of the snow.

  The front door to the house opened and a middle-aged woman came outside. She stood on the wooden steps, drying her hands on the floral apron. Her short, black, grey-streaked hair and wrinkled, yet somehow smooth face was nothing how Sasha imagined Kevin’s mother. He’d said she was a rich girl growing up, so in her mind Taffy Merchant had been another Catherine Kingston. But at first glance, whatever high society had been bred into Taffy had been replaced by a wholesome country reserve and a guarded, uncomplicated nature.

  Sasha didn’t wait for Kevin to walk around the truck and open her door, not that she expected he would. As she stepped out, her boots hit mud. Her first instinct was to jump back into the truck and wipe them clean, but there was no way of getting to the house without traipsing through the dark-brown sludge. She picked her way gently across, concentrating on her smile as she neared Kevin’s mother. It was a look the woman did not return when her gaze met Sasha’s.

  Taffy spread her arms for her son, giving him a big hug. ‘Oh, I’ve missed you. Christmas was too long ago.’

  ‘Only three months. How’ve you been, Mom?’ he asked.

  ‘Fine, fine, and yourself?’

  ‘I’m good. Ready to be done with school,’ he answered before pulling back. ‘Mom, I’d like you to meet Sasha.’

  Sasha widened her smile and held out her hand. ‘Hi. It’s great to meet you, Taffy. Your place is lovely.’

  From what Kevin had said and the friendliness of her greeting to her son, Sasha expected a warm welcome. Instead, she got a stern, disapproving look. Taffy’s eyes did a slow once over. ‘I’ve heard a lot about you, Sasha.’

  Th
e statement wasn’t exactly disapproving, but neither was it hospitable. She looked at Kevin for her cue. He wrapped his arm around his mom’s shoulders and walked with her inside.

  ‘Take off your shoes,’ she ordered her son. ‘Don’t track mud in the house.’

  ‘Yes, ma’am,’ he agreed, kicking off his shoes by the doorway. Sasha leaned over and unzipped her boots, leaving them next to Kevin’s.

  ‘You’re the last of our weekend guests to arrive. Everyone else is here and settled. We’ll be having lunch over at your grandparents’ house. I promised Grandma I’d make the potato salad and coleslaw to help out.’ Taffy led them through an entryway into a long living room with a light stone fireplace and lots of plant-filled windows. The floor had a slight chill to it, as the fireplace was barren. Hardwood floors were covered in large oval rugs, the interwoven pattern spiralling out like a coiled snake. ‘You can use your old room upstairs. I wasn’t sure if Sasha would be staying here or—’

  ‘We know you’re booked,’ Kevin interrupted. ‘It’s fine if we share a room. I can sleep on the air mattress.’

  ‘Some of the snowmobilers cancelled due to the weather.’ Taffy turned through a pair of French doors into a dining room and through into a kitchen. ‘You can take Sasha out to cottage three. It’ll be much more comfortable than your old room.’

  Sasha instantly looked out a window to the open landscape. Her stomach tightened. Cottage three? As in by herself in the wilderness? Alone? She opened her mouth to say something to Kevin, but couldn’t with his mother there making all the arrangements. How stupid would she sound telling them she was too frightened to spend the night by herself?

  ‘We can figure it out later,’ Kevin dismissed, unconcerned. He gave Sasha a quick smile before changing the subject. ‘I saw Sam by the stables.’

  ‘He’s been out there every day, all day.’ Taffy picked up a potato out of a large pile and began to peel it as she talked. ‘He’s talking about breeding a couple of the mares this year.’ After slicing the potato with deft precision, she grabbed another from the pile and began the process over again. ‘They’re discussing phantom training the stallion for breeding. Already they’re getting five hundred for live cover.’