Of course.
She shut off the stove and pulled the pie out before looking at Lukas again. “I need about five minutes to wash this off and find a clean shirt. Can you keep Sugar occupied in the living room for me?”
He nodded. “I always play with Sugar when Dana brings her over.”
“Thanks.”
Allie headed down the hall where she assumed the bedrooms were, wiping at the mess in her hair with a kitchen towel. Her heart beat a little faster with the thought of going into Rick’s bedroom and invading his privacy. But she needed a shirt before she could strip her dirty one off and wash her hair. His turned out to be the second door on the left and she forced her feet to keep moving toward the dresser as her gaze swept over his unmade, king-sized bed.
It looked huge compared to her double at home. Then again, he was a lot bigger than her, too. She went for the second drawer of his dresser, assuming his first drawer held socks and underwear. She did not want to know if Rick Wilde wore boxers or briefs.
She grabbed the first black tee shirt she found, turned for the door, then spun back again. One quick peek. With luck, he’d have a drawer full of dingy tightie-whities and his sex appeal in her fantasies would drop a couple notches.
She slid open the drawer and slammed it back shut. Nope. Those boxer briefs would mold and outline every muscle and asset the man had.
***
Three and a half hours later, after dinner and cookies, a messy bath and a load of wash with her shirt and bra still waiting to be transferred to the dryer, Allie closed the cover on Froggy Goes To Bed.
“I think it’s time for you to go to bed,” she told Lukas.
“One more.”
He leaned forward to grab another book off the stack he’d carried from his bedroom a half hour ago, and then snuggled back onto her lap, pulling his dad’s tee shirt over his knobby little knees. After his bath, he’d insisted on one to match Allie’s and they’d laughed when it dragged on the floor. “When I’m big as my dad it’ll fit me.”
Allie didn’t know his bedtime, but she was pretty sure it was before nine-fifteen. “Lukas—”
“Please? I love this one.”
“You loved the first three,” she pointed out, knowing she was going to give in. He fit perfectly in the circle of her arms. All snug and warm and sweet smelling after his bath.
“Pleeease, Allie? Just one more?”
He fell asleep before she reached the half-way mark, but she read the rest of the pages, whispering the words through her tears. Then she carried him to his race car bed and tucked him in. How long she stood staring at his angelic face snuggled against the pillow, she couldn’t say. All she knew was she’d fallen hopelessly in love with the precocious, adorable little imp.
So much for keeping her distance. Two years of steadfast avoidance and in twenty-four hours she’d been kissed by the dad and ensnared by the son.
Sugar nosed Allie’s hand, reminding her she couldn’t stand watching the little boy sleep all evening. After a quick glance at the soundly sleeping Spot in her box, Allie took the Great Dane out to go to the bathroom, then cleaned the kitchen and picked up the living room. The bathroom was a mess of wet towels from Lukas’ enthusiastic “Bonsai!’s” in the tub. She wasn’t so sure “Dad always lets me do it,” was true, but decided even if it wasn’t, one time wouldn’t hurt.
Allie switched the first load of clothes to the dryer and started another load with the towels and some of Lukas’ clothes from a nearby basket.
Back in the living room, she covered a yawn and was surprised to see it was after eleven. Deciding against a cup of coffee, she grabbed the remote and snuggled on the overstuffed couch with a blanket to watch some late night TV.
Not that it was smart, but she looked forward to seeing Rick when he came home. This almost felt like what she’d always wanted.
Chapter 6
When Rick opened the back door he was greeted by Sugar’s bark and the most heavenly smell. Although his mouth watered, he shushed the Great Dane with a wince. Earlier, he’d been planning on calling Nino’s to deliver pizza, but after Dana’s frantic call, he’d completely forgotten about dinner.
Obviously, Allie had taken care of it—and, if his nose was correct, dessert, too.
Seconds later, he spied the plate of cookies on the island counter. Holding his balled up coveralls in one hand against his thigh, he snagged a cookie with the other and ate half of it in one bite. Moist cookie and chocolate chips mixed in his mouth and he closed his eyes with a deep, quiet groan. Better than his mother’s—not that he’d tell her that.
A scratchy squeak that barely passed for a meow sounded from inside the box on the table. Shoving the remainder of the cookie in his mouth, Rick went over and reached in to pet the yawning kitten snuggled in the fluffy folds of the towel.
“Hey.”
He looked up at the sound of Allie’s soft voice. The sight of her in the doorway of his living room wiped away his exhaustion. It would be nice to come home to this every night, and the cookies were a nice bonus. Keeping his own tone low, he said, “Hey, yourself. Sorry I’m back so late.”
She hiked up the hem of her shirt and stuffed her hands in her pockets with a shrug.
“How’d everything go?” he asked when she came over to stroke the kitten, too.
“Lukas was great, he went to bed about nine. How about you?”
He sighed as he recalled the gruesome scene. “There were nine cars involved, including the truck hauling the horse trailer and the semi. No human fatalities, but some pretty serious injuries. Charlie helped the other EMT’s while Dana and I did what we could for the horses. Once the large animal vet from Green Bay arrived, we stuck around as long as he needed us. Of the four horses in the trailer, we were only able to save two, but just looking at the wreck, it’s amazing any survived.”
“I’m sorry.”
He nodded, drinking in her sleep-tousled hair and compassionate gaze. For some reason, she looked different than earlier. When she shifted, and he realized he was staring, he cleared his throat and looked down at the stained coveralls in his hand. He’d love to have her stay, but seeing it was almost one a.m., he’d kept her long enough.
“I’m going to go drop this in the bin for the clinic cleaners, then take a quick shower. It might be best to leave Spot here though, so I can check her in the morning and give her another dose of antibiotics.”
Dana would flash her knowing grin when she heard he kept a patient overnight for observation for a simple cold, but no way in hell was he going to pass up a guaranteed opportunity to see Allie again. Not when she finally seemed to be warming up to him.
Allie hesitated before nodding. “If you say so. But I can’t come get her until after five when the dogs go home.”
“That’s fine, whatever works for you. And no charge, either. My thanks for staying with Lukas. I really appreciate your help.”
“It was no problem.” She reached for her jacket hanging on the back of the chair, then drew her hand back. “Did you eat?”
“I snitched a cookie.” As if protesting one cookie was nowhere near enough, his stomach growled loud enough for them both to hear.
Allie grinned. “Lukas helped me make chicken pot pie. If you want, I can warm you a plate while you’re in the shower.”
“If that’s what I smelled when I walked in, then, hell yeah.”
Joy that she’d stay without him asking her to brightened his smile as much as the promise of the great-smelling food. Having wondered what he’d done to earn two years of scowls, now he marveled at what he’d done to deserve her tonight.
Any other time Rick would’ve lingered under the steaming spray to thaw his chilled limbs, but the thought of Allie in his kitchen was enough to warm his blood and make him rush through his shower. Pulling a tee shirt over his damp hair, he reached the living room as Allie came in with a plate, a large glass of milk, and a handful of cookies. Sugar danced alongside her, eyeing the cookies until All
ie tossed her a small piece of one and told her to go lay down.
“Thank you,” he said, taking a seat on the couch.
The food tasted as wonderful as it smelled. He groaned his appreciation after a couple bites. “Allie, you’re an angel. With Nino’s closed, I was going to make a frozen pizza. What’s even more amazing is that you found the ingredients to make this in my kitchen.”
“We improvised,” she said with a shrug of her shoulder. “And the crust is easy. I make it for fruit pies all the time.”
He halted his fork halfway to his mouth. “Homemade pies and chocolate chip cookies? My God, will you marry me?” he joked with a chuckle.
She smiled, but it faded fast as she shifted her gaze to the TV. Rick kept eating even though he could’ve kicked himself. Nothing like an immediate reminder that they weren’t really friends, no matter what the cozy scene felt like.
So why was she still here? He tried not to read too much into her staying, but hope flickered undaunted. While setting his empty plate on the coffee table and snagging a cookie, he finally figured out why she looked different.
“Is that my tee shirt?” Now that he’d woken up a bit and showered away some of his exhaustion, he remembered she’d been wearing a gray shirt earlier. A nice snug one that outlined her curves.
Color climbed into her cheeks as she fussed with the hem of the loose black shirt, then tucked her hair behind her ear on one side. “Um, yeah. Long story.”
“Do I get to hear it?” he asked when she didn’t continue.
“No. But I do have a question…do you really let Lukas ‘bonsai’ in the bathtub?”
The visual of Lukas jumping in the water and dousing her made Rick wish he’d been there to see it. Especially if her shirt had been wet enough to make her change into one of his. A swift surge of desire increased his pulse while at the same time he fought not to laugh.
“Ah, yeah. I’m sorry. I forgot it was bath night.”
“He didn’t.”
The humor in her tone set his smile free. “There’s not much he forgets, let me tell you.”
“He’s a great kid, Rick. You’re very lucky.”
Rick picked up on a definite catch in her voice. It reminded him of the earlier tears that made him want to take her in his arms and hold her close. What was it about his son’s innocent words that had made her cry?
Even now, her smile faded again. “What he said before…about his mom…does he remember what happened?”
The unexpected turn in the conversation made Rick stiffen. “He knows she died in an accident, but he was only eighteen months old. The doctors assure me he doesn’t remember it.”
“I suppose that’s one good thing.”
He nodded shortly, flipped the forgotten cookie in his fingers, then leaned forward to set it back with the others.
“I’m sorry,” she said, sitting up suddenly. “I shouldn’t have brought it up.”
“No, it’s okay.” He scrubbed a hand over his face. He hadn’t talked about Laura to anyone other than his mom, yet the urge to tell Allie everything rose up strong. Crazy, given they’d barely spoken before today, right?
He picked at the corner of a throw pillow that sat between them on the couch, debating his choices. Even though he missed Laura, it didn’t take but a moment to realize he didn’t want Allie to think he was pining for his dead wife.
“I loved Laura and always will—she gave me Lukas, and I wouldn’t change that for anything. But I was never in love with her.” He glanced up, then rushed on when he saw another slight frown on Allie’s face. “We met in college, dated for a while, but it didn’t feel like it was going anywhere, so I broke it off. A month later, she told me she was pregnant.”
He heard her shift on the couch, but if he looked at her again, he wouldn’t be able to finish. And now that he’d started talking, it felt important to get it out.
“I did what I felt was right for the baby, and asked her to marry me.”
“But…Lukas is only four.”
“She had a miscarriage a month after we got married.”
“Oh, wow. I’m sorry.”
He nodded. “Laura took it really hard, and I’d taken my vows for better or worse. I never would’ve left her. We had a good marriage for the most part, even though it took another six years for her to get pregnant with Lukas. The day of the accident, she thought he was catching a cold and instead of taking him to the sitter next door, she insisted on taking him to the doctor.” He swallowed hard. “I told her she worried too much and left for work.”
Allie lifted a hand, but after moving just a few inches toward where his palm brushed restlessly across the pillow, she hesitated and drew back. He felt as if he’d lost something.
“The worst of it is, there are days that I’ve thought…if it had to be one of them…”
Guilt trapped the rest of the sentence in his mind, but the words didn’t need to be said for her to know what a horrible person he was. Since returning to Redemption, more and more often he thought about a future with this woman, but now wondered if he even deserved it.
“Rick…”
He lurched to his feet, and despite the remote in front of him, walked across the room to shut off the TV for something to do.
“I don’t know why I just told you all that. I’m sorry. And, God, look at the time.”
He turned around and jerked to a stop when he almost ran into Allie. But he couldn’t even look at her. “I’m sure you want to get going. Especially now.”
She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his waist. He sucked in a breath at the lightning-swift jolt to his pulse.
“Anyone else in the same situation would have those thoughts,” she said, her head against his chest under his chin. “Laura sounds like the type of person who wouldn’t think twice about giving her life for Lukas.”
She had been, which only made him feel worse for not loving her like she’d deserved.
He put his hands on Allie’s shoulders. Then she looked up, and he forgot what he was going to say. Though he wasn’t sure he’d have gotten it past the lump in his throat. Her hazel gaze dropped to his lips. The light of awareness in her eyes quickened his pulse for a whole other reason and tightened his grip on her shoulders.
To push her away.
But his body betrayed him and instead he drew her closer; accepted the offer of her mouth without consideration for the war waging within him. He may not deserve her, but God, he wanted her.
Chapter 7
The touch of Allie’s lips sent a jolt of desire through Rick’s system.
The other night, it’d taken every ounce of his restraint just to kiss her lightly. Leaning in, his motivation had been a purely selfish move to finally find out what he’d wondered about in high school and ever since returning home. Then his lips had met hers, and he reminded himself to give instead of take. No pressure; no indication of the depth of his longing despite his revealing statement before the doorway kiss.
Walking away after that first taste had been difficult but necessary.
Right now though, she wound her arms around his neck and gave to him. Invited him to take from her with the warm press of her curves and the sensuous slide of her tongue against his. She offered a redemption he wasn’t even aware he’d been seeking.
He didn’t have the willpower to turn her down. It was easier to give himself over to the sensations she stirred up. When he took control and deepened the kiss, her soft moan was all the further encouragement he needed. Gathering her tight against him, he lifted her off her feet so he didn’t have to bend his neck so far. Come to think of it, the couch would be more comfortable.
When he would’ve lowered her down, she reversed their positions so she was on top. Fine by him, only it was his turn to groan as her weight settled over his hips. He skimmed his hands down over her back to grasp her hips, lifting against her to heighten the torturous pleasure. The press of her breasts against his chest made him impatient to feel the weight of t
hem in his palms. He slid his hands under the loose tee shirt and splayed his fingers across the warm skin of her back.
Then it dawned on him how fast they were moving in the space of just a few minutes. It was a little surreal considering she’d spent the last couple years avoiding him like he had the plague. And then their conversation just before the kiss echoed in his mind. After what he admitted, she should’ve turned tail and run, not offered him comfort.
He halted the upward movement of his hand and pressed his head back into the couch cushion to put some space between them so he could look at her face. “I didn’t tell you about Laura so you’d feel sorry for me.”
Pity was the last thing he wanted from her.
“What?” She levered herself on her elbows against his chest. “I don’t…” She glanced down between them before pushing up. Rick helped her to her feet before sitting up himself.
“That’s not what that was—” She broke off mid-sentence when her wide hazel eyes met his. She swept her hair behind her ear while abruptly spinning around. Rick’s brows rose. Why kiss him if not for sympathy?
Could she be as attracted to him as he was to her?
“Allie—”
“I have to go. It’s really late.”
Sugar’s nails clicked the hardwood floor when she scrambled after Allie into the kitchen. Rick’s long strides caught up to Allie as she reached for her coat. He no more than touched her arm when she swung around to face him.
“Don’t. I don’t want to like you, Rick.”
“Why?” he asked, dropping his arm to his side in confusion. “Because of what I said earlier?”
“No.”
Another reason hit him. He didn’t want to ask, but had to. “Is it because of Lukas?”
Her startled gaze met his for a second, then flicked away. “Of course not.”
Welcome To Redemption: Series Collection (Books 1-6) Page 50