by Sandi Lynn
“That’s really cool.” I grinned. “Good for you.”
“Thanks.” He chuckled. “How about you? How old are you? If you don’t mind me asking.”
“I’m twenty-five.”
“I figured as much. You seem very mature for a twenty-five-year-old.”
“I had to grow up fast.”
“Why is that?” His head cocked.
“It’s a long and complicated story. You’d get bored and I’m sure your headache would get way worse.” I smiled.
“May I ask where you’re from?”
“Originally from Chicago.”
Suddenly, crying sounds came through the monitor I had hidden under one of the throw pillows.
“Really?” Julian cocked his head at me.
“What? This place is enormous. How am I supposed to hear when she wakes up?” I quickly got up from the sofa and headed upstairs.
When I entered the bedroom, I knew immediately why she was crying. Picking her up, I set her on the bed and changed her dirty diaper. As I was talking to her and she was smiling at me, I looked up and saw Julian standing in the doorway.
“Hey,” I said.
“She seems happy now.”
“All she needed was a diaper change. Right, sweet girl.” I grinned as I tickled her, and she laughed.
“I just wanted to let you know that my headache went away. Thanks for the Motrin.”
“You’re welcome. Why suffer? Right?”
“Right. I’m heading to bed. Sleep well.”
“Thanks. You too.”
After putting Ella back to sleep, I changed into my pajamas, washed my face and climbed in bed. Tomorrow was Thanksgiving, and I had a lot of prepping to do. I couldn’t wait to surprise Julian with a home cooked Thanksgiving dinner. I had all the food delivered, along with the turkey and a couple of pies, and stored it all in the refrigerator in the service kitchen so he wouldn’t see it.
I smiled as I thought about him and how sexy he was. His six-foot-two-inch stature, short brown hair, bright blue eyes, a neatly trimmed five o’clock shadow and a muscular body to complete his sexiness. Too bad his personality sucked. But I believed it was all an act, because the more we talked, the more I saw inside him. After we had our conversation about his scar and how he wasn’t willing to give more, I believed he could give more. For some reason, he didn’t want to. There was so much about him he kept hidden, and as long as I was staying in his home, I’d make it my mission to find out more. There was no harm in getting to know him better because eventually, I’d leave, and he’d become a distant memory.
The next morning, I got up early to prep for Thanksgiving. Ella slept through the night and I prayed she stayed asleep until I could get the turkey in the oven. Julian wasn’t up yet, which I didn’t expect he would be since the office was closed today. At least I thought it would be, but with him you’d never know. I took the turkey from the fridge, cleaned it out, made the stuffing and had just put it in the oven when I heard Ella crying. Running up the stairs, I walked in and saw Julian standing over the pack n’ play.
“You can pick her up,” I said.
“I was just passing by and heard her crying. I opened the door, and you weren’t in here.”
“I was downstairs,” I spoke as I picked her up. “Good morning, sweet pea.” I kissed her head before laying her on the bed.
“Can you hand me a diaper, please?”
“Sure.”
Julian walked over to where the diapers were, grabbed one and handed it to me.
“Is the coffee made?” he asked.
“Yeah. Just push the button.”
“Thanks,” he said before leaving the room.
He had one of those fancy coffee machines with a digital screen and a hundred different functions. It took me a full day to learn how to use it. But it sure made damn good coffee. I carried Ella downstairs and put her right in her highchair while I prepped her bottle and made her cereal.
“What the hell is all this mess?” Julian asked. “And why are you cooking a turkey?”
“Because it’s Thanksgiving.” I smiled at him. “Happy Thanksgiving.”
He didn’t say it back as he glared at me.
“I’m making Thanksgiving dinner as a surprise for you.”
“Why?” he asked as he leaned his sexy body against the island.
“As a thank you for hiring me to take care of Ella and letting me stay here.”
“Well, I wish you would have asked me first. I have plans.”
My back was turned to him as I mixed Ella’s cereal.
“Oh. My bad. I didn’t think you did. That’s okay. Ella and I will eat it.”
“She’s six months old. How is she going to eat Thanksgiving dinner?”
“I’ll put some turkey and sweet potatoes in the blender and blend it up for her. And I’ll do the same for the cranberry sauce I’m making.”
“Where did you learn to cook?” he asked.
“Here and there.” I walked over to Ella, handed her the bottle and sat down to feed her some cereal and applesauce.
“Well, I’m sorry, but Kevin and I have plans. It’s something we do every year.”
“It’s totally fine. I should have asked first. No big deal. You can eat the leftovers for the next couple of days.”
“Yeah. Good idea.”
He walked out of the kitchen, and I continued feeding Ella.
“It’s okay, baby girl. We have each other, and that’s all we need. We don’t need your daddy ruining our day. We’ll make the best of it. Just you and me.” I smiled as I tapped her nose and she let out a laugh.
Chapter 8
Julian
When I left the penthouse to go meet Kevin at the bar, the aroma that infiltrated the air made my mouth water. She went to all that trouble for me and I dismissed it as if what she’d done was nothing.
When I arrived, I saw Kevin sitting up at the bar.
“Hey, buddy,” I said as I placed my hand on his shoulder and took the stool next to him.
“Hey. I already ordered your scotch.”
“Thanks.”
The bartender walked over and set the glass down in front of me.
“Happy Thanksgiving, bro.” Kevin held up his glass.
“Happy Thanksgiving.” I tapped mine against his.
“How are Georgia and Ella doing?”
“They’re fine. Why?”
“I was just asking. What’s wrong? You seem off.”
“Nothing is wrong.”
“Was Georgia pissed you left her and the baby home alone on Thanksgiving?”
“No. She wasn’t. Despite the fact that she cooked Thanksgiving dinner for me, and I told her I already had plans.”
“What?” He slapped me on the back of the head.
“Ouch. What was that for?”
“She made Thanksgiving dinner? Like a turkey with all the trimmings?”
“Yeah.”
“You dumbass. Why the fuck would you turn down a homemade Thanksgiving dinner? Do you know how long it’s been since we’ve had one?”
“I know.” I brought the glass up to my lips.
“You get your ass home right now and eat that wonderful meal she made. I know you’re an asshole, but today, just don’t be. You can resume being an asshole tomorrow.”
“Fine.” I slammed back the rest of my scotch and got up from the stool. “Are you coming?”
“Hell yes! I thought you’d never ask.” He grinned.
After we climbed into the cab, I tried to call Georgia, but I kept getting her voicemail.
“She’s probably busy with Ella,” I said to Kevin.
“Man, I can taste that homemade turkey now.” He grinned.
As soon as the elevator doors opened, Kevin and I stepped into the foyer and heard music playing. Walking into the living room, I saw Georgia holding Ella and she was gliding and spinning around the room. When she saw me, she stopped and turned the music off.
“Julian.” A lo
ok of shock swept across her face.
“What are you doing?” I asked out of curiosity.
“We’re having some dance time.” She smiled.
“Hi there. I’m Kevin.” He extended his hand to her.
“Business partner and best friend, right?” She placed her hand in his.
“Yes. It’s nice to meet you, Georgia. Happy Thanksgiving. Hey there, Ella.” Kevin smiled at her.
“Happy Thanksgiving. So, why are you home?”
“To be honest, we’re here to eat,” I said.
“So, you’ve changed your mind?” Her brow arched at me.
“Yes. Kevin said we’d be fools to turn down a home cooked Thanksgiving meal.”
“Yes. Total fools,” Kevin spoke.
“Then I’ll get the table set. Here, take Ella.” She held her out to me.
“I was actually just going to make some drinks.”
“I’ll take this adorable little girl.” Kevin smiled and shot me a look. “Dude, you’ve got it made here. Have you fucked her yet?” he whispered as he followed me to the bar.
“Language in front of the kid. And no. Not that I haven’t thought about it. Look at her.”
“I have. You really need to get on that.”
“She’s been here three days, Kevin.”
“Dinner’s ready,” Georgia said as she walked into the room. I’ll take Ella and put her in her highchair.”
Georgia
I set Ella in her highchair and put a couple toys on her tray while I carved the turkey.
“You’re good at that,” Julian said as he took a piece of turkey from the plate. “Wouldn’t it be easier if you had one of those electric carving knives?”
“Do you have one?” I raised my brow at him.
“No. Why didn’t you buy one? You practically bought out the store.”
I rolled my eyes and went back to carving the turkey.
“Here. Let me do this,” Julian said as he placed his hands on mine to grab the fork and knife.
I swallowed hard as his touch made my body tremble. I looked at him, he looked at me, and for a brief second, we shared a moment.
“Sure. I’ll get the other things on the table.”
As soon as the rest of the food was on the table, the three of us sat down to eat.
“Man oh man, Georgia. This all smells and looks delicious,” Kevin said. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Dig in.” I grinned.
Just as we started to eat, Ella began to cry. She didn’t want the food I was trying to feed her and within moments her cry turned into screams. I quickly got up, made a bottle for her, took her from her highchair and fed her as I ate.
“So, Georgia, are you from New York?” Kevin asked.
“No. I’m originally from Chicago.”
“Originally?”
“Yeah. I grew up there and when I turned eighteen, I left.”
“Ah. Got away from the parents, huh?”
“I don’t have any parents,” I said as I brought my fork up to my mouth.
“Oh. I’m sorry. How did they pass away?”
“Kevin, I don’t think it’s any of our business,” Julian said.
“It’s fine. I don’t know if they did or didn’t. I never knew my parents. I grew up in the system, bounced from one foster home to another.”
I glanced at Julian as he sat there with a shocked expression on his face.
“Seriously? So did me and Julian,” Kevin said. “That’s how we met. We were placed in the same foster home when we were sixteen.”
“Really?” I furrowed my brows at Julian.
“Yeah.” He looked down at his plate as his fork stabbed into his turkey.
“Wow,” Kevin said. “This is so weird. Where did you go when you left Chicago?”
“I went to California, Arizona, Texas, South Carolina, North Carolina, Oregon, Seattle, just to name a few places.”
“You’re quite the traveler.” Kevin grinned. “I know it’s none of my business, but I have to know. How do you survive traveling like that?”
“I find a temporary job wherever I’m at, and I save as much money as I can for when it’s time to move on.”
“So basically, you’re a drifter?”
Julian reached over and slapped the back of Kevin’s head.
“Ouch, man. Well, it’s true, right?” Kevin looked at me.
“Yes. I guess you could call me that.” I gave him a small smile. “I’m going to lay this little one down. She’s out. I’ll be right back and then I’ll serve the pie.”
After laying Ella down in her bed, I headed back to the kitchen and cut into both the apple pie and pumpkin pie. I couldn’t believe Julian grew up in the system like I did. I wanted to find out more, but he wasn’t as open as Kevin seemed to be. After Kevin finished his pie, he and Julian went into the living room to catch the end of the game while I cleaned up the kitchen.
“I’m going to head home, Georgia,” Kevin said as he walked into the kitchen. “Thank you for a delicious dinner. It was exceptional.” He leaned over and kissed my cheek.
“Thank you, Kevin. I’m happy you liked it.”
“Have a good night.” He gave a slight nod.
“You too.”
I grabbed the bottle of wine and refilled my glass while I finished loading the dishwasher.
“Dinner was superb. Thanks,” Julian spoke as he walked into the kitchen.
“Thank you, and you’re welcome.”
“Is that how you know how to cook? By traveling so much?” he asked.
“That and from my foster homes. I was in some pretty shitty homes, and since I was usually the oldest foster child, it was my responsibility to cook and take care of the younger kids.”
“Hence the reason you had to grow up so fast,” Julian said.
“Yeah.” I took a sip of my wine. “I worked in some restaurants in a few different cities. I dated a chef once, and he taught me how to cook more than just mac n cheese, hot dogs and eggs. What about you?” I turned and looked at him.
“We’re not talking about me. We’re talking about you. How long do you stay in each place? It can’t be for very long.”
“Anywhere from one month to six months.”
“Why do you leave instead of just staying?”
I could hear Ella stirring through the monitor and then she let out a cry.
“I should go check on her.” As I was walking out of the kitchen, I stopped, turned around and looked at him.
“I end up leaving because it never feels right. My entire life I’ve been searching for a place where I belong, and I guess I’m still searching.” I pursed my lips as I headed up the stairs.
Chapter 9
Julian
I watched her as she headed towards the stairs. I could relate to her about wanting to find a place where she felt like she belonged. For me, I’d found my place in the world when I sold my first app. My whole life nobody wanted me until I had something to offer them. Finishing my drink, I set my glass down on the counter, turned off the lights and went upstairs.
It was two a.m. when I awoke. I was incredibly thirsty and could barely swallow. Climbing out of bed, I headed down to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water from the refrigerator. When I walked down the stairs, I noticed the kitchen light was on.
“What are you doing up?” I asked Georgia who was at the sink washing out a bottle.
“Ella woke up and wanted a bottle. I just got her back down to sleep. What are you doing up?”
“I’m really thirsty,” I said as I took out a bottle of water, twisted off the cap and began drinking it.
“Probably from all the salt from dinner.” Her lips formed a small smile as she glanced over at me.
“Probably.”
I couldn’t help but stare at her. Even at two a.m. she was beautiful. I was incredibly horny, and I was trying my best to stay away from her, but she was making it very difficult as she stood in front of the sink in her black pajama bot
toms and matching tank top. A snug top that accentuated her perfectly shaped breasts. My cock was twitching beyond control, and the thought of her bent over the island while I buried myself inside her invaded my mind.
“Can you get me a new dish towel from the drawer? This one is soaking wet,” she asked.
“Sure.”
I grabbed a new towel. Instead of handing it to her, I placed the towel over her hands, and she stared up at me with her chocolate brown eyes while I gently pat them dry. There was no denying the attraction between us.
“Thanks,” she softly spoke.
Setting the towel down, I brought my hand up to her cheek and softly stroked it as I stared at her mouth. She slowly closed her eyes as I leaned in and softly brushed my lips against hers, testing the waters so to speak. Her lips parted, and I knew she wanted me as badly as I wanted her. Our tender kiss turned passionate as I wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her into me. Our tongues met and my cock stood at full attention. I lifted her onto the counter and her legs wrapped securely around me. Letting out a breath, my hand reached up her shirt and fondled her bare breast, feeling her hardened nipple between my fingers.
“We have to take this upstairs,” I spoke with bated breath as I broke our kiss. “I don’t have any condoms down here.”
“Okay,” she whispered as she stared into my eyes.
Picking her up from the counter, and with her legs and arms wrapped securely around me, I carried her to my bedroom and sat her on the bed. She pulled her shirt over her head and threw it on the floor as I stepped out of my pajama bottoms. My cock was throbbing as she laid herself back and I took her breasts in my mouth, giving each one equal attention. Her hands combed through my hair as gentle moans escaped her. Sliding my hand over her torso and down the front of her pajama bottoms, my fingers glided over her clit and down to her opening, which was already incredibly wet. The need to taste her was killing me. My tongue slid down her body while my hands pulled down her bottoms. The moment my mouth touched her sensitive area, her pleasurable moans heightened.
Georgia
The moment his lips touched mine, I knew I was done for. My skin trembled at his touch and sex with him was inevitable. It had been a while since I’d had sex with a guy, and he was the perfect candidate to fulfill my needs. Hot, sexy, desirable, and the way my body responded to him was incredible. He was skilled. Very skilled. More skilled than any other man I’d ever been with. My skin became heated as the pulsating sensation heightened. His tongue circled my swollen clit while his fingers moved in and out of me, hitting just the right spots to throw my body into a pleasure filled orgasm. I gripped the bed sheets, arched my back and threw my head back as I dove over the waterfall into pure oblivion. I lay there, my breathing out of control as he reached over and opened the drawer of his nightstand. Pulling out a condom, he tore the corner of the wrapper with his teeth and slid it over his hard cock.