A team of paramedics came rushing over to me, each taking an arm and ushering me to the waiting ambulance. I looked around for Trent and saw him angrily talking to another medical team at a second ambulance. He kept brushing their hands off him and seemed determined to walk away. I knew he was in a rush and had a lot on his mind, and I felt bad that they were stalling him. They didn’t know we’d spent the night indoors though and probably were worried that we had hypothermia or something. Trent finally dropped his rucksack to the ground and managed to get away for a moment, and I was surprised that he came over to me.
“They’re insisting I go to the hospital,” he said, frustrated.
“Yeah, same here.” The paramedics getting ready to take me away in the ambulance had stepped aside for a moment to give us some privacy. I was aware that all eyes were on us though and wished that Trent and I had been able to say goodbye earlier while we were still alone.
“I’m going to be tied up all afternoon at the funeral,” Trent said, his voice deep. “Then I’ve got a few other things that I need to take care of before I head out.”
“Right,” I said, nodding. I wished that he’d let me come with him, but it seemed that he was determined to do everything on his own.
He cleared his throat, and his dark brown eyes gazed right into mine. “I was wondering if that offer for dinner tonight still stands though? I’d love to come, if you’ll still have me.”
A smile came to my lips as I realized that this wasn’t goodbye, and I’d get to see him again this evening. A dinner with my daughter wasn’t the same as a reckless night of passion, and I was happy that he wanted to come anyway. “Absolutely,” I said softly.
“Great,” he said, a slight smile passing over his face. “I’ll see you tonight, Meghan.”
Chapter 5
After being examined at the hospital early this morning, I’d quickly been reunited with my parents and daughter, and Hannah and I had spent the day doing all that I’d promised yesterday. Lunch had been spent snuggled on the sofa watching a Christmas movie, and after that I’d made good on my promise to decorate the tree. After stringing lights for what felt like forever, we’d finally gotten to both our favorite parts: digging out all our special ornaments and hanging them on the tree. I smiled as I hung the little white bunny that I’d picked out for Hannah when she was just a baby. I gave her a special ornament each year so that she’d have her own collection as she grew older, just as my mother had done for me.
We’d run out to the grocery store to purchase ingredients to make cookies, a step up from the store-bought kind I’d originally intended for us to decorate. Not that there were any of those left anyway. “Mommy, does this look good?” Hannah asked, dumping a pile of sprinkles on top of the star-shaped cookie she was decorating.
“That might be a little too much, Sweetie,” I said, rushing over to help. At the rate she was going through them, we’d never have enough to decorate our entire batch.
“Are we going to see Samantha and Alex tonight?” she asked in her little voice. I looked over at her and smiled fondly as her adorable little blonde curls bounced as she looked up at me.
“No, not tonight, honey. We’ll go over there tomorrow.”
“But I want to see them tonight,” she pouted.
“I know, but they want to be home so that Santa will come.”
“Santa only comes when kids are asleep in their beds,” she said, proud of her knowledge of the ins-and-outs of how Santa worked.
“Exactly,” I said with a smile. “And don’t forgot, Mommy’s friend is coming over tonight for dinner.”
“He saved Mommy,” she said, looking up from her next cookie.
“That’s right, he did,” I said. Hannah didn’t seem too concerned that I had a friend coming over this evening. She was too young to really understand, of course. Hannah didn’t remember her own father, and as far as she was concerned, some kids had mommies and daddies, and some just had mommies. Trent coming over this evening would give us a chance to say goodbye, but since he was leaving, it wasn’t even something that I needed to try to explain to her further.
***
At 6:30 sharp our doorbell rang. I had a roast in the oven, mashed potatoes warming on the stove, and a bottle of red wine already open. I was a little more nervous than I should have been, and I had to remind myself this was just a thank-you dinner for Trent’s help. I glanced down at flouncy black skirt and short-sleeved cream blouse. I hoped that I didn’t look overdressed, but after traipsing around the woods all day yesterday in jeans and hiking boots, I wanted to wear something a little nicer. Hannah already had on her special Christmas pajamas, a tradition in our house, and I didn’t see the need to change that just because Trent would be here.
I opened the door and was surprised to see Trent carrying a potted red poinsettia and wrapped gift. As attractive as he’d been in his fatigues yesterday, tonight he was even more handsome. He had on his dress uniform, and I realized that he’d probably come shortly after leaving the funeral and hadn’t brought many other clothes with him for his short trip. His was clean-shaven today, and I memorized the lines of his strong jaw and chiseled face as I met his dark eyes.
“I wanted to bring you some flowers,” he said, his voice deep. “Poinsettias seemed appropriate for the occasion.”
“They’re perfect,” I said. “You really didn’t need to bring anything at all though.”
“Well, I couldn’t exactly show up empty-handed on Christmas Eve,” he said.
Hannah came bounding over just then. “Is that for me?” she asked excitedly, catching sight of the brightly wrapped present with the big red bow on top.
“It is,” he said, smiling down at her warmly. “I’m Trent,” he said, stooping down to her level. I smiled, happy that he seemed to know how to talk to children.
“Mommy, can I open it now?” Hannah asked, jumping up and down as she looked up at me.
“How about after dinner? The roast is ready, and that will give you something to do later on while Trent and I talk.”
“Okay,” she said begrudgingly. “Can I show him our tree though?”
“Of course!”
“I’d love to see it,” he said.
My mouth dropped open as Hannah took his hand and pulled him into the living room. She was used to being around my father and brother-in-law, but I hadn’t seen her warm up to a strange man before. I felt a little bittersweet as I watched the two of them walk away hand-in-hand. I’m sure Hannah would love to have a father-figure in her life, but Trent was just passing through. It didn’t matter if she warmed up to him because he would never be able to stick around.
I pulled the roast from the oven and finished setting the table as Hannah showed Trent her favorite ornaments. I heard her tiny, little voice mixed in with his deep one, and my heart melted a little as I listened to them talking. He asked questions about which ornaments were hers, and she was more than happy to tell him the story behind each. I called them to the table before long, and Trent helped me carry the food over. He poured us each a glass of wine, and I smiled when he commented that he like my wineglasses. Hannah said a prayer, and then Trent made a toast. “To new friends,” he said.
I smiled, happy that he was here with us. “To new friends,” I echoed.
I helped Hannah slice her food, and before long we were all enjoying a nice meal together.
“Will you come back and have dinner with us again?” Hannah asked.
Trent met my eyes. “Well, that’s up to your mom.”
“Mommy, can he come back again? He’s really nice and even brings presents!”
I laughed and looked embarrassedly at Trent. “We’ll see,” I said. “Speaking of presents, do you want to open yours now?”
Hannah excitedly jumped down from her chair and went to retrieve it from the other room. She came running back into the kitchen and sat down right on the floor to open her present. “A doll!” she yelled out a moment later, happily holding the box up in
the air.
“Need some help opening that?” Trent asked as her little fingers tried to pry their way into the cardboard and plastic.
“Yes, please!” she said eagerly, thrusting the box to him. I smiled to myself as I carried our plates to the dishwasher, pleased to see her so happy.
An hour later she was still happily playing with her new doll under the Christmas tree while Trent and I each enjoyed another glass of wine. Hannah was starting to yawn, and I picked her up to carry her off to bed.
“Say goodnight to Mr. Trent,” I said, holding her in my arms.
“Goodnight. I have to go to bed soon because Santa’s coming.”
“That he is,” Trent said with a low chuckle. “Goodnight Hannah.”
I carried her upstairs and tucked her in, eager to have some quiet time alone with Trent. I still had a few presents to finish wrapping and had to get everything under the tree before Hannah woke up tomorrow morning, but there would be plenty of time for that later. Right now I wanted nothing more than to relax and enjoy some adult company.
Trent was standing there looking at ornaments on the tree when I came back downstairs. He turned to look at me and smiled, his brown eyes locking with mine as I descended the last few steps. “Thank you for dinner,” he said, walking over to me. “I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed myself so much.” He took my hand and brought it to his mouth, and I flushed as his lips brushed against my skin.
“I’m glad you could come,” I said softly. “Hannah adored you.”
“Well, I’m pretty fond of her and her mother,” he said, a smile playing on his lips. We were close enough that I could smell the spicy scent of his cologne, and I was forced to look up to meet his gaze since he towered above me. He bought his hand up to my face and slowly traced his knuckles across my cheek. Something began to stir inside me, and I wanted nothing more than for him to take me into his arms.
As if reading my mind, he put his hands on my waist and gently pulled me closer to him. He filled out his uniform nicely, and I couldn’t wait to feel his body against mine once more. I reached up, putting my arms around his neck, and he lowered his head, giving me a sweet and gentle kiss. I stood up on my tiptoes, wanting to be closer to him still, and he suddenly reached down and scooped me up into his arms. My legs wrapped tightly around him, and he carried me in his arms as if I weighed almost nothing, walking over to the sofa.
The room was dimly lit from the white lights on the Christmas tree, and I loved the way a warm glow was cast about the room. It created a magical, romantic atmosphere. Trent sat down on the sofa, with me straddling him, and I felt a bulge beginning to form beneath his trousers. “I take that back,” he said, his voice deep. “Last night was pretty amazing, too.” His hungry mouth met mine, his tongue pushing inside and exploring. His fingers slid to the front of my delicate blouse, and he hastily unbuttoned it, accidentally knocking one button off in his eagerness. His hands reached up to hold my breasts, and his fingers tugged at the cups of my bra, exposing my nipples. He bent down, his mouth hot on my flesh, and he kissed first one nipple then the other, flicking his tongue quickly back and forth across each. I let out a moan, and he slid his hands around my back, unhooking my bra to free my aching breasts. He caressed them with his strong hands, grasping and kneading them with able fingers.
“Trent,” I moaned, as his thumbs grazed across each nipple. He kissed me again, his tongue thrusting into my mouth, and I felt the sensitive spot between my legs beginning to throb. His hands soon moved down my abdomen, eagerly wanting to explore more of me. They slid over my hips and then down the outside of my skirt, easily sliding under the fabric until his fingertips grazed the skin on my thighs.
“I want to make you feel nice,” he whispered huskily, suddenly turning and leaning me back against the plush pillows on the sofa. His eyes gazed at my bare breasts, and he planted a trail of kisses across them before lowering his head down to my thighs. He pushed my skirt up and slid his fingers beneath the waist of my silky panties. I took a sharp intake of breath as his knuckles grazed across my stomach, and I was already wet with arousal as he gently tugged my panties off. He kissed me softly on my inner thigh, slowly moving higher and higher, until I was writhing under his touch. His nose grazed across my mound, but rather than stopping there, he planted a few kisses down my other thigh, until at last he returned to where I was desperate for his touch.
Spreading my legs slightly farther apart, he slid his thumb across my sensitive nub. “Oh!” I cried out, barely able to contain myself at his touch. He leaned down and slowly flicked his tongue across my clitoris, tickling me with pleasure. I gasped and writhed again beneath him. Pinning my thighs down with his strong arms, he held me in position and bent down again to satisfy me, his tongue gently caressing my most sensitive spot. I groaned and thought I detected a pleased sound coming from him at my reaction. He continued to tease me with his tongue, flicking it up and down over the fleshy nub and stopping just as I begin gasping. “Trent,” I moaned, my face flushed from coming so close to orgasm. “Don’t stop.” He tasted me again then begin to speed up, his tongue moving faster and faster, each stroke building the heat burning inside of me, until at last he gave one final flutter over my sensitive nub, and I shouted out as I finally came.
“God, you are sexy,” he muttered, slowly raising his head up to meet up gaze. I panted as I looked at him, and I saw a satisfied look in his eyes, mixed in with desire of his own. He planted slow kisses up my abdomen before reaching my breasts. He paused there, paying them each due attention, as his fingers gently trailed up my sides.
“Let’s go upstairs,” he said huskily.
“Okay,” I whispered back.
Before I could stand, he rose, scooping me into his strong arms. Trent easily carried me up the stairs, and I worried for a moment that we might wake Hannah, but he was quiet as he carried me into the bedroom. Placing me on the bed, Trent quickly undressed down to his boxers. I slipped off my skirt, knowing I’d left the rest of my clothes abandoned on the living room floor. Climbing into bed beside me, Trent pulled me into his arms. We lay kissing in the darkness, my body pressed tightly against his. He rolled us over so that he was on top of me and slid his hand down, over my waist and hip, coming to rest mid-thigh. He softly ran his hand up and down along my bare skin, and I felt a familiar warmth growing inside of me at his touch. Slowly Trent slid his hand back up again, and I gasped aloud as his thumb grazed the inside of my thigh. He continued moving his hand higher until at last he was gently caressing me where his mouth had been only minutes before.
He paused to pull down his boxers, and I could see that he was as ready as I was. He pulled a foil wrapper from his pants pocket. Swiftly putting on the condom, he lowered himself back down to me. I reached out my hand to guide him, and as our bodies touched, he gently slid inside of me. I gasped as I took him in, feeling his hardness and girth fill me up. Trent kissed my neck and began slowly moving, and I wrapped my arms around his strong chest. I could feel my body respond to his, remembering where we’d left off, and I moved in rhythm with him. A warm feeling was growing inside of me, building from the core. He began to move faster, his body thrusting into mine, until soon I was gasping again. I clung onto him, feeling the heat wash over me, and as his manhood again pushed farther inside me, I couldn’t hold back any longer and cried out.
Trent finished as well, grunting, before slowing his rhythm down and finally resting atop of me. He kissed me tenderly on the lips before lifting himself off of me and rolling to my side. He wrapped his strong arms around me and pulled me close. “I’m glad you rear-ended my Jeep yesterday,” he said with smile, reaching up to gently caress my cheek with the back of his hand.
“Me too,” I whispered.
“If it’s still okay, I’d like to spend Christmas with you tomorrow,” he said.
“I’d like that.” Our eyes locked, and I could see the love and emotion filling his. I leaned over and kissed him, feeling completely content, not w
anting to be anywhere other than by his side.
Epilogue
On Christmas morning I awoke to Hannah running into my bedroom. I sat up in a panic, realizing that not only had I never finished wrapping her presents, but I also hadn’t set anything under the tree. Looking around, I wondered where Trent was. His clothes were gone, so he’d obviously dressed, and my clothes from last night were neatly folded on the dresser. At least Hannah wouldn’t see my clothing strewn about our living room.
“Mommy! Mommy! Santa came!” she exclaimed, jumping up and down.
“Well, let me go and check, Sweetie,” I said. “Why don’t you wait here?”
“No, he did come, Mr. Trent told me!”
“Mr. Trent? Where did you see him?”
“He was walking down our stairs. He said to tell you he took care of everything.”
I looked at Hannah, puzzled, and climbed out of bed. Grabbing my black silk robe, I slipped it on and took Hannah’s hand, quickly walking out into the hallway. As we walked downstairs, I saw our Christmas tree aglow as we’d left it the night before. But rather than encountering a tree with no presents underneath, as I’d feared, I was greeted by the sight of piles of gifts. I’d left the remaining things for Hannah in my bedroom, along with rolls of wrapping paper, and somehow Trent had discovered them all. He must have been up early this morning, wrapping the presents and putting them under the tree for me. I’d been so exhausted that I hadn’t even heard him moving around in our small house.
We stepped into the living room, Hannah squealing with glee, and Trent walked out of the kitchen, a huge smile on his face.
“When did you do this?” I mouthed, looking at him over Hannah’s blonde curls.
“It can be our little secret,” he said, and I suddenly flushed, remembering that he’d said that same thing the first morning we’d woken up together. This secret was so much better though, because rather than referring to just one night of unbridled passion, he’d helped me give Hannah a magical Christmas morning. There was nothing better than seeing the wonder of Christmas through the eyes of a child, and I knew Trent was feeling that magic as well.
Christmas with a Soldier (Soldier Series Romance Novellas) Page 4