It was getting late and Carson was worn out. All she wanted now was a shower, a glass of wine and her bed. She could wrap the gifts in the morning.
There wasn’t a message on her machine so Erin hadn’t called to back out, and Carson felt her heart skip a beat. She would spend Christmas with someone else for the first time since she’d left home, and not just anyone, but a very beautiful woman who she was hopelessly in love with.
ERIN NERVOUSLY PACED the living room of the penthouse apartment. Her bags were packed to spend the holiday weekend with Carson, and she still couldn’t help but wonder how she found herself in this position. What began as a very pleasant conversation with a young woman that she had fallen for in the space of a week had ended with the unexpected date for the entire weekend. Dinner was one thing, but Erin wasn’t sure Carson was ready for anything that spending a weekend together might imply.
Several times, Erin considered calling back to cancel but changed her mind. She wanted to see Carson, and was curious where she lived. There was so much Erin needed to know about Carson... what was her favorite color? Did Carson prefer baths or showers? It would be safer for both of them to keep things light for a while and embark on normal dating endeavors such as dinner, coffee or even a movie, but Erin didn’t want that. She wanted so much more, but had to remind herself that if Carson wanted to go slow then they would go slow. This was too important to rush and possibly ruin.
This was simply a case of two women who happened to be attracted to one another sharing Christmas rather than celebrating it alone. Erin had to remember that and not allow her own desire to frighten the young woman who was discovering love for the first time. At least Erin hoped it was love on Carson’s part. She didn’t know what she would do if she fell any deeper for the younger woman only to have Carson unable to return her emotions.
Nervously she replayed the events of last night in her mind. Erin didn’t know why she practically dragged Carson into her apartment to kiss her. All she knew was that Carson was going to run away after merely smashing their lips together for a few precious seconds, and Erin wasn’t willing to settle for that. Anticipation got the best of her and made Erin throw caution to the wind, and she had been rewarded with countless minutes of passion that made her forget Carson’s fear. From the way Carson responded she had forgotten it, too.
Then Erin had invited Carson to stay the night, her intentions very clear and Erin watched the panic rush back into the younger woman’s face. Erin could have kicked herself.
Now, Carson had invited Erin to spend Christmas with her and Erin was confused.
She’s a grown woman and I can feel that she wants me as much as I want her, she thought. That’s probably why she’s so frightened, at least part of it. Carson must have enough pent up sexual energy to power a small mid-western city. But does she have any idea how hard this is going to be for me? To not pounce on her?
It wasn’t as if Carson gave her much of a choice. She just requested that Erin bring an overnight bag and she would pick her up at noon.
The doorbell rang and Erin jumped at the sound. Her heart accelerated almost painfully, and she was suddenly out of time to decide.
“Come in.”
Carson walked through the door looking entirely too wonderful and for a moment all Erin could do was stare.
She was dressed casually in jeans, white tennis shoes, and a blue button-down shirt covered by a denim jacket. Carson’s blonde hair spilled gloriously around her shoulders, and Erin remembered how the thick strands had felt between her fingers.
“Hi,” she said softly, shyly.
“Hi,” Carson returned. “Are you ready to go?”
Erin nodded and put on her jacket before she picked up her bags. One was a black, leather duffle, and the other was a shoulder bag. The shoulder bag held the gifts Erin had run out for after talking with Carson on the phone. She could hardly spend Christmas with Carson and not get presents.
Carson took the duffle bag from her, and Erin carried her purse.
“You look wonderful,” Carson said. “This is the first time I haven’t seen you in a skirt.”
Erin looked down reflexively at her faded jeans and hiking boots. She wore a purple sweater, and a leather coat.
“Well, you said you live out on one of the old estates so I wanted to be prepared.”
“I live on an estate, Erin, not on a farm. You won’t have to worry about slogging through the mud.”
Humor threaded Carson’s voice and Erin laughed. “You’re just going to have to show me this place so I’ll know what to expect next time.”
Erin wondered if Carson thought she was presumptuous for implying there would be a next time, but she didn’t say anything. Carson merely smiled that gentle smile that glowed in her eyes and walked out into the hall. Erin locked the door and they walked down to the lobby.
Carson had used valet parking and they had to wait a few minutes while the Lexus was brought around to the front. Erin followed Carson to the car. They were out of the city in minutes. Sunlight glinted off the great lake as Carson drove up the Kennedy Expressway, and Erin relaxed against the heated seats. The atmosphere was relaxed and comfortable.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been to this part of the city,” Erin admitted softly as she looked out across the water at the gray mist. In the deep summer, people enjoyed sailing schooners and catamarans, and Erin appreciated the vivid colors against the blue water, but now the water was too cold for outdoor excursions.
“How long?”
“Hmm, at least two years,” Erin admitted with some surprise. “Since before I took over the penthouse from my dad. The summer before that I went to Paris for a symposium, but it only lasted three days.”
“That’s not much time for sightseeing. I have never been to Paris.”
Erin barely refrained from commenting that they could go together some time. “You should go. The Eiffel Tower is amazing.”
“Is it true that the Eiffel Tower used to be a radio station?”
Erin nodded. “Yes. It had been abandoned for years and the French government almost tore it down before it was turned into a tourist attraction. Now they make far too much from the proceeds to even consider it.”
“Not to mention the tourism trade it draws to the city itself.”
“Very true. Have you ever been out of the United States,” Erin asked curiously. She knew Carson spent most of her young life in school and developing the company, but Erin didn’t know if she had ever taken any time off.
“Sadly, no. But someday I would like to go on the haunted castle tour in England. I hear it is an amazing experience.”
“That sounds like fun.”
Carson turned on her blinker and Erin sat up a little straighter, more interested in their surroundings. They turned onto a small, tree-lined road and Erin felt as though they had done more than just leave the city. A lot of the trees here were evergreens, and the sudden contrast of color against the usual bleak winter backdrop gave her a surreal feeling.
A few hundred yards up the lane Carson turned into a private drive and had to stop for a moment while a black wrought iron security gate opened. Then they drove through and the lane made a sharp cut back to the right.
Erin gasped at the first sight of Carson’s home. The façade of the house was brick and it rested up on a pad higher than the surrounding property. It had two stories, and Erin counted three chimneys from the front. Smoke drifted from the chimney closest to the entrance, and Erin guessed that was where the living area was. In warmer weather, the smoke of a fire would have been invisible, but in the intense cold, it stood out like a brush fire. In the distance, she could just make out the glint of water.
“You have a private lake?”
“It’s more of a duck pond, really.”
Then they went around the corner and Erin had the full view of Lake Michigan. Even through the construction equipment currently employed to build the sea wall, the view was impressive.
“You didn’t tell me about this!”
“I wanted you to be surprised.”
Erin could hear the pride in Carson’s voice and couldn’t blame her. “This place is amazing.”
“Thank you.”
“What’s the heavy equipment for?”
“Right now they’re building a sea wall,” Carson said. “I just didn’t feel safe being so close to the lake without protection. There will be a lot of other work done as well, but I don’t anticipate it taking as long as the sea wall has so far.”
They must have driven past a sensor because, although Erin didn’t see Carson press any buttons, the huge doors to the garage began to rise. Lights came on automatically as they pulled inside, and the doors lowered again.
Even the garage was quite roomy. A tool cart sat at one end, and a large freezer took up another corner, but other than that, the garage was empty.
Erin got out of the car and was surprised again when she felt heated air instead of the usual cool dampness typical of a carport. A heated garage?
“Let me help get your bags.”
Bags in hand, Carson led the way to a door and they emerged in the kitchen. Erin followed and her eyes popped as she looked around.
“This kitchen is huge, not to mention well-stocked. You must have every cooking gadget known to man.”
Right off Erin identified an espresso machine, food processor, and a wrought iron rack so loaded with various cooking pots she thought it was a wonder it didn’t fall from the ceiling. Some things she couldn’t identify and she walked up to one of the mystery gadgets curiously.
“It’s a pasta press.”
“You make your own pasta? Isn’t that very time consuming?”
“Very,” Carson agreed. “But I did tell you I like to cook.”
“Yes, you did. I just had no idea how serious you were about it. I’m surprised you didn’t become a chef instead of a computer whiz.”
“I’ll remind you of that later,” Carson said with gentle humor. “You might change your mind.”
Erin had a feeling Carson was being modest. The well-equipped room hinted at a love of cooking that went beyond mere food preparation. The gadgets, obviously frequently used, were kept immaculately clean. That much love of something creative was indicative of a tender, sensitive soul, and Erin looked at Carson with fresh eyes.
Everything the young woman did, she did completely with a focused intensity that would drown out the world around her. When Carson finally fell hard enough, would she bring that fervor to making love? If she were ever lucky enough to be the recipient of that intensity, Erin didn’t know if she could survive it. But what a way to go!
A shiver traveled up her spine. “When do I get the honor of taking you up on that,” Erin said in a gravelly voice.
Carson’s eyes darkened and Erin wondered if she had noticed the undertones that laced the question.
“Tonight, actually. Since we are having a traditional holiday meal tomorrow, I thought we could just grill steaks tonight. Do you like steak?”
“I adore it,” Erin admitted and wasn’t sure she was talking about meat. “Oh, that reminds me.”
Erin sat her bags down and reached into the one that held Carson’s present. She carefully pulled out another large bag wrapped in plastic to keep from wetting the gift-wrapping.
“I didn’t want to come empty handed, so I brought the wine.”
“You brought a red and a white?”
Erin grinned. “Well, I didn’t know what we’d be having.”
“So you planned for every possibility,” Carson finished. “Good thinking. I’ll put the wine away and then show you to your room so you can settle in.”
“All right, but after that do you mind if I have the tour. I would love to see the rest of your home.”
Erin saw that she had said the right thing. Carson got that little shy smile on her face that barely curved her lips, but shone most brilliantly in her eyes.
“I’d like that.”
Carson put the white wine in a refrigerated cooler under the massive kitchen island, and placed the red in a wine rack set beneath a cupboard. Then she picked up Erin’s duffle bag and led the way through her house toward the guest room. Carson had never used the room before and hoped it would be to Erin’s liking.
When they walked through the living room Erin gasped, and Carson looked back to see what was wrong.
“That’s the biggest tree I’ve ever seen, at least in someone’s house!”
“Wait until we decorate it.”
Carson stifled a laugh as Erin’s eyes bugged, and started toward the bedroom again. She sat the duffle on the bed and then turned to her guest.
“There is a private bathroom in the corner,” she said, pointing. “And that door leads out to the back deck. Towels are in a cupboard in the bathroom, but I have taken the liberty of laying out a few for you. My room is directly across the hall.”
The last bit she added in a rush, and hoped she didn’t sound too awkward. What she really wanted was for Erin to sleep in her room, or perhaps more than sleep, but it was entirely too soon for that. Still, just the thought of Erin sleeping across the hall would probably be enough to keep her up all night.
The room was an array of blues and silvers. A nautical theme of tiny sailboats, and seashells adorned the wall shelves, and a ship in a bottle sat in the center of the dresser. An old-fashioned white life preserver hung on the wall on the far side, but the bed linens were far from rustic. The blue chenille spread was turned down at the top to reveal creamy white sheets and pillows that looked like clouds.
“It’s lovely. Thank you.”
Carson thought she could fall into those eyes. “Well, get settled in, and I’ll show you around a little.” Then she left before she did something to make a fool of herself.
With Erin just down the hall, Carson didn’t know what to do with her hands. This is ridiculous! This is my home, and I should just do what I would if she wasn’t here. Okay, what would I do? Music!
Carson had picked out several CD’s when Erin joined her a few minutes later. Erin clasped her hands, and looked as nervous as Carson. To ease the tension a little, Carson asked, “What kind of music would you like?”
“I’d like some oldies, or perhaps a little jazz,” Erin suggested.
Carson looked at the discs she had selected. “How about Diana Krall, Kenny G, and Enigma to start?”
“Sounds good.”
Erin looked around the room while Carson put on the stereo. With the music in the background, Erin reminded Carson again of the tour. They started on the lower floor, most of which Erin had already seen, before they went upstairs. Off the second floor family room, Carson opened the French doors and stepped out onto the Juliet balcony. Erin was only a step behind her, and Carson watched her closely for a reaction.
Awe was the word that came to Carson’s mind.
Erin’s hands gripped the wooden railing as she looked out across the distance of the property. There was a duck pond a little to the left of the house that was frozen, but that didn’t keep cardinals from landing and taking off again, and then straight out was the view of the great lake. From Carson’s balcony it looked as though it went on forever.
“It’s like something out of a painting. How can you ever bear to leave?”
To Carson it seemed Erin tore her eyes away from the scene with great difficulty to look at her.
“It is hard on some days. On those days I remind myself that I would not have this if not for my company, and it’s a little easier. On days like today, with you here, it would not be possible.”
She hadn’t meant to admit that, and Carson was nervous about the reaction she would get, but Erin didn’t seem to mind. She stepped toward her, and for a second Carson wondered if Erin would kiss her again. Instead, Erin slid her arms inside Carson’s coat and hugged her gently.
Carson wrapped her longer arms around Erin’s shoulders, and held her as she relished the feel of the war
m body. Red hair tickled her cheek and chin, and Carson inhaled the flowery scent of her shampoo.
After a moment Erin spoke. “Carson?”
“Hmm?”
“Can we go back inside before my toes freeze?”
Carson laughed and pulled away. “Of course. Let me show you the rest.”
“There’s more?”
“Oh yes, much more. You haven’t seen the solarium, the spa, or my library yet.”
“Oh dear!”
Thirty minutes later, the tour was complete and they were sitting on the couch. Their coats were deposited in the coat closet and Carson had lit a fire in the stone fireplace and made a pot of coffee. The coffee and cups sat on a silver tray near at hand along with a sugar and milk dispenser.
Carson poured coffee into the fine china before she handed a cup to Erin.
“To first Christmases together.”
Erin’s eyes sparkled when she lifted her cup to return the toast. “First Christmases.”
They sipped the strong brew quietly. Erin spotted the boxes of decorations piled in one corner. “Good Lord! Are we really going to try and get all of that on the tree?”
“Well maybe not all of it, but I did want us to have a good selection. Would you like to start?”
Erin considered for a second before she grinned.“Why not?”
Carson eagerly knelt in front of the boxes with Erin beside her and started to dig through the assortment. Then she decided she wanted to be comfortable and sat down to take off her shoes. Erin laughed at how childlike Carson looked before she dropped to the floor, and followed suit.
The next few hours were spent drinking coffee and decorating the tree. They strung the lights first, but when Carson plugged them into the wall, nothing happened. Erin doubled in delighted laughter while Carson frowned mightily. Now there was no choice, but to pull the whole strand off and try to find the burned out bulb.
The lights were strung out all the way to the kitchen, and both women were on their hands and knees to find the culprit. Carson was back toward the tree while Erin had gone the other direction. The triumphant cry made Carson look up to get an eye full of Erin’s rounded cheeks.
Now You See Me Page 17