by Thea Dawson
“No one’s hurt, right? Richard, I am so sorry. I have no idea—” But to her astonishment, Richard just smiled and waved his hand.
“They’re fine. Let’s get these guys to bed.”
“Dad, what are you doing here?” Peyton looked at Richard with a stricken expression.
“I ran into Celia on campus and gave her a ride home.”
“Phew!” Peyton made an exaggerated swipe of relief across her brow. “I was afraid you were going to try and take me home.”
“And take you away from all this excitement? Never. C’mon, back to Celia’s house everyone, and you can tell us exactly what happened.”
They trooped down the stairs just as the cop was climbing back into his patrol car. Tracie trotted up to them.
“Sorry about that. Guinevere got a little spring fever and took off. But that cop gave me his number! Hi, I’m Tracie.” She held a hand out to Richard. “You must be Richard. We kind of met once when I gave your wife a massage. Your daughter is darling. I’d bet anything you’re a Leo.”
Richard shook her hand, nonplussed. “Yes, I am.”
Tracie squealed and turned to Celia. “Perfect!” she mouthed silently.
Celia rolled her eyes. “What did the cop want? You guys go inside and get ready for bed,” she said to the three girls as they trooped past her.
“I got a citation for illegal livestock or something,” Tracie explained. “I have 48 hours to find a better home for her or they arrest both of us. Or maybe just me, I’m not sure. Poor Gwen. I’m going to miss her. But that cop was cute, don’t you think?”
Celia sighed. “Thank you for looking after the kids, Tracie. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“G’night!” Tracie called cheerfully after them.
At the top of her own porch steps, Celia turned to face Richard. “I’m so sorry. Tracie’s a bit loopy, but we’ve never had the cops before. I won’t blame you if you want to just take Peyton home and call it a night.”
Richard grinned at her. “What, are you kidding? You’re not getting out of this that easily. Is he asleep?” He nodded at Rowan, whose head rested heavily on Celia’s shoulder. Celia nodded in affirmation. “Good.”
He leaned in again and gave her another knee-melting, butterfly-inducing kiss before pulling back. “Here’s the deal. I’ll go in long enough to say goodnight to Peyton, then I’m going to get across town and back in record time. Think you can get them all asleep in less than 20 minutes?”
Celia grinned, her optimism restored. “I’m damned well going to try.”
“Good girl!”
Spurred on my Richard’s timetable, Celia had all four children in bed in record time. Despite the excitement, they quieted down relatively quickly. Rowan never woke up at all, and she simply slipped him into his crib with his clothes still on.
She did a mad dash around her bedroom, flinging scattered clothes into a laundry basket in the closet, swiftly making the bed and fluffing the pillows, then turning down one corner of the covers enticingly. She brushed her teeth and rummaged deep in her drawers for a lacy silk nightgown that she hadn’t worn since well before Rowan had been born. To her relief it still fit, and she slipped it on, tossing her fluffy robe over it. She lit a couple of candles and placed them on the bedside table, turned off the bedroom lights, and stepped back to admire her work.
Not bad. The small bedroom with the oddly sloping ceiling had been transformed into something cozy and romantic. Her heart began to pound as she heard the gravelly crunch of a car pulling up in front of her house and stopping.
She tiptoed downstairs in time to open the door just as Richard was knocking gently on it. She barely had a chance to close it behind him before he had caught her up in a passionate embrace and she lost herself in the feel of his strong arms, the smell of his cologne, and the sensation of his hungry mouth on hers.
“What’s under this robe?” he whispered, sliding his hand beneath its collar. She shivered as he grazed her breast.
“Come upstairs and I’ll show you,” she whispered back. “But we have to be really quiet. The kids might not be asleep yet.”
He tugged at the sash to her robe and slid his hands over her silk-covered waist. “That’s going to be a challenge because you ...” he pushed one collar of the robe aside and kissed her shoulder, “… make me ...” he pushed the other collar aside and kissed the other shoulder, “… want to make a lot of noise.”
Each kiss sent electric shocks from the point of contact straight to apex of her legs. His mouth crushed down on hers again and she parted her lips to let in his probing tongue. She fisted his thick hair with both hands, aware of his hands sliding beneath her flimsy nightgown to grip her bottom.
“Upstairs. Now,” he growled.
His commanding tone sent an extra shock of excitement through her. “Mind your head on the way up,” she remembered to tell him. “Low ceiling.”
She led the way upstairs, aware of him barely a step behind her. Once in the bedroom, she closed and locked the door then turned to look at him, feeling suddenly shy.
He let the overnight bag he was carrying slide gently to the floor, then pushed her robe all the way off letting it pool around her feet. He stepped back to admire her while her heart raced under his scrutiny.
“My God, you’re beautiful,” he murmured, kissing her again, slower and more sensuously this time.
“And you are overdressed,” she reminded him.
“Not for long,” he promised with that slow, playful smile she adored. “Lie down.”
She smiled at him . “You can’t boss me around anymore. You fired me, remember?” She and stepped forward, grabbing him by the waistband of his khaki pants, and began undoing his belt.
He kissed her while he loosened his necktie and began fumbling at the buttons of his shirt. “Fine. You’re hired again. Get into bed.”
“Patience, you bossy man.” The buckle undone, she pulled the belt out of his waistband and went for the button, but he stopped her and swooped her up into his arms.
“You’re really bad at taking orders, you know that?” He placed her gently on the bed and covered her body with his. She surrendered to his kisses and let him pull her nightgown up and over her head. She was now naked except for a pair of lacy thong panties. He stood up and gave a low, appreciative whistle as he began unbuttoning his shirt.
She smiled up at him as the shirt, followed quickly by his pants, came off and landed on the floor. His boxer shorts left no doubt as to the state of his desire. He quickly grabbed a condom from the overnight bag and placed on the bedside table next to the candles before climbing back onto the bed and straddling her, trapping her legs between his.
She reached for his boxers, but he stopped her, pushing her firmly down onto the bed. Pinning her hands above her head with one hand, he took one nipple in his free hand and the other in his mouth, working them until she made tiny mewling noises. When she began to squirm, he released her, and left a trail of kisses from the base of her throat down her chest and abdomen, until he came to rest between legs.
“These have to come off now,” he whispered, tugging the last bit of fabric down her legs.
Then he alternated between covering her with his mouth, using his tongue to bring her to new heights, and sinking his fingers into her hot core. She gripped the sheets in hands and bit her lip to try to keep quiet, but she couldn’t repress a drawn-out moan as he brought her to a climax.
“Oh, God …” she breathed.
He grabbed the condom and swiftly sheathed himself. “I hope you’re not too worn out, because I’m just getting started,” he whispered.
“Bring it on,” she whispered back.
He flipped her over and took her from behind. The raw power of his thrusts, the feel of his hand on her breast and his mouth on the back of her neck roused her all over again, and again she had to bite her lip to stay quiet.
He pulled her up so that she was sitting on his lap, her back to him. His hands were free to
explore everywhere, and they did, fisting her hair, stroking her waist, pinching her nipples, playing with the sensitive bud between her legs. She whimpered as she edged closer to another climax, then groaned in frustration as he gently pushed her off and rolled her onto her back.
“I want to see your eyes when you come,” he whispered, entering her again. He kissed her, deeply and passionately, as she pressed herself against him, surrendering herself along with her doubts … at least for now. I love you, she thought, but she bit back the words, not sure if either of them were ready for them.
Instead she looked deep into his eyes, refusing to close her own as the heat that was building in her core exploded and sent her over the edge. Her release triggered his and he drove his hips into her in a frenzy of passion until they both lay exhausted in each other’s arms.
22
Richard woke to find Celia snuggled against him. He inhaled the scent of her hair and stared out the window, awash in a feeling of contented relaxation that he hadn’t felt in years. The sky was still a dim gray; he couldn’t see a clock from where he lay, but he assumed it was around 5 a.m. What time would the kids get up? He hoped, of course, that they might have time for more lovemaking, but he also simply relished the quiet time with her, and wasn’t sure when they’d next have the opportunity.
Beside him, Celia murmured and stirred.
“Good morning, boss,” she said sleepily.
He smiled. “I can’t remember now if we left it as you were fired or you were hired.”
“Hired. So you could go all alpha male on me and boss me around.”
“Are you going to file a complaint?”
She propped herself up on her elbows and gave him a lazy, sensual smile. Her hair fell in sexy disarray across one bare shoulder. “Who said I had any complaints?” she asked.
“In all seriousness,” he said, brushing her hair out of her face, “do you want to still keep working for me? You were right last night; I haven’t been looking for another nanny. And I’m sorry about that. Sort of. But school’s almost out, and I can’t imagine anyone else looking after Peyton—”
She shook her head. “I don’t mind looking after her. You don’t need to pay me—”
“If you’re going to work, I want to pay you. I’d feel like I was taking advantage of you otherwise.”
“You can make it up to me by taking advantage of me in other ways.” She kissed his shoulder, and he felt himself stir in response.
“How about you give up working at the grocery store?” he suggested. “I don’t know how you do everything you do, but you need to concentrate on your design work, and I’m going to want some of your time for myself. Quit the Co-op and let me keep paying you to look after Peyton so you can focus on building up your design business.”
She pulled away and lay looking up at the ceiling. “Maybe ... the Co-op’s just been such a big help for such a long time. I guess I feel kind of disloyal leaving. But they’re not as busy over the summer, so I’ll talk to Lindsay about reducing my hours at least.”
“Good. Now, the really important question: what time do the kids get up?”
She gave him a sly smile. “On the weekends? Any time after daylight is fair game.”
He rolled over on top of her, pinning her hands to the pillow over her head. Her little gasp of surprise and the way her blue eyes darkened in desire made him grow harder. “Then I guess we’d better make this quick.”
Her eyes danced in anticipation. “You’re the boss.”
The kids slept late and by the time they got up, Richard and Celia were dressed and having coffee in the kitchen, Richard looking for all intents and purposes as if he’d simply stopped by a little early. Peyton groaned at seeing her father there early, but put on her soccer uniform and ate the breakfast that Celia made without complaint.
Tracie appeared at the door not long after Richard and Peyton had left for Peyton’s soccer match.
She stepped inside and looked around quickly. The kids were upstairs. “So, I’m guessing you and Richard are back on?” she whispered, her expression lit with eagerness.
“Because he’s a Leo?” asked Celia dryly. She hadn’t quite recovered from coming home to find the cops in Tracie’s front yard.
“Because his car was parked in front of your house all night,” Tracie snickered. “And yes, Leos are an excellent match for Aries, especially in the bedroom—which might be why that boy couldn’t take his eyes off you.”
The remnants of Celia’s annoyance with Tracie melted. “You think?” She couldn’t keep the eagerness out of her voice.
Tracie nodded reassuringly. “I have a really good feeling about you guys. However, I have a big problem right now, which is trying to find a home for Gwen. You wouldn’t believe how goat-unfriendly most of the neighborhoods in this town are.”
Celia gave it a moment’s thought. “I have a client who owns a dairy farm just outside town,” she remembered. “I’ll ask him if he knows anyone.”
Tracie gave her a big hug. “Thank you! And I’m sorry about last night. I hope that cop car didn’t scare you too much. The officer was so nice. Totally apologized for giving me the citation. Did I tell you I got his number?”
Celia nodded, wondering if the poor cop had any idea what he’d let himself in for.
“Okay, I gotta run. I want to spend some quality time with Gwen before she goes over to your friend’s.”
“Wait, I didn’t say he was going to take her! I just said I’d ask if he knows anyone,” Celia said in alarm.
“Oh, I know,” Tracie assured her. “But I have a really good feeling about this, too.”
Richard couldn’t remember ever enjoying an elementary school soccer match as much as he enjoyed Peyton’s that morning. The overcast sky that he and Celia had woken up to had turned into a gloriously sunny day, warm with just a hint of breeze. Azaleas bloomed in the bushes that lined the bright green soccer field, and a few puffy clouds meandered across the brilliant blue sky, their only apparent purpose to make the picture-postcard day that much prettier.
Peyton’s team won, adding to the perfection of the day, and Richard took her out to lunch and ice cream at Merilee’s cafe to celebrate. Once home, he made sure she was working on her homework while he began compiling a report for Susan.
Mid-afternoon, Peyton stepped into his office, her face eager. “Lily’s on the phone, and they’re going to go re-home Gwen on some farm. Can I go with them?”
“How’s the homework going?”
She shrugged. “I’m almost finished with my essay on Ancient Egypt, but I haven’t done my math problems.”
“Well, homework first. Plus you had a late night last night and a busy morning today. Maybe you and Lily can go visit Gwen some other time.”
Peyton’s face fell into that obstinate frown he was seeing more often these days. “Celia’s letting Lily go, and she has the same homework. Why can’t I go?”
“I just said why. Tell Lily you can’t go. Get all your homework done, and maybe you can have a playdate tomorrow.”
The rebellious look in Peyton’s eyes flared up for a moment, but she turned on her heel and left the room. He frowned at the report. Peyton had picked up on Celia’s more relaxed parenting style from the moment Celia come into their lives, and there had been a few other times that she’d made sure to mention that Lily didn’t have to do this or that. Richard spared a moment to wonder how he and Celia would reconcile their parenting values. As excited as he was for them to explore their relationship, the contrast in the parenting styles was sure to become more pronounced as they spent more time together.
23
“For goodness sake, she’d busier now than she is during the school year!” Celia looked at Richard with some exasperation. There were only a few days left of school, and they were going over the Peyton’s summer schedule, which included two weeks of science camp, two weeks of nature camp, and two weeks of soccer camp, along with riding lessons, ballet and, beginning in August,
violin lessons. “Were you this busy when you were a kid?”
Richard frowned at her over the table in his kitchen. He’d asked Celia to look over the schedule with him and let him know if she’d be available to pick Peyton up and drop her off as needed. “It’s different now,” he told her. “It’s a more competitive world. It’s harder to get into good colleges than it was when we were younger. I want her to be prepared. And I know you want your kids to be prepared, too.”
Celia glanced quickly out the glass door to make sure the kids were all still playing on the climbing structure. Richard had recently opened his pool with the result that Rowan and Rosie were now obliged to wear lifejackets whenever they played outside and Lily and Peyton were charged with keeping an eye on them. But the one time they’d tried to go swimming, everyone had agreed that the water was still too cold, and so far no one had been tempted to go back.
Celia looked back at the print-out of the schedule that Richard had placed in front of her. Her own kids were signed up for swim lessons, and Lily would continue with riding and Rosie with ballet, but beyond that, they had no real plans. “Yes, but … isn’t there something to be said for just chilling out, too? Especially during the summer?” She thought of her own childhood summers. Her parents had sent her to camp for a couple of weeks each year, but most of her memories were of reading, climbing trees, having sleepovers with friends, and going camping with her family.
“I’m taking her up to my parents’ cabin on the lake for a few days right after school gets out. She can chill out then.”