Blushing in Boston (At the Altar Book 7)

by Kirsten Osbourne

  "I've learned not to judge anyone on anything. As long as I know you didn't marry me for my wealth, I'm happy." He turned to her more fully on the swing, cupping her cheek in one hand. "I think we're going to get along well." She seemed overwhelmed by the opulence of her new surroundings, but she didn't seem to be money-hungry. He'd gotten to the point where he could spot a woman looking for money from miles away.

  "I hope so. I don't really feel like we belong in the same world."

  He ran his thumb across her lips. "Trust me, I'm a self-made man. I wouldn't have been able to go to college without my scholarship." He wanted to kiss her. No, he wanted to pull her upstairs and make love with her all night. Was it too soon to try something?

  Brenda wanted to ask him more, but she was afraid to after what he'd said earlier. "When did you start your business?" Surely that was a safe topic. She hated that a part of his life was closed off to her.

  "The whole thing was the idea of my girlfriend my freshman year in college. We started it together, and a lot of it was her brainpower. She got annoyed with how obsessed I was with it, and asked me to buy her out a year later." He'd been happy to see her go. The girl had been constantly angry with him for the amount of hours he'd worked to grow their business.

  She frowned. "So she was annoyed that you were working to make a success of her idea?"

  He nodded. "I spent all my time studying, training, or working. There was no time left for her." He'd had the same drive for swimming as he'd had for learning and working. Never in his life had he done anything halfway, much to the chagrin of the few people he'd allowed to be in his life.

  Brenda's eyes met his in the dark. "And now? Is there going to be time for me?" It was the question that had been burning in her mind since they'd gotten back to his house earlier, and he'd run off to work.

  Daniel sighed. "I need to make time for you. If left to my own devices, I'll work 18 hours a day, and sleep the other six. You might need to force me to spend time with you, but it's something that I need."

  "I shouldn't have to force my new husband to spend time with me. I don't know that I'll be able to. I will say, I'll feel neglected if you spend all of your time working. Especially if I quit my job." She couldn't see not having anything at all to do, and wandering around begging for a minute of his time and attention. One morning, she would sneak into his room before he woke up, she would tie him to his bed. No, she wasn't thinking about doing anything wrong. Instead she would force him to pay attention to her!

  "I thought you hated your job." He was confused. She wasn't quitting to spend time with him, was she? If she was, she'd be sorely disappointed.

  "I do. That doesn't mean I want to spend all of my time alone. If I quit, I'm sure I'll pursue something. I'll probably start working as a volunteer somewhere." She turned more fully toward him on the swing, tucking her legs under her. "Mrs. Brinkley said that you might need me to play hostess. How often do you think that would happen?"

  He shrugged. "Not more than once a week for sure, probably not more than twice a month. Sometimes I need to entertain clients at home, and sometimes they bring their wives. It'll be easier if you're helping me with that."

  "How much notice will I have?"

  He shook his head. "That's the thing. Sometimes it'll just be a couple of hours, and sometimes we'll know a month in advance. Mrs. Brinkley can usually handle getting a meal together and making it suitable. But I'll need you to be on hand and ready to entertain."

  She grinned as a silly thought occurred to her. He wouldn't expect her to put on a belly dancing costume to entertain them, would he? Or she could buy a drum, the kind a dancing bear carried, and walk around the dining room table, banging on it in time to whatever he was saying. She shook her head, forcing herself to concentrate on the subject at hand. "So if I'm going to volunteer, it would be best if I limited it to daytime hours?"

  "If you don't have a problem with that, it would be best for me." He didn't want to put that kind of limitation on her time, but he would need her in the evenings. Sometimes at lunch, but more often in the evenings. "There would be times when I'd want you to join a business lunch, but I'd make sure that I always gave you notice on that."

  "If I'm not going to be working, I'll consider that my job. I can easily be available when you need me to be. Notice is better of course, but I'll be able to handle it either way."

  He smiled slightly, happy that she was being so accommodating. "So you're leaning toward quitting your job?"

  She let out a heavy sigh. "I feel like a wastrel for even thinking about it, but yes I am going to. It sounds like it would make your life easier, and I truly don't enjoy it. If I did I'd keep working." And she would find a hobby. Maybe she could take some continuing education courses that would help her. She'd always wanted to take some art classes.

  "Well I'm glad you're willing to quit. I think we'll do a whole lot better if you're here. And once the children are born, I really don't want you working." His mother had always worked, and he'd been on his own after school from a very young age. He wanted his children to have an afternoon snack on the table after school, and a mother who would sit down and help them with their homework. A mother who would hold them when they needed to be held.

  "I can understand that. I never dreamed I'd be allowed to be a stay-at-home mom, but I like the idea." She could tell it was extremely important to him. She wondered if Dr. Lachele had known that.

  Daniel leaned forward, kissing her softly. "Do you think you'll give notice on Monday?"

  She nodded. "Yeah, I will. And they may not make me serve the notice. Sometimes they don't, from what I've seen." She hoped they simply told her to pack up her desk and walked her to the door, but she'd work out her notice if she needed to.

  "How long have you worked there?"

  "Just since July. I graduated in May, and it took me a while to find something."

  "What did you do in between?" he asked, wondering if she'd lived at home with her parents, or found a way to support herself. It would tell him a lot about her character.

  "I found a job on the waterfront in Plymouth. In fact, my apartment is still there."

  "When is your lease up? We're required to live together effective immediately because of the contract we signed for Dr. Lachele."

  "I signed a six month lease in May. So it's up next month. I thought I'd just pay for the last month and let it go from there." She'd have to remember to give notice on Monday after work. It would be out of her way, but she didn't see a way around it, because the apartments required a thirty-day written notice.

  "That sounds smart to me." He scooted closer to her on the swing. "I want to kiss you." He'd thought of nothing else while they'd talked, and he knew if he didn't kiss her soon, he might just implode.

  Brenda nodded slowly. She'd never had a serious relationship before. Sure, she'd done some dating in high school and college, but never really had someone she'd been able to call a boyfriend. No one had really cared for her attitude about sex before marriage. She'd made it clear she was against it from day one with every man she'd dated.

  Daniel put his hands on her waist, pulling her to him. He leaned down and kissed her softly at first, and then with increasing passion. His lips moved against hers, gently nipping at her bottom lip.

  Brenda put her arms around his neck, kissing him back. She liked kissing him, but she was incredibly nervous about the part that would come after. She hadn't even known the man for ten hours! Of course, she wasn't even certain if he expected that of her tonight. Maybe he planned to get to know her gradually.

  He moved his hand around, sliding it under the hem of her T-shirt and up to cup her breast through her lacy bra. His thumb unerringly found her nipple, and he rubbed until it was a tight point.

  She arched a little into his hand, never having even been touched that way before. It felt so strange to allow Daniel liberties with her body when she'd known him such a short time. Short, but good.

  "Let's go inside,"
he whispered against her lips.

  Brenda nodded, getting to her feet. He took her hand and pulled her toward the house, obviously in a hurry to get there. The cool night air was like a shock to her system, making her wonder what on earth she was doing following this stranger to have sex with him.

  By the time they reached the base of the stairs, she felt as if she couldn't breathe she was so scared. Never before had she realized she had any kind of fear of sexual intimacy, but she must to be panicking this way.

  He turned and kissed her again, noting the nervousness in her eyes. "Are you all right?" he asked. The last thing he wanted to do was frighten her.

  She nodded slowly. "I think so. Just—nervous—scared, whatever you want to call it."

  "Why?" he asked, stunned. He'd been so careful with her. "Did I do something?"

  She shook her head. "No, but I've never done this before, and—I was sure I could, but—now, I'm not so sure."

  Daniel took a deep breath, running his fingers through his hair. "I'm sure I'm not helping by moving so fast." He tried to force himself to calm down, which was a lot easier for his mind to think than his body to do. "Why don't we go upstairs and get ready for bed—I'll meet you in your room, and we'll talk and see what happens." He would mentally prepare himself to stop whenever she wanted.

  Brenda nodded, blushing. "Okay. I think I can do that." She didn't look at him as they climbed the stairs together.

  When they reached the door to her bedroom, he opened it for her, touching her cheek for a moment. "We'll stop if you need to. Whether I want to or not." Already his body was raging against the idea. He wanted her. Physically, they were perfectly suited. Touching her set his body on fire.

  "Thank you!" She went into her room, shutting the door behind her, and leaning against it for a moment. In theory this whole thing hadn't seemed so hard.

  She changed into the frilly piece of nothing Janelle had purchased for her to wear on her wedding night and brushed her hair out behind a locked bathroom door. She brushed her teeth, nervously thinking about whether or not she was going to be able to go through with the wedding night. Well, she knew she could eventually, but maybe not that night!

  When she opened the bathroom door, she saw Daniel lounging on her bed in just a pair of boxers, obviously unconcerned about his mostly nude body. He was lying on his side with his head propped on one hand, staring at her. She could just imagine running in the other direction, down the stairs and outside, her tiny little nightgown falling down around her. No, that wasn't a good idea. Why let the whole world see her instead of just him?

  "You look beautiful," he murmured, staring at her in the skimpy white lingerie.

  Brenda didn't answer, walking slowly toward the bed. Was she supposed to just climb on with him? Or stand there like an idiot? She had no idea what the protocol was for this situation, and that was part of her problem. If she'd known what she was supposed to do, it would be so much easier.

  Standing like an idiot seemed her best bet, so she stood looking at him from the opposite side of the bed, her heart beat thundering in her ears so loudly, she was surprised he wasn't complaining of the sound.

  When he patted the bed, she climbed onto it, looking down to make sure everything that should be covered still was. The nightgown, if you could call the tiny piece of fabric she wore a nightgown, was extremely low-cut, leaving way too much of her bosom bare.

  He pulled her close to him, his lips brushing against hers. "Do you like your room?" he asked, surprising her.

  She nodded. "I didn't expect to have my own room."

  "I wasn't sure how you'd feel about immediate sex with a stranger, so I thought I'd give you your own space, at least for a while. I'll want us to be moved into my room together soon. We'll turn this room into a nursery when the babies start coming." He reached out and stroked her arm from her shoulder to her elbow.

  "That was thoughtful of you," she said, her voice barely a whisper. I can do this! No, I can't. She couldn't stop arguing with herself. In theory it seemed fine, but he was so much bigger than she was. His body was still lean and strong, a typical swimmer's body. And he was tall, with broad shoulders and long arms. She felt overpowered just lying beside him.

  He moved closer to her, knowing she wasn't going to come any further toward him. Pulling her against his body, he kissed her again. "I love how you feel," he whispered, his hands trailing over her backside. His lips pressed to hers again, and she kissed him back for a moment, before turning her head to the side.

  "I don't think I can do this. Not tonight." She liked how he was touching her, but she couldn't get past the fact that she'd only known him for a few hours. He touched her and she started to feel trapped and panicky.

  Daniel groaned, closing his eyes. "I understand. I wish it was different, but I do understand." He rolled to his back, crossing his hands behind his head. "So we'll stop right here."

  "We will?" Brenda was shocked at how easily he pulled away. "You're not mad?"

  He turned his head to look at her, and immediately closed his eyes again. She looked too beautiful lying beside him with her hair spilling over the pillow. "How could I be mad? We met just a few hours ago. Just because we're married doesn't mean that sex is going to come naturally." But oh, how he wished it would. "You're not telling me no forever, just for tonight. Right?"

  She nodded slowly. "Right. Just for tonight. I—I'm too nervous. I'm sure I'll get over it."

  "It's my job to help you get over it." He looked at her again. "Soon we'll get used to each other." He took a few more deep breaths to make sure he had his libido completely under control. "So you get to ask me three questions. Anything you want, and I'll answer them."

  "Anything?" she asked.

  "Unless it's about my childhood. I didn't exist before I turned eighteen." His voice was cold when he spoke, but he refused to apologize. Those years no longer existed to him.

  She blinked a few times at his words, wondering what was so important that he hide it from her. "Okay." She thought for a moment. "The girl who helped you start your business. Was she your first?"

  "My first girlfriend?" At her blush, he understood. "Ah, my first lover. Yes, she was. She was two years older than me, and she taught me a lot. About college, business, and making love." He looked at her for a moment, grinning impishly. "I'd be happy to show you the lovemaking part whenever you're ready."

  "Do you still miss her?" Brenda asked, wondering about the girl, because she was the only piece of his past he seemed willing to talk about.

  "Yvette? Not at all. She was stupid, and let go of a huge business opportunity, because she was jealous of the time I put into it. If she can't think more logically than that, I don't need her in my life." He turned and looked at her, watching her face. "One more question."

  She thought hard before she spoke. She wanted the question to mean something, but she didn't want to pry into his life too much. "You have the choice of two superpowers. You can fly or be invisible. Which do you choose?"

  He let out a bark of laughter. "That one surprised me."

  "Well?" she asked, not willing to let it go. It was a question that had been asked in one of her college psychology courses, and it was one that she had felt helped her learn a lot about others.

  "Fly. I'm not the kind of person who doesn't trust others, so I feel no need to sneak around. I'd rather be able to fly so I can go anywhere I want to go and do it quickly and efficiently. How about you?"

  "I'd rather have the ability to be invisible, but not to be sneaky. Sometimes I feel like people don't notice that I'm around anyway. Or that they would rather I wasn't around. It would be easy to just leave if I could become invisible."

  He rolled closer to her, kissing her one last time. "I'm glad you're not invisible, because I like looking at you. G'night, Brenda." He got to his feet. "I hope your dreams are good."

  Brenda watched him as he walked to the door connecting their rooms. "Sleep sweet," she said softly, repeating the words her
mother had always said to her at night when she went to bed.

  Daniel glanced at her once more before going into his room and shutting the door between them.

  Brenda stared at the closed door, thankful that he'd been so easy about her backing away. He seemed to be a good man. Maybe Lachele had done well after all. She was certainly attracted to him physically. If they'd spent the whole day together, she probably wouldn't have felt the need to call a halt to his lovemaking. Hopefully they'd have a good day together tomorrow, before they both went back to work on Monday.

  She reached over and turned off the lamp on her nightstand, wishing she had the energy to get out of bed and put on something less scratchy to sleep in. She preferred boring pajamas.

  In his room, Daniel thought about his pretty little bride. He'd have to devote more time to her if he wanted to get her to give herself to him. He was sure he could have pushed it, but he wasn't willing to do it. No, when she was ready, they'd make love, and not a minute before.

  He groaned. Cold showers were never fun, but they would be necessary for at least a little while. He'd get used to them, while she got used to him. Soon, she'd be ready.

  Five

  Brenda woke up Sunday morning, stretching in bed. It took her a moment to realize where she was. When she did, she was embarrassed about her behavior the night before. It hadn't felt right to let him touch her, but they were married. She shouldn't have been so skittish. She thought for a moment about going straight to his room and starting something, but she felt the panic wash over her again. No, she'd wait.

  She glanced at the clock on the nightstand beside the bed, and saw that it was just past seven. Daniel had said he wanted to go this morning to pick up some things from her apartment, and she didn't know how early he meant. She got out of bed and headed for the bathroom, wanting to be ready when he was.