His hands stilled for a second, and then they began moving again. “That’s surprising. I assumed you love being pampered.”
“I come from a football family. Pampering was never part of my life, and as an adult, it felt funny to let someone else do this for me. It was a big deal when Presley and Libby forced me to get mani-pedis with them after college. But massages are so intimate.”
He moved to the other side of the table and kneaded the stress away from her spine. His hands were warm and strong, breaking through her armor one stroke at a time. She caught sight of him smiling and said, “What’s so funny?”
“Are massages too intimate, or do you dislike them because they make you feel vulnerable?”
Her gut reaction was to deny feeling vulnerable, but wasn’t that exactly how she felt, lying naked beneath a sheet, trusting someone to touch her body? Isn’t that why she’d felt relieved as soon as she’d learned Knox was doing the massage? Because she knew she was safe in his hands?
She mustered the courage to be completely honest and said, “Maybe both.”
“I’m the same way,” he said as he pampered her. “You’re exposed, laid bare for a stranger to touch as they see fit.” He used both hands to massage her lower back. “Are you comfortable?”
“My goodness, yes. If you stop I might have to kill you…After my body turns from mush back to normal.”
He laughed, and she lay quietly, enjoying his touch as he finished working her arms into limp noodles and focused on her legs. His palms covered the backs of her thighs, his thick fingers squeezing gently as they traveled from her ankles to the tops of her hamstrings.
“You know my childhood secrets,” he said coyly. “I want to know some of yours. What was it like growing up with only brothers?”
“You mean growing up in a frat house? It was fun and loud, and there was always some sporting event going on in the backyard. My brothers played everything, so we had sweaty guys at our house all the time. They’d come over after practices and games to hang out and watch sports on television. It was like growing up with thirty-plus brothers instead of just two.”
“I’m surprised with two brothers you’ve never ridden a snowmobile.”
“Group sports are expensive, and we didn’t have much money. There’s a reason we went to the college where my father worked. Our tuition was free. When we were growing up my brothers had dirt bikes, and they’d take me on their friends’ ATVs, but I grew up in a very different world from the one you’re used to.”
“I would have given anything to grow up in that world. Were you spoiled rotten by them?”
“Are you kidding? There was no spoiling in my family for anyone. We all worked hard at school, did chores, and whatever else our parents asked us to. It was expected as part of the family.” She tried to figure out how to explain the strange, sometimes uncomfortable, wonderfulness of her childhood. “You know how you were groomed to follow in your father’s footsteps? Well, I wasn’t brought up to follow in anyone’s footsteps. I was brought up to be part of the Stewart sports family. I don’t mean that in a bad way. I was a tomboy, and I kept up well, playing tag football, baseball, basketball, and whatever else they were willing to play with me. But I had my own hobbies, too. I was a media nut, studying movies and learning all about the history and processes for television and film from the time I was in fifth grade. I was so passionate about it, my parents bought me a movie camera, and I drove everyone crazy making films, documenting our lives. It was silly and fun, but I wanted to do something bigger—to be the person who brought it all together.”
“So much of who you are is starting to make sense to me now.”
“You mean that I’m an eighties movie fanatic?”
He crouched by her face and looked directly into her eyes as he said, “That you’re a self-made woman who followed her dreams and isn’t willing to be sidetracked or ignored. It’s impressive as hell.”
“Well, I wasn’t always so impressive. But by the time I went to college I had sort of had enough of being one of the Stewarts. I wanted something of my own, and even though I went to Boyer University in Port Hudson, there were enough people coming into the school from other areas that I saw it as a chance to break away. I told everyone I was part of the Stewart’s soda family instead of my own football family. It’s kind of pathetic.”
“Ah, now I understand your Stewart’s Orange ’n Cream soda fascination. But it’s not pathetic at all. It’s no different from me going to MIT and breaking the family’s Harvard legacy, or refusing to be a productive part of my family’s businesses.”
“I’ve always loved Stewart’s Orange ’n Cream soda. But it was freeing to have people think I was from a different family. I didn’t have to wonder if people hung out with me to have an in with my brothers or my father. I acted like I came from a normal family who didn’t keep a sports radio on at dinnertime or gawk at the television like it was an idol to worship.”
“How’d that go for you?” He began kneading her hip.
“It was great for a while, until I went to a football game at school and hollered, ‘Great play, Dad!’ I sort of blew my cover.”
Knox leaned down and pressed a kiss to her hip. “Can’t hold back a football girl. You said you and your friends conceived the idea of LWW Enterprises while you were drunk? I’d love to know about that. I’ve never seen you drunk. I can’t imagine it.”
“We did. It was the night after my fake persona blew up in my face. I realized if I was ever going to stand out on my own, I needed to do it for real. Not playact. Presley and Libby and I got drunk and came up with the idea based on each of our strengths and our goals. The next morning we were even more excited and determined to bring it to fruition come hell or high water. We spent our college years networking, strategizing, coming up with and refining our business plans as we interned and learned about our respective fields. We worked our asses off when others were out partying, and it paid off. After graduation, Presley came into some money, which helped us secure loans to get started. I wasn’t very comfortable with owing money to a bank or using Presley’s inheritance. It didn’t feel like I was standing on my own, but what options did I have? I couldn’t qualify for a loan the size we needed on my own.”
“It sounds like it was a good investment.”
“It was, but there’s a story there, too,” she said, and he stopped massaging to listen. “My family has always supported my endeavors, and they were proud of me, but the bank loans scared them to no end. They were always asking about it, worrying. I swear I saw them age as the months passed. It was just out of their realm of understanding to think anyone would borrow so much money based on a hope and a prayer. I felt guilty for worrying them, and it started to take my focus away from building the business.”
“I can see how that could happen.”
“I was lucky. I had Charlotte, and she came to my rescue. She had inherited more money than she could spend in three lifetimes and never wanted to own a business or manage other people. It just isn’t her thing. But she believed in me, and even more importantly, she had faith in the three of us—me, Presley, and Libby. I can’t believe I’m telling you this. Even my parents don’t know, but Charlotte paid off my loan to the bank and let me pay her back privately. I paid interest just like I had to the bank. The media division was doing well, and we were turning major profits, but my parents thought the company just took off like a bat out of hell and I was able to pay off my share of the loans quicker than the others. It obviously wasn’t true, but taking the worry off of my parents’ shoulders made it possible for me to focus on work. I knew I could pay the debt back. I just didn’t want to cause my parents undue stress in the meantime.”
“Damn, Aubrey. That’s a hell of a secret.”
“Does it make me a bad person? I worry that it might.”
“No, babe. It makes you one hell of a daughter. Better than I am as a son. I threw everything I did in my parents’ faces like they deserved it, when they w
ere just doing what they knew. Repeating how they were brought up.”
She reached down and touched his hand, bringing his eyes to hers. “And so were you. I think we’re a lot alike. You might be more in your face about some things, but we’ll both stop at nothing to do what feels right.”
“Exactly. By the way, tonight’s dinner? It’s a date.”
She rolled her eyes and smiled.
“Now flip over, hot stuff, and I’ll do your front.”
“I’m onto you, Bentley,” she said as she turned onto her back. “Get me all relaxed and off guard and then drive me wild. Good plan.”
He moved the sheet, covering her from her breasts to the tops of her thighs, and using that feigned luxurious accent he said, “I told you, no happy endings on my table. You’ve had your way with me once today. Dating is about respect for all parts of each other. Right now I’m respecting your need for relaxation. Later I plan to respect your need for titillation.”
Laughter burst out before she could stop it. “I’m sorry! Titillation? Really?”
“It sounded more romantic than saying that later I was going to get you so hot and bothered, you’ll beg me to take your clothes off. And when I do, I’m going to take you in every sinful way I can imagine. Then we’re going to come up with several more ideas together, each one dirtier than the last, and I promise you, sweetheart, I won’t stop until you’re completely, utterly satisfied.”
“Trust me,” she said softly. “You don’t need fancy words or an accent. That was better. Much better.”
“Yeah? It didn’t seem very romantic.” He put his hands on her thigh, caressing just inches from where she now desperately wanted him, and said, “So, I could have just told you that if happy endings were what I were after, I’d lift that sheet and tease your breasts with my tongue until you were wet and needy? Or that I’d like to bury my face between your legs until you come so many times your legs go numb?” His fingers brushed painfully close to her sex, causing her body to clench with anticipation. “That I’d like to take off my clothes and hold your hot, oiled body against me as I slip inside you—”
She sat up, holding the sheet against her chest, and panted out, “Aren’t we going to be late for dinner?”
“We have plenty of time. Want some wine?”
“Yes!” She thrust her hand out and said, “Give me the bottle.”
Chapter Eight
DINNER AT THE Bentley house was very different from dinner with Aubrey’s family, and it wasn’t just the four-course feast of the richest, most magnificent food she’d ever eaten. The room was painfully quiet, though conversation was pleasant enough, cycling between rather formal topics such as their parents’ upcoming travel plans, events Paige was handling for the resort, their father’s recent business deals, and investments Landon managed. Interestingly, Knox didn’t say much, one hand resting casually on Aubrey’s leg as he listened to his family. Every once in a while he’d whisper in Aubrey’s ear to explain what was being discussed. When his father and Landon’s conversation got a little heated, Knox’s fingers pressed into her leg, his eyes shifting between the two men. Aubrey realized this was how he kept a pulse on his family’s dynamics, and she wondered how often he stepped in—and whom he protected. Initially she thought he would always support Landon, but the looks Landon sent him told her it could go either way.
“Aubrey,” his mother said, “why don’t you fill us in on the project you’ve come to discuss.”
Aubrey told them about the new channel she was launching, Charlotte’s movie, and her interest in filming at the inn.
“Oh, how lovely,” Elizabeth said. “And at such an opportune time, with the ski resort attracting so many of our potential guests.”
“I’m sure Aubrey doesn’t want to talk about work tonight,” Landon interjected, effectively shutting down the conversation.
The rest of dinner passed with long stretches of silence broken only by occasional comments about the weather, food, and other impersonal topics, magnifying the clinking of utensils.
It was during one of those stretches of silence after dessert was served that Aubrey took her first bite of the decadent raspberry and white chocolate mousse Joyce had made. It was divine. She closed her eyes, savoring the mouthwatering dessert as it melted in her mouth. “Hm-mm. Hm-mm.” Never in her life had she tasted anything so delicious.
She licked her lips, and when she opened her eyes, everyone was looking at her. Elizabeth wore an amused smile and Paige stifled a giggle, while Landon and their father looked a bit uncomfortable. Aubrey glanced quickly at Knox, who was squeezing her leg. He looked ready to tear her clothes off.
Oh shit.
Griffin cleared his throat, and suddenly everyone was focusing on dessert, stuffing forkfuls into their mouths. Aubrey wanted to shrivel up and disappear.
“That was quite a moan,” Knox said softly, the heat in his eyes morphing to amusement. He leaned closer and whispered, “If we were in a restaurant, I’d have gotten the check and hauled your ass out to do all those things I promised earlier.” He slid a forkful of dessert into his mouth as if he hadn’t just made the matter worse. Now she was flustered and embarrassed.
“Aubrey’s right. Joyce has outdone herself this time,” Elizabeth said. “This is one of her specialties.”
“It’s delicious,” Paige agreed.
“The peak of a scrumptious meal,” Landon said, earning a glare from Knox. “The perfect climax to the evening.”
“Agreed,” Griffin said so seriously, Paige stifled a laugh.
Aubrey felt her cheeks flame and decided to just get it over with and own up to her loud faux pas. “It was a hum, not a moan,” she said loudly, bringing Griffin’s serious eyes to hers. She was aware of the shock on Landon’s and Paige’s faces and of Knox’s hand tightening around her thigh, but she was done being embarrassed. “I’m an expressive eater. I can’t help it. I’m sorry. I’ve always done it. When I like something, everyone around me knows it. My brothers used to call me Hummer.”
Paige, Knox, and Landon burst into hysterics, while their parents looked completely confused.
“I’m sorry,” Knox said between laughs, pulling her close. “I’m sorry, babe, but…Hummer?”
“What is so funny? I think it’s an adorable nickname,” his mother said as her children tried to pull themselves together. “What a sweet term of endearment. Hummer. Why, I can see Landon saying something like that to Paige.”
Aubrey lost it, along with the rest of them. She turned her face away, trying to stop laughing, but his mother was on a roll.
“Why, it’s so cute, I can see your father saying it to me. Right, sweetheart? You’d call me Hummer, wouldn’t you? In fact, I can hear you saying it. How about lunch, Hummer? A dip in the pool, Hummer?”
“Yes,” he agreed with a serious expression as the rest of them fought hysterics. “Remember when we were dating and I called you my hummingbird?”
“Yes. In fact I think you did call me Hummer sometimes,” Elizabeth said.
Aubrey clutched her stomach, laughing so hard no sound came out. Knox buried his face in her neck, his body rocking with hysterics.
“Stop, stop, stop!” Paige said through her chortles. “Mom!” She leaned over, covered her mouth, and whispered something that made her mother’s eyes go wide as saucers.
“Oh dear,” Elizabeth mumbled. “Surely her brothers didn’t mean that.”
“No!” Aubrey chimed in, knowing just what Paige must have said.
“What am I missing?” Griffin demanded.
Knox looked at Landon, and the two exchanged a look that clearly translated to, I’m not telling him!
“Oh, for goodness’ sake.” Elizabeth got up from her seat, marched to her husband’s side, and whispered in her husband’s ear.
His expression remained irritated.
Elizabeth straightened her spine and walked gracefully back to her seat as the rest of them finally got their laughter under control, but not the
ir unquenchable smiles.
Griffin lifted his spoon, eyes locked on his dessert. The room fell silent, and Aubrey thought whatever chance she had of being invited back had just been shattered. As she opened her mouth to apologize, Griffin scooped up some mousse and said, “Things were much easier when you kids were younger and you’d blurt things out without thinking.”
Knox and his siblings exchanged worried glances as Griffin put the spoonful in his mouth. A few stressful seconds later, the edges of his lips curved up and he said, “Like when Landon came home from school the summer after fifth grade and announced he got erections.”
The room erupted into another round of hysterics.
“Or when I said I needed a bra because I wanted boys to snap it?” Paige belted out, which made Landon and Knox glower.
Griffin pointed his spoon at Knox and said, “And don’t think you were too cool for any of that. I seem to remember a summer when you were about the same age Landon had been when he discovered…that…and you said you needed rubber boots. When I asked why, you said you didn’t want to get any girls pregnant.”
“Oh my gosh!” Aubrey doubled over in laughter again. “What a stud you were!”
“Parenting is an interesting job,” Griffin said sternly, quieting their giggles. “It’s trying and amusing, and all you want for your children is for them to grow up happier and more successful than you did.”
Knox’s jaw was tight as his father looked directly at him and said, “And then one day you realize they’ve done it, and maybe their paths weren’t what you had planned.” Griffin shifted his gaze to Landon. “Or that their choices were unexpected.” He looked at Paige and said, “Or that they’re stronger than you could ever be.” He reached for his wife’s hand, and as he looked into her eyes he said, “And you realize that you did the best you could.”
“And then you realize that your best wasn’t always enough.” Elizabeth glanced lovingly around the table at each of her children and said, “But by the grace of God you realize you have been blessed with more time, more chances to do the right thing, and so you press on and never give up.”
Making You Mine: Knox and Aubrey (The Bradens & Montgomerys (Pleasant Hill - Oak Falls) Book 5) Page 10