by Katie Dowe
Skylar shivered as she moved against him, her arms coming to close around his neck. “That was something,” she whispered as he stared down at her.
He moved a little and his breath quickened as she arched her body to his. He bent his head and his lips touched hers. He shuddered as she wrapped her legs around his waist, lifting her body to meet his thrust. His lips moved over hers sensuously, lighting the fire that hadn't quite died down.
Chapter 5
Blaine felt his penis burgeoning inside her to impossible length as it touched the core of her. This was certainly not a casual meeting of the flesh, he thought hazily. It was too carnal, too profound to be anything like that. He felt the spark lighting up his body and fanning into something that he had no name for. It was incredible and if it was the only time he got to be with her like this then it would have been well worth it. He flinched and shuddered as she bit down on his tongue. He felt her stiffen and knew she was ready again, and so was he.
His testicles tightened and he went rigid! He broke the kiss, fearing that if he didn't he would drown inside her mouth. His breath shuddered inside his chest as stared down at her. Skylar’s fingers dug into his flesh as she let go. His fingers dug into the flesh of her hips as he dragged her against him. He pushed deep into her as the crippling orgasm crashed through him and had him crying out in the heat of passion.
He waited until the shudders had stopped somewhat and his heart had slowed the frantic beats before he climbed off her. His skin was still hot to the touch and he was semi-erect. He stared at her. She had her eyes closed and his eyes wandered over her body. Her breasts were small and the nipples large. He could feel desire stirring inside him again and almost laughed out loud at that. Her eyes snapped open and met his. She raised up onto her elbows and stared at him. “That was incredible,” she murmured as she placed a hand on his chest, feeling the beating of his heart.
“It was,” he said softly as he looked at her.
“So what now?” she asked him.
“I suppose I should head home,” he said uncertainly.
“I think not.” She ran a hand over the hard contours of his muscles. “I think you should spend the night.”
“Are you sure?” he asked her, his thick brows lifting.
“I am,” she murmured. “You could leave early in the morning if you have to get an early start.”
“Not such an early start,” he reached for her and she went willingly into his arms. “How about an encore?” he whispered.
“I wouldn't object to that,” she murmured as she climbed on top of him. “Not by a long shot.”
*****
They talked after that.
“It’s strange how you can behave normally even though your life is falling apart,” he said softly as he stroked her back lightly. “When I started to reconstruct the first house that I bought I buried myself in the fixing up of it and tried not to think about what I went through as well as what I had seen when I was at war. There was this neighbor I had who would come over to help me and bring food that his wife had prepared.” He smiled whimsically at that. “I guess he figured out that I was going through something. He would bring over warm blankets for the cold and we would sit on the broken porch and chat for hours without saying anything much. It took me months before I could share a little of my past with him. He was a good man and I thought to myself that if I'd had a dad like him things would have been so different.”
She lifted her head to look at him. “But in spite of what you went through you did okay. More than okay, you became a billionaire.”
His green eyes looked at hers thoughtfully. “I suppose. But here I am with this messed up view of life. I don’t have an heir to carry on after I'm gone, Skylar. I don’t have a child who runs to me and calls me dad. I don’t have that and for a long time I thought I was fine with it. But now I'm not so sure.”
Her lashes drifted over her eyes as she made circles on his chest with her nails. “I told myself that I didn't want kids. I was pretty messed up too when my mom left and I never knew my dad. I had my friends’ kids that I see every now and then and I was fine with that.” She lifted her eyes and looked at him. “Sometimes I miss not having kids of my own but then I wonder, with my past, if I would have made a good mother.”
“I think you would have.” One hand came up and cupped her jaw.
“Maybe,” she smiled suddenly as she snuggled closer to him. “This is really nice and we shouldn't spoil it by playing ‘what-if’.”
“I agree,” he said with a grin as he clasped her around the waist. “We should spend the time doing something better.”
*****
“Aunt Grace, would you mind if I brought someone over for Christmas dinner?” Skylar asked when she called her. Her mother had invited her to some Christmas brunch and she realized that she would have to show up or she wouldn't hear the end of it. So the plan was to go there first and then head over to her aunt’s place to spend the rest of the time there.
“Honey, you know I don’t.” Grace exclaimed. “Is this a male or a female person?”
“A male,” Skylar said with a laugh. “I've been seeing someone for the past month.”
“Honey, that’s wonderful! Of course, bring him over.”
“I have to go over to see Mother first before I head to you. I'm afraid that duty has caught up with me,” she said wryly. “She keeps inviting me over and I keep coming up with excuses as to why I can't make it. I remember what you and Grandma told me all those years ago.”
“That she's your mother and you need to find a way to get along with her,” her aunt said gently.
“That and the fact that I need to find the peace inside me and put aside what happened in my past. I can't find it in my heart to love her, Aunt Grace, and I'm not going to beat myself up over it. I love you and Grandma and it comes naturally. She's just the woman who gave birth to me.”
“You go on from there honey. My sister isn't the easiest person to love. But go to this brunch and I'll be waiting to meet this young man of yours.”
*****
“I need to tell you something about my Mom.” Skylar placed the coffee cup in front of him and sat opposite as she waited for him to start sipping the coffee. She'd come home ahead of him and he'd brought Italian for dinner. She'd made the coffee and the apple pie but wasn't ready to eat hers yet. It was Friday and the last few days before Christmas, which was going to be on Thursday. The store had been exceptionally busy over the last few days. They would be going until very late on Christmas Eve because of the last minute shoppers they always had.
“Yeah?” He looked at her quizzically. They spent much of their time together at her apartment whenever he wasn't at the site. He had some traveling to do as soon as the New Year was upon them but for now he was contented to be here with her.
She folded her hands beneath her chin and nodded. She'd come home and showered and changed into a bulky white sweater and black leggings, with her hair pinned haphazardly on top of her head. “I told you how hard it is for me to find neutral ground with her. Over the years I figured that I needed to put the past behind me and try and get along with her. She reached out several times and I rejected her. She invited me over to her place several years ago to talk and explain why she had to leave me. I went and we talked and for the first time I felt a little closer to her. I put myself in her shoes and realized that she was a frightened teenager thrust into a situation that she wasn't familiar with and on top of it the boy who was supposed to have been there for her had left. So I kind of bonded a little bit with her. She invited me over to visit her after that. She was in between marriages at that time and I was seeing someone. We went over to her place and I was in the bathroom for a few minutes and she made a move on the guy. I came out and saw immediately that something was wrong. He told me when we were headed home. I had to apologize to him, the relationship pretty much ended after that. When I got home I called her and really gave her a piece of my mind. It was pretty ugly
! She told me that she was human and he was into it.” Skylar shook her head and subconsciously reached for his coffee cup. “It took me years to answer her calls again.”
Blaine watched her for a moment. “You're afraid that she'll try and seduce me?” he injected a teasing note into his voice.
She passed him back the cup and laughed ruefully. “Maybe. I just wanted you to get the facts and realize what kind of person she is.”
“I promise I'll be on my guard,” he said softly.
She laughed at that. “You're not so bad for a white guy.”
“Thank you,” he said with a grin. “So we go to brunch at your mother’s and then head over to your aunt’s?”
She nodded. “Are you sure you're okay with all that? I mean, we haven't said anything about what we're doing here.”
“In terms of what?”
“I'm assuming that we're in a relationship?”
“You're assuming correctly.”
“So what does that mean?”
“It means we're seeing each other and we go out together, do things together and we talk. I think that's what a relationship entails,” he said with an amused smile.
“And no pressure about moving in together and all that?”
“One step at a time,” he told her. “We don’t know what the future holds.”
“I like that,” she reached over to take his hand. “I really like you Blaine Mallory.”
“I really like you too Skylar Buchanan.”
“Good. How about finishing the coffee and showing me how much?”
He used his free hand and did just that before getting to his feet. “Ready?”
“Always.”
*****
“You wanted us to talk, so let’s talk.” Deloris shrugged off her jacket and made sure the safety was on as she removed her piece and slid it into the drawer where she always kept it. It had been a very tough day at the precinct where they'd been called out to investigate a drive by shooting which had left two teenaged boys dead and another one in the hospital hanging on for life. The only thing that had kept her sane was the fact that her kids were coming home for the holiday. At whatever cost, she was determined to make sure they had the time of their lives. Even if it meant pretending that she and their father were on the same page.
She moved over to the stove and put the kettle on. She'd grabbed a sandwich from the café on the way home and wasn't hungry. She didn't think to ask him if he'd eaten. She'd stopped doing that for a while now.
“Can you at least sit?” he asked her impatiently as he sat at the counter.
She did as he asked and stared at the hard, handsome face of the man she'd been so in love with when she was younger. The way he would cause her breath to catch in her throat and her heart to beat faster. She was much older now but he still had the power to make her heart hitch. “We're going to pretend like crazy that we're okay when the kids get here,” she told him.
“They aren't children anymore, Del, and I'm sure they already suspect that we're going through something.”
She shrugged. “What do you want me to say, Devon? You've obviously moved on with that bitch. It didn't take you long did it?”
“We're not doing that Deloris,” he told her firmly. “We're going to have a proper adult conversation and come to some sort of agreement. We're going to be civil even if it kills us.”
“You sit there and talk about being civil when you're threatening to take my children away from me! Their mother who gave birth to them! You have some nerve, Devon.” She got up to turn the fire off and came back to sit across from him.
“You have a drinking problem—” He held up a hand as she opened her mouth to deny it. “Everyone knows it, Del, so don’t bother to deny it. And the kids are going to know as well. I'm sitting here across from you and I smell the liquor on your breath. What the hell are you doing? Are you planning on getting thrown off the force? What the hell are you doing?”
“Whose fault is that?” she shouted as she got to her feet. “You left me, dammit! After twenty-five years of marriage and two beautiful children. You left me for someone younger and left me hanging. What was I supposed to do?” She had no idea that the tears were glittering in her dark brown eyes. He sat there staring at her for a moment and then without a word he came around and pulled her into his arms. She fought him at first and then sagged against him, the tears coming down her cheeks. He wrapped his arms around her and held her as she cried.
*****
“Darling! It is so good to see you,” Delia cried as she hurried over to hug her daughter, transferring the exotic scent of her perfume to her. “Let me look at you.” She held the girl at arms’ length and studied the faded jeans and the thick black sweater she was wearing. Skylar had left her hair loose and the curly strands made a startling contrast against her skin.
“Mother, I would like you to meet Blaine Mallory,” she said turning, to the man just behind her.
She watched as her mother’s eyes widened as she heard the name and looked up at the tall handsome man behind her daughter.
“Darling you didn't tell me you were dating a billionaire!” she said, moving swiftly over to him, her eyes going limpid. She was wearing a tight pink cashmere dress that, even though it was too young for her, looked good on her. Her thick dark hair was swept back in an elegant bun. She had money and wasn't afraid to use it to hide every sign of aging possible. Her dark hair showed no signs of greying; she'd made sure of that.
“Very nice to meet you. I know what you are thinking! I don’t look old enough to have a daughter Skylar’s age,” she said with a tinkling laugh.
“Very nice to meet you Mrs. Thomas,” Blaine said politely as he extended a hand.
“Please, call me Delia,” she said as she moved into his arms for a hug. He looked over at Skylar, startled, before hugging the woman briefly then letting go and taking Skylar’s hand. Delia turned as her husband came forward. “Darling this is Blaine—”
“I know who he is,” Morris said with a smile on his craggy, tanned face. He stepped forward and took Blaine’s hand. “I admire your work. I've seen the buildings downtown that you resurrected. Good job.”
“Thank you.”
“Please come in,” Delia told them as she led the way into the elegant dining room. Skylar realized in surprise that there were other people seated around the dining table. “Sit darling, you know Sybil and her husband Jason, and of course Annabelle and Richard. This is my daughter’s male friend,” she said as they took their seats.
The brunch was sumptuous and a bit too rich for her blood but Skylar forced herself to pick at the food. Her mother had a live-in helper who looked as if she wanted to be anywhere else but here serving the food. Skylar thanked the woman each time she came around to serve the food or take away the plates and realized that she and Blaine, as well as Morris, were the only ones who did that. The talk around the table was mainly on the projects Blaine was doing. Skylar could see that he was trying his hardest to be polite and answer all the questions thrown at him.
“So Blaine, tell us: what does it take to become a billionaire?” the blonde woman by the name of Sybil asked with a pretty smile.
“I think Blaine has done enough business talk for one afternoon,” Skylar said firmly. “It’s Christmas day and we just want to enjoy the holiday. I'm sure you understand.” She looked at the woman coolly not giving a damn if she was offended.
“Of course my dear,” Sybil said smoothly.
“Skylar's right,” Morris said, giving her an understanding look. “We shouldn't be discussing business at this time.”
“The housekeeper will be serving eggnog in the living room,” her mother announced as they got up from the table.
“I'm afraid we have to be going,” Skylar said as she got to her feet.
“Darling, I thought you were spending the day!” Delia protested.
“We have somewhere else to be. Nice seeing everyone,” she said with a wave. Her mother followed t
hem out to the foyer. “You're going over to Grace's aren’t you?” her mother said petulantly as she watched her put her coat on.
“Yes, we are.” She looked at the woman, wondering if she should give her a hug. “Thanks for having us.”
“She always takes you away from me.”
Skylar stiffened. “This isn't the time, Mother. I agreed to come here and have brunch with you when I didn't particularly want to.”
The woman looked as if she'd slapped her. “Please don’t let me keep you,” she said coldly.
“Mother—”She bit off a sigh as the woman turned and left. “That went well,” she muttered as she looked at Blaine.
“Do you want me to wait in the car while you go and mend fences?” he asked her lightly.
“No,” Skylar said firmly as she pulled her gloves on. “She'll sulk for a few days and then call and tell me that she's trying to be a good mother. We'll do the dance where I tell her that I understand and things will go back to the way they were.”
He took her hand and held it tight in his. “Hey. You okay?”
She nodded as she looked up at him. “Let’s get out of here.”
*****
The atmosphere at her aunt’s was so much different that Blaine couldn't help but notice. The two sisters were as unalike as two people could be. He immediately felt comfortable with Grace and felt as if he'd known her a long time. He could see the relationship she had with her niece and saw the genuine affection there.
They ate in the warm and cozy kitchen with him relaxing against the faded velvet chair. “How's the turkey, Blaine?” Grace asked him after he'd taken several bites.