Chapter 14

Annie

After our visit to the barn, we’re all more than ready for dinner when Elly summons us by ringing the dinner bell. We head back to the house, entering through the front doors.

“I’m taking Aiden upstairs to clean up before supper,” I say, taking my son by his grubby little hand and leading him to the stairs.

“I’ll come with you,” Jake says, following us up.

When we reach our room, I open the door and usher Aiden inside. “Use the potty and wash your hands really well.”

Aiden runs off to the bathroom, and when I start to follow him, Jake grabs my hand and pulls me back out into the hallway. “What—”

“Come with me,” he says, opening his door and pulling me into his room.

“Aiden will wonder where I am.”

Jake closes the door partway, then presses me up against the wall, grinning at me. “I figure we’ve got three minutes before he yells for you.”

And then his mouth is on mine, hungry and fierce, and my head spins. He groans, the sound low and rough, and I lose myself in him. His hands are everywhere, on my face, on my shoulders before skimming down my arms. He links his fingers with mine and raises our hands, holding them to the wall above my head.

My heart pounds as liquid heat pools at my core, making me hot and achy. The rush of need I feel takes my breath away.

He releases one of my hands so he can press his palm to my breast, squeezing me gently, brushing his thumb across my nipple, which puckers so quickly it hurts. I gasp.

He kisses his way up my throat to my ear. “God, I want you. Being this close to you and not being able to have you is driving me insane.”

His mouth returns to mine, and he coaxes my lips apart so he can slip his tongue inside. His hands slide down to my waist, and he pulls me flush against him so that his erection is prodding my belly.

“Do you feel that?” he says. “Do you feel what you do to me?” He pulls back to make eye contact. “The waiting is killing me. Do you want me, Elliot? God, please say yes. I don’t know how much longer I can wait.”

I lift my hand to his face, cupping his cheek and brushing my thumb over his lower lip. He groans and kisses my thumb, then pins me with his gaze. “Say you want me.”

“Yes, I want you.”

With an exasperated sigh, he presses his forehead to mine. “I’ll figure out something. We desperately need some alone time. We have a lot to make up for.”

“Mommy, I’m done! Where are you?”

Jake releases me, stepping back with a chuckle. “And… grown-up time is over.” He opens the door to his suite. “She’s in here, buddy.”

Aiden walks into Jake’s room, Stevie clutched under his arm. I’m still standing against the wall, trying to get my bearings. My body’s still reeling with endorphins, aroused and flushed with need.

Aiden glances around for me. “Oh, there you are, Mommy.”

“Hi, sweetie,” I say. “Ready for dinner?”

“Yeah. I’m starving.”

* * *

Elly has gone all out and arranged a fabulous spread on the dining room table. There’s a big platter of Fettucine Alfredo, a basket of warm garlic bread, salad, and roasted veggies. There’s milk for Aiden, a pitcher of ice water, and a bottle of red wine. The table is set for six—the four of us, plus Elly and George.

The table is covered with a fine burgundy tablecloth and white china plates trimmed in gold, fancy silver utensils, and elegant crystal stemware. The centerpiece is a glass vase holding a lovely bouquet of wildflowers.

I smile at our hostess as I take my seat. “Elly, this is wonderful. Thank you.”

“Oh, it’s nothing,” she says. “I love it when there’s lots of family here at the house.” She winks at her husband. “It gets old with just the two of us eating in the kitchen.”

“Don’t let her fool you, Annie,” George says when I hand him the bread basket. “She always goes all out, whether she’s feeding twenty people or just the two of us.”

George has cleaned up after working outside all day and changed out of his dusty coveralls into a pair of jeans and a red-and-white plaid shirt. His face is weathered and wrinkled from spending so much time outdoors, but the twinkle in his blue eyes as he smiles across the table at his wife makes him look far younger than his actual age.

Everyone digs into their meals, clearly enjoying the food and drink. I indulge in a glass of wine, hoping it might help settle my nerves.

Aiden chatters on and on about his swimming lessons earlier in the afternoon and the horses we visited. “I hope I can ride one,” he says, his gaze darting back and forth between Jake and Charlie. “Do you think I can?”

I can’t remember the last time Aiden was so talkative and so excited about anything. Coming here has been really good for him. He’s opening up more than I’ve ever seen him do. He reaches for his glass of milk but in his exuberance, he miscalculates, knocking it over, sending milk spilling across the table.

As George picks up the basket of bread, saving it just in the nick of time, Elly shoots to her feet and grabs a stack of cloth napkins from the buffet and lays it over the spreading puddle of milk.

“I’m sorry!” Aiden cries, jumping up from his seat. He slips behind his chair, gripping the wooden frame tightly, his wide gaze darting wildly from me to Jake and back again.

I reach for him. “Aiden, sweetheart—”

Jake rises slowly, motioning for me to stay still. “Let me.” His expression softens when he looks at Aiden. “Hey, pal, it’s okay.”

Panicked, Aiden backs away from the table until his back hits the wall. “I’m sorry, Jake! I didn’t mean to! It was an accident!”

My heart is in my throat as Jake walks around the table toward Aiden, who moves away, sliding along the wall until he finds himself backed into the corner, trapped between the wall and the china cupboard.

Jake reaches for him. “Aiden, it’s all right.”

Aiden cringes as he presses back into the corner, trying to put as much distance between himself and Jake as he can.

The fear on Aiden’s face breaks my heart. My poor baby.

Jake sighs, scrubbing a hand over his beard. Then he drops down onto his knees, almost at Aiden’s level now. “Aiden, it’s okay. You don’t have to be afraid. No one’s going to hurt you, I promise.”

I glance around the table. Elly has tears in her eyes, and the compassion on George’s face is unmistakable. I find myself wiping tears from my own face, too. Even Charlie appears shaken.

Aiden finally brings himself to look Jake in the eye. “I didn’t mean to do it,” he says, his voice barely audible.

“I know you didn’t.” Jake slowly reaches out to lay his hand on Aiden’s shoulder and give it a gentle squeeze. “Did someone hurt you before? For spilling something?”

Aiden nods.

“Was it your dad?”

Aiden looks clearly conflicted, as if he’s afraid to tell the truth.

“It’s okay, honey,” I tell him. “You can tell him.”

Aiden looks warily at Jake. “Yes.”

Jake reaches out to wipe the wetness from Aiden’s cheeks. “I won’t ever let your dad hurt you again. Do you hear me? I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

Aiden is visibly shaking now as his body struggles to process the adrenalin coursing through him.

Jake opens his arms. “Come here, buddy.”

Aiden stares at Jake for a moment, looking so painfully uncertain, as if he fears it’s a trap. As soon as Aiden takes a hesitant step forward, Jake pulls him close, one hand cradling the back of his head as the other hand rubs his back. “It’s okay, pal.”

Aiden wraps his arms around Jake’s neck, holding him tightly.

After a long, quiet moment, Jake releases Aiden and stands, holding out his hand. “Come back to the table and finish your dinner before it gets cold, okay?”

Aiden allows himself to be led back to his seat. Elly pours him a fresh glass of milk, and everyone returns to their seats and resumes eating.

Aiden looks at me out of the corner of his eye and offers a shy smile.

“It’s all right, sweetheart,” I say, stroking the back of his head. “Finish your dinner.”