CHAPTER NINE
Kimberly stretched and worked the crick from her neck. She wasn’t yet ready to give up on the dream—a dream that promised the happy family she had worked so hard for....
Opening her eyes, she watched as Jake slowed and wheeled into her driveway.
“Finally wake up?” he asked as he switched off the engine.
“I think so.” She yawned. “Sorry I fell asleep.”
“It must’ve been all my sparkling, intelligent conversation.”
“Must’ve been,” she repeated dryly as she shoved the door open and a blast of icy wind knifed through the Bronco’s cozy interior.
Snow fell silently, and her yard was covered with a thick, white blanket. Street lamps cast an ethereal glow over the whiteness, and some houses still displayed colorful lights, brilliant points of green and red reflected in the icy white powder.
She grabbed her boots and bag from the back of the Bronco as Jake unstrapped her skis and shouldered them. “You want these back in the garage?”
“That would be great.”
Hunched against the wind, she carried her bag to the back door, then stomped the snow from her boots on the porch.
Inside, the house was dark and cold. Kimberly fumbled with the switches, turning on the lights and adjusting the thermostat before plugging in the coffee maker.
She tossed her jacket over the foot of her bed, then, on impulse, dashed into the living room and flipped the switch that was connected to the Christmas tree. Red, yellow and green lights winked in the shadowy room.
It was suddenly important that Jake see the house as she saw it—warm and cheerful. And seductive? She swallowed hard and leaned over the grate, striking a match to the logs in the fireplace, unable to find a suitable answer.
The dry kindling caught, popping and hissing. Flames licked the mossy trunks of oak. She heard the back door creak open, felt the chill of a breeze seep through the room. “Come on in,” she called over her shoulder. “I’ll make us something hot in a few minutes—but don’t expect anything as fancy as the drinks up at the lodge.”
Jake chuckled, a deep, throaty sound that filled an aching void within her—a void that had been empty for so very long.
“I don’t care what it is,” he said, his voice nearer. Her heart began to pound. “Just as long as it’s warm and liquid.”
“That, I can promise.” She felt his arms circle her waist, his chin balance gently on her crown, his warmth envelop her.
“You’ve been driving me crazy all night,” he admitted with a heartfelt sigh. The fire crackled.
“Me? Drive you crazy?” But she, too, had felt a special warmth at his touch. And she’d seen the naked sensuality in his gaze.
“You know things have changed between us.”
Her throat worked. “Have they?”
His hands splayed across her abdomen, one thumb tucked beneath her breast, and his breath whispered through her hair. “I want you, Kimberly,” he conceded, his voice low. “I want you more than I’ve wanted a woman in a long time. Maybe ever.”
Her heart soared. It was pounding so loudly, it echoed in her ears. Or was that thundering the sound of his heart beating out of control? She tried to reason, to be calm and rational and clear thinking. But emotion clouded all her thoughts, and when his hands drew her closer still, surrounding her with his arms, all she could feel was the wonder of him, the sheer maleness demanding of him, the hard evidence of his desire planted firmly against her hips. A thrill of anticipation darted up her spine.
“Tell me this’ll never work,” he whispered.
“We both know it won’t.” But she entwined her fingers in his and felt his lips brush against her hair. The shadowed corners of the room closed in around them, and she felt that being with him could never be wrong.
“Tell me I should stop.”
“You—you should.”
His hands moved upward, one thumb tracing the weight of her breast as his lips covered invitingly over her neck.
“Tell me you don’t want me.”
“I can’t,” she admitted, her throat catching. There was no need to lie. They both knew the power of desire, the galloping, thoughtless heat of passion stirring deep in their souls. Slowly he turned her so that she was forced to look into the depths of his silvery eyes. Lost in the erotic gaze, she wound her arms around his neck.
“I thought we had a deal.”
A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. “Nothing on paper,” he murmured. “Remember who you’re dealing with—if it isn’t signed, it isn’t valid.”
“You should have warned me.”
He laughed quietly. “You should have warned me. I wasn’t ready for this.”
“Neither was I.”
He stared at her for a few heart-stopping seconds, then his lips claimed hers with a fire as hungry as the flames burning in the grate, a passion as hot as the red embers beginning to glow in the fireplace.
His tongue probed her lips, and she parted them willingly, unafraid. Despite her doubts, she responded, arching her back, pressing her breasts as close to him as possible. Her tongue embraced his, eagerly meeting the delicate thrusts and teasing retreats.
Her fingers ran through the hair, felt the drops of melting snow still lingering in the dark strands as slowly, with his weight, he pushed them both to the couch where they had nearly made love before.
Lying over her, his eyes delving deep into hers, he felt his throat constrict. “Don’t say no,” he whispered, his hands deftly removing her jacket and finding the hem of her sweater.
“Don’t worry,” she promised, her voice as breathless as the soothing whisper of the fire.
He lifted her sweater over her head, and once the heavy garment was removed, stared down at her, gazing at her right breast peaking delicately over the sculpted lace of her bra, her firm nipples straining through the sheer fabric, dark, dusty circles that invited him . . . tantalized . . .
“Kim,” he whispered hoarsely, then, taking her lips in his, he kissed her with the fever burning deep in his heart. Her lips, full and red, parted in invitation.
As his hands moved upward, skimming over her ribs to toy with the edge of her bra, Kimberly’s breath seemed to stop somewhere between her throat and lungs. Sensations as warm and seductive as a summer breeze enveloped her.
He kissed her breasts, his tongue lazily caressing first one nipple, then the other. Against the wet fabric, dark buds blossomed.
“Please . . .”
“Please what?” His breath fanned the wet lace, fueling fires of passion sweeping through her blood.
Make me yours, she thought wildly, her words trapped deep within as her fingers worked feverishly on his jacket, sweater and shirt to discard them on the floor. When his dark chest was exposed, gilded by the flickering light of the fire, he unclasped her bra, dropping the tiny scrap of lace onto his clothes.
“Make love to me,” he whispered, his eyes locking with hers.
She couldn’t help herself. Lost in the wonder he created, she felt his fingertips skim beneath her ski pants, grazing the soft flesh of her abdomen. Moaning, she heard the rustle of her bibs as they glided easily down the length of her legs.
After kicking off his ski pants, he lay over her, the soft down on his legs pressing intimately to hers. His lips found hers again, and his hands spread over her shoulders, lifting her up to meet him, a satiny glow spread across her skin.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” he whispered.
“You won’t.”
“And I don’t want us to make any mistakes.”
She tried to think, but his hands against her skin were playing havoc with her reasoning skills. “Mistakes?”
“I don’t want to get you pregnant.” The words sounded harsh, though he’d spoken them gently.
She tried to think straight—tried to consider the days of the month, but they blurred together as he caressed her. Pregnancy was the last thing on her mind. “You—you won’t.”
“You’re sure?”
“We’re good,” she said dreamily, mentally calculating the days, then gasping as his thumb toyed with her nipple.
“You’re positive?” Deep creases lined his brow.
“Yeah,” she whispered huskily. He never quit tormenting her. Kimberly was swimming in that timeless sea of passion. Lightly touching his shoulders and forearms, sleek back and buttocks, she tingled at each sensual curve of his body. She tasted him, the salt of his skin welcome on her lips.
He kissed her hard and Kimberly eagerly accepted his tongue and lips, weaving her fingers through the hair on the back of his head, pulling him closer. She could feel his desire throbbing against her. He pulled away from her mouth and as she took a deep breath, she felt his tongue make circles against her neck, his lips caressing the sensitive skin above her collarbone. She let out a gasp, completely at the mercy of the pleasure she felt. His hands were working in complement to his mouth, massaging her breasts, teasing her nipples. Moaning, she pressed against him, begging for more.
Jake’s mouth did not disappoint, moving slowly from her throat to her breast, making smaller and smaller circles around her nipple until he finally took it in his mouth. The warmth of his tongue was euphoric.
“Please . . . don’t . . . stop,” was all she could think to say, her mind lost to the feeling of his every touch.
At that, he took his hand and brushed the soft curls at the apex of her legs before stroking a finger softly against her inner thigh. She parted her legs for him, exposing herself, feeling completely safe, excited for Jake to have all of her. Jake slid his hand against her opening, feeling her wetness.
“Oh, Jake . . .” she managed to say, lost in the intoxication of his touch, positioning him between her legs. She could see his erection, knew that for as much as she was turned on, the feeling was reciprocated. He rubbed his manhood against her, teasing her before entering slowly, his hardness setting off a burst of ecstasy as it filled her. She knew there was no turning back, his eyes holding her gaze as he started to rhythmically thrust, pulling out only to delve again, deeper and faster.
She moved with him, finding his tempo and feeling the earth shake beneath them. Every sense aware, she kissed his chest, flicking his small nipples with her tongue and running her fingers through the hair of his firm chest. His body was fluid, his muscles rippling beneath his skin as he moved faster and faster. Kimberly closed her eyes, wanting to feel every inch of him against her, engulfed in the bliss of their lovemaking.
She felt as if she were spinning, faster and faster, higher and higher, entrapped in the mounting pressure inside her as he moved skillfully. Every nerve ending was tingling as her pleasure built, she could feel Jake trying to control himself and knew he was close. She dug her fingers into his back, her hips bucking, and let out a cry of joy as primal as any winter wind as all her tension released, waves of pleasure overtaking her body.
As she climaxed, she felt Jake complete himself inside her, his essence touching her deepest parts, filling her with warmth. “Kim!” he choked out, collapsing on top of her, placing his head just above her shoulder. His warm breath was soothing, his hard body reassuring. He breathed deep, taking in her scent, and kissed the downy skin of her shoulder, tasting her sweetness.
They laid there in silence for a few moments, still fused as one.
She breathed a long sigh, feeling a sea of emotions churn within her.
He looked up then softly touched her cheek, stroking the soft skin.
“Regrets?” he asked gently.
“No—”
“Then, what?”
She sniffed, blinking rapidly. Self-conscious, she laughed nervously. “It’s—been a long time,” she said, and silently added, and it’s never been like this. I’ve never felt so turned inside out—so completely at someone else’s mercy.
“You know you can trust me.”
“I do,” she admitted, smiling. “That’s the problem.”
Jake’s eyes were filled with compassion, and he pushed a burnished curl off her forehead before placing his lips against her brow. “How did Robert hurt you so badly?”
“I let him,” she admitted. “But it’s over.” She didn’t want to think of Robert. Not tonight. Tonight she had only room for Jake, and he filled her very essence, her thoughts, her mind, her body.
“You’re sure?” His gaze sought conviction in hers. A log in the fire split, falling into pieces.
“Positive.”
“Good—because I intend to make you forget him.” Hard lines of conviction surrounding his mouth, Jake twisted his fingers in her hair.
She sighed. “If only you could.”
“Let me try,” he suggested, his voice low as he kissed her again with the same breathtaking passion of just a few minutes before. Then he lifted her off the couch and carried her into the bedroom.
“What’re you doing?”
He cocked a jaunty dark brow and grinned devilishly. “Having my way with you.”
“Wrong,” Kimberly clipped, winding her arms around his neck. “I’m having my way with you.”
He tossed his head back and laughed. “I’ll try to remember that.”
“Good.” Caught up in the wonder of this man, Kimberly decided that come what may, she would have this one night to flirt with danger without a thought to the future.
He crossed the threshold to her room, kicked the door shut and dropped her onto the cool coverlet of her bed. He was on top of her in an instant, the mattress sagging with his weight. “So have your way,” he growled against her ear. Delicious shivers raced up her spine and he took her hand in his and guided it to touch him, to stroke his growing member until he was at his full length again. It was thrilling, to have him harden at her touch, to feel his body react to her, his muscles contracting and relaxing with her every movement.
“You’re wicked,” she chuckled.
“Only with you, love,” he whispered.
* * *
Stretching lazily, Kimberly rolled over in bed. She opened her eyes slowly and felt a strong arm pin her to the sheets.
Jake grinned devilishly, his jaw shadowed. Propped on one elbow, his bare chest covered with a fine mat of dark hair, he stared down at her with silvery, erotic eyes. “Good morning, lazybones,” he drawled.
Passionate images flashed through her mind. Their lovemaking had been glorious, crazy and perfect. “Lazybones?” she whispered, her cheeks coloring as she shoved a tangled handful of hair from her eyes and glanced at the clock. It was nearly ten. Groaning, she flopped back on the pillow. “I’ve got to pick up Lindsay.”
“I already took care of it.”
“You did what?” she cried, sitting bolt upright in the bed. Then, as his gaze drifted lower to her uncovered breasts, she clasped the sheets to her bosom.
His grin stretched. “I called Arlene—she’s very nice, by the way, very understanding.”
“I’ll bet.” Kimberly moaned. Arlene would be doing handsprings if she thought Kimberly was involved with a man, especially a man like Jake.
“Anyway, I told her I was going to buy you brunch and we would pick up Lindsay around noon.”
“You had no right—”
“I know.” Leaning forward, he pulled the sheet to expose one dark nipple. To his delight, it puckered instantly beneath his stare.
“Jake, really . . .”
Taking the dark bud in his lips, he slowly tugged.
Kimberly melted inside, and all her concentration centered on that one aching breast. “Don’t you think ... ?”
But he obviously didn’t. With a groan he rolled over her, his lips finding hers, his tongue tracing the edges of her mouth as he moved familiarly on top of her and spread her legs apart. “Just one more time,” he whispered against her hair.
Already her heart was pounding, the blood rushing wantonly through her veins. “We—we really should be getting up,” she murmured, but his fingers caressed her, found that spot that was so vulnerable, and then his mouth lowered hungrily to suckle at her breast.
She couldn’t stop him. Her fingers coiled in the sheets of her old four-poster as he wet each delicate nipple and breathed across their dampened tautness.
He left a trail of kisses as his mouth went lower, tasting the soft skin below her waist, tracing the contours of her hipbone before brushing his lips across her tuft of hair. He parted her legs and his tongue swirled against her, making her gasp every time it brushed her peak of sensitivity. As she grew comfortable with his intimate touch, he grew bolder, fluttering his tongue against her, and softly suckling until she couldn’t stand the build up any longer.
She pulled his head up to her, and staring into his eyes, kissed him as she found his manhood and positioned it at her entrance. Arching upward, desire raging in her core, she welcomed him, rejoicing in their union.
Jake moved slowly at first, gaining speed as pressure built inside Kimberly. He brought her time after time to the brink until he could resist no longer.
Convulsing, she cried low in her throat, and his voice joined hers, resounding in the tiny room, bouncing off the ice-covered windowpanes and echoing in her heart. She felt him spill into her as she clung to him, legs entwined, their bodies dewy with perspiration. Dear Lord, she’d fallen in love with him, fallen so fast her head was spinning. Loving Jake was crazy, ludicrous—the one emotion she shouldn’t allow herself to feel. But there it was. Big as life.
His breath, ragged and shallow, fanned across her naked breasts, and she sighed in contentment.
“As I said last night,” Jake finally rasped, “you’re driving me out of my mind.” He thought about the night before and how he’d made love to her over and over again, as if in so doing he could satiate himself with her.
But the lovemaking had proved true just the opposite. The more he had her, the more he wanted, a deep thirst that couldn’t be quenched.
“I don’t think we should talk about sanity,” she said, her thoughts turning black as she considered the court battle in front of her. “At least not this morning.”
“I agree,” he said, a triumphant smile stretching mischievously over his jaw. “Because for the next two days, you’re in my debt.”
“Don’t remind me,” she groaned, then suddenly smelled the scent of coffee drifting through the rooms. Casting him a suspicious look, she asked, “How long have you been awake?”
“Hours,” he drawled.
“I don’t believe it.”
“How about long enough to make coffee and a phone call?”
“That’s more likely.” She reached to the foot of her bed, where her robe usually laid. During the night it had slipped to the floor unnoticed. With a wry grin, she scooped it up and slid her arms through the sleeves. “I’ll start my indentured servitude by making you breakfast.”
“I like my eggs over-easy with waffles and homemade peach jam,” he said.
“Dreamer,” she tossed back at him as she scrambled off the bed.
“You know, I could get used to this,” he teased. His grey eyes sparkled, and Kimberly couldn’t help but notice the way his shoulder muscles rippled as he shifted.
“I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” she said, but she didn’t mean it. Waking up in Jake’s arms, sharing breakfast with him, spending every day with him sounded like heaven. As she walked out the door, she felt the pillow land with a thump against her rear end.
Laughing, still thinking about what it would be like to be married to him, she made her way down the hall. “You’re fantasizing again, Bennett,” she told herself as she breezed into the kitchen, the linoleum cold beneath her bare feet.
“What’s that?” Jake asked, walking up behind her.
“Nothing—maybe you’d like to fetch the paper.”
“Oh, yeah, that’s just what I’d like.” Grumbling good-naturedly, he slid into his ski pants and sweater, then walked outside.
Kimberly watched through the frosted window as he broke a path in the six inches of snow.
The sun was high in a winter-blue sky, and golden rays reflected off December’s thick white mantle.
If not for the custody hearing and Robert’s threats, Kimberly thought, her life would be perfect. But those were a couple of pretty big ifs.
She watched as Jake reached into the paper’s box. He glanced back. Catching sight of her in the window, he smiled and gave her a crisp military salute. She laughed, and her stupid heart soared. Just the sight of him caused a thickening in her throat that she couldn’t explain.
He stopped at his car, took out a huge bag and returned, stomping his boots in the back porch. “Mind if I change?” he asked as he passed through the kitchen and pressed cool lips to the back of her neck.
She was breaking eggs into a skillet as one strong arm surrounded her waist and he pressed his face into her hair. “As long as I get to watch.”
She turned back to the stove. So he’d packed a change of clothes. Doubts crowded her thoughts, and she pinched her lip in her teeth.
And what about you? Her mind nagged. With the soft lights, fire and zero resistance. Just who was seducing whom?
A few minutes later she heard the water running in the bathroom and the muffled sound of his off-key singing. Kimberly tried to convince herself that being with Jake was a mistake, that spending any time with him other than in his office was dangerous, but she couldn’t believe it. How could anything that felt so right be wrong? she wondered as she scrambled eggs and prodded sizzling strips of bacon with her fork.
She heard the shower stop. Her heart began to pound all over again, and a few seconds later Jake, wearing only boxer-briefs slung low over his hips, a white towel draped around his neck and a knowing smile, entered the kitchen. “This smells great, and to think I’d suggested eating out,” he said, winking and talking as if to himself. “Not only beautiful, but she can cook, too. You’re a lucky man, McGowan.”
She had to do a double-take when she turned to look at him. The hard lines of his abdomen and sparse clothing took her breath away. Regaining her stature, she said, “We may never make it to Arlene’s if you don’t put some clothes on.”
“I think Arlene could handle another day—”
Kimberly’s playfully stern look stopped him short.
With a sheepish grin he grabbed a shirt out of his bag. “If you insist,” Jake murmured, pulling his head through the shirt’s opening.
“Good. Now sit down and eat,” she ordered, but felt the complement warm her cheeks.
They ate and talked, read the paper and sipped coffee, even cleared the table together. It was strange, Kimberly thought, as she stacked the dishes in the dishwasher, how easily she could slip into a life with him.
After she’d showered and changed, they walked to Arlene’s house and found Lindsay already shaping the third in a family of snow people. “Hi, Mommy,” Lindsay called energetically, waving a mittened hand. “Wanna help?”
“Sure,” Kimberly said, bending on one knee to sculpt the rotund sides of the snowman.
“That’s Daddy,” Lindsay said proudly, finding two sticks and stuffing them into the snowman’s sides.
Kimberly’s throat went raw.
“And that’s you, and this is me.” She indicated the other two snow people. “Now all we have to do is make a puppy!”
“Then what?” Kimberly asked, glancing up at Jake. His expression was unreadable as he leaned over and rolled another snowball.
“Then the family’s done,” Lindsay answered.
“I see.” Kimberly’s heart ached. Lindsay stated everything in a matter-of-fact voice, Kimberly wondered just how much pain the divorce had already caused her child. What would happen to Lindsay if there were a court battle?
“Here we go,” Jake said, shaping a lumpy snowball.
“What’s that?” Lindsay asked.
“The dog.”
She eyed his four-legged sculpture suspiciously. “What kind?”
“A mutt.”
If he felt uncomfortable about working on the perfect family, Jake didn’t show it. Kimberly, despite her worries, almost laughed at his pathetic attempt.
“I’ve never seen a dog like that before,” Lindsay said, wrinkling her nose and eyeing the creature that looked more like a Saturday-morning cartoon character than anything remotely canine.
Jake glanced at the statue of the rotund snowwoman. “Well, if it won’t do, we’ll start over. Because that—” he pointed to the icy figure “—is the spitting image of your mother.”
“Oooh!” Kimberly cried, grinning. “Harsh words, counselor.” She scooped up a handful of snow and hurled it at him. It smashed against his jacket, and he let out a whoop. “Those are fighting words.”
Jake’s silvery eyes gleamed. “Oh, yeah? Come on, Lindsay, let’s teach your mom a lesson.”
Before she could duck behind a nearby tree, Jake pelted her with three snowballs and Lindsay tossed another that landed at her feet.
Giggling, Lindsay grabbed another handful of snow before Jake lifted the child to his shoulders and they chased Kimberly around the yard. Laughing and breathing hard, Kimberly finally had to beg for mercy near the front steps.
“Give?” Jake asked, his smile a satisfied slash.
“Yes—I give,” she gasped, her eyes sparkling.
“More, more!” Lindsay insisted just as the front door opened with a bang.
“Lindsay—what’s going on out here?” Arlene asked. Still wearing an oversized terry robe and slippers, she chuckled as she saw Lindsay riding on Jake’s broad shoulders.
“They’re trying to kill me,” Kimberly mocked.
“Exact our punishment,” Jake corrected.
“Good point,” he drawled.
“Details, details,” Kimberly murmured.
“Well, come in and have a cup of coffee before all three of you catch your death.” Arlene’s eyes were bright behind her glasses. She stood back from the door to let them pass.
Kimberly stomped the snow from her boots and followed Jake and Lindsay inside. She introduced Jake to Lyle, then hung her coat on the hall tree.
“We made you a surprise!” Lindsay announced.
They were sitting around a small maple table in Arlene’s roomy kitchen, warming their frozen fingers around steaming cups of coffee and cocoa.
“What is it?” Kimberly asked.
Lindsay’s face clouded. “I can’t tell—otherwise it won’t be a surprise. It’s for Christmas!” She glanced at Lyle for support. “That’s right, isn’t it?”
Lyle nodded from his wheelchair. “That’s right, angel. Maybe you’d better leave it over here for safekeeping until Christmas. Your mom might sneak a peek otherwise.”
Lindsay’s eyes rounded. “Would you?”
“Of course not,” Kimberly laughed, tousling her daughter’s silky hair.
“Good.” Lindsay scampered into the spare bedroom and returned, carrying a crudely wrapped bundle that was half as big as she was.
“This is for me?” Kimberly asked, astounded.
“At Christmastime.”
“I can’t wait,” Kimberly murmured, eyeing the package and feeling as if her heart might burst.
After coffee and cinnamon rolls, Jake shoved his chair away from the table. “I’ve got to get going.”
“But you just got here,” Arlene protested.
Jake grinned. “I know, but I’ve got a dog who probably thinks I’ve abandoned him, and there’s the matter of a bet that has to be settled.”
Kimberly felt her cheeks flame. “I guess we’d better be on our way, too,” she said hastily before anyone could question Jake about his bet.
“No reason to rush off,” Lyle interjected, but his wife, as if reading the signals between Jake and Kimberly, put a hand on Lyle’s arm.
“We’ll see you later,” she said, her bright eyes shining. “Monday morning.”
After donning their coats and gloves, Jake, Kimberly and Lindsay, carrying her ungainly present, trudged past the melting snow-family to Kimberly’s house. Jake insisted on carrying Lindsay’s overnight bag over one shoulder while he held tightly to Kimberly’s hand.
Lindsay slid on her boots down a small hill. She whooped with delight as she landed on her rear.
“Looks like she’s a skier already,” Jake remarked, laughing.
“Will you take me some time?” Lindsay asked eagerly.
Jake glanced to Kimberly. “I suppose we could arrange that.”
“At nighttime?”
“Maybe,” Kimberly said cautiously.
“Arlene said you went night skiing,” Lindsay explained.
“Oh, she did, did she?” Kimberly asked.
“Uh-hum.”
“What else did she say?”
“Just that you and me and Jake would probably be doing a lot of skiing.”
“Once a matchmaker, always a matchmaker,” Kimberly murmured.
“She told me all about you, too,” Lindsay said, eyeing Jake. “You’re a . . . turn key.”
Jake smothered a laugh.
“An attorney,” her mother corrected.
Lindsay’s eyes were filled with questions, her cheeks rosy from the cold. “What’s that?”
Kimberly struggled for the right words. “He’s a man who’s going to help us, honey,” she said.
“We don’t need help.”
“Sometimes everyone needs help.”
“Not me!” Lindsay said, then squealed when Kimberly pulled her daughter to her and kissed her soundly on the cheek.
“Do it again!” Lindsay commanded, but Kimberly shook her head.
“That’s enough for now.”
Lindsay didn’t seem convinced, but didn’t argue.
Once they were inside Kimberly’s house and Lindsay had placed her package under the tree, Jake lingered near the door. “You’re coming over, aren’t you?” he asked.
“I promised, didn’t I?” she quipped, though her stomach did a nervous flip. After the passion of the night before, she chided herself for her anxiety, but the thought of spending most of the weekend at his place was unnerving.
“You could catch a ride with me.”
“I know, but I think I’ll bring my own car. Most of the streets are plowed.”
“You’re not having second thoughts, are you?”
“No way.”
“Good.” He reached into his wallet, found a business card, then wrote his home address on the backside. “Call if you get lost.”
“In Lake Oswego?”
“It can be confusing.”
“Don’t send a search party out for a while.”
Flashing her a smile, he glanced at his watch. “You’ve got two hours.”
“And if I’m late?”
Grinning wickedly, he slid a glance over her body that made her pulse leap. “Then I’ll exact my punishment in ways too numerous to count.”
“You are a dreamer,” she retorted as he opened the door and strode briskly outside. A few minutes later she heard his Bronco roar down the driveway.
Still considering the night before and all the ramifications of a love affair with Jake McGowan, she carried Lindsay’s overnight bag to the loft and unpacked.
She heard Lindsay’s footsteps rush up the stairs. A few minutes later, blue eyes gleaming, Lindsay peeked around the rail. She stared at her bag.
“Are we going somewhere?”
“To Jake’s house.”
Lindsay eyed the bag suspiciously. “Overnight?”
“Oh—no.” Laughing, Kimberly tossed Lindsay’s dirty clothes into a hamper. “I was just unpacking from last night.”
“Oh.” Lindsay worried her lower lip in her teeth. “I like him,” she announced. “Even if he’s a . . . whatever it’s called.”
Kimberly felt a surprising sense of relief. “I like him, too,” she agreed. I like him far too much.
“Do you like him more than Daddy?”
Sighing, Kimberly sat on the edge of Lindsay’s bed, hauled her daughter onto her lap and hugged her close. “I like him differently than I like your dad,” she said slowly. “Your dad and I . . . we just don’t get along.”
“You don’t love him.”
That was true.
“And he doesn’t love you,” Lindsay said soberly.
Kimberly sighed again, surprised at the wisdom of her child. “No, he doesn’t, not like he used to. But he loves you very much,” she said, cringing as she considered her life. She was certain Robert didn’t know the meaning of the word “love,” not even where his daughter was concerned. She squeezed Lindsay and planted a kiss on her forehead. “And I love you so much I could burst!”
“I know that.”
Thank goodness!
“Do you love Jake?” Lindsay asked, twisting around so that she could stare straight into Kimberly’s eyes.
“I like him a lot,” Kimberly hedged.
“I know, but do you love him?”
“Can’t I just like him—you know, as a special friend?”
Lindsay frowned as she considered. Finally she shook her blond curls. “I don’t think so,” she murmured.
I don’t, either, Kimberly silently agreed.
“So—do you love him or not?”
“I guess I do,” Kimberly admitted, not wanting to lie again. “I love him, but it’s a different kind of love.”
“Oh, I know. All that mushy stuff.”
Kimberly rolled her eyes as she set Lindsay back on the floor. “Let’s just think of him as a good friend. And keep this to yourself, will you?”
Wrinkling her nose, Lindsay grinned. “I won’t tell anybody!”
Kimberly hoped her daughter could keep a secret. “Good, I’ll hold you to it.”
“I promise,” Lindsay vowed. “Are you gonna marry him?”
“No!” she nearly shouted, then seeing Lindsay’s vexed expression, added, “love is complicated.”
“No, it isn’t. If you love someone, you marry them. That’s what Shawna Briggs says.”
“Oh, does she?” Kimberly said with a smile as she thought of Kimberly’s friend in kindergarten.
“Yep. And she loves Josh Barton and she’s gonna marry him.”
“Well, I hope you get invited to the wedding.”
“I will,” Lindsay announced with all the self-confidence of her five years.
As Kimberly unpacked, she tried not to think of anything as foolish as marriage to Jake, yet the idea refused to go away. Jake wasn’t the marrying kind, she told herself. He’d gone as far as saying so. And there was still so much to learn about him.
“Come on, let’s get changed,” she said to Lindsay when the last of her clothes were placed in the drawer. “Then, if you want, we can go visit Jake at his place. Would that be all right?”
Lindsay grinned from ear to ear. “He has a puppy, doesn’t he?”
* * *
Jake did indeed have a dog. A big, bounding, white wolflike creature that barked and whined as Kimberly eased her car down the slippery drive.
Jake’s house was small, little more than a cottage. Pearl gray and nestled in a thicket of tall Douglas fir trees, his home looked like the vacation property it had originally been. Snow was piled in droves against the windowpanes. A blanket of white weighted the drooping fir boughs and covered the ground.
Smoke curled from a river-rock chimney, dispersing in a cloudless blue sky.
“Oh, look!” Lindsay cried happily as Lupus placed his paws on the passenger side of the Mercedes, his nose against the glass.
“Lupus!” Jake was standing in the doorway, waiting.
Kimberly’s heart soared at the sight of him. He’d changed into a plaid wool shirt, tan cords and running shoes. Without a thought to jacket or boots, he loped down a path that had been made through the snow.
“I’d about given up,” he said, helping Kimberly out of the car.
“You said two hours.”
“And you pushed it.”
“It took us a while.”
Lindsay scrambled over the handbrake and out the door on the driver’s side. Lupus scurried around the car, discovered her, wiped her face with his tongue and barked excitedly. Lindsay squealed with delight, and the chase was on. Through the drifting unplowed powder, dog and child bounced, laughing and yipping.
“Soulmates,” Jake observed dryly.
Kimberly was laughing so hard, tears sprang to her eyes. “He’s beautiful,” Lindsay called, and Kimberly laughed again.
“That’s the first time he’s ever heard that,” Jake said, taking her hand. “Come on, I’ll show you around.”
While Lindsay and Lupus cavorted, Jake took Kimberly’s arm and led her down a snow-crested path through the trees.
Behind the house, the ground sloped down to the shore of Lake Oswego. Icicles clung to the docking, and the icy water of the lake lapped against the bleached wood. The water was calm and stretched far to the opposite bank.
“It’s gorgeous here,” Kimberly said, her breath misting in the cold air. The privacy of Jake’s backyard was insured by the trees, a fence and, of course, the lake.
“You should see it in the summer.”
From the front of the house, Kimberly heard Lindsay’s laugh and Lupus’s loud yip.
Though the temperature was below freezing, she felt warm inside and didn’t protest when he folded his arms around her and pressed chilled lips to hers. She responded immediately. The fire within her needed little stoking. The pressure of his mouth moving sensually over hers was all it took to turn her liquid inside.
Willingly she wound her arms around his neck and felt his hands, bare and cold, slip beneath her jacket to rub anxiously against her sweater.
“I missed you.” His voice was low and rough, and though he whispered, the words seemed to ring in the still air.
“It only took me a couple of hours to get here.”
“Too long,” he groaned, his mouth fitting perfectly over hers. She felt the pads of his fingers through her sweater, his warmth permeating the thick weave.
Lifting his head with a ragged sigh, he stared into her eyes. His hand slid from under her jacket to entwine in her hair. “Promise me when this is all over, you’ll go away with me.”
“What?” She didn’t understand, but stared deep into his eyes, mesmerized by his gaze.
“When the custody battle’s over, I want to take you away from here. Maybe we’ll go to Mexico, or the Caribbean. Someplace we can be alone for a long time.”
“And . . . what about Lindsay?”
“She can come, too.”
“So much for being alone,” she said, but her voice sounded breathless. He was moving too fast. Kimberly couldn’t think straight. “I don’t know. Maybe that’s not such a good idea.”
“Think about it.”
Lindsay and Lupus plowed through the snow toward them.
“Come on inside,” Jake offered. “I’ve got a surprise for you.”
Lindsay, already flushed in the face, positively beamed. “What is it?”
“You’ll see.”
She raced to the back door.
“Take off your boots—” but it was too late. Kimberly’s command was lost in the winter air as the screen door banged shut. Lindsay let out a cry of delight, and Lupus whined pitifully at the back door.
“You didn’t!” Kimberly cried, glancing at Jake as if he’d lost his mind. But he was grinning from ear to ear as they mounted the back steps and walked into the kitchen. “Look, she can keep it here, if you’d prefer.”
“And you’ll keep it for her?”
Kimberly was prepared to see Lindsay clinging to the neck of a puppy and was ready to give Jake a piece of her mind. But instead Lindsay was entranced with a furry brown-and-white guinea pig huddled in one corner of the cage.
“Can I pick him up?” Lindsay asked, her eyes as bright as the frightened rodent’s.
“If you’re careful.”
“I will be.” She reached into the cage, scooped up the nervous animal and held him close to her.
“A guinea pig? You bought her a guinea pig?” Kimberly couldn’t believe it. “Why?”
“It was cheaper than a cocker spaniel,” he deadpanned.
“Thank God.”
“Every kid needs a pet.”
“I suppose.”
Lupus was whining and scratching at the back door. Once the guinea pig could be pried from Lindsay’s hands and was safely back in his cage, Jake let the dog inside. He scrambled across the linoleum and leaped up, trying to lick Lindsay’s face.
“He’s jealous,” Jake said with a laugh. “Now, how about some mint cocoa?”
A few minutes later, while Lindsay was dividing her time between dog and rodent, Jake and Kimberly sipped hot chocolate in front of the fire. Leaning next to him on the couch, her feet stretched out to the warmth of the flames, she felt as if she’d finally come home.
“So, when do I start paying?” she asked.
“You are,” he said and slipped one arm comfortably around her shoulders.
She leaned her head into the crook of his neck and closed her eyes. Being with Jake was perfect. Listening to the sound of Lindsay’s muted chatter, soft Christmas music, the crackling fire and the steady beat of Jake’s heart, she felt more content and safe than she had in a long, long while.