The weekend trip was supposed to be a kind of family get-together his mother usually threw around her birthday. When the day finally arrived to meet Mrs. Davis at last, Angela began to feel nervous like she was actually getting to meet her boyfriend’s mother for real.
But none of this was real, she reminded herself for the umpteenth time as she joined Shane in the car. He’d chosen to take the Porsche since he thought the drive might be more fun in the sports car. It was a short two-hour trip to his parent’s home located in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains. She intended to use that time to go over everything Shane had told her about his parents, especially his mother.
According to Shane, Valerie Davis was a strong, loving woman; prominent in her church and the small mountain community where he grew up. From photos, she knew Shane looked nothing like her except perhaps, her steely grey eyes and strong-looking chin.
Angela could only imagine what Valerie would think of Shane bringing his new girlfriend to the weekend family reunion. From pictures of Valerie, Angela had made her own opinion about the older woman and she sensed she was the type to want things to go her way. Anything else would be fought against tooth and nail until every facet of life could return to the status quo. Angela dreaded discovering if she was right.
****
“Hey, Mom,” Shane said, wrapping his mother in a big bear hug before reaching over to shake his father’s hand. “Dad.”
“Oh, sweetheart! How are you?” Valerie Davis said, obviously thrilled to see her only son. After a moment she turned to give Angela her full attention.
“And who do we have here?” she asked.
Angela liked to think the woman’s smile didn’t hold any less pleasure than earlier as she fixed her eyes on Angela standing next to Shane.
“Angela Neil; Valerie Davis, my mother,” supplied Shane. “And Lloyd Davis, my Dad.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Davis,” Angela said as she extended her hand to shake the older woman’s.
“Now, now, I’ll have none of that Mrs. Davis stuff,” cooed Shane’s mother as she went in to hug Angela instead of accepting the handshake. Surprised, Angela embraced her in return. “I’d appreciate it if you would call me Valerie. Absolutely no need to stand on ceremony with us. We’re all country folks around here. We want you to feel at home.”
Angela smiled and nodded. “All right; Valerie it is then.”
“And you call me Lloyd,” Shane’s father added with a big genuine smile. “Unless you want to call me handsome, because I answer to that too.”
“Oh Lloyd! Don’t start teasing her already, she just got here. I can see we’re all going to get along just fine,” Valerie said as she took Angela’s arm and linked it with hers, once again taking Angela by surprise. But being who she was, Angela adapted to the situation and didn’t stiffen when Valerie kept close to her side as she began to lead them up to the house.
“No one else has really arrived yet, so I’m glad we’ll get some time to know each other better,” Valerie said. “Shane didn’t say much about you but now that we’ve met I can see why he’s so taken with you in the short time you’ve known each other. So it’s only been a month since you started dating?”
“Yes, close to that,” Angela said, stopping just in time from slanting Shane a glance. He walked ahead of them to pull open the door for them to walk by and she caught his unreadable expression.
“Well, that’s nice. I’m so glad. Now don’t you worry about anything this weekend; I’ll do all I can to make sure you enjoy your stay. Shane knows I’ll take good care of you, don’t you honey?” she asked as she sent Shane a wide smile.
“Yes, she will,” was Shane’s dutiful reply. “Mom is known around here for being the perfect hostess.”
“Five minutes in the door and already he’s flattering me,” laughed Mrs. Davis as she patted Angela’s hand. “Well, he’s right. Why don’t you get some rest and freshen up, Angela after the drive up from Nashville.”
“The trip wasn’t bad but…I guess you’re right. I do need to freshen up,” Angela said with an agreeable smile. “Shane insisted on driving with the top down on the Porsche and my hair must be quite a fright.”
“Well then, I’ll let Shane show you to your room,” Valerie said promptly. “And we’ll talk in a little bit.”
Later, as Shane led Angela up to the west wing of the house, Angela commented on how beautiful the country style farmhouse was.
“When I told Mom I wanted to give her the money to build a new house she came up with an idea to build her own version of Blackberry Farm. It’s a lovely luxury hotel not too far from here. Maybe we’ll have a chance to visit it one day. You would love it.”
Angela stopped herself in time from asking if she’d be with him long enough to accompany him anywhere. Maybe it was a slip of tongue on his part. There were just a couple of weeks left on the contract. Or did he intend to prolong their arrangement?
Angela had no time to dwell on those thoughts. Shane pulled one door open and she walked in to find the most comfortable looking room she could imagine with lovely hardwood floors, a massive bed draped in warm, deep colors and large bay windows that overlooked a green pasture filled with Appaloosa horses. At one end of the room was a large oversized sofa with a handmade quilt lying across the back. She advanced in the room to find an en-suite bathroom and was awed by how large and warm-feeling it was.
She turned to Shane smiling. “Well I guess this is my room.”
“Our room,” he corrected briskly. “I’ll bring our luggage up in a few minutes.”
Angela frowned. “Our room? I don’t understand – why would we share a room?”
Shane stared at her a couple of moments. “We’re here as a couple, remember? I think it would look strange if we had separate rooms. The last thing I’d want is my mother suspecting we aren’t for real.”
Angela swallowed drily. “Well. It’s a surprise to me. My parents would never have allowed me sleep in the same room with a man under their roof unless we were married. No way under any circumstances.”
Shane smiled thinly. “I understand your reservations, Angela. But my mother doesn’t see things that way. She knows how modern relationships work and besides I’m hardly a child and neither are you. She obviously expected us to share a room and that’s why she chose this one for us. It’s the biggest in the house and also located in a private wing with hardly any other guest rooms so we have privacy.”
“I see,” Angela added with that same dry throat.
He watched her expression with a shrewd look. “However, we don’t have to share a bed if the thought makes you uncomfortable. While we’re here, I’ll be fine sleeping on the couch. It’s only for the weekend anyway.”
Angela nodded way too quickly and hoped Shane wouldn’t be offended. She glanced at the large couch set adjacent to the bed and thought, well, that looked like one hell of a comfy couch and she was sure Shane would be fine in it for a few nights. But she didn’t say it out loud of course.
She found herself wringing her hands. “Well, good. Because you know…it would be really...I mean it’s just better this way.”
They stared at each other for a few moments. “You’re right,” Shane said at last. “Get some rest. There’ll be dinner tonight with my parents and perhaps a handful of guests. I need to see to a few things so you’ll be left to enjoy your nap in peace. It’s gone well this far, so well done. I’m sure she bought it.”
“Yeah,” Angela said slowly. “She seems really nice. Your dad too.”
Shane smiled ironically. “I said she bought it; I didn’t say she’ll give up about the planned intervention. She’s just giving herself time to think up a plan B. I’m not in the clear yet, trust me.”
Angela nodded and chewed on her bottom lip.
The situation she was in took a turn for the surreal by the time evening came. Angela had already showered and dressed for dinner when Shane finally returned to the room to freshen up and change as well. Thankfully there was a large dressing room so Angela was spared the intimacy of watching him dress. Once he was ready he walked back into the room and Angela rose from the chair, brushing her hands down to straighten her dress.
“I hope I look okay,” she said lightly.
“Stunning, as always,” he told her with unconcealed appreciation. There was a solemn look that crossed his eyes as he added, “I have to warn you that other guests have arrived. I’m not sure how many will be staying overnight at the house. I was able to speak to most of them while you napped so they know you’re here.”
“Thank you for the warning. Don’t worry though. I’ll do whatever it takes to convince everyone that you’re my man,” Angela said with calm assurance.
A light flickered in Shane’s eyes and Angela couldn’t be sure it if it was humor or something darker, hotter. “And how would you do that?”
Angela shrugged, her cheeks warming. “Oh, different stuff. You know, things that show intimacy and trust between my man and me.”
“You mean like that kiss we shared that first night after the dinner party?” Shane asked deeply. His hands cupped her face and he was staring down at her mouth. Oh dear, thought Angela. His next words had her knees wobbling. “That reminds me…I think we’re a little out of practice.”
“Shane…”
He seized his name from her mouth, kissing her passionately. Angela had never felt or tasted such hunger in one kiss. He groaned deeply, his hands sliding down her back and over the swell of her hips to scoop her firm ass over her flowing skirts. Angela couldn’t fight it if she tried; she gave in almost moments later, her hands clutching his shoulders as she mated her tongue with his. They weren’t trying to pretend or be sensible anymore. Their intense attraction and desire for each other could no longer be hidden nor denied.
So sweet, Shane murmured, his voice smoky with lust. Angela felt his hardness push into her and whimpered into his mouth. She wanted to cup his burgeoning erection in her hand; she wanted to feel him hit the depth of her sheathe as he slammed himself to the hilt inside her…
Being around him all these weeks had turned her almost hypersexual. Just one look from him could make her pussy start to twitch. A brush of his hand and she was biting back a moan of carnal want. And now that he was kissing her, touching her like she needed so much to be touched. How on earth had she held back from him for so long?
“This is crazy,” groaned Shane as he tore his mouth away seconds later. His hands gave her ass one last hard squeeze before he released her reluctantly.
“You, Angela, can drive a man insane,” he told her in a matter-of-fact tone. Angela felt hot all over and she didn’t feel ready to look up at him, afraid of what he would see in her eyes.
“I don’t want to stop touching or kissing you…but we have to go,” he said, smoothing his hand over her hair before pressing a thumb to her lips which felt swollen and tingling. “If we’re late, my mother wouldn’t hesitate to barge right in here and drag us down to dinner. At least now you look thoroughly kissed; your skin has a flushed glow that will tell the whole world how much we can’t keep our hands off each other. That’s sure to give everyone the right message,” he said with deep humor.
Angela felt her heart sink. Had that kiss merely been for effect? She’d been so into it, not realizing he’d been priming her to look like they’d been necking their socks off in the bedroom. That sucked big time but Angela had needed the reminder that this was just a job. She wasn’t the woman in Shane’s life, and he certainly didn’t love her.
“Yeah, it will,” she agreed in voice too husky for her liking. She finally met his gaze with a smile she hoped was bright enough to fool him. “Well let’s go down then before your mother comes to get us herself.”
Shane looked like he would say something else, but instead he complied by taking her hand and going with her out of the room.