Mistletoe Mommy

Chapter Thirteen

Adam waited until Tuesday morning at breakfast to have The Talk with his kids. “Hey, guys, there’s something I want to discuss with you.”

Geoff nodded, not even lowering his fork, and both girls looked up from their plates in silent expectation.

“At the beginning of our trip, I said I wasn’t ready to date anyone. That…may have changed.”

“Dating like Mommy and Daddy Dan did?” Morgan asked.

“Yes,” he said slowly, “but just because they got married doesn’t mean I will. Especially not anytime soon.”

Morgan sniffed. “I think you should marry Brenna.”

Eliza gasped. “He’s only known her for two weeks! And Brenna isn’t interested in him.”

“What?” Adam couldn’t stop the question from escaping.

“She told me,” Eliza said matter-of-factly. “We were talking about how she didn’t think dating was worth all the trouble and-”

“You’re so full of it,” her brother accused. “Brenna told me that she does like him!”

Adam whirled around to face his son. “You were discussing this with her, too?”

“No need to thank me, Dad. Just being your wingman.”

Adam’s mouth opened, then closed again. No sound emerged. Wearily, he looked at Morgan. “By any chance, did you also have a chat with Brenna about whether or not she should date me?”

“Nope. We mostly talk about Ellie the cat.”

“Okay.” He took a deep breath, determined to get the conversation back on track. “I’m not marrying anyone. Not now, possibly not ever, we’ll just have to see. But I would like to go out with Brenna tonight.” Although technically they’d planned to stay in.

“No!” Eliza looked outraged.

“Excuse me?”

“I don’t think you should date her.”

“After everything she’s done for you and your brother and sister?” Adam was startled by how forcefully she objected to the idea. “What can you possibly have against her?”

“But you said you weren’t going to.”

“I know. And I’m sorry for any confusion. I’ve changed my mind, though. I want you to know I didn’t do it lightly,” he told her. “I talked to your mama, too. And Brenna herself. And now I want to talk it over with you kids, keep you fully involved in what’s going on in my life.”

“Are you in love with her?” Eliza challenged.

The obvious answer was no, but somehow he got distracted giving it. He was too busy remembering the first time he’d seen Brenna, there on the side of the road. The sound of her wry, husky laugh. The party she’d thrown for Morgan. The way she kissed.

“Eliza, men and women don’t start dating because they’re in love. They date to find out if they’re compatible, to see if, under the right circumstances, they could love each other. None of this changes how much I love you guys, though.”

Morgan tried to ask, “What ‘right circumstances’?”

But Eliza overrode her with, “A week from now you’ll be back at that hospital.” She spat the word at him like an obscenity. “Even if you think you’re ‘compatible,’ what’s the point?”

His mind skittered to the kisses he’d shared with Brenna on the porch swing. They had unfinished business, but that was hardly an appropriate answer.

“I’m not sure yet,” he admitted. “Some things you just don’t know until after the fact. But I’ve known almost since I met her that Brenna Pierce is a special person. Does anyone disagree with that?”

A moment passed, and no one said anything. She’s won us all over. Miracle of miracles, the four of them agreed on something.

“Then it’s settled,” he declared. “I’m seeing her tonight.”

JOSH HAD DONE a great job as a rafting guide-keeping them safe and informed, but entertained, too-and the kids were thrilled to see him Tuesday evening.

“Everyone got their shoes on?” he asked as he stepped into the suite. “Nat’s waiting down in the car.”

“Almost ready,” Morgan called from the girls’ shared bedroom. “Eliza’s helping me fix my hair.”

Adam faced Geoff. “Why don’t you grab my wallet off the nightstand? I want to make sure you guys have plenty of money for the food and the movie tickets.”

When it was just the two men, Josh said cheerfully, “Give Brenna a hug for me, and you two have fun tonight. Just…be careful. This is kind of my fault.”

Adam blinked. “I don’t follow.”

Josh glanced away, his expression almost guilty. “I’ve been nagging her for a couple of months to go out with somebody, anybody. And now here you are.”

Somebody, anybody? Adam’s lips twitched.

“That sounded bad,” Josh said, backpedaling. “All I meant was, Bren can be a really private person. She doesn’t open up to others easily.”

Thinking of the other night on the lodge porch, Adam raised his eyebrows. Was it possible that her stepbrother didn’t know her as well as he thought? Sure, she hadn’t introduced herself on that first day with “Hi, I’m Brenna, my mother abandoned me and I have trust issues,” which would have been freaky, but in only a couple of weeks, she’d taken Adam into her confidence. She was funny and compassionate, honest and good-natured with his kids. She’d not only had them in her home several times, she’d given them permission to be there even when she wasn’t. Hardly a closed-off misanthrope.

“I’ve been encouraging her to take chances,” Josh recapped. “And now she is! So I’m going to feel like crap if you end up hurting her.”

“Not half as crappy as I’d feel,” Adam said, a little offended that Josh thought he needed to issue a protective warning. “Trust me, I really like your sister.”

Massive understatement.

The last time Adam had cared for a woman this much, he’d gone on to marry her.

DARN QUINN for having a life anyway.

Brenna had called the woman in hopes of her coming over for wardrobe consultation, but Quinn was away on a long weekend with friends at a beach house and wouldn’t be back until tomorrow. Brenna improvised by modeling different outfits-deliberately feminine and sexy versus not-trying-too-hard, “nonchalantly sexy”-for the dog and cats. For the most part, the animals seemed undecided, viewing all clothes merely as objects on which to shed.

Finally Brenna chose a deep-blue sundress with a flirty knee-length skirt and shoulder straps that tied into simple knots over her bare arms. She double-checked to make sure no strand of cat or dog hair had made it onto the fabric. Not wanting to be overdressed for an evening at home, she left off shoes and jewelry. The look was simple and pretty.

Too antsy to just sit and wait for Adam’s arrival, she shooed the animals out into the yard and sunporch, then checked on dinner. She’d put in a lasagna earlier, setting the oven to automatically shut off in an hour. Only twenty minutes to go.

There was a knock at the door. Her pulse raced.

In the past she might have paused, taken a moment to compose herself, not wanting to seem overeager. Now she flung open the door and graced him with a bright, welcoming smile. “You’re here!”

“You’re stunning.” His gaze dropped over her body, then returned to her eyes. “I’ve never seen you in a dress before.”

She couldn’t suppress the audacious hope that he’d see her out of the dress later. “You look nice, too. Come on in.”

With the door shut behind them, he handed her a bottle of white wine. “I stopped and got this. Shall we chill it?”

“Thank you, that was very thoughtful.” She studied the label. “As it happens, this is one of my favorites.”

“Oh, it isn’t for you,” he drawled, following her into the kitchen. “It’s for me. I haven’t done this in a long time, and I figured I might need liquid courage.”

She laughed. “Am I that scary?”

Leaning closer, he traced his index finger down her face and over her collarbone. “Terrifying.”

Shivering at his touch, she whispered, “Back at you.”

As soon as she’d placed the bottle of wine in the fridge, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her thoroughly. Long, leisurely moments later, when she came up for air, Brenna purred, “I do like the way you say hi.”

He kissed her again, more intensely, until throbbing need built inside her. Her knees felt shaky, and she let herself lean on him for support.

She bit her bottom lip. “It’s been a long time for me, too, so I’m fuzzy on the etiquette of a date. What if, for instance, I skipped over the preliminaries and food and asked you to make love to me? Would that be moving too fast?”

“Fast?” His dark eyes blazed with intensity, his voice a rasp. “I’ve wanted to be inside you for days.”

His raw desire for her was dizzying. “Come with me,” she said.

He raised an eyebrow, a naughty grin tugging at his mouth.

She grinned back at him. “Into the living room!”

Taking her hand, he led her into the other room, kissing her again long before they ever reached the couch. When the backs of her legs bumped the cushions, she just kept going, reclining and pulling him down with her. They shifted so that he was lying next to her, partly atop her, still exchanging those soul-searing, bone-melting kisses.

“You’re so good at this,” she whispered, knowing instinctively that he’d be just as skilled with the rest of it.

As if reading her mind and wanting to prove her right, he nuzzled a path of kisses down toward the cleavage of her dress, stopping only when he reached the lacy edges of her bra. Then he glanced up, locking gazes with her as he untied the straps of her dress. The material slid lazily down over her shoulders, and he sucked in a breath at the sight of her in just her bra.

He traced his thumb in a wide arc over one silky cup, and her nipples hardened into tight points. She wanted to rush him onward, needing more, even as she wanted it to take forever, drawing out the potent pleasure and the deliciously exquisite ache he created. Threading her fingers through his hair, she pulled him down for a hard kiss. He deftly unclasped her bra, baring her to his touch. Instead of feeling self-conscious, she felt wanton and decadent. When he took her in his mouth, she arched off the couch with a little cry.

His weight on top of her was thrilling, but she wanted to feel him against her, nothing separating their flesh. She skimmed her hands beneath the hem of his shirt and across the muscles of his back. He sat up, breaking their kiss long enough for her to tug the fabric up and over his head. He was even better-looking without his clothes.

She dropped her hand to the zipper of his jeans, running her palm down the length of his erection through the denim. He groaned, squeezing his eyes shut for just a moment. When he opened them again, there was such blatant hunger in them that she trembled all the way to her core. She stood, giving her sundress one solid pull and letting it pool at her feet. Never once taking his eyes off her, Adam removed the rest of his clothes.

She straddled him, moving against his lap, their mouths fused together. His tongue thrust against hers, stoking an already out-of-control need. She shimmied out of her panties while he fumbled for a condom. Then she raised herself over him and slowly eased down, gasping at the erotic shock of him inside her. For a second she went completely still, savoring the feel of their joined bodies. But then he brushed his thumbs over her nipples, lightly at first, then with increasing pressure. She tightened around him, her body moving of its own accord.

Keeping his eyes on hers, he trailed his hands up her thighs, unerringly finding where she was most sensitive. The combination of sensations was overwhelming, hurtling her toward climax. He gripped her hips and drove up into her, relentlessly pushing her over the edge.

“Adam!” She felt flung from her body, distantly aware of him finding his own release. Incapable of thought, she sagged against his chest, bonelessly content. A girl could get used to this.

It was a dangerous thought. Used to it? Not unless she wanted her heart broken. Because he was leaving in five days.

He stroked her hair. “That…”

“Yeah.”

For a long time it was the most coherent speech they could manage. Reverently he laid her back, easing her onto the couch and covering her with his big body. He felt so good above her that she decided she wanted to make love this way the next time. Because they were definitely doing that again. There were so many things she wanted to do with this man, say to him, share with him. Realizing just how limited her opportunities were left a cold knot of dread in her chest.

“When do you have to go?” she asked. Did she sound panicky?

“In a hurry to get rid of me?” he drawled.

She dredged up enough energy to thump him on the back.

He kissed her collarbone, and she could feel him smile against her. “It’s okay, we still have time.”

No. We don’t.

“I DON’T WANT to go,” Adam said mournfully.

The sheet slid across Brenna’s naked skin as she sat up to hug him. “I know. But you have to.”

She needed him to go, anyway. She’d shuffled some appointments around to have tonight free, and tomorrow would start even earlier than usual. Yet she wondered now if she would have difficulty falling asleep. Her bed, which had always been more than adequate, was going to seem annoyingly empty once he departed.

He turned, covering her hand with his. “I wanted to ask you a favor.”

“Well, now would be the perfect time to do it,” she said wryly. After experiencing three shattering orgasms tonight, she was inclined to give him whatever he asked.

“Spend the Fourth of July with us?”

She wasn’t sure what she’d expected to hear, but that hadn’t been it. The invitation was…sweet. “It’s my busiest day this week, Adam. I’d love to, I would, but I can’t.”

His face fell. “We leave very early on the sixth. I won’t be here much longer.”

She tried to smile, but it felt so forced that she turned and rested her head against his broad shoulder, where he couldn’t see her expression. “We’ll always have Mistletoe,” she quipped.

“And that’s enough for you?” He didn’t sound accusing, but was genuinely bewildered.

“It has to be enough.” She pulled away and scooted up alongside him. Accepting reality was easier when they weren’t touching. “Adam, let’s look at this pragmatically. You have those three wonderful children who need you and an all-consuming job. I have a life here in Mistletoe and a business I’m trying to build.

“I’m so glad I met you I wouldn’t trade tonight for anything. But do you honestly see this having some sort of long-distance future?”

“I…With my career, that is hard to imagine,” he admitted.

“And do you see yourself moving to Mistletoe?”

“Away from my kids? Of course not!”

“Which is as it should be. By the same token, I’ve worked to establish a solid reputation and enough word of mouth to sustain a client base. I’m not going anywhere. I’d have to start completely over and I spent the first half of my life doing that. This-us-was temporary.” Her voice softened. “Incredible and something I’ll always remember. But temporary.”

“I know you’re right.” He cupped her cheek. “But I selfishly want more of you before I go. You’ve come to mean a lot to the kids, too. Are you sure you can’t join us? If not for the downtown festival during the day, at least for the fireworks?”

“I don’t know. I’m booked solid. By the time I finish daytime assignments, I’ll barely have time to grab something to eat before it’s time to get the evening visits started. But maybe,” she mused, tamping down the objections of her own common sense, “with careful scheduling and some help…”

There were several subdivisions where she had more than one customer on the same street, the beauty of happy pet-owners referring their neighbors to her. If Quinn was willing to help, could they set up a divide-and-conquer system? The woman had ridden with Brenna a couple of times in the past, learning the ropes. Would she be ready for a couple of the simpler solo gigs?

Brenna had known that, by the winter holidays, she didn’t want to be working alone. She’d warned her clients already that she might occasionally bring in someone else for training purposes or give someone working for her temporary use of a house key. Her customers trusted her and agreed that, at her discretion, she could send an employee on her behalf.

“I’ll look into it,” Brenna said. “But no promises, so don’t get too attached to the idea.”

He gave her a rueful smile. “A little late for that warning. I’m already too attached.”