by Marie Force
Tall and thin with long dark hair, Tenley is as put together as you’d expect a Hollywood stylist to be, with the skinniest jeans I’ve ever seen, a top that clings to her full breasts, sky-high heels that she runs around on the way I do tennis shoes and a gigantic purse filled with the tools of her trade. Sleek is the word that comes to mind.
She hugs me like we’re old friends, even though we’ve only met a couple of times, once at Flynn and Nat’s wedding and the last time I visited before the move. She came to Kristian’s with her sexy boyfriend, Devon Black. “I’m so happy to have the chance to dress you.” With her hands on my shoulders, she leans back for a closer look. “When Addie told me you’re Natalie’s friend who had cancer, I couldn’t wait to find the perfect dress for you. And let me say, you look marvelous. Your hair is so cute, and you’ve gotten some sun.”
“Thank you.” I’m overwhelmed and delighted by her enthusiasm, and I try not to flinch at being described as the friend who had cancer. I know she means well—and so did Addie.
“I gotta say, you landed yourself one hell of a catch, too.” As she talks, she removes dresses in zipped bags from her rack. “That Kristian Bowen is some kind of sexy and ultra mysterious. Everyone is curious about him.”
I’m unprepared for how it feels to hear a gorgeous, sexy woman talk about Kristian that way. A knot of dread forms in my belly. How in the world will I ever keep him interested in me when women like her find him sexy and mysterious? Before I can let the jealousy sink its nasty claws into me, Maddie comes bounding into the room, stopping short at the sight of Tenley and her rack of dresses.
I hold out my arms to my daughter, who steps into my embrace. “Maddie, say hi to Miss Tenley. She’s going to help Mommy find a dress for the movie premiere.”
“Hi,” Maddie says shyly.
“Hi, Maddie. Are you going to help me find the perfect dress for Mommy to wear?”
Maddie nods.
“Excellent! Let’s get started.”
I try on ten gowns, each of them more spectacular than the one before. How I’ll ever decide on one of them is beyond me.
“I want you to try one more,” Tenley says, a calculating look in her eye. “I saved this one for last for a reason.” She holds up a champagne-colored gown that’s the simplest of the lot, and I love it immediately.
“Won’t I look washed out in that color?” I ask, aware of how pallid my skin still is after my illness.
Tenley waves a hand. “Don’t worry about that. We’ll make sure you’re glowing.”
“I like that one, Mommy,” Maddie says.
“I do, too. Let’s see how it looks on.” Maddie comes with me into my bedroom when I change into the gown. She carefully zips me in like she’s been doing it all her life. I turn to face her, and her mouth drops open.
“You look so pretty!”
“Really?”
She nods. “So, so pretty.”
I face the full-length mirror behind the door. The gown hugs me through the breasts and ribs and then flares at the waist, making me look slightly less waifish than I did in many of the others. My shoulders and collarbones are too prominent for my liking, but there’s nothing I can do about that between now and Saturday night, so I try not to dwell on the things I can’t change. “Let’s see what Tenley thinks.”
Maddie goes ahead of me to the living room. “Mommy looks so pretty!”
“Does she?” Tenley asks.
“Uh-huh. Show her, Mom.”
I feel oddly shy emerging from my bedroom in this dress. Everything about it is different. Judging by her expression, Tenley agrees. “Holy smokes. That’s the one! I had a feeling it might be. I wanted you to try on the others so you’d know perfection when you saw it.”
“Do you think he’ll like it?” I ask Tenley, feeling madly vulnerable. I barely know her, but she knows Kristian, and I want him to be proud to have me with him Saturday night.
“Um, yes, Aileen,” she says with a grin. “I think he’ll like it. Let’s talk about shoes!”
She leaves an hour later, promising to get the gown back to me by Saturday morning after a few alterations to make it a perfect fit. I’ve chosen an incredible pair of Jimmy Choo heels, and I almost faint when Tenley tells me that Flynn’s brother-in-law Hugh, a Beverly Hills jeweler, will provide a loaned diamond necklace, bracelet and earrings for the occasion.
Cinderella has nothing on me.
“That was so much fun!” Maddie says after Tenley leaves. Logan hid out in his and Maddie’s bedroom the entire time she was there, and I let him know it’s safe to come back out.
“Did you find something you like?” he asks.
“Wait till you see,” Maddie says. “Mommy looks like a princess.”
“That’s cool.”
The doorbell rings, and I go to answer it.
“Hi there. I’m Cecelia. You must be Aileen?” With blonde hair, blue eyes and a gorgeous smile, she’s the epitome of a Southern California girl.
“Yes, please come in.” I introduce her to Logan and Maddie. “Miss Cecelia is a friend of Mr. Kristian’s, and she’s going to stay with you guys when we go to the movie premiere.”
“You can call me Cece,” she tells the kids. “That’s what my friends call me.”
We chat for a few minutes, and then she asks if the kids like the beach.
“We love it,” Maddie replies.
“Why don’t we take a walk over and check out the playground?” Cece suggests.
“Can we, Mom?” Logan asks.
“Sure, let’s do it.”
As the four of us make the short walk to the playground, Cece asks the kids a bunch of questions that get them talking about their favorite classes at school, the friends they left behind in New York, the summer camp they’re going to and what they like best about their new home—the beach.
“We have some cool new friends, too,” Logan says. “Mr. Kristian has the best game room ever and so many sick cars. He let me sit in them last night and pretend to drive.”
They like her, and she’s great with them, which is a huge relief. I want this time alone with Kristian so badly, but more than that, I want to be sure my kids are safe and happy with their new sitter.
“It’s so good of you to do this,” I say to her when the kids are occupied on the swings.
“I’m happy to. I just went through a bad breakup, so it helps to keep busy. Plus, I have crazy student loans from nursing school, and Kristian is making it well worth my while.”
I begin to wonder just how much he’s paying her to watch my kids. Before I can ask her, my phone chimes with a text from him.
Where are you guys? I’m at your house.
My heart immediately skips a beat and does a somersault in my chest—all that from knowing he’s nearby. At the playground across the street.
Be right over.
I run my fingers through my hair and wish I’d worn something more exciting than a tank top and an old pair of cutoff denim shorts. “Kristian is coming over.”
“If you guys want to go grab some dinner or something, I’m not doing anything tonight. I’m off duty at work for a couple of days.”
I’m so tempted. Would it be wrong of me to leave my kids for a few hours with someone they just met?
“Cece,” Maddie calls, “come push me.”
“I’m coming.” She jogs over to the swings and has Maddie giggling within minutes.
“Push me, too,” Logan says.
She alternates like an old pro, pushing one and then the other while keeping up a steady stream of chatter about their favorite movies, their favorite food and what kind of ice cream they like best.
They like her. She likes them. She’s a nurse, for crying out loud. She’s more qualified to be with them than I am. Would it be wrong to take some time to myself? I’ve done it so rarely that the thought of leaving them makes me sick with guilt.
Then his arm slides around me from behind as he kisses the back of my neck, and the guilt
is trumped by pure lust when the scent of his cologne fills my senses. I’m a bad, bad mother.
“How’s it going?” he asks, keeping his arm around me as he waves to the kids.
“Good. They like Cecelia.”
“Thank God.”
I pause, but only for a second before I look up at him. “She said she’s not doing anything tonight if we want to go grab a bite to eat. Or something.”
His fingers dig into my shoulder, and his jaw tightens with tension. “What did you say?”
“I told her I’d see if you wanted to.”
“You had to ask?” His eyes are covered by his sunglasses, but I don’t need to be able to see his eyes to know what they look like. “Are you comfortable leaving the kids with her?”
“I think so. I feel a little guilty, though.”
“Why?”
“I’ve hardly ever left them with anyone other than the woman in our building who watched them for me.”
“We don’t have to, Aileen. Not until you’re comfortable with her. For what it’s worth, I’ve known her for a couple of years through my assistant, Lori, who’s her roommate.”
“It’s worth a lot. In fact, I was just thinking that as a nurse, she’s more qualified to be with them than I am.”
“That’s not true. No one is more qualified to be with them than you are.”
I lean my head against him, and it feels so natural to stand there watching my kids with his arm around me and my head resting against his chest. I could get used to this. “You’re out of work early.”
“I couldn’t get shit done from wanting to be with you.”
That decides it for me. I need to spend some time alone with him. I call the kids over, and Cece follows, keeping a close eye on them, which I appreciate.
“How would you guys like to hang with Cece for a little while?”
“Can we?” Maddie asks while Logan looks on, his expression giving nothing away.
“If you want to. Cece said she’s free tonight and can spend some time with you guys while I go to dinner with Mr. Kristian.”
“What’ll we do for dinner?” Logan asks.
Kristian pulls out his wallet and hands him three twenties. “How about you take these lovely ladies out for pizza?”
Logan takes the money, brightening considerably at being given such responsibility by Kristian.
“I know a great place that we can walk to,” Cece says.
Kristian hands Logan another twenty. “Get ice cream after, too.”
“Awesome,” Logan says. “Let’s go, you guys.”
“Wait a minute.” I point to my cheek, and my son rolls his eyes as he comes over to kiss me.
Maddie does the same.
“Love you guys.”
Cecelia and I exchange phone numbers, and I give her the key to the house.
“Are they allergic to anything?” she asks.
“Not that I know of.”
“Bedtime?”
“By nine at the latest, if you can get them there. They can take their own showers, but Maddie might need a little supervision.”
“No problem. We’ve got this, right, guys?”
“Yep,” Maddie says.
“Can we go now?” Logan asks.
“Sure, I’ll see you in the morning. Love you.”
They take off with Cece, shouting, “I love you, too,” over their shoulders.
The second they’re out of earshot, Kristian says, “Come home with me.”
Chapter 16
I look up at him, and he kisses me, right there on the playground with the sun setting behind us. The beach is crowded, but everything and everyone fades away until there’s only him, holding me and kissing me with the kind of passion I never knew was possible until he showed me how it could be.
“Come home with me, Aileen,” he says again, much more urgently this time.
With our bodies tightly aligned, I can feel how badly he wants me. “Let’s go.”
He keeps his arm around me as we walk—so quickly I have trouble keeping up with him—back to my house, where his car is parked in front.
“I should change.” I’m beginning to feel panicky about whether my legs need to be shaved or if I’m sweaty from the walk to the beach.
“You don’t need clothes for this date.” He holds the car door open, imploring me to get in.
I get in the car. Who cares if my legs are shaved when a hot, sexy man who makes me crazy with desire wants to take me home and have his wicked way with me?
The minute the car is moving forward, his hand is on my leg, his heat branding my skin.
Now that the moment is upon me, I’m riddled with worries and insecurities and…
“Stop it,” he says, his voice a low, gruff growl. “Whatever you’re thinking that’s making you tighter than a drum, knock it off.”
I remind myself to breathe, to try to relax, to remember this is Kristian, who has been so good to me and my kids. I have nothing to fear from him, but even knowing that, I worry about whether he’ll want to dominate me, if I’ll be enough for him, if he’ll—
“Aileen.”
The single word is like a command. “Yes?”
“Stop.” After a long pause, he says, “Nothing will happen unless you want it to, and everything about you is perfection to me. Whatever you’re thinking, however you’re blowing this up in your mind, don’t. If you had any idea how much I want you, you’d get out at the next light and run away.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
“Neither am I, so stop worrying.”
“It’s been a really long time for me.”
“I know that, sweetheart. I’ll take good care of you. I promise.”
His sweet words go a long way toward calming my nerves, but they don’t do anything to stop the tingling on the surface of my skin or the ache between my legs that intensifies the closer we get to his place. Traffic is heavy this time of day, and it takes longer than it should.
“Fucking hell,” he mutters when we have to sit through one light a second time.
His impatience is endearing.
“You were good with Logan back there, giving him the money and asking him to take the girls out to dinner.”
“I could tell he wasn’t completely sold on staying with Cece.”
“You don’t believe me when I tell you you’re great with them, but there’s another example. I would like to know how much you’re paying her to stay with them for the premiere.”
“That’s between me and her.”
“I want to know.”
“I’m not telling you.”
“I’ll get it out of you.”
His huff of laughter makes me smile. I love him. I no sooner have that thought than I’m sucking in a deep breath and my heart all but stops at the realization.
“What?” He looks over at me, concerned.
“N-nothing.” I love him. Oh my God, I really do. I have, probably, from that first day at Natalie’s wedding when I was introduced to him and felt the earth shift under my feet. Before that, before him, I wouldn’t have believed it possible to take one look at someone and feel everything there is to feel. But that’s exactly what happened at the wedding, and every time I’ve been with him since then, the feeling has grown and multiplied.
Ten minutes later, we pull up to his building, where he punches in the code. In the garage, he tells me to wait for him and comes around to help me out of the car, taking my hand to lead me to the elevator. Once inside, he wraps both arms around me and kisses my neck. His erection is hard and hot against my belly, and I rub against him, making him groan.
“Are you hungry?” he asks.
“Not for dinner.”
“Jesus, Aileen. Throw gas on a wildfire, why don’t you?”
Laughing, I kiss his neck and under his chin. “Sorry.”
“No, you’re not. Do you want to check on the kids?”
“You wouldn’t mind?”
“Of course not. I don’t
want you to be distracted by anything but me for the next few hours.”
I shiver in anticipation of hours alone with him. As I withdraw my phone from the back pocket of my shorts, I realize my hands are shaking. I put through a call to Cece, who answers on the first ring.
“Hi there.”
I smile when I hear Logan say in the background, “I told you she would call.”
“Tell him he’s always right.”
“I will,” Cece says, laughing. “We’re having a great time. Don’t worry about a thing.”
“Do they want to talk to me?”
“Sure, here they are.”
I talk to both of them, reminding them to be good for Cece and do what she tells them to. They’re excited about going for ice cream, and I’m getting in the way of their good time. “Have fun,” I tell Maddie the second before the line goes dead. “I’m already yesterday’s news.”
“They’re in good hands and having fun. The same could be said for you.” He drops his hands to my ass and pulls me in tight against him. “The first time,” he says against my ear, “will be fast. The second time, I’m going to linger, make it last.”
“I think I’m drooling. Am I drooling?”
Smiling, he shakes his head. At some point, he removed his sunglasses, and those dazzling blue eyes are watching me intently. The elevator dings, and I startle. I immediately feel foolish for being so jumpy.
“You’re getting wound up again,” he says, his hand on my lower back as he directs me into the apartment.
We go straight to the stairs, and he steers me to his room with his hands on my hips.
“I want you to wear these shorts every day.”
“Really? Why?”
“Your ass is so hot in them. When I got to the park earlier, the first thing I saw was you in these shorts. I wanted to do this, right there in front of everyone.” He drops to his knees behind me and kisses the lower curves of my ass cheeks, taking a bite out of the right one.
