“Wise words, but not always easy to stand by. But my daughter’s a tough cookie, so I hope you’re right. I just want the best for everyone.” He glanced at Roman, Julian and Xavier. “Even the youngest, who seeks to hide from us the fact he’s seeing someone.”
Wynn turned to see a deer-in-the-headlights expression on Xavier’s face.
“How did I get dragged into this discussion?” Xavier asked.
“Because you’ve been creeping at all hours of the night,” Josiah replied, “and don’t think your mother and I haven’t noticed.”
While Josiah gave his youngest son the third degree, Wynn stepped away for a breather. He was happy to be off the hot seat. The conversation had taken a serious turn after the fun and games of shooting, but Wynn knew it wasn’t over. He had a lot of thinking to do about where he wanted his relationship with Giana to go.
He wasn’t about to bare his heart to her family—not when he hadn’t made sense of the emotions himself.
Last night, once again, he’d opened up to Giana, sharing more of himself. He was peeling back layers, layers he hadn’t shown to anyone, and it scared him.
He hadn’t lied to her family when he’d said Giana made him happy, because she did. When they’d made love and their eyes locked, they’d been connected by pleasure. And when he’d spilled himself deep inside her, his entire body trembling, Giana had held him like no woman ever had. Afterward they’d lain there, entwined and breathing together.
Wynn felt lost. When he’d woken up this morning and Giana was still sleeping, he’d been relieved to have time to make sense of the night before. He’d headed downstairs, grateful for the distraction of cooking with her mother rather than having to face facts.
He was falling for Giana. Hard.
Seventeen
“You and Wynn are cozy,” her mother said as she and Giana browsed the produce section of the local supermarket. Elyse and Shantel had gone to the baby store next door, leaving Giana alone to face her mother’s interrogation.
“Things are going well,” Giana replied, picking up a piece of honeydew melon and smelling it.
Her mother was choosing sweet potatoes from a bin. “I can tell. I’ve never seen you look happier.”
“Really?” Giana put down the piece of fruit.
“Of course. I’m your mother. I know you.” Her mother placed a dozen sweet potatoes in plastic bags. “I know you think you and your father are more alike, but I bore you. I pay attention to what you don’t say.”
“And what is it that you think you know?”
Her mother walked over and grabbed both her hands. “You’re in love with Wynn.”
Giana shook her head. “You can’t—you can’t know that.”
“Why? Because you’re trying to act like you’re not? What are you so afraid of, Giana?”
“That he won’t love me back, Mama.” The words were out of her mouth before Giana could take them back.
“Doesn’t it feel better to say them out loud?”
Giana shook her head. “No, not really.”
Her mother squeezed one of her hands. “You can’t hold it all inside, Giana. You have to let it out and tell Wynn how you really feel.”
“And what if he doesn’t feel the same way? What then?”
“Then you’ll know. And you can move on and not be in limbo. But something tells me you have nothing to worry about.”
“Why? Has he said something?”
“No, it’s a mother’s intuition. And I trust my gut. It’s never led me wrong.”
“I wish I was as sure as you, Mama, but I’m not. I’m conflicted. I wasn’t looking for love. I thought I didn’t need it.”
“But it found you anyway. It was like that with your father and me. Sometimes when loves strikes, you have to answer the call, even if doesn’t fit in the perfect box you’d envisioned. Now, come on, I have a few more things to get for Christmas dinner.” Her mother headed to the next aisle while Giana trailed behind her.
On the ride back from shopping, Giana couldn’t stop thinking about what her mother had said about revealing her feelings to Wynn. She was afraid. She had no idea how he would react if she told him. What if Giana said those three words and he didn’t say them back? She would be devastated. If their relationship ended on a sour note, how would it affect Starks Inc.’s relationship with the Cougars? All of her efforts to land the account for herself as well as to prove to her father she had business chops like Roman would be called into question. Plus, Giana would still have to deal with Wynn on Curtis’s marketing campaign. She could delegate to another member of her team, but the Starks Inc. account was her baby. This was so complicated. Those were her thoughts as they arrived at the mountain mansion and found the men had returned from their shooting excursion.
Giana pulled Wynn aside to join her upstairs on the conservation deck, which had a 360-degree view of the mountains. With the sun setting, the view would be phenomenal. “Come with me.” She took Wynn’s hand and grabbed her jacket on the way out.
Giana went to the very edge of the deck and looked at the sun setting over the horizon. Wynn came behind her and, placing his hands on either side, closed her in.
“The view is great up here,” he said, “but I like another one better.” He nuzzled her neck, and Giana sighed, leaning her head back against his shoulder. Wynn swept his lips across the nape of her neck once, then twice, before Giana spun around in his arms.
“I missed you,” Wynn said and then kissed her deeply. His tongue slid inside her mouth while his body pressed closer, crushing her breasts and making Giana’s heart pound madly.
When Wynn finally lifted his head, she asked the question she was dying to know the answer to. “How did everything go?”
“As well as can be expected.”
Giana stared into his dark brown eyes and frowned. “Did something happen?”
His hold on her loosened, but he didn’t let go. “If you count your brothers and father asking my intentions toward you, then yes.”
“And what did you say?”
“I told them the truth. That I don’t know.”
Giana wasn’t sure what answer she’d hoped for, but that wasn’t it. Although she wasn’t looking for a declaration of love, the nonchalance was a little more than she was ready for, given her newly minted feelings for Wynn.
“We should go downstairs and get ready for dinner.” Giana pulled away from his embrace. “My mother is a stickler for promptness.”
“Giana, wait!” Wynn called out, but Giana was already descending the steps. She didn’t want him to see the tears steadily falling down her cheeks. She would keep her feelings to herself, because Wynn wouldn’t or couldn’t receive her love.
* * *
Wynn stared at Giana’s retreating figure. He didn’t need to be a genius to know he’d said the wrong thing. She’d wanted to know if he was open to more between them. Instead of telling her what he’d told her father and brothers, which was he was open to the idea of love and marriage, he’d taken the easy way out.
Hadn’t he promised he wouldn’t hurt her? Or at the very least, he would do his best not to? But when met with her eager face looking up at him, in the tough moment, he’d backed down.
Wynn wanted to go after Giana, to tell her he was falling for her, but he’d only just admitted it to himself. He was trying to understand how he’d fallen so hard and so quickly for the beautiful executive when all he’d wanted was a quick romp in the hay. But from the moment he’d had a taste of her, he’d wanted no one but Giana. She made him feel more like the man he could be if he wasn’t so damaged by his past. Wynn wasn’t sure he deserved someone like Giana, and that was the scariest part of all.
After the sky turned dark and a chill came to the air, Wynn returned downstairs and headed for the bedroom, but Giana wasn’t there. There was a note stating dinner w
ould be ready soon and then it would be time for the annual Lockett Christmas Eve pajama jam. She’d mentioned the night before how everyone got in their pajamas to watch Christmas movies, but he hadn’t thought she was serious. Wynn was glad he’d decided to pack some pajamas, because he typically liked to sleep in the nude.
Wynn went ahead and put on the black T-shirt and pajama bottoms he’d brought and headed downstairs. He found Giana in the kitchen with her mother, getting dinner ready.
“Hey, ladies. Anything I can do?” Wynn looked at Giana, but she didn’t say a word.
“I appreciated the assist this morning, but you’re a guest,” Mrs. Lockett replied. “Relax with the others.”
“All right.” He leaned over to brush his lips across Giana’s cheek. Her eyes fluttered closed, but she remained mum, so Wynn went to join everyone in the family room. He didn’t like the tension between them, but he couldn’t very well make it any better if Giana refused to engage with him. He would have to bide his time, and when the time was right, he would make his move.
* * *
Giana did her best to keep up a happy face as the entire family gathered to enjoy her mother’s famous Christmas Eve dinner of glazed ham, mac and cheese, and sautéed green beans. But she was confused. She’d thought Wynn was feeling as she did, but maybe she was blinded by good sex, mistaking it for love. Her mother seemed to think otherwise, but it was probably wishful thinking.
Giana focused on the positive. Her family was gathered in the family room with Christmas movies playing in the background. Giana loved This Christmas with Loretta Devine, Idris Elba and Chris Brown because the family in the movie was messy and complicated, much like hers, but at the end of the day they loved each other and came together at Christmas.
Once the popcorn was popped, she joined Wynn on the floor, where he was sprawled next to her nephew and playing with blocks.
“Hey, you.” Wynn smiled when Giana sat cross-legged next to him.
“Hey.” Before she could stop him, Wynn pulled her closer. Giana had no choice but to let him, because she didn’t want anyone to know what was going on between them.
When the movie was over, Giana immediately jumped up and headed to the kitchen. Wynn didn’t join her, but Julian did.
“What’s going on with you and Wynn?” he asked, getting right to the point.
“What do you mean?”
He gave her a “really?” look, so she said, “Nothing’s wrong.”
“You could have fooled me,” Julian replied. “I know what it’s like when your significant other is giving you the cold shoulder.”
“It’s none of your business, Julian. Damn, can’t I have some privacy?”
Julian was stunned by her outburst, and his light brown eyes clouded with disbelief. She’d never yelled at him before.
“Julian, I’m, I’m—” But she didn’t get to finish, because her brother was already backing up out of the room with his hands up.
“You can have all the privacy you need, Gigi. I was just trying to help.” Seconds later, Giana was alone.
She hit the counter with her fist. She couldn’t do anything right today. First, she’d pushed Wynn to say something he clearly didn’t feel, and now she’d offended Julian, who was only being supportive. It was better if she took herself to bed and hoped for a better day tomorrow. She went back out into the family room and wished everyone a good night.
She’d showered, brushed her teeth and climbed into bed when she heard Wynn enter the room. She wasn’t ready to face him. She wouldn’t make a fool out of herself again, so she feigned sleep instead until she eventually drifted off.
* * *
Wynn awoke before daybreak on Christmas Day, wishing he could go back in time and change his response to Giana’s question. He wanted to tell her that whether their relationship led to marriage or not, he was open to it.
It was still dark outside. Wynn glanced at the clock; it was 4:00 a.m. He didn’t want another evening like last night, with Giana at odds with him. It had caused a stone to lodge in his gut. He had to fix this.
There was one way he knew he could get through to her. He turned to his side. Giana looked so beautiful. Her eyes were closed, and the hair surrounding her on the pillow looked like a halo.
He leaned over and brushed a featherlight kiss across her closed eyelids and then her lips. Giana’s eyes fluttered open. “Wynn? What, what time is it?”
“Time for this.” He kissed her again, deeply, and Giana responded. Their mouths locked and their tongues did an intimate little dance. With a groan, Wynn pulled her closer to him so she could feel the throb of his need.
He tore himself away long enough to say, “I’m sorry, Giana. Let me make it up to you.”
“Wynn, you don’t—”
“Lift up your arms,” he said, his voice unsteady. Giana raised her arms, allowing him to skim off the nightie, leaving her in nothing but minuscule panties.
His fingers tiptoed over her breasts, teasing the puckered nipples. Then his lips were on them until Giana moaned softly. He slid down her body, kissing his way as he went. When he came to her belly button, he dipped his tongue into the crevice, eager to savor every bit of her sweet skin, until he came to her hips. He gripped them and drew her toward his mouth. Once her thighs were spread wide, he pushed her panties aside and pressed his lips to the center of her need. A cry escaped her lips.
“Giana, you have to be quiet or you’ll wake the entire house,” Wynn said, lifting his head.
And then he returned to tasting her with his tongue. He lapped at her and swirled his tongue against the tight nub until her breaths came in increasingly desperate pants. Giana clutched at the sheets as his tongue thrust farther inside her, but he didn’t stop. He sucked on that sensitive spot while simultaneously pushing one thick finger inside her. Giana’s entire body trembled when he added two fingers. Then three.
“Wynn...”
Her body shook as he drove his fingers harder, higher and faster until she broke apart and quietly reached for a pillow to sob into it.
Wynn slowly moved up her body and wrapped Giana in his arms. She was still trembling from the powerful orgasm. “It’s okay, I’ve got you,” he whispered. He didn’t need anything for himself. This had been for Giana and Giana alone. Giving her pleasure made him happy. Those were the last thoughts Wynn remembered as he drifted back to sleep.
* * *
Giana awoke with a start to find herself partially nude and wrapped in Wynn’s arms. Had she imagined waking up this morning to Wynn between her legs taking her to new heights? Or had it been a dream? It had to be real, because Giana had gone to bed wearing a nightie, and now she was just in her panties.
And she felt achy in her core, which meant Wynn had made love to her but not taken any satisfaction for himself. Then she remembered. He’d apologized. Said he was sorry. For what? For not loving her? For not wanting more? She couldn’t blame him if she was the fool for wanting their relationship to grow and develop.
She tried to slide out of bed, but when she did, Wynn reached out to hold her in place. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“To the shower.”
“Uh-uh. Why don’t we start again,” he said, opening his eyes to peer directly into hers. “Merry Christmas, Giana.” He grasped both sides of her face and brought her lips to his. It was a slow and leisurely kiss, which she didn’t resist.
When they parted, she said, “Merry Christmas.”
“I want to clear the air, Giana.”
“Please.” She shook her head and this time successfully managed to escape his grasp. “Please don’t.” She hopped out of bed, found her robe and wrapped it around her nearly naked body.
“I want to,” Wynn insisted, rising to a sitting position. “I want to clear the air. I didn’t tell you everything I told your family, and if you don’t believe me, you can
ask them.”
She sat on the edge of the bed. “Fine. Go ahead.”
“As I said yesterday, I told them we were getting to know each other, but your father refused to accept my pat answer.”
“That doesn’t surprise me.”
“He pressed me on whether marriage was on the table. And I told him truthfully I didn’t know for certain, but I was open to the idea.”
Giana frowned in confusion. “I thought after your divorce you would never consider marrying again.” She rose and began pacing the floor. “You’ve said so in every interview.”
Wynn threw back the covers and approached her. “I know what I said. I’m allowed to change my mind, aren’t I? Especially when a certain chocolate beauty has me wrapped around her little finger.”
That brought a smile to Giana’s lips. “Don’t play with me, Wynn. I can’t take it.”
He reached for Giana, and this time she didn’t resist his embrace. “I’m not playing with you, Giana. I meant what I said. I ran scared yesterday when you asked me point-blank. And I won’t tell you it’ll be easy to crack the shell around my heart, but I’m willing to try. I trust you, Giana. And believe me when I tell you this, when it comes to women, trust is hard for me.”
Giana nodded. “I understand, and you can trust me.”
Wynn smiled. “I do believe I can.”
* * *
The rest of Christmas couldn’t have gone better. She and Wynn joined the Locketts for another large breakfast, followed by a game of flag football, which went swimmingly—if she didn’t count the fact that Xavier chose to sit it out. No one could convince her baby brother to pick up a football again. He hadn’t since his accident, and no amount of cajoling changed his mind.
Instead, Giana, Wynn and Julian were on one team while Roman, her father and Shantel played on the other. With Elyse’s condition, she was sitting it out. Meanwhile, Giana’s mother was knee-deep in Christmas dinner preparations.
Holiday Playbook--A Christmas workplace romance Page 13
