by Box Set
“I’d love that.”
She had shifted into the corner of the couch and had her legs pulled up under her when I returned. Instead of sitting at the far end of the couch, I sat in the middle. I couldn’t resist the need I felt to be close to her. Maybe I was a bit jealous of the fact that she had snuggled with my daughter and wanted some of that attention for myself.
She swirled the wine in her glass and stuck her nose inside, inhaling deeply. “Why am I not surprised you know how to do that?”
She lifted an eyebrow. “What? Smell wine? I think everyone can do that.”
“No, it’s the way you do it, swirling the glass, tilting it, and inhaling deeply. It’s like you have done it a thousand times.”
She sipped the wine, and I could imagine her letting the liquid roll back and forth over her tongue before she swallowed it. The visual turned me the hell on.
“Okay, I have to admit, I’m kind of a wine geek.”
I leaned back on the sofa, casually adjusting myself and laughed. “I’ve never heard anyone call themselves a wine geek before. I think they prefer to consider themselves wine connoisseurs.”
She swatted my arm. “Whatever! You know what I meant.”
I tugged the fabric on one of her pants to get her to straighten her leg and set it on my lap. At first I wondered if she might balk at it, but when she straightened her other leg out, I figured I hadn’t been too forward.
“How are your feet feeling?” I asked as I gently rubbed down her shin and back up.
“They ache a little bit, but I’m just assuming that’s normal after almost being frozen off.”
“Yeah, they can ache for a while. If they start to really hurt, or if you lose feeling in them at all, let me know. We’ll get you to a doctor.”
“I think I’m going to be alright. You did a good job fixing me up last night.” She grew pensive for a second. “I can’t believe Matt found me. I’d be dead today if it wasn’t for him.”
“I’m glad that he did find you, and that he stopped. If you hadn’t been outside your car, he might not have.”
“Well, then I guess it’s a good thing I locked myself out.”
We sat in silence for a while and instead of it being awkward, it was cozy and relaxing. I kept up the gentle massage of her legs, wishing I could slip my hand under the fabric and touch her skin, but not wanting to cross any boundaries.
“Chris, can I ask you a question?”
“Sure.”
“What happened to Matt and Geri’s moms?”
“Matt must have told you they had different mothers.”
“Yeah, he mentioned it, but I didn’t want to ask him too much. I didn’t want you to think I was going behind your back.”
“It’s alright, I wouldn’t have thought that.” I sighed, “Matt’s mother, Diane, was my high school girlfriend—and, being young, we were also stupid and she got pregnant her junior year. She wanted an abortion, but I fought her and won. After Matt was born, she terminated her rights to him and walked away.”
Robin’s soft brown hair wavered back and forth as she shook her head. “I don’t understand how someone could do that. Has she ever seen him?”
“Once, but I doubt she ever will again,” I replied.
“Does Matt want to see her?” she asked softly.
“He told me he doesn’t, kind of reminds me of you when you said, ‘Why bother when they can’t be bothered with you.’”
“I was thinking the same thing.”
“I’d never get in the way if he did, though. I’d support whatever decision he made.”
“You’re a good father, Chris.” She leaned forward and put her hand on my shoulder.
“Thanks,” we sat quietly for another moment. “I was married to Geri’s mom. We dated a year and then we were married for two. Geri was about nine months old when Barb left.”
“She just walked away from her baby, too? I just don’t get that.” She shook her head and then laid it on the back of the couch.
“I don’t get it either, but she did. She wanted to live in the city and begged me to move, but I loved it out here and my parents are close, so I didn’t want to be that far from them. One day, she packed up her clothes and walked out of our house.”
Robin glanced around the room.
“It wasn’t this house, we moved into this one a year and a half later after I won the lottery.”
“Oh.” She paused, “Wait, what?”
I grinned at her, “Yeah, I won the lottery. Did you think I was a self-made millionaire?”
“Um, no, I had no idea how much you were worth. How much did you win?” She held her hand up, “Sorry, you don’t have to tell me, that’s none of my business.”
I laughed and snatched her hand. “It’s public knowledge; I won $26.5 million.”
“Holy crap, you’re kidding me!”
I laughed at her wide-eyed expression. “Nope, honest truth. It was about four months after Barb left, and I’d never played the lottery before. My buddy was talking about how he’d won ten grand and I thought, Hey, what the hell, it’s only a few bucks. I didn’t even check my numbers for a couple of days, and then I sat and stared at the computer for the longest time. I made Matt come in and check the numbers to make sure I wasn’t seeing something that wasn’t there.”
“That is freaking incredible! I’ve never known anyone who won the lottery—and the first time you played! That’s so amazing.”
“So I invested most of it, bought this property, and had the house built. What’s really cool is that my property goes back quite a way past that ridge there, and after I bought the property, natural gas was discovered on it, so I’m getting a hefty check on the royalties each month from the drilling.”
As I said the words, I wondered why I was telling her all of this. Was I trying to impress her? I didn’t think so. She didn’t seem like the type of person who was money hungry. In fact, she seemed so down-to-earth—so much so that I probably felt I could tell her without negative repercussions. In a little while she’d be gone, and we’d probably never see her again.
“So basically you won the lottery twice. I’m so jealous,” she teased with a grin.
I thought about that for a second. “Yeah, I guess you could say that. I never considered it that way, but you’re right.”
I studied her in the firelight and got lost in her eyes. What if she didn’t run away? What if she stayed? Could Robin be the woman I was looking for? I doubted it. I didn’t honestly believe that there was a woman alive that wouldn’t take off if they got a better proposition. I mean, Diane wanted more out of her life, and Barb left to do her own crappy thing. Why would I think Robin would be any different? More than likely, she wasn’t.
Chapter 11
Robin
I could not even imagine winning that kind of money. I would never have guessed that Chris was that wealthy with such a laid-back demeanor. I was glad that he’d kept such a humble personality even though he had the fortune. God knew, in my years of catering in New York, I’d met enough rich people who were complete asses.
“Wow, I’m speechless. Do you have any other plans for the money?”
“Not really, nothing major. I want to take the kids to Disney this summer and maybe on a cruise. I’ve always wanted to do that.”
“I love cruises, they are so much fun.” I laughed at a memory, “When I was just out of culinary school, I’d wanted to work for a cruise line, so I could sail the seas and see all those wonderful places and still cook.”
“Why didn’t you do it?” He set his wineglass on the table behind the couch and began to massage my right foot.
“My grandmother was sick, and I didn’t want to leave her alone.”
“What about your mom?”
I blinked a couple times. I always became tearful when I thought about my mother. “She passed away my senior year in high school. She had uterine cancer.”
He paused as I finished. “I’m sorry. I bet that was hard
losing her. My parents are in their late sixties, and I can’t imagine losing either of them now.”
“It was hard, but my grandmother was amazing, and we survived. It was even more difficult when I went away to school. I almost didn’t go, but my grandmother reminded me of how excited my mother had been when I’d been accepted.”
“I’m glad she talked you into it,” he said softly.
“Yeah, me, too.”
We stared into the fire for a few moments, lost in our own thoughts. “You’re putting me to sleep with that foot massage.”
His laugh was low and husky, “At least it’s not my company that is putting you to sleep.”
“Hardly.”
“So, tell me, what made you pack up all your things and take off from New York?”
I wasn’t sure if it was the wine, or the fire, or maybe his hands laboring so lovingly on my feet, but I decided to confide in him.
“Well, let’s see: I worked for a total ass who thought he could proposition me on a daily basis, and even tried to coerce me into having sex with him to keep my job.”
His hands stilled on my foot as they squeezed harder. “What?”
“Ouch,” I said, and he yanked his hands away in apology. “Yeah, he was a prick. I filed a sexual harassment report on him with the police, but the officer acted like it was my fault and didn’t take it seriously. I ended up having to drop the charges because the three women who originally agreed to testify on my behalf backed out.”
“Why would they do that?” He slowly began to massage my foot again.
“Because he paid them to; I found that out later. They wanted to keep their jobs; good cooking jobs are hard to find in New York. Anyway, the night I quit, we were working this very important private party, and he came into the kitchen and was harassing me. He actually put his arm around my waist and grabbed my breast.”
“I hope you clocked the bastard.”
“I did one better. I poured the hot hollandaise sauce that I was making for the asparagus over his head.”
Chris laughed and, because I’d had time to process the whole situation, I found myself laughing, too.
“So I tore off my chef’s coat and threw it at him and walked out without a goodbye.”
“Serves him right. I’m sorry you had to deal with that.”
I sighed heavily, “Yeah, well I loved the job, and the pay was great, but I got tired of having his hands on me without my consent.”
Chris paused what he was doing and looked down at my feet before turning to face me. “Then I should apologize for touching you so many times without asking you.”
“Well,” I leaned forward slightly, “there is a difference between wanted and unwanted advances.”
His eyes darkened as his lips spread into a sexy smile. “So that means these are wanted or unwanted?”
“Did I ask or tell you to stop?”
“No,” he replied slowly.
“Then don’t.”
He looked at my lips, and I knew he wanted to kiss me, probably as much as I wanted him to, but I leaned back into the couch again and out of his range.
He resumed massaging my feet and staring into the fire.
“But the real reason I left New York wasn’t just because I’d quit my job. I probably could have found another job rather quickly. I had a great reputation in the city,” I paused for a moment in bitter memory, “but when I arrived home earlier than I was expected, I found my boyfriend in bed with my best friend.”
He cringed. “Wow, two major hits in one day.”
“Yep, so that’s why I think men are jerks, and that’s why I had all my stuff in my crappy car, and that’s why I left the city.”
“If you made good money at your job, why didn’t you get your car repaired? Did you not know it was broken?”
“Yeah, I knew it had issues, but it was my mom’s car. She had bought it right before she had been diagnosed with cancer, so I was a little attached to it. I barely ever drove it. When you live in the city, it’s easier and cheaper to take public transportation.”
“Makes sense.” Chris paused for a moment, “I hope you don’t lump me into the men-are-jerks category.”
“No way, I think you are the exception to the rule, but then again, I just met you.” I winked at him.
His brow furled, “Yeah, hard to believe it’s only been one day.” He glanced at the clock, “Last night at this time, you were lying on the floor, ice cold, while we tried to warm you.”
“I think today, despite how we met, has been one of the best days of my life. I love your home and your family, Chris. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of it for a short time. It has reminded me of what I really want out of life.”
“And what’s that?”
“A home and a family,” I answered honestly, and we studied each other for a long moment. How had this man and his life crawled into my heart so fast? “Wow, this wine went right to my head.” I pulled my feet away from his lap. “I should probably go get some sleep, now.” I stood up brusquely, and Chris stood beside me.
“Robin, I meant what I said; you can stay as long as you like.”
Oh, how I wish I could stay forever, but what if this amazing chemistry were to eventually fizzle out to nothing and then what would we have? Two children caught in the center, again. They had already lost enough, I couldn’t add to that.
“I appreciate that, Chris, I really do, but I think it’s best if I only stay until the storm is over and my car is fixed.”
Chris took my empty wineglass from my dangling fingers and set it on the table next to his. When he turned to me, he cupped my face with both hands.
“Maybe you’re right, Robin. You do what feels right for you. Right now, I’m going to do what feels right for me.”
He lifted my face to his and leaned down to kiss me. This man had a way with words, and holy hell, he had a way with his lips, too.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and stood on tiptoe to get as close to him as I could, savoring every moment of the kiss we were sharing, memorizing the tangy taste from his tongue and the touch of his soft lips for those long nights I’d be alone after I left.
There was nothing hurried in the kiss, but it was more passionate than any other I’d ever encountered. My body ached for him to explore it, but I slowly pulled away and ended the kiss.
“Good night, Chris.”
I stepped out of his arms and walked away, afraid to look back and see the expression on his face—afraid that if I did, that I would return to his tender embrace and take up right where we had ended.
I leaned my shaking body against my closed bedroom door and touched my lips. I’d kissed a lot of men in my years, but none of them had touched my soul like that one had.
I was so totally screwed.
Chapter 12
Chris
I turned off the lights and the fireplace and checked the doors to make sure they were locked before I headed back to my room. I paused at Robin’s door and hesitated, wanting so badly to knock and take up where we had left off, but I had to accept what she was willing to give and not push.
While lying in bed that night, I replayed our conversation. Remembering her talking about her boss brought the anger back to the surface. Yeah, I hadn’t asked permission to touch her, but if she had said to stop, I would have. I’d never do anything to cross that line, at least not on purpose.
The fact that her boyfriend had cheated on her with her friend irked the hell out of me. She deserved so much better. I was at least lucky that neither of the women I’d loved had ever cheated on me, at least that I knew about. I couldn’t imagine doing that to someone. In my mind, cheaters were lower than pond scum.
I wondered if she was thinking about the kiss or if she was already asleep. That had to have been the most powerful and amazing kiss that I had ever shared with someone. Was that only one-sided? Had she felt it, too? Maybe I was just another man to kiss her and it hadn’t meant anything at all. That thought bother
ed me more than it should have. It didn’t really matter how I felt about it. She’d made it clear she was leaving, and I would be smart to keep my distance.
The next morning I awoke early and went straight to the pool to get my morning swim in. I felt tense after not sleeping as well as I usually did, but I guessed that was from being up half the night wondering about the woman in the room next to mine.
Twice I had thrown back my covers and started to get out of bed, both times instantly changing my mind and punching my pillow as I tried to get comfortable again. I forced myself to finally remove her image from my mind and concentrated on a string of code that I was working on for a program. After a long time, I’d finally drifted off to sleep.
I’d been in the pool for about forty-five minutes when I finally felt the tension begin to leave my body. After a few more minutes, my head was clear, and I drifted to the side and turned off the machine. I was pulling my goggles off and climbing out of the pool when I noticed someone standing by the edge.
Robin was wearing yoga pants and my sweatshirt again, and her eyes were taking in every inch of my dripping body. Her mouth was slightly parted as her eyes lifted from my legs and reached my face.
I yanked a towel off the shelf—not to hide from her, but because with her looking at me that way, she was going to get more than she bargained for. “I guess we’re even now. You know what I look like with very little clothing on,” I commented fake-nonchalantly. I wrapped the towel around my waist and reached for another one to dry myself off.
She cleared her throat, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you.”
“That’s alright, I just finished. Everything okay?” I dried my hair the best that I could so it wasn’t dripping down my back.
“Actually, no. Geri just climbed in my bed. She says she doesn’t feel well, and she’s a little warm.”
I hissed out a breath. “I kind of figured she was coming down with something with her nap yesterday and going to bed early last night. Let me finish drying off and I’ll be right up.”
