He was beginning to get the idea, and he liked it even better than his. But as far as her giving him an answer-- "You're going to make me wait, aren't you?"
"The anticipation might be worth the wait," she answered coyly.
Geez. Getting through dinner was going to require forbearance. And he didn't know what they were going to eat. Tipping her chin up, he thought, two can play this game. Slowly he traced his finger back and forth across her lips. "I hope you have a magic wand in your pocket, or we might starve."
Playing the game with him, her tongue came out and teased his finger. Then she nipped the tip and turned back toward the counter, setting aside the liver and onions and opening the other containers. One held broccoli and cauliflower layered with cheese, another braised new potatoes. The last box contained large red fresh strawberries and a cup of whipped cream.
"This is going to be easy," she said, going toward the refrigerator. "I know you have eggs, so all I need is a frying pan. It's a good thing you have a gas stove."
In amazement, Alex watched Amanda transform a disaster into something very special.
While she worked at the stove, he mopped up the water in the foyer, then went upstairs and pulled out of the closet the down comforter he used in the winter. He also gathered a few pillows. Fortunately, the rain had mostly blown in on the front side of the house and the porch was dry. After he passed through the kitchen and gave Amanda a wink, he spread out the comforter and the pillows on top of the carpet. Taking the cushions from the furniture out there, he added those to the mix. Then he lit the candles. Lowering the roll-up blinds on two sides of the porch, he realized this would be as private as inside the house. Yet the wind, which had died down to a breeze, gently filtered through the screens, filling the porch with the scent of the now gentle rain.
When Alex returned to the kitchen, he found Amanda had fixed two plates--fluffy omelets filled with the broccoli, cheese and cauliflower accompanied by the potatoes. She'd mounded the strawberries into a bowl. After they carried their dinner to the back porch and settled on the floor, he poured two glasses of wine. At least that was chilled. He'd stuck it in the refrigerator last night.
And he had the small velvet box in his pocket.
After he'd dropped off the girls, he'd stopped at a jewelry store. He'd told himself maybe he was being premature, that maybe Amanda's answer wouldn't be what he hoped. But he'd bought the emerald-cut diamond anyway.
They took a sip of their wine, ate, smiled at each other, and now and then talked about something insignificant. The buildup was tremendous, a sort of foreplay in itself. Alex watched each forkful of food disappear into Amanda's mouth. She was a sensual eater, just as she was a sensual kisser, and he wondered if she even knew it. By the time he sated his hunger for food, he was more than ready to satisfy another appetite. And he didn't think he could prolong the suspense any longer.
Pouring more wine into both of their glasses, he lifted his. "We didn't toast."
She lifted her glass, too. "What should we toast to?"
He said, "You tell me."
Uncurling her legs, she moved closer to him until her glass almost met his. "I think we should toast our upcoming marriage. I want to be your wife, Alex. My answer is yes."
Toasts forgotten, he took her glass from her and set it with his on a table out of the way. "I think we should save dessert for later," he murmured.
But Amanda just smiled at him as she had in the kitchen, lifted a strawberry from the top of the bowl and dipped it into the whipped cream. Then she offered it to him. "Maybe we should have just one."
He was aroused without her touching him, and when she lifted the strawberry to his mouth, he took a bite, held it in his teeth, and then leaned over to her. She took it from him, their lips brushing only slightly. They watched each other as they finished their pieces, and then he brought his lips to hers. She tasted of strawberries and whipped cream and woman. His heart pounded so loud he couldn't think. He only wanted to feel...feel her surround him. As her hands explored his chest, he groaned, and when her fingertips brushed his nipples, he took her down onto the pillows and covered her with his body.
Breaking the kiss, he said in a hoarse voice, "I want this to be perfect for you. But I need you so much..."
She slid her hand from his shoulder into the hair at the nape of his neck. "It will be perfect, because I need you, too."
Nothing in the world could have stopped him then. He was going to make her his in every sense of the word. Unfastening the buttons of her blouse, he hurried to brush it aside. The lace bra was champagne-colored, almost the color of her skin. After he unfastened it, he cupped her breasts in his palms and watched her eyes grow wide with passion, as his fingertips slid over the nipples. "Do you know how many times I've dreamed of doing this?"
She shook her head, then reached out and unfastened the button on his shorts. "Do you know how many times I've dreamed of doing this?"
With a deep laugh that was almost a groan, he ridded himself of his shorts and briefs, then stripped her skirt and panties from her. When he laid her back on the pillows again, he slid down her body until he was kissing the hollow at her neck, the swell of her breasts, the indentation of her navel. She writhed sensually under him, and he didn't know how long he could last. When he touched her intimately, her pleasure was evident.
"Are you ready for me?" he asked.
She gazed at him with such tenderness, he thought he'd die. "Yes."
He intended to take it slow, he intended to be gentle. But at the first touch of her velvet heat, he couldn't hold back, and he thrust into her with a groan. She wrapped her legs around him and rocked with him in rhythm with the night and the rain and passion they'd denied themselves for weeks. Alex's thrusts became long and deep and hard until she cried out, calling his name, clasping his shoulders in cadence with the waves of pleasure sweeping over her.
The sound of his name on her lips catapulted him over the edge, bringing him a release so sweet and euphoric that he lost track of place and time. There was only Amanda and the ecstasy they'd shared.
And when he rolled to his side and tenderly caressed her face, he saw tears in her eyes. "Amanda, are you okay? I didn't mean for it to happen so fast--"
Reaching out, she stroked his jaw. "It wasn't fast, Alex. It was perfect...so perfect."
After he kissed her again, he grabbed his shorts and rummaged in the pocket. Then he brought out the velvet box and held it out to her.
She opened it, and her eyes filled up again. "It's beautiful," she whispered.
He took the ring from the box and slid it onto her finger. It fit perfectly. Then he kissed her again. Finally pulling away, he said, "Amanda, I didn't even think about protection. But I want more children. Do you?"
She nodded. "I'd love more children."
With a grin, he suggested, "Then let's get married as soon as possible."
Chapter Eight
Laughter drifted into the kitchen from the back yard on Monday evening, and Amanda went to her door and looked out. Alex was playing croquette with Heather and Kristy. The sight of the three of them together made Amanda smile, and she went back to the stove and switched off the pot of corn-on-the-cob that she was fixing.
Saturday night had been so special. Making love with Alex... She just never thought she could feel like that about a man...or love so deeply. Yesterday they'd spent the entire day with the girls, planning, making calls to find a minister who would marry them. They were getting married in two weeks in Alex's back yard, and there was so much to do. A real estate agent was coming over tonight to appraise her house before they put it on the market. Everything was moving so fast, and yet it all felt so right.
When the phone rang, Amanda picked it up, gazing down at her engagement ring, still feeling as if she were dreaming.
"Amanda, is that you? It's Jeff."
Jeff? Her ex-husband? For a moment her heart tripped, and then she told herself there was nothing to be anxious about. They
were no longer married. He didn't have control over her any longer. "Jeff, this is a surprise. How did you find me?"
"I asked around and found out you'd taken a job in Cedar Grove. I went online. You're listed, Amanda. It wasn't hard."
Just like years ago, he was making her feel inferior. Well, she wouldn't feel inferior--not anymore. "What do you want, Jeff?"
She thought she heard him sigh. "Look, Amanda, I'd like to see you. Could we have lunch or something one day this week?"
"Are you in Cedar Grove?"
"No. But I'll drive over if that's what you want. I took a few days off."
Days off? Jeff had never taken vacations. As head of the new products division of a company that made medical equipment, he was always getting paged and thought nothing of working until midnight. But a lot could have happened in three years. "Can you tell me what this is about?"
"I'd rather wait until I see you."
She was almost afraid to ask her next question, but she did anyway. "Do you want me to bring Heather?"
"No. I just need to talk to you about something. When can we meet?"
Thinking it was best to get it over with, she said, "How about tomorrow?"
"That's fine. Where do you want me to meet you?"
Cedar Grove wasn't that big, nor were there many choices. For a moment, she thought about meeting him in Camp Hill, but she didn't have anything to hide. Choosing the restaurant about a block from the school, she told him its name and gave him directions. "If you see the elementary school, you've gone too far."
"I'll find it."
"Around one?" she asked. "Any lunch crowd should be thinning out by then."
"One's good. I'll see you tomorrow. Thanks, Amanda."
After she said good-bye, she hung up. The Jeff she'd known wouldn't have thanked her. The Jeff she'd known wouldn't have let her set the day or time. But if he needed something from her...
What could her ex-husband possibly want?
***
The heat was unbearable in Amanda's house, and after the real estate agent left, Alex suggested they all spend the night in the air conditioning at his house. Amanda told Alex she would sleep in one of his guest bedrooms. After all, they had two daughters to set an example for now. He'd given her a patient smile, but she suspected from the glimmer in his eyes that either he wasn't going to be staying in his room for the whole night or she wouldn't be staying in hers. During supper and their meeting with the real estate agent, she couldn't help but think about her phone conversation with Jeff. She should tell Alex about it, and yet--
She remembered how he had been jealous of Ted Livingston. With the wedding two weeks away she didn't want to make any waves. She didn't want to upset him. So she rationalized that there was no point telling him about her lunch until she found out what Jeff wanted.
After they gathered a few things and went to Alex's house, they put the girls to bed in Kristy's room. Alex leaned close to her and whispered in her ear, "I bought some more strawberries. We could sit on the back porch and feed them to each other."
"Oh, we could?" she teased.
He wrapped his arm around her waist. "Yep. And neck a little bit. Then maybe I can convince you to sneak into my bedroom for the night."
She laughed. "You think strawberries are going to do that?"
"Nope. But the necking might." He pulled her to him and stole a quick kiss. Draping his arm around her shoulders, they went down the stairs together.
In the kitchen, he crossed to the refrigerator and pulled out the bowl of strawberries. But instead of teasing her further, he set them on the counter. "Is anything wrong, Amanda?"
"No. Why?"
"You seem preoccupied tonight. Are you having second thoughts?"
The worry in his eyes urged her to say quickly, "No, Alex. No second thoughts." She felt guilty not telling him about Jeff. Yet her desire not to mar their time before the wedding by anything extraneous made her say, "There's just a lot to think about. Selling the house and moving is a bit unsettling, let alone planning a menu for the caterer, finding music for the wedding and reception, looking for a wedding dress..."
When she trailed off, he curled his arm around her and tugged her close. "I get the idea."
With their bodies pressed together, she realized he had other ideas, too, and she smiled. He lowered his head and kissed her neck. Then he moved to her earlobe and flicked it with his tongue.
"Alex," she said breathlessly.
"What?" he murmured, returning to her neck, then kissing her shoulder.
When he nudged her tank top and bra strap aside, she managed, "We can't do this in the kitchen. Not with the girls here."
"We'll never make it to the bedroom," he breathed right before his lips captured hers. His tongue dashed inside her mouth and she returned his fervor. No, they wouldn't make it to the bedroom, but they couldn't make love here...
Obviously thinking the same thing, Alex kept kissing her, but drew her with him out onto the porch. Then he locked the door to the house and closed it behind them. On the porch, the humid night air surrounded them, and they couldn't rid each other of their clothes fast enough. It was pitch black, and they couldn't see, only feel. Alex didn't even attempt to turn on a light. He kissed her as he took her down to the floor. His mouth was wet and hot on her breasts and her stomach, and he kept going down further until she clutched his shoulders. "Alex..."
"I want to kiss you everywhere, Amanda. Everywhere."
And he did until she thought she'd go out of her mind with needing him. His lips on her inner thighs made her arch up. His tongue on the center of her pleasure began a wave of ecstasy that intensified as he thrust into her again and again and again. She couldn't imagine needing him anymore or loving him anymore, and when the climax came, she embraced it as she embraced him, forgetting about tomorrow and living for the moment, hoping for a lifetime of moments with Alex.
***
Only three tables were filled at the Blue Door Family Restaurant when Amanda went inside. She spotted Jeff immediately in the back corner at a table. Standing when she came toward him, he waited for her to be seated. He looked the same, his light-brown hair trimmed short in an executive cut, his lean physique not any heavier. He was wearing a short-sleeved pinstriped shirt open at the neck and brown casual slacks. The sight of him stirred anxiety inside of her but nothing else.
They stared at each other awkwardly for a few moments until he said, "I thought you might not show up."
She folded her hands in her lap and told him the truth. "I thought about it, but it didn't seem like a good idea. After all, as you said, I'm listed." Though soon she'd be listed under a different name.
"Amanda, my life's changing and I'm trying to change with it." The man who had always shown her a self-assured front suddenly looked uncomfortable. Not explaining further, he nodded to her engagement ring. "It looks as if you're going to be getting married."
"In two weeks," she told him, but decided she didn't have to give him any of the details.
The waitress, a young woman who looked to be in her twenties, came over to take their orders then. Quickly looking at the menu, they both decided on club sandwiches and iced tea. When she was out of earshot, Jeff said, "I'm moving to Texas."
"Texas?"
"The company is opening a new office in Houston, and Nancy and I decided we needed a change--" He stopped abruptly. "That's not true. Our marriage was on the rocks, and we're trying to put it back together. I couldn't...fail a second time."
He looked as if the word "fail" was very difficult for him to say, and she couldn't imagine him using it. The old Jeff would never have put himself in anything but a successful light. Time and time again she had asked him to go to counseling with her, and he wouldn't. She wasn't sure what to say, but finally responded, "Two people have to work on a marriage."
"I guess I've finally learned that--the hard way. Nancy moved out for a while, then I found out that she was pregnant and didn't tell me. That was almost as
bad as finding out that you wanted a divorce." The silence between them was filled with past hurts, not simply memories.
Softly Amanda asked, "Why did you want to see me?"
After a pause, he answered, "Because I'm trying to clean up my past. I'm trying to make some things right--" Again he stopped and didn't look as if he knew how to put it. "I know now I was a coward turning my back on you and Heather. You'd hurt me, so I cut you both out of my life."
"Heather never hurt you."
He met Amanda's gaze squarely. "I know that now. But back then, you were both the same package. She doesn't know me, and she probably doesn't want to know me, and I'm not going to pretend I can be a father if I'm in Texas and she's here." He nodded again to Amanda's right hand. "And from the way it looks, she's going to have a new father."
"Yes, she is."
"Does he like kids?"
"He loves them. He has one of his own."
Jeff looked troubled. "I never knew how to act around kids, but I guess I'm going to have to learn. The thing is, and part of this is still selfish, I don't want Heather to hate me."
Amanda had tried very hard not to be bitter, not to let disappointment with Jeff and their marriage touch their daughter. "She doesn't hate you, Jeff."
"As she gets older, she's going to think about things. It could come to that. The reason I asked you here is I want to set up a college fund for her. I could put it in her name and turn it over to her when she's eighteen, but I thought it would be better if you knew about it, if she knew about it. She can watch it grow that way. And maybe she won't think so badly of me."
If Jeff gave Heather money, he'd probably want to control it. He might even want to choose her college. Should she even think about having contact with him again? Should she let him salve his conscience by giving their daughter money?
When Mom Meets Dad Page 11
