Baby, Let It Snow: I'll Be Home for ChristmasSecond Chance Christmas

by Beverly Jenkins

  Regardless of his reasons, she couldn’t deny the obvious benefits there would be to having the name Robert Fenton on the company stationary. Nor could she deny the fact that he did indeed know the hotel business from top to bottom. With some resentment, she was even forced to concede that not only did he know the business, he knew far more than she did.

  Slowly, she closed her laptop and folded her arms across the top. “I think I owe you an apology.”

  Robert’s busy fingers paused over his keyboard and he glanced up at her across the room. “For what?”

  “Well, regardless of what I think of you personally, I can’t deny your help has been appreciated.”

  His soft brown eyes watched her steadily for several moments before he finally nodded in acknowledgment. “I told you, Diana, I only want to help.” He stood from his desk and crossed the room to her and with each approaching step Diana could almost feel her blood getting warmer, until he came to a stop beside her.

  She held her breath as he leaned against her desk, not knowing what to expect. But he just stood there, as if waiting for her to say something.

  Finally, unable to bear it any longer, she looked up at him and that knowing expression was there—it was really annoying how he could read her thoughts.

  “Hungry?”

  Diana arched an eyebrow at the obvious double meaning he’d infused into the word. Then she smirked. “Not really.”

  He flashed his beautiful smile. “I think you are. You haven’t eaten all day. Come on, let’s grab a bite.”

  “I really need to get finished up here.”

  “I tell you what. You finish that and I’ll go order something for dinner, how about that?” He reached down and took her hand and at the slight touch Diana could not help but wrap her fingers around his warm palm.

  She started to protest again, but she knew there would be no heart in it. Truth was, she was kinda hungry and the idea of spending some time with Robert was more appealing that it should’ve been. “Alright.”

  “Meet you in the dining room in say, thirty minutes?”

  She nodded, feeling slightly disappointed as he pulled his hand from hers and headed toward the door. Diana watched him leave, wondering who the real Robert Fenton was.

  The man her father had revealed to her that last night? Or the man he she’d seen over the past few days?

  Thirty minutes turned into forty-five, but by the time she stood from her desk, she was feeling much better about the future of La Bohemia. During that time she’d heard what she assumed was a delivery driver come and go, but she had not seen Robert.

  She stood and stretched and headed toward the dining room, feeling more than a little hungry. Diana entered expecting to find a couple of boxes of pizza and a couple of cans of pop on the table, but she stopped dead in her tracks.

  The dining-room table was formally set for two, with everything from place settings to the three-stemmed cadelabra glowing soft candlelight between them. And standing beside one of the chairs was Robert spooning mixed vegetables onto a plate.

  Hearing her enter he turned to her and smiled, and for a moment Diana was almost certain the room spun. The man really was too beautiful for his own good. Some part of her had always wondered if that was why she’d believed her father, because some part of her had always thought a man that looked like him would find it hard to be faithful.

  “Oh, there you are.” He put the lid back on the vegetable container and set it aside. “Dinner is served.”

  “Wow.” She quickly took in the baked chicken and garlic potatoes. “I was just expecting a couple of hot-and-readies.”

  He pulled out a chair. “It’s the best I could do on short notice, but one day I’m going to have to make my baked chicken for you.”

  As she took the seat Diana looked up at him. “You cook?”

  He shrugged, and settled into the chair next to hers. “A little.”

  “I’m discovering you’re a man of many talents, Mr. Fenton.”

  He leaned forward, and in the candlelight his soft brown eyes looked almost hazel. “And you are a woman of many talents, Ms. Rogers.”

  For a long time the pair just stayed like that, watching each other, reading the thoughts in each other’s eyes until Robert leaned slightly forward bringing his lips within inches of hers, but that is where he stopped. His steady eyes continued to watch hers.

  There was a question there but also an invitation, and Diana understood only too well. If she wanted to end it, stop everything that could ever happen between them, all she had to do was move away from him. She knew he would never force the issue. But instead she leaned forward bringing her lips so close to his she could feel his breath.

  That was apparently all the encouragement Robert needed, because he quickly closed the distance between them. Pressing his lips to hers, and with the first touch of his mouth on hers, Diana felt as if a wall was shattered. So many years of repressed hunger surged up in her heart, all the emotions she’d felt for this man, emotions she’d assumed were long dead, roared to life.

  Somehow, she ended up on his lap. His large hands roamed all over her body, as his tried to devour her with his mouth. His lips were everything, and his hands were everywhere else.

  Her face, her neck, his large hand closed around her breast, gently stroking and on a gasp she realized he’d worked his way into her blouse and his hot mouth was taunting her into— what am I doing?

  In a flash Diana was on her feet, shock was coursing through her body. Had she lost her mind? What if Shawn had walked in?

  She struggled to button her shirt back up, but her fingers were shaking too much. The entire room was charged with electricity, and yet completely silent. Neither of them said a word.

  Finally, she dared to look at Robert who was just sitting there watching her with narrowed eyes. Slowly he stood, and Diana quickly took a step back, fearing he would reach for her, hoping he would reach for her.

  Instead, he simply turned and walked out of the room.

  Chapter 7

  Despite her best attempts, Diana found it hard to focus on the wine inventory as she sat at her desk the next morning. One image kept running around and around in her mind, and strangely enough it was not the one she would’ve thought.

  It was instead the memory of his soft, warm lips when they touched hers or the feeling of rightness she found in being back in his arms again after all these years. Not even the pleasure of feeling his hard body pressed against hers, shoulder to hip, could dim the remembrance of his wonderful, magnificently gifted hands.

  Granted she hadn’t laid eyes on the man in almost ten years, and yes, she’d been under a great deal of pressure lately, still…how could she have forgotten them? They were perfect in every way. Large and masculine with perfectly proportioned fingers, and even the rough texture of his slightly callused palms added to the eroticism of his touch. Lord, she loved those hands, and apparently they loved her right back.

  The sound of the office door creaking open brought her out of her sensual daydream. Dressed in a gray polo shirt and black slacks, and looking completely undisturbed by what had transpired between them the previous night, Robert walked into the office carrying a box of printing paper.

  “The Staples truck is here to deliver the office supplies,” he said, setting the box on his desk chair. “Oscar and Shawn are bringing the rest of it in right now.” He glanced around the small room. “Where do you normally keep your supplies?”

  “On our desk.”

  “What?”

  “We just bought what we needed when we needed it,” she said, somewhat embarrassed. “Nothing extra. Lately, every penny counts.”

  “Oh, okay, uh…” He glanced over his shoulder to the closet in the corner. “What’s in there?”

  “I’m not sure.” Diana stood and walked over to the closet. “Just some old files, and a couple of coats, I think.” She opened it and just as she suspected, four medium-size storage boxes sat on the floor and hanging ri
ght above was a button-up sweater and a light blue windbreaker. She stood staring at the jacket for a moment as she felt the water forming in her eyes.

  While she stood there Robert had come up beside her. “I take it this belonged to Ms. Ella?”

  Diana simply nodded, still fighting back the tears. “Both of them did.” She reached out and let her hand run over the sleeve of the sweater. “She used to complain that there was a chill in here during the winter, so she always kept this sweater in here.” She chuckled and lifted the sleeve of the windbreaker showing the tag still attached. “This—believe it or not—is a gift from Daddy.”

  He placed his hands on her shoulders and Diana resisted the urge to turn into his body, but it was a hard struggle knowing what warmth and comfort could be found there. “It’s brand-new. She never wore it at all.” He asked why, over the top of her head.

  Diana chuckled as a tear slipped down her cheek. “She couldn’t. It was two sizes too small, but rather than tell him that she was a bigger size than he thought she was she just kept it. She said that Daddy was an out-of-sight-out-of-mind kinda person, so she hid the jacket in here so he never asked about it…and he never did.”

  Losing the battle, she turned into his awaiting arms and sighed in relief as they closed around her. As if the gentle embrace gave her permission to break down, the tears began to flow freely.

  “Sshh, it’s okay. Let it out.” Diana felt a soft kiss on the top of her head.

  “I know it’s been six months, but sometimes I just miss her so much,” she muttered into his shirt.

  “Of course you do, it’s perfectly natural.” Those wonderful hands stroked up and down her back and Diana bit her bottom lip for fear that she was about to start purring like a contented kitten.

  Knowing it was a mistake even as she did it, she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. Diana felt his body tighten just slightly before he shifted them around so that he could look at her.

  Caramel-brown eyes lined by elegant black lashes bore into hers as if seeking permission for only a moment before his head was bending to hers. This time Diana was prepared for his kiss and opened her mouth in welcome. Robert seemed surprised by the invitation but recovered quickly, plunging deep into her mouth.

  He tasted wonderful and familiar and her whole being awakened by the assault on her senses. For the first time in too long to remember, taste, touch, sound were all united in a symphony of pleasure. Those magical hands were everywhere, finally settling on her bottom. Taking her in both hands he pushed her up against his growing erection.

  It had been so long, she thought, too long. A tiny friction of pleasure coursed through her body and escaped her mouth in a gasp of pure satisfaction.

  Cupping her tightly in both hands, he rubbed her against his rapidly increasing organ and Diana knew a good idea when she felt it. She wrapped her arms tightly around his body and responded to the rubbing with her own hip grinding.

  His hands began roaming every inch of her body; even through the fabric of her jeans and cotton shirt she could feel the warmth of his palm as he touched and stroked with such possession it was as if they’d never parted.

  “Oh, Diana.” He moaned against her neck pressing her up against the doorjamb, and reaching down he lifted one of her legs up on his hip, pushing into her hard. Diana could feel the moisture racing down as her body prepared for him. Nothing but a few pieces of clothing stood between her and paradise. She reached between them and struggled with his belt buckle.

  A sudden knock on the door had the effect of a jug of ice-cold water being poured over their heads and they broke apart like a pair of guilty teenagers.

  “Hello? Anybody in here?” Oscar’s voice came from the doorway.

  “Hang on, Oscar,” Robert called out, “we’re just making some room for the boxes.”

  Diana’s heart was still pounding even as she ran a hand over her head, wishing there was a mirror nearby to check her appearance. What was it about Robert that made her forget everything? What if Oscar had just barged in, in his typical way, and found them like that? How could she expect her staff to continue to respect her if she started behaving like a horny, love-starved girl every time Robert came within two feet of her, instead of being the mature businesswoman she was? She started to move away from the closet but Robert’s arm came up to block her path.

  “Chill out. He didn’t see anything.” He gestured to the closet door, which happened to swing back in the direction of the office door, effectively blocking anyone from entering the office while it was open.

  In her haze of lust and confusion, Diana had forgotten the door did that. Well, she thought, that just meant Oscar didn’t see anything this time, but what about the next time and the next time…and the next time.

  “You okay?” he asked rebuttoning and retucking his shirt.

  “Did I do that?” she asked, surprised to realize he was partially undressed.

  His wide grin made him look like the mischievous boy she’d known so long ago, and her heart twisted suddenly at the memory of all that had been lost between them.

  As Robert began stacking the boxes one on top of the other, creating an area of open space on the floor, Diana considered everything that had happened since his return.

  She’d been so busy helping her mother with the winery, she’d just assumed her lack of interest in dating was more about a too-busy schedule than it was a lack of interest in men. She’d always planned to try to meet someone when she had more time, but there was never more time.

  Despite her busy schedule and lack of a social life, it wasn’t like there had not been ample opportunity. After all, there were young, good-looking guys passing through the inn all the time, many of them flirting and making advances that she could’ve easily followed through on if she’d had the heart to. But she’d always made an excuse not to.

  For some reason, none of the usual factors seemed to come into play where Robert was concerned. And finding herself in the office closet wrapped around his body was all the proof she needed. And although she’d loved him once long ago, it wasn’t like she’d spent the past ten years pining over him. Had she?

  Regardless of all that, where was any of it leading anyway? It wasn’t like they could go back in time and undo the damage that had occurred between them all those years ago. And she still didn’t fully understand why Robert had returned after all these years, and until she could understand that she could not afford to let her guard down around him.

  After he stacked the boxes and pushed the sweater and jacket back out of the way, Robert and Diana moved around the closet door and shut it long enough for Oscar to roll in a cart of paper boxes followed by Shawn pushing a dolly with a large copier on it.

  “Check this out, Dee.” He smiled triumphantly, and Diana knew he was still trying to prove to her that bringing in Robert was a good thing. Despite her emotions at the moment, she was still not sure she agreed. “We have a copier,” she said defensively, even as she glanced back at the sad fifteen-year-old black-and-white printer sitting on a foldaway table near the window. The poor thing could only print two sheets a minute, and it did that sounding like a broken-down freight train.

  She knew they really could use a new copier, but for some reason it felt as if every item purchased by Robert had a secret price attached and Diana was afraid that when the time came to pay up she wouldn’t be able to afford it.

  Robert raised a sardonic eyebrow. “Time to put that poor thing out to pasture, don’t you think? Besides, it doesn’t even print color.”

  She stood watching with a frown as Shawn and Robert gently removed the copier from the dolly and set it up, plugging it into the wall and starting the initialization procedure to set up the computer memory of it.

  Robert glanced up at her. “There? See? No fuss, no muss.”

  Oscar had already left the office and Robert was following Shawn out when he stopped in the door and turned back to Diana who was examining the bags of pens, Post-i
t Notes and assorted items on her desk. “Hey…”

  Diana looked up from the bags. “What?”

  “You okay?”

  She didn’t know what he expected her to say, but she couldn’t tell him the truth: that every time he touched her he stripped away another layer of defense and resistance and before it was all over she was afraid he would once again have her so vulnerable and hopelessly wrapped around his finger that he could once again easily break her heart and ride away without so much as a backward glance.

  “I’m fine.” She forced a smile. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

  Robert’s eyes widened and he reared back as if she’d reached out and slapped him. “No reason, I guess. I just assumed you didn’t make out in closets every day. But then again, what do I know? I just arrived.” He turned and, taking long strides, disappeared down the hall.

  Chapter 8

  “What are you doing?” Diana peeked through the hole in the ceiling as Robert pushed another large crate across the attic. She’d spent the morning in town discussing the renovation plans for the winery with the contractor and had returned to the inn to find a note from Robert on her desk.

  Her voice startled him and he turned in surprise. “Oh, hey. Didn’t know you were back.” He sat down on the crate and, using his shirtsleeve, wiped away a trail of sweat running down the side of his face. “I think I found my perfect work space.”

  “I didn’t know you were looking for one,” she said, climbing the last few stairs to clear the crawl hole. She walked across the room to Robert and sat down on the crate beside him.

  “Well, since I’m going to be running my entire business from here I’m going to need a bigger space than the office downstairs.”

  “Oh.” For some reason, his taking over this space felt like an invasion.

  “Oh?” He turned to look at her. “Is there a problem?”

  She tried to laugh, but it was forced. “No. I guess I just hadn’t thought of how having you here full-time would change things.” And that was completely true. Some part of her assumed things would just continue as they had been. But of course, logic would indicate that he would need more space than what she’d given him if this was to be his home. And not just for his business needs, either.