Teri was motionless. The crushing despair she had always felt was not there. She felt sad but it wasn’t unbearable this time around. She was relieved to have Richard’s support and to be able to finally move forward.
After a few minutes, she dropped Richard’s hand and knelt by the gravesite that held the flowers she had put down on her last visit. “Hey, Daniel. It’s me. Listen, I won’t be here long tonight but I wanted to wish you a happy birthday. I still miss you sometimes and wish you could talk to me or see me. I have so much to tell you and not sure where to start or how to explain but I know you would want to hear firsthand…”
Richard stood silently. It was hard seeing someone you care for open up and share their innermost thoughts. Teri was talking quietly and he felt like he should step back and give her privacy. Hearing her next words froze him in place:
Teri gave a wobbly sigh and a big sniffle. “I’m happy and doing okay. It’s taken a long time for me to move past you but I am doing so slowly and I know you would be all right if you could meet him. If you are watching me, I want you to know he’s pretty great. He makes me laugh a lot and I really like him. You should have seen what a dork he was at the nursing home,” she laughed brokenly and gave a huge sob. She wiped her eyes on her sleeve and felt her lip quiver with emotion.
“You guys would have gotten along famously and you would like him so much. I do. He’s the main reason I have been so happy lately. He is incredible… just like you were. I guess lightning can strike twice. Be happy for me and keep watching over me. I am going to go home and see if Richard wants to watch ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ tonight with me. It’s tradition! I wanted to tell you about him in person. Oh, and to tell you Merry Christmas, too! Take care, Daniel, miss you still.” Teri kissed her fingertips and rubbed them softly over his name on the cold stone. She sniffed again and slowly stood up.
Teri looked at Richard slowly, unsure how he would feel about what she said. It was true, all of it. She was happy having him in her life. He made her feel light and hopeful. She did not feel like she needed to hide away in her work nor did she feel lonely. “Thank you for coming with me,” she said softly.
Richard felt stunned from the emotions rocketing through him. He felt like he could burst from the sheer sense of what a loss it was for the other man and joyful for his own happiness and wonder he saw in Teri. “Thank you for inviting me. I was not a dork, by the way. I was in complete character and still am! Ho Ho Ho and all that jazz,” he said softly and held out his hand. “I want to be a very bad Santa with my favorite elf and this does not feel appropriate to stay here for what I want to say or do. Let’s go home,” he said with gentle smile and a wink. He pulled Teri close as she took his hand, giving her a quick hug. Richard then released her and wrapped his arm around her waist, leading her back towards the SUV.
Teri broke the silence in the SUV on the way back. Both seemed lost in thought and she could not take it any longer. “You were great tonight. Thank you again for all your help. I did notice you avoided the mistletoe when Pearl was trying to talk to you,” she laughed, thinking about how he had dodged the spry matronly woman.
Teri had felt so festive and so happy tonight. The lights seemed brighter, the laughter seemed warm and inviting, the cocoa sweeter than it ever had been and it was all thanks to how she felt inside. She felt like a weight had been lifted off of her and she felt relieved and looked forward to all the tomorrows. She had not realized what a “funk” she had been in until this man made her feel again.
Teri watched him drive his rig and held his hand, feeling the warmth and smiling contently when he would give her hand an occasional squeeze. She liked how they seemed to fit just right together. Their hands, their personalities, their bodies…it was a perfect union. Everything she felt like she was lacking, he made up for and complemented her so very well. Anything she felt was overpowering in him, made him seem to glow and that much more appealing to her.
He could certainly be outrageous sometimes and that part of him drew her out of her shell. She had never done several different things before he came into her life and she could not imagine not having him there as a friend or more than a friend. She adored him and loved the way they were when they were a pair.
Teri liked the changes she had felt in herself. The laughing, the texting, the teasing and she liked the appreciation he showed when she put herself out there for him. The silly intimate selfies, the dinners, the gifts, all made her feel like she was infinitely special to him and she had not felt that way with someone in this capacity in so long.
As they pulled up to Teri’s house, she held back for a moment, thinking how to let him know how she felt without making him run away. She had heard several stories from the girls that if the “timing was wrong, men would run” and Richard was well known for being a player with the women. She waited until he opened the SUV’s door for her, saying, “Want to come in and relax for a bit? I could get you some spiked eggnog and..”
Richard interrupted Teri for a second. He didn’t want her to feel like she had to plead or bribe him to come in. He had no intention of leaving her alone for the night. If she needed a friend, he wanted to be there for her…and if she wanted more than a friend, he would be in paradise with the woman he cherished. “I was hoping you would invite me in and you had mentioned it at Daniel’s site. I have never seen ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’. Growing up, we always watched ‘Christmas Story’. Do you mind having company tonight for a while?” he asked tentatively while his mind screamed at him “What if she says no?”
Richard had waited patiently for it to be her idea and her move. But, in reality, he had staged tonight fully intending to keep her company throughout the next day or two until he had to return to the station for his next shift. He wanted her to relax around him and she seemed nervous. Richard also wanted to make sure she didn’t cry all night long as Mille and Jacob had hinted that she had done the past several years.
Richard was tired of mourning his losses in the line of work and appreciated what life had to offer. To him, life was offering him a chance at happiness with the angel in front of him. He wanted to teach her to appreciate each day as well… with him.
Teri grinned at him and his admission that he had never seen her favorite Christmas movie. “You are in for a treat, Santa! It’s my favorite and I have all sorts of things to tempt you with,” she teased and pulled him towards the front door.
Richard laughed aloud at her expression. “I just bet you do,” he quipped and reached out to tickle her as they practically raced to the house from his SUV. He caught her just before reaching the steps and swung her around in the yard in the darkness. Her laughter pealed through the night and he could see her expression in the moonlight.
“I adore your smile, Teri,” he confessed and captured her lips in a tender kiss. He did not want to push her but the admission slipped out before he could stop himself. He did adore her smile, her laugh and everything about her.
Teri smiled against his lips, and kissed him again. “It’s because I am such a good elf, you know?” she teased and had a sudden thought. “Care to stuff my stocking, Santa?” she breathed huskily and tugged his head back down to hers again, embarrassed a bit by the boldness of the invitation.
Richard groaned against her mouth and picked her up against him to carry her into the house. “Hell yeah! I want to stuff your stocking, baby. I have a big ol’ candy cane just for it,” he taunted, still playing the word games with her. He carried her up the steps quickly to the front door. He watched as Teri’s hands shook struggling to get the key in the lock. “Let me, doll,” he offered and unlocked the door as they both rushed inside.
Teri shut the door and whirled around desperately reaching for Richard. Their mouths met and they pulled at each other’s clothes recklessly in the dimly-lit foyer of her house. Teri yanked off his sweater and unbuttoned his jeans, her hands delved into the denim, grasping at the smooth, taut skin of his buttocks. “I love the way your body feels
,” she breathed.
She felt Richard yank her offending sweater off and tore open the front latch of her bra, exposing her pert breasts. “I was just going to say the same thing. Jinx! No take backs,” she heard him say as he chuckled. She felt him tug at her pants and he pulled them off quickly. His hot eyes watching as she kicked them desperately to the side.
Their lips met again and they lost all inhibition. Teri tasted, licked and bit at him all the while she stroked his hard body, pulling it against hers. His skin was so hot and deliciously smooth. Her fingers itched to trace every contour of his abdomen like a sculptor molding clay. “I need this so badly,” she confessed, not knowing exactly what “this” was. She desired him. She was desperate for these feelings he created in her.
Teri felt his body quiver against hers as she felt him reach between her legs to touch her. She felt him roughly grasp her upper arm, turning her around and pulling her against his body. Teri felt him breathe against her neck, his heat pushing firmly against her back. She felt him pinch and tug at her nipples, eliciting a groan from her and a rush of heat to her loins. His fingers slipped into her cleft, stroking her, spreading the slick moisture on her open body. Teri felt her knees buckling from the sensation as she grasped at him to stay upright.
Richard picked up Teri and carried her purposefully to the bedroom. He had no intention of letting up from his ministrations any time soon. He informed her that he fully intended to make sure it was far from a “silent night” if they were still playing their roles and captured Teri’s gasp of desire with his lips.
He knew she was fully aware of what he could do to her body if their churchyard romp at the wedding was any indication. Richard laid her down on the bed and clutched her ankles in each hand, spreading her body wide for him to see in the moonlight streaming through the transom window above the curtains that were drawn tightly. It was just enough light to set the mood for him, although he would enjoy making love to her by candlelight sometime soon. Maybe next time, he thought wildly as he saw her glistening body begging to be tasted. Her scent invigorated him as he gave in to his desires. His body tight with desire, he felt his manhood aching with each catch of her breath and every moan.
Teri was quivering with each touch of his hot mouth, his hands everywhere. She wanted to touch him and taste him but was incoherent. “Richard!” she finally gasped, yanking herself away from him. She felt him grasp her body and yank her back down towards the end of the bed. Teri laughed at the intensity of his touch and broke off when she felt his searing heat rub against her cleft. “Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to Scrooge me?” she taunted him.
She saw his tight expression as he looked upon their bodies, his shaft wet in her juices but sliding ever so slowly against her nether lips. Teri heard him hiss in exhilaration as Richard buried himself into her body. She gave a loud groan and shook from the friction it caused feeling him deep in her. Teri felt him slide in and out of her, shoving her body upwards on the bed with his aggressive thrusting. She felt him grasp her legs and pull her back towards him so he could get a better grip on her, his fingers digging into her shoulders to hold her still.
Teri could feel the pressure building in her pelvis as he continued his frantic pace until she felt herself give over to her orgasm with a roar that matched his as he came. She felt his warmth race into her body and felt him shake from the intensity of his relief.
Richard felt himself pump into her as the sensations rocketed through his body. He had done it again! What was it about this little pixie that made him lose all control and abandon all coherent thoughts in his mind? He never made love to a woman bareback and here he had done it twice now to the most precious woman he knew.
Richard picked up her boneless body and laid her head on the pillow, climbing in beside her. “You are all I want for Christmas this year,” he whispered as he watched her eyes drift shut in exhaustion. He stroked her hair away from her face, kissing her tenderly.
“Merry me, Teri…and if we aren’t still playing our roles, marry me, anyways…” he whispered, afraid for the first time in his life at the response that never came as she let out a shaky sigh and a soft snore. He watched her for a few moments, and lay down next to his favorite elf of all time.
Teri awoke the next morning to the sunlight streaming in above her bed and with the warmest pillow she had every slept with: Richard. She pulled up on one elbow and propped her head on her hand, looking at his sleepy visage. “Good morning,” she whispered, seeing his eyes were open and watching her.
“It’s the very best morning ever if I am waking up to that smile,” Richard said huskily, tucking a stray curl behind her ear. He was pretty sure his breath was rancid from sleep but didn’t care and would not move away for the world. She was a vision waking up in the mornings.
Teri grinned at him and his response, not sure how this morning would be since she had fallen asleep so suddenly last night. Last thing she remembered was him talking to her softly as he moved her up into the bed. She had no idea what he had said but it was truly wonderful to be so thoroughly loved by him. She had been exhausted by the previous day’s activities, emotions and once she came, the sense of relief that followed was unimaginable! She had slept so hard against his warm body. “Would you like breakfast? I will fix us something,” she offered.
“I’d love to eat, but nothing in that kitchen tempts me as much as this sweet stuff here,” Richard tickled her and wrestled her back down into the bed. Their bodies melting together once again in ecstasy.
Sixteen
Richard returned back to the fire station that evening to relieve some of the guys so they could spend time with their families. He wished he hadn’t volunteered to work Christmas Eve for the first time in his life. This year, he wanted to spend the holiday in Teri’s loving arms and being on duty was the furthest thing from his mind.
“What’s wrong, Romeo?” Tony called out to Richard using his call sign. His “brother” looked like he had a lot on his mind lately and that could be dangerous in this line of work. The team communicated quite a bit to make sure they could focus when needed.
Richard sighed. “I am really not feeling it today. I would rather be with Teri, honestly. I may have asked her to marry me…” he hedged, awaiting a backlash from his friend and mentor who had been extremely protective of Teri from the start. He did not realize exactly how bad his reputation had been, or how good hers was, until they started being seen around town and word got out.
Richard wasn’t sure what his next step would be. Of course, he knew it would be a ring but he was hesitant because Teri had not responded to him, nor had she mentioned it in the morning. He wondered if she had been completely asleep or afraid to bring it up. He knew he certainly was!
Moving forward with a dramatic life change for him was a little exhilarating and scary at the same time. He adored Teri and couldn’t imagine life without her smile in it. He had never really wanted to see another woman again repeatedly and she was always on his mind. “Got any ideas on what she would like in a ring? You were so very right about the pink hammer,” he said quietly as his friend stared at him, thunderstruck.
Richard was a bit offended by the hesitation in his friend. He expected anger, teasing, frustration or excitement from Tony, but not the taken aback expression that had him immobile. “Am I that bad?” he muttered as he put his head down in his hands. “I am so wrong for her, aren’t I?” he questioned bitterly.
Tony shook his head and sat down next to Richard on the bench and patted him on the back in an attempt to comfort his friend. “I think that if it was the guy I knew six months ago or the cocky little shit I had to help train all those years ago, I would say ‘Yep, you are so wrong for her’ in a heartbeat. You are not that man, brother. You’ve changed over the last several months. Grown up.” Tony noticed that Richard had looked up and was listening intently. Meeting Teri had been good for his friend.
“In the last few weeks, I have seen a new man take
his place. You’re different. You are more relaxed. You are content in who you are and you think ‘What would Teri do?’. That tells me you are ready to have a relationship, but is it Teri you want? Are you sure you are ready to be with only one woman? Do you love her? Have you told her? If you aren’t ready, are you prepared to hurt her like that?” Tony asked quietly.
He noticed that Richard had not responded to the litany of question. Maybe he hadn’t made that step yet. “How exactly do you maybe ask a woman to marry you and you haven’t told her that you love her yet? That wasn’t one of your old pickup lines, was it?” he joked halfheartedly.
Tony knew he crossed the line as he watched Richard get up and walk away. His friend had some serious things to think about. Tony knew they would either be terrific together because Teri was so loving and giving, or it would be a complete disaster and would crush her beyond belief. Richard, he wasn’t worried about as much. He had seen the man pick himself up and move on several times over the years. If the tiger never changed his stripes, he would be consoling one of his dear friends from another trauma in her life. On the other hand, if the tiger had met his match, there would be another wedding very, very soon.
Seventeen
Teri left the fire station angry and hurt. She had only been able to get a hold of Richard via text and distinctly felt like she was being avoided. The men at the station looked like they were covering for him, too! It was obvious by the guilty looks on their faces.
Teri had walked in beaming from ear to ear with a massive plate of brownies for the guys, hoping to catch Richard and be able to have a few minutes to talk. He had volunteered for Christmas Eve and his scheduled shift started the next day so he was due to be off work soon. She had figured he was extremely busy. However, he had not responded to many of her texts nor answered her calls. Could he have been that busy? She did not want to seem desperate whatsoever but she kept thinking of their time together and how happy they were. It just struck her as odd.
Redeemed Hearts (Thoroughbred Men Series Book 3) Page 10
