12 Stocking Stuffers

by Beverly Barton

  It was Austin who ended the embrace, slowly pulling back and letting his lips slide from her mouth, to her jaw. “Oh, yeah, Ms. Spencer,” he growled into the curve of her neck, where he nuzzled and pressed damp, open-mouth kisses on her skin. “That’s a fantastic start to making good on your promise.”

  A delicious shiver rippled down her spine and she stepped back, until he had no choice but to let her go. Meeting his fiery emerald gaze, and witnessing his cocksure grin, her heart gave a tiny flip-flop of realization. It was useless to deny that what had transpired between them was anything less than powerful, and nothing even remotely close to resembling friendship.

  And that meant trouble for her. Big trouble.

  8

  HE’D PLAYED DIRTY. Austin had acknowledged that fact minutes after Teddy left his house Monday evening, but three days later, he still didn’t regret his unabashed behavior in prodding her to admit there was something between them. Her admission hadn’t been verbal, but that mind-blowing kiss she’d initiated spoke volumes.

  At first, he’d been annoyed that she’d had the nerve to ask him for yet another favor, but during the course of their conversation, he’d seen glimpses of contradicting emotions, of her wanting him as much as he wanted her, and a latent fear that kept her from completely opening herself to him. It had been that honest vulnerability that had softened him. Though he’d accepted her invitation for Christmas Eve, he’d been the one to establish the rules. No pretenses. So far, she’d adhered to his personal request, accepting and openly responding to the intimate kiss he’d greeted her with when he’d arrived at her condo to pick her up.

  The woman was an inherently sensual creature, and despite her reservations, she certainly indulged wholeheartedly in kissing him, and took pleasure in the way he touched her. The low-cut, clingy red knit dress she’d worn in celebration of Christmas had tempted his hands to skim those ultra-feminine curves of hers—from the sleek line of her spine, over her bottom, and up and around to her hips, her waist, to just below the gentle slope of her breasts where his thumbs brushed along those full, soft mounds.

  She’d moaned in acquiescence and arched toward him for a deeper, more provocative contact, but he’d resisted the invitation. Satisfying the hunger he’d tasted in her kiss would take more than the few minutes they had before leaving for her parents’. The woman was in need of personal attention, emotionally and physically, and he planned to give her as much as she could handle, and then some, until she came to the realization that what was between them was worth pursuing.

  Satisfied with his plan, Austin glanced over at Teddy sitting in the passenger seat of the Mustang as they drove to her parents’ house in Pacific Heights. She was rummaging through her purse for something, and he switched on the overhead reading light for her. She smiled her thanks and withdrew a tube of lipstick.

  “So, how are things with Louden?” he asked, curious if his presence at the company Christmas party had made any difference in her boss’s attitude.

  Flipping down the lighted mirror in front of her, she uncapped the tube and covered her kiss-swollen lips with a slash of pink-cinnamon color. “Just fine,” she said too brightly.

  He frowned as he made a left-hand turn onto the street Teddy had indicated. “Is he leaving you alone?”

  She fluffed her hair that he’d unintentionally mussed during their kiss. She had the silkiest hair, and he loved running his fingers though the warm strands. She didn’t seem to mind his fascination with her hair, either.

  “I’m beginning to realize that Louden has the morals of an alley cat,” she said, her tone tempered with disgust. “Which means he’ll continue to prey until a bigger cat comes along and knocks him down a peg or two.”

  A flare of possessiveness gripped him, and his hands tightened on the steering wheel. “How about I pay Louden a personal visit and let him know just how close he is to being neutered?”

  She laughed, but the sound was strained. “Austin, I can handle Louden. By the end of the next week, one way or another, this will all be over with. I’ll either get the promotion, or I won’t.”

  She didn’t sound very positive, and that bothered him. “And if you don’t?”

  “Then I update my résumé and start over,” she said in quiet resignation, putting the lighted mirror back in its place. “And I can’t begin to tell you how much I dread doing that. It means proving myself all over again.”

  He heard the frustration in her voice, and knew she was referring to more than just establishing herself with another employer, but with her family, too. Strangely enough, he understood her resentment, and respected her determination to overcome it.

  Reaching across the console, he gently laid his hand on her knee, offering silent support. “Getting that promotion is really important to you, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah, it is, for so many reasons,” she admitted, then drew a deep breath as if to dismiss the entire subject. “Turn right here, then make another right on Vallejo. My parents’ house is on the left-hand side.”

  He followed Teddy’s directions, impressed with the ritzy area of San Francisco and multimillion-dollar homes overlooking the Bay, even though he’d expected as much. Trying not to allow old insecurities to assail him, he made the final turn onto Vallejo Street, determined to make the best impression on Teddy’s family that he could, and hoped they accepted him for who he was. Nothing more. Nothing less.

  “Which house?” he asked, glancing at Teddy. He frowned when he saw her struggling with the ruby and diamond band she wore on her ring finger.

  “Stop the car for a minute,” she said, her tone exasperated.

  He slowed the Mustang to a halt as close to the side of the narrow road as he could, put the vehicle in park, and turned to face her. “What are you doing?”

  She tugged and twisted on the band, her face contorted with frustration. “I’m trying to take off my ring.”

  “Why?”

  She exhaled loudly and continued her determined attempt to remove the ring, which refused to slip over her first knuckle. “Because my parents gave me this band when I graduated from high school, and they’ve never seen it on my left hand.”

  He couldn’t help the grin spreading across his face. “Ah, so the illusion of being ‘taken’ is for every one else’s benefit, but not your family’s.”

  “Yeah, something like that,” she muttered vaguely.

  He continued to watch her struggle, amused with her thinking. “Don’t you think you’re making the issue more complicated than it needs to be?”

  “No.” Her succinct answer segued into a wince of pain, then a very unladylike curse when the gold cut into her flesh. “I must be retaining water,” she said hopelessly.

  Taking pity on her, he reached for her left hand. “Here, let me help.”

  “What?” she asked incredulously as he examined her finger. “You’ve got a pair of clippers in your glove box to cut the ring off my finger?”

  He chuckled at her sarcasm. “Nope. Don’t need any.”

  She snorted in disbelief. “Well, that ring isn’t going to come off any other way…”

  Her sassy comment rolled into a surprised gasp as he lifted her palm and used his tongue to dampen the skin where the ring encircled the digit, then closed his mouth over her finger to moisten the entire length. He suckled gently, swirling his tongue up and down her finger, thoroughly wetting her sensitized skin. Her eyes widened, her hand went limp in his, and an arousing groan slipped past her parted lips.

  Once he was confident that her skin was slick enough, he dragged her finger from his mouth and gave the ring a twist and a gentle tug. The band slipped to her knuckle, and tightened around the bone. She let out a discouraged sigh, but he wasn’t about to admit defeat, and slipped her finger into his mouth again, using his teeth and tongue to work the ring over her knuckle.

  This time, he succeeded. Removing the band from his mouth, he turned her hand over and dropped the ring onto her palm.

  “Tha
nk you,” she said breathlessly.

  “Anytime.” He grinned wickedly. “Do you need help putting it on your other finger?”

  She quickly shook her head, but not before he saw the spark of desire that colored her brown eyes. “I think I can manage on my own.” She did the deed herself, without any problems.

  Putting the car into drive, he eased back into the street. “If you insist on wearing a ring on your left-hand finger, you need to think about getting yourself one that fits.” He extended the comment mildly, but a fleeting, possessive thought crossed his mind as he turned into the Spencers’ driveway. He wanted to be the one to put a ring there.

  “SO, AUSTIN, how did you and my daughter meet?” The elder Evan Spencer the third asked as he handed Austin the double shot of Bailey’s he’d poured for him.

  Austin glanced around the expensively furnished parlor, complete with a professionally decorated twelve-foot blue spruce, and noted that all eyes were on him—from Teddy’s parents, to each one of her three brothers and their respective wives, to Teddy herself. The eight nieces and nephews he’d met in a blur upon arriving were now in an adjoining playroom, watching videos, playing on the pinball and arcade games, and from the sounds of their laughter, having a good time with all the high-tech toys Grandma and Grandpa had purchased for their enjoyment.

  “Yes, how did you meet?” Teddy’s mother, Gloria, insisted on knowing. She tilted her blond head questioningly, appearing very much the well-bred hostess.

  Teddy stood a few feet away, next to her mother, her luminous gaze pleading with him to be gentle with his answer.

  No pretenses, he’d told her, yet he found he didn’t want to embarrass Teddy, either. He’d only known the Spencers for less than half an hour, yet he got the distinct impression that Teddy’s parents would find the truth distasteful and him unsuitable for their only daughter. The last thing he wanted was two strikes against him before he had a chance to convince Teddy how good they could be together.

  He grinned at everyone, then settled his gaze on Teddy, giving her a private smile. “We met on her birthday, at the Frisco Bay.”

  Gratitude colored Teddy’s eyes, but her relief was short-lived.

  Gloria gasped, her hand fluttering to the pearl necklace layering the front of her cream silk blouse as she stared at her daughter in mortification. “You were picked up in a bar?”

  Susan and Natalie, two of Teddy’s sisters-in-law who were sitting next to each other on the sofa, smothered amused laughter. The sympathetic look they sent Austin’s way led him to believe that their mother-in-law’s theatrical display was a normal occurrence.

  “No, Mother,” Teddy said patiently. “I was with Brenda and Laura, having a drink for my birthday, and Austin didn’t ‘pick me up.’ He was very much a gentleman, and we hit it off well.”

  “So well that she took him to her Christmas party,” Susan announced, just in case that tidbit of information hadn’t made the rounds.

  “Wow, must be serious, Theodora,” Teddy’s oldest brother, Evan, Jr., commented, winking at his little sister. “It’s been so long since you’ve dated, we were beginning to worry that you were thinking about joining a convent.”

  Teddy glared at her brother. “You live to torment me, Evan.”

  “You’re wrong, Evan,” her other brother, Russ, added. “She’d rather be a CEO than a nun.”

  That earned a harrumph from her father. “I just don’t understand you and your silly whims, Teddy,” Evan, Sr., said sternly, swirling his martini. “We raised you to be a respectable young woman—”

  “I’m an independent woman,” Teddy interrupted her father’s tirade.

  “No argument there,” Brent agreed with a grin. “Independent, stubborn and full of sass.” Brent saluted Austin with his own drink of Jack Daniel’s and soda. “If you can handle the independent gal, you can have her.”

  “No man worth his salt is going to allow his wife to work,” the senior Evans said gruffly. Susan rolled her eyes as if to state she’d heard this lecture before, and the other two merely shook their heads.

  “Isn’t that right, Austin?” Evan, Sr., asked, looking for approval.

  The cable-knit sweater Austin had worn suddenly felt heavy, hot and suffocating. Teddy’s three sisters-in-law leaned forward in their seats, looking on in avid interest. Her brothers were obviously finding a lot of humor in the situation, and Teddy’s mother was standing by her man and his old-fashioned ways. Even Teddy’s expression showed she was curious about his answer.

  This one he had to ride out on his own, and since there was only one person he wanted to please, he spoke the truth. “Well, sir, I’m all for a woman working and having a career, if that’s what she really wants.”

  The three sisters-in-law grinned at one another, as if Austin’s statement had marked a major milestone in the Spencer household. Something in Teddy’s gaze softened perceptibly, and Austin grasped and held on to the emotion, tucking it away for later.

  “And who’ll stay home and raise the kids?” Evan, Sr., argued.

  “Dad, this is a moot point,” Teddy interrupted before Austin could reply, her cheeks flushed a faint shade of pink. “I have no intention of getting married anytime soon, let alone having kids.”

  Her father shook a finger at her. “You’re too stubborn for your own good, Theodora.”

  Russ stepped up to his father and slapped him good-naturedly on the back. “Dad, I think she’s got you beat on this one.”

  “She already passed up one great catch,” Gloria interjected. “How many others will she go through before she runs out of suitable men to marry?”

  Evan, Sr., glanced at his only daughter, frowning. “I don’t know many men who’ll wait around while a woman chases after a fanciful hobby that keeps her too occupied to be a proper wife.”

  The hurt in Teddy’s eyes was unmistakable, as was the resignation that her parents would never understand her choices.

  The maid announced dinner, dispelling the awkward moment, and the family moved to the formal dining room. Austin remained behind with Teddy for a few extra seconds while she regained her composure.

  “It’s like this every time,” Teddy said wearily.

  Not knowing what to say to that, Austin touched his hand to the small of her back in a supportive gesture as they entered the adjoining room. Her parents didn’t understand what drove Teddy, but he certainly did. The woman was strong and independent, but what no one realized was just how much her struggle to establish her own individuality was costing her emotionally.

  Beneath a glittering chandelier, a long cherry-wood table was draped with cream linen and set with fine china, gleaming silver and elegant crystal. The adults sat at the formal table, while the kids were served at the picnic-style table in the game room established just for them.

  The meal was an enjoyable feast of rack of lamb, sweet potatoes, fresh green beans and warm, crusty bread. Dinner conversation centered around Teddy’s brother’s professions of surgeon, lawyer and optometrist, and the various charities her mother and sisters-in-law had donated their time to during the holidays. All in all, Austin found the discussions entertaining, shared his opinion when asked, and enjoyed the humor and anecdotes thrown in by Teddy’s brothers and sisters-in-law. It had been a long time since he’d been in a family setting, and it reminded him just how lonely his own life was when Jordan wasn’t around.

  They made it all the way to coffee and a rich, decadent dessert of chocolate truffle cheesecake without incident, when Evan, Sr., leaned back in his chair at the head of the table and addressed Austin specifically.

  “So, Austin, what are your intentions toward Teddy?” The question was asked congenially enough, but Austin didn’t doubt the seriousness behind the query.

  Teddy stiffened beside him. “Dad!” she whispered harshly, obviously mortified.

  Gloria, who sat on the other side of Teddy, patted her daughter’s hand consolingly. “Now, Theodora, your father is just looking out for your we
lfare.”

  Austin smothered a grin as he watched that chin of Teddy’s lift mutinously and fire enter her eyes. “I’m a big girl, Mother, and more than capable of taking care of myself.”

  “Well?” the senior Evans prompted, ignoring Teddy’s statement.

  Austin did a quick survey of the other residents at the table, none of whom looked ready to jump to his defense. “Intentions?” He mulled over the word while taking a drink of his coffee. “Well, I hadn’t really thought of Teddy in those terms. I care for your daughter very much. I guess we’ll have to see where it leads.”

  Evan, Sr., nodded and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Can you support her appropriately?”

  Teddy nearly choked on the bite of cheesecake she’d been swallowing. Once her coughing fit was under control, she cast a beseeching glance her father’s way. “Dad,” she said between gritted teeth, the word sounding suspiciously like a warning.

  “Now, Theodora,” her mother chastised. “These are perfectly legitimate questions for your father to ask of any young man who expresses an interest in you.”

  “Or a woman who might express an interest in one of your brothers,” Susan added oh-so-helpfully, letting Austin know that no one was safe from the elder Spencers’ interrogation.

  “I’m not rich by any stretch of the imagination,” Austin admitted, pushing aside his half-eaten dessert. “But the house I live in is paid for, and I make a decent living, certainly enough to support a family.”

  An inquisitive look entered Evan, Sr.’s, gaze. “I don’t believe you’ve said what you do for a living.”

  “He’s an investment broker,” Teddy announced eagerly, the same moment that Austin said, “I own my own landscaping business.”

  It didn’t take a rocket scientist to guess that Teddy had feared he’d reveal his Fantasy for Hire gig.

  Dead silence followed, and everybody seemed to go perfectly still as eight pair of eyes scrutinized him like an insect under a microscope. Even Teddy seemed to stop breathing, and he couldn’t help wondering if she’d approve of what he really did for a living—digging ditches.