A Thanksgiving To Remember

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A Thanksgiving To Remember Page 13

by Margaret Watson


  She thought she was being perfectly still and silent, but suddenly Tom opened his eyes and stared right at her. She felt the blush start at her neck and suffuse her face with color. “Good morning,” she finally managed to say. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you up.”

  “No problem,” he said easily. He reached for his shirt and pulled it over his head as he sat up. “How did you sleep?”

  “Just fine,” she lied. “How about you?”

  “I didn’t hear a thing last night. It was quiet as the proverbial graveyard.”

  “Good. I was coming down for breakfast,” she said, pulling her robe more tightly around herself. “Maybe I’ll go take a shower first.”

  “Go ahead.” He lounged back on the couch and watched her. “I’ll take a look outside.”

  “Great.” She hurried back to her bedroom and closed the door behind her. Swallowing hard, she realized that her heart was pounding and an unfamiliar need throbbed deep inside her. She had wanted to run down to Tom and throw herself into his arms, she thought, trembling. Instead of retreating to the safety of her bedroom, she’d wanted to toss caution to the winds and leap onto that couch with him. She’d wanted to find out if the rest of him was as naked as his chest.

  Chapter 11

  Tom watched Tina retreat into her bedroom and cursed himself roundly. He should be thinking of nothing but her safety. But all he could think about was how good she looked in the morning. All he could think about was how she would taste, how she would feel. And how her eyes, still heavy with sleep, would turn hot and needy if he took her into his arms.

  With a muttered oath, he swung off the couch and pulled on his jeans. He was the last thing Tina needed to worry about right now. He’d seen the caution in her eyes, the sudden stillness she tried to hide. He wasn’t sure why she was so cautious and careful, and he intended to find out. But now wasn’t the time.

  When Tina came downstairs, almost a half hour later, Tom had checked the outside of her house, brought in her newspaper, and started the coffee. He was sitting at the table with his first cup, reading the paper, when she walked into the kitchen. She stopped in the doorway and stared.

  “Good morning,” he finally said.

  “Good morning.” She stared at him for a moment longer, then her mouth curled into a smile. “This looks very domestic.”

  “Sorry,” he said. “I should have waited for you, but I was going to die if I didn’t get coffee.”

  “Don’t be sorry,” she said, moving into the kitchen and pouring a cup for herself. “I’m glad you made yourself at home.” She shook her head and grinned as she sat down across from him. “It’s just a little strange, that’s all.”

  He felt a surge of fierce satisfaction. Clearly, she wasn’t used to men staying overnight in her house. Trying to smother the triumphant shout that wanted to explode from his chest, he jumped up from the table. “Let me make you breakfast.”

  “I’m fine,” she said, but she didn’t look at him. “Sit down and finish your coffee.”

  They sat together in silence for a while. Tom tried to read the paper, but the words all ran together and he found himself reading each story twice. He was far too aware of Tina, sitting across from him in her nursing uniform. Her scent drifted across the table to surround him, a fresh, clean scent of flowers and the outdoors. Her hair was still damp, but the mass of rich, dark red was already beginning to curl around her face.

  His heart pounded and his breath came more quickly. And worst of all, as he watched her across the table, he thought her chest rose and fell more quickly, that her face was flushed with color and her hand trembled on her coffee cup.

  When he found himself reaching across the table for her hand, he jumped up and refilled his coffee cup. “What do you have planned for this morning before work?” he asked.

  He felt her gaze on his back.

  “I promised that I would go in early today,” she replied. “That’s why I’m wearing my uniform. One of the other nurses is sick, and we’re all pitching in to cover her shifts.”

  He spun around to face her. “How long will you be working today, then?”

  “About twelve hours.”

  “That’s a long time,” he said, frowning.

  She shrugged. “It’s only for the one day.”

  “Does everyone know your schedule?”

  “Everyone on my floor does.” She set her coffee cup on the table. “What is that supposed to mean?”

  He ran his fingers through his hair. “I don’t know what it means, Tina, except that your house is going to be empty all day. I don’t like the idea of your coming back here alone after being gone so long.”

  Her face softened. “I’m used to it,” she said gently. “This happens every once in a while, and we work the extra hours. Everyone covered for me when my mother was sick.”

  “I’m not saying that you shouldn’t work.” He paced around the house again, uneasiness churning inside him. It was more urgent because he didn’t know its source. “I’m going to meet you back here when you get off work tonight. Will you call me before you leave the hospital?”

  She frowned. “I’m not sure that’s necessary.”

  “I’m not sure either, but will you humor me?”

  “Of course.” She watched him for a moment, then stood up. “I’ve got to get going.” She walked over to one of the cabinets and opened a door. “Here’s a spare key for the house so you won’t have to rush away. You can lock up when you leave.”

  He stood staring at the key in his hand and his heart turned over in his chest. “You gave me a key to your house.”

  She raised her eyebrows. “You wouldn’t be able to lock the door without it.”

  “That’s not what I mean. You have someone prowling around your house, someone followed you home from work, and you gave me a key. I’m as good as a stranger, Tina. You shouldn’t be giving a stranger a key to your house.”

  She came back to stand close to him. “I trust you, Tom. You’re not a stranger. I know you’re not the prowler. I know you didn’t follow me from the hospital.” She gave a shaky laugh. “It’s about all I do know—that there’s no reason not to give you a key.”

  He couldn’t stop himself from reaching for her. He wrapped his arms around her, although his rational self screamed for him to stop. But there was nothing rational about his feelings for Tina. And her gesture of trust overwhelmed him.

  He covered her mouth with his and felt her hesitation. He was about to let her go, but she suddenly leaned against him and shuddered. He felt her surrender, felt her mouth tremble and her body become soft and pliant. And need, carefully banked, roared to life inside him.

  He tightened his hold on her and she gripped his shoulders. Her head fell back as he kissed her, and he trailed his mouth along her cheek and down her neck. Her scent surrounded him, making him forget everything but Tina.

  When she moaned into his mouth he picked her up and carried her to the couch in the living room. She curled her arms around his neck and held on, her mouth still fused to his. And when he laid her gently on the cushions, she pulled him down with her.

  He wanted to strip off the white uniform she wore and kiss her everywhere. He ached and burned with need for her. She moved against him, trying to get closer, and his heart leaped with excitement. She wanted him as much as he wanted her.

  He swept his hands over her breasts and felt her tense beneath him. “I want to touch you, Tina,” he whispered.

  She didn’t open her eyes to look at him. Instead, she turned her head to find his mouth with hers. “I want you to touch me,” she whispered back. Her face filled with a delicate color. “Please.”

  He groaned and his hands trembled as he unbuttoned her shirt. Beneath her uniform she wore a lacy, delicate bra, and he bent down to kiss her through the material. He heard her gasp, and he moved against her.

  He was lost in her, and he didn’t care. Nothing existed in the world but Tina and the need she roused in him. H
e unhooked her bra and touched her breasts, reveling in the satin softness of her skin, the pink of her nipples, and her throaty cries as he suckled her.

  His body throbbed, demanding to be joined to hers, to feel every inch of her against every inch of him. When he lifted his head to kiss her again, he felt her panting into his mouth. Groaning again, he slid his hand between them, burrowing beneath her pants and touching the hot, slick core of her.

  He felt her startled jerk and the automatic tightening of her legs. Slowly he pulled his hand away from her, her reaction as effective as a bucket of ice water. What was he thinking?

  He brushed the hair away from her face and murmured, “I’m sorry, sweetheart.”

  She opened her eyes and touched his face, and he could see her gathering her courage. “Don’t be.”

  His heart melted. “I should never have started this. And once I did, I shouldn’t have gone so far.”

  She shook her head. “I’m not a delicate flower, Tom.”

  But she was. He was abruptly convinced of it. And he had no business crushing her innocence. He slid off her and stood up on shaky legs, holding out a hand to help her off the couch. “First of all, it’s the wrong place and time. You just told me you have to get to work. And second, you have enough to worry about right now.”

  She gave him a wistful smile as she rehooked her bra and buttoned her shirt. “I wouldn’t call you something to worry about.”

  “You should.” He wasn’t going to let her sway him. “Now go on to work. I’ll see you when you get home tonight. All right?”

  She watched him for a moment, tenderness in her eyes, then she nodded. “All right. And thank you.”

  Before he could ask her what she was thanking him for, she ran upstairs. Several minutes later she came back down. She came into the kitchen and stopped. “Goodbye,” she said, standing by the kitchen door.

  He turned and saw the longing in her eyes. It matched the longing in his heart, but he didn’t move. “Goodbye, Tina. I’ll see you tonight.”

  The longing was replaced by tenderness as she nodded. “Tonight.”

  As Tina drove home that evening, her weariness from a long day at work was overlaid by an edgy anticipation. Tom would be waiting at the house. Her heart raced and her pulse thundered in her ears.

  Her cautious nature told her to be careful, to think before she got too involved. But a part of her longed to throw caution to the wind, to forget about the past and live in the present.

  Because the present might be all she had with Tom Flynt.

  It was a sobering thought, and she tried to keep it in her mind as she turned the corner to her house. But when she saw the lighted windows of her house and knew that Tom was inside, waiting, she couldn’t help the trip of her pulse or the excitement that leaped inside her.

  And the idea she’d had that morning came back, full-blown. Could she risk it? Should she?

  She pulled her car into the driveway behind Tom’s car and practically ran to the door. Fumbling with the lock, her hands trembling, she struggled to get it open. Before she could get it unlocked, the door swung open and Tom pulled her into the house.

  “Welcome home, Tina.”

  Her heart trembled as she looked at him, and she wanted to throw herself into his arms. But she had never done anything like that before, and unsure of herself, unsure of what to do, she curled her hands into fists and gave him a shaky smile.

  “Hi, Tom. Thanks for being here.”

  “I told you I would be.”

  She looked around the house, at the lights shining brightly in the first floor rooms, and blurted, “The house looked so welcoming when I pulled into the driveway. It was a good feeling.”

  A look of tenderness passed over his face, then he looked away. “I wanted to let you know that everything was okay.”

  “Thank you.”

  There was an uncomfortable silence, and Tina told herself fiercely to say something. Anything. “When did you get here?”

  “About an hour ago. I wasn’t sure when you would get home, and I wanted to have plenty of time to check out the house and the yard.”

  “And everything was okay?”

  “I didn’t see a thing out of the ordinary.”

  “No more footprints?” she asked lightly.

  He shook his head. “Nothing.”

  “Maybe you’ve scared them away. The police said it was probably kids, anyway.”

  “Maybe I have.” He glanced out the window, and Tina could see the doubt in his eyes.

  “But you don’t think so,” she said quietly.

  He looked back at her. “I don’t know what to think, Tina. It seems awfully coincidental that you started having prowlers after I came into your life. I have a gut feeling that it has something to do with the Steeles’ death.”

  “But why would anyone be after me?” she asked, frowning. “I don’t know anything about it.”

  “No, but you do know something about me. More than anyone else in this town knows.”

  “What difference does that make? You don’t know any more than I do.”

  He paced over to the windows and looked outside, then let the curtain drop. “There are way too many things that I don’t know.”

  “Then why worry about it?” she said, grabbing his hand. “I usually have something to eat after I get home from work. Why don’t we go into the kitchen?”

  Tom looked at her, then looked down at their joined hands. She felt the pressure of his fingers, the heat from his skin, and suddenly wished she hadn’t touched him. It had been an impulsive move, done without thinking. Now she was thinking about it way too much.

  He brought her hand up to his mouth and kissed her fingers, one by one. She swallowed hard as heat engulfed her. Her hand trembled, and she was sure he could feel it. Then he let her go. “I’d love to sit with you for a while.”

  Gradually the tension dissipated as they sat at the kitchen table. He asked her about her day, and she found herself telling him the little details, the good and the bad. Finally, she stopped and gave him a rueful smile.

  “I’m sorry. After all the time you spent there, you’re probably sick of hearing about the hospital. We should talk about something else.”

  “Not at all,” he said, shaking his head. “I’m enjoying it. You obviously love what you do.”

  “That’s no reason to inflict it on you.”

  But it had felt right, sitting here with the darkness outside surrounding them, telling him the details of her day. It had felt like she’d finally come home, in more ways than one. And she didn’t want it to end.

  “I should probably get going and let you get to bed. You must be tired.”

  Tina took a deep breath and clenched her hands in her lap. It was now or never. “I had an idea at work today, Tom,” she began.

  He had started to stand up, but he leaned forward eagerly. “About what? Did you remember something?”

  She couldn’t stop herself from reaching across the table, touching his hand. “No, it’s nothing about your memory. I’m sorry,” she said, watching the hope flicker and die in his eyes.

  He shrugged. “It’s okay. What is it?”

  But she found that she couldn’t say it out loud, not with Tom watching her. Her skin was hot and flushed, and her breath caught in her throat. So she jumped up from her chair and paced the kitchen. Taking a deep breath, she said, “It’s about your apartment. It’s costing you a lot of money to stay there, money we don’t know if you have. And since I’ve had these prowlers, I’ve been nervous here at night.” The words tumbled out in a rush and she couldn’t look at him.

  “And?” It sounded like he was holding his breath.

  Gathering her courage, she turned to face him. “I was wondering if you’d want to move in here. There’s plenty of room and it would solve both of our problems. You wouldn’t have to pay the rent on that apartment every week, and I wouldn’t be alone here.”

  She was talking too fast and too loud. She gripp
ed the edge of the counter behind her and curled her fingers into the tile. “Think about it, Tom. I’m at work a great deal of the time. We’d hardly see each other if you’d rather be alone.”

  Tom stared at her for so long that Tina felt herself begin to sweat. He didn’t want to stay and didn’t know how to tell her so. He thought she was crazy to even think of such a stupid thing. Why would he want to stay in her house?

  Then he stood up from the table and came over to her. He pulled her hands from behind her and held them against his chest. “That’s the most wonderful gift anyone has ever given me, Tina,” he said quietly. “I don’t have to regain my memory to know that.”

  “It’s not a big deal. It was just an offer to stay in my house,” she protested.

  He shook his head, not taking his eyes off her. “It was a lot more than that. It shows me that you trust me enough to let me stay here with you. It shows that you think I can protect you. To someone who doesn’t even know what his name is, that’s a very big deal.”

  “I wasn’t thinking about that big-picture stuff,” she said lightly, feeling her heart pound in her chest. Tom was standing much too close. “I just thought it would be a solution for both of our problems.”

  “Maybe money isn’t a problem for me. What if I regain my memory and we find out that I have millions of dollars stashed away somewhere?” he said, a teasing smile in his eyes.

  “Then you can say that you went slumming for a while,” she shot back, relaxing a little. “It would be a new experience for you.”

  His smile faded. “What will your neighbors think?”

  “I don’t really care. If anyone asks, I’ll explain why you’re here. They’ll understand.”

  “Will they? I’m not sure I can convince myself that I’m only here for sensible reasons,” he murmured. When he looked at her, she saw the need, deep down in his eyes. It was carefully hidden, but it was there.

  His grip on her hands tightened, and she felt that slow heating of her blood, that tattoo of her heartbeat against her chest, that she felt every time she was close to Tom.

 

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