by Joan Hohl
Their mouths fused. Their tongues dueled. Excitement licked like wildfire through Andrea’s veins. A sigh of longing whispered through her lips when he lifted his mouth from hers. Paul responded to the sound of her longing with an answering but restrained sigh.
“I know, my heart, I understand,” he murmured. “I feel and share your passion. I want nothing at this moment but to be in the cradle of your silky thighs, and die there, again and again.” He felt her receptive shiver and held her tightly to his hard, aroused body. “But the hour grows late, my Andrea, and we have an important engagement.”
Engagement? Andrea frowned. To her admittedly heated senses, there could be nothing more important than having him inside her, filling the aching emptiness. The mere anticipation of their joining set her body on fire.
“Engagement?” she cried. “What engagement?”
“Didn’t we arrange separate surprise parties this evening for Celia and Blaine?” he asked, gently nudging her memory into action.
“Oh, my gosh!” Andrea’s ardor cooled rapidly with the reminder. “The wedding shower and stag party!”
“Exactly.” Paul lowered her slowly to the ground. “The wedding shower and stag party.”
Andrea shot a glance at her wrist, then to his eyes. “I forgot my watch! Paul, what time is it?”
Paul laughed. “Time not to panic,” he said, reaching for her hand. “The arrangements are al! made. All we have to do is get ourselves ready.”
After walking back to the campus parking lot, Paul drove Andrea home. As their time was limited, he didn’t get out of the car, but did take a moment to kiss her senseless.
“I’ll miss you,” she moaned when he ended the kiss.
Paul smiled. “I’ll be back in less than an hour,” he reminded her.
“I know.” Andrea pushed her bottom lip out in an exaggerated pout. “I’ll still miss you.”
Paul kissed her pouting mouth, then pushed her door open. “Go, my heart,” he whispered in warning, “before I say the hell with the parties and take you home with me.”
Andrea was sorely tempted to pull the door shut again, but reason intruded upon desire. “One hour, Paul,” she said as she slid from the seat. “Don’t be late.”
“I’ll be early,” he promised, singeing her blood with the smoldering look in his eyes.
“I was beginning to think you weren’t going to make it for dinner,” Celia observed as Andrea rushed into the house.
“There’s plenty of time,” Andrea replied in an airy, if breathless, tone. She ran a quick glance over her aunt, then raised an eyebrow. “You’re not ready yet,” she pointed out, indicating Celia’s robe with a flick of her hand.
“All I have to do is toss off this robe and slip into my dress,” Celia said. “In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve already fixed my hair and applied my makeup.” She grinned. “I’ve even had a shower for the occasion.”
Not like the one you’re going to have later this evening, Andrea thought, returning her aunt’s grin. Aloud, she grumbled, “Okay, okay, I can hear a hint when it’s jabbed at me. I’m on my way.” Beginning to feel a tingle of anticipation, she blew a kiss to Celia and headed for her room.
While she showered and dressed, Andrea went over the plans she and Paul had concocted for this evening.
As Elaine’s best man, Paul had invited Andrea, Celia, and Blaine out to dinner. The plan was for Paul to leave the door of his home unlocked, and Andrea, after finding a reason to be the last to leave Celia’s home, was to leave the cliff house unlocked. Then, while the four of them were at a dinner in the restaurant Paul had chosen, which was conveniently located nearby, the friends of Celia and Blaine would gather at the two houses to decorate and prepare for their arrival—Blaine at Paul’s home, and Celia at her own house. It was Paul’s responsibility to come up with a reasonable excuse to lure Blaine away from Celia.
As she put the finishing touches on her makeup, Andrea smiled. She couldn’t wait to hear what reason Paul had devised to get Blaine to go with him to his home.
Everything went off like clockwork. The men arrived on time, Blaine looking handsome in a dark suit and Paul devastating in a white dinner jacket and black pants.
“Wow!” Blaine exclaimed on sight of his future bride, appearing young and beautiful in an emerald-green sheath.
“Indeed,” Paul murmured, his dark blue eyes devouring Andrea, who appeared innocently sensuous in a bias-cut satin dress that clung like a caressing hand to her breasts and swirled around her shapely legs when she moved.
Laughing, Celia walked naturally into Blaine’s outstretched arms. “I guess that means we’ve received approval, sugar,” she said to Andrea.
“I guess so “ Andrea replied, longing to follow her aunt’s example, but hesitating uncertainly.
Paul chided her hesitancy with a smile, but simply said, “If everyone’s ready, I think we’d better leave.”
As arranged, Andrea pretended to have forgotten her purse. “You three go along,” she said, turning back. “I’ll be with you in a minute.” When she left the house seconds later, she was careful to leave the door unlocked.
The restaurant was a favorite of Celia’s and Blaine’s and had a deserved reputation for its excellent seafood dishes. Andrea, Celia, and Blaine ordered the grilled jumbo shrimp skewers. Paul chose a large Greek salad with purple olives and chunks of feta cheese. Other than thinking his choice looked delicious, Andrea didn’t give a second thought to his meatless meal.
The food was excellent and the conversation lively. Andrea thoroughly enjoyed herself, but she did suffer a few anxious moments when they exited the restaurant.
“Oh, darling, will you look at that sky?” Celia said to Blaine. “It seems a shame to waste such a star-studded night by returning to the house.”
“Well,” Blaine replied tilting his head back to gaze at the perfect night sky, “we could go somewhere to dance.”
With an unconscious display of utter confidence in him, Andrea turned her frantic eyes to Paul. He, in turn, proceeded to prove her confidence well placed.
“That’s true,” he said to Blaine, momentarily increasing Andrea’s anxiety. “But,” he pointed out reasonably, “if we go dancing, we’ll be inside and unable to enjoy the night anyway. On the other hand, we could return to Celia’s house, put on some CDs, and dance on the patio under the stars.”
“Right,” Blaine agreed.
“Wonderful!” Celia exclaimed.
Brilliant, Andrea silently applauded, thinking that now, even more than before, she couldn’t wait to hear what excuse he’d come up with to lure Blame to his home.
They were almost back to Celia’s house before Paul set his machinations in action.
“Oh, by the way, Blaine” Paul said offhandedly. “I have a gift for you and Celia. But, as it’s pretty heavy, I wonder if you’d mind going with me to collect it while Andrea and Celia choose some dance music.”
“Not at all,” Blaine replied at once. “But, you know, a gift really wasn’t necessary.”
“Pretty heavy?” Celia mused aloud. “How intriguing.”
Andrea was hard put to contain a burst of laughter. After his stunning display of strength that afternoon, the very idea of him needing help to deliver a wedding gift was not merely funny, it was frankly hilarious.
Andrea was still laughing to herself minutes later as she made a pretense of unlocking the front door. Inside, the house was pitch-dark. Pushing the door open, she stood back politely to allow her aunt to enter first.
“I could have sworn I left a lamp turned on “ Celia said as she crossed the threshold. Then she exclaimed aloud as the house suddenly blazed with lights.
“Surprise!” called a dozen voices.
The party was an unqualified success. As Celia and Blaine were planning an extended tour to wherever their spirits directed them, Andrea had requested that all gifts be of a personal nature. Not a single guest disappointed her. Amid giggles and more than a few sighs, C
elia unwrapped and exclaimed in delight over delicate pieces of sheer lingerie.
When the last of the gifts had been opened and Celia had tearfully thanked every person with a hug, Andrea glanced at the clock.
If everything was going as planned, she could expect Paul at any minute. The thought was barely completed in Andrea’s mind when the front door was flung open. Lugging a large steamer trunk between them, Paul and Blaine entered the room, followed by a dozen men of various ages.
“What in the world!” Celia cried, laughing as she ran to Blaine. “Darling, Andrea and these wonderful women are giving me a bridal shower!”
Dropping his end of the trunk, Blaine swept Celia into his arms. “Do we have great friends, or what?” he demanded, laughing as he swung her around. “These guys actually threw a stag party for me!”
“It was the prof’s idea,” Mac said over his shoulder, as he crossed the room to Melly.
The rest of the men trailed into the room after Mac.
“Hey!” the head of the history department at Parker exclaimed over the din of laughter and chatter. “Paul promised us some food and liquid refreshments when we got here.”
“And I still want to dance on the patio under the stars with my man,” Celia announced.
Andrea glanced at Paul and grinned. “Well, Prof,” she teased. “I think we’d better get to work.”
A slow smile tugged at his mouth—and at Andrea’s senses—as he released his grip on the trunk and sauntered to her. Taking her hand, he led her into the kitchen, where the women had deposited the food and beverages. The minute they were out of sight of the throng, he drew her into his arms.
“Let’s work fast, my Andrea,” he whispered against her mouth. “Because I still want to dance on the patio under the stars with my woman.”
And they did dance, long into the star-spangled night. Locked in his embrace, Andrea dreamed of a clearing just beyond a thicket, and the fantastic, and real, man in her arms.
* * *
Chapter 9
By Wednesday of that week, Andrea was beginning to think she’d be unable to find the time to meet Paul in their clearing until after her aunt’s wedding, which was to take place on Saturday afternoon.
Celia had found last-minute things for Andrea to do after her classes on both Monday and Tuesday following the parties held Sunday evening.
And so, on Wednesday morning, Andrea went to the breakfast table expecting her aunt to have another list of things for her to do. Resigned to the necessity of giving up her precious time with Paul to help make her aunt’s wedding as nearly perfect as possible, Andrea was pleasantly surprised when Celia informed her that there wasn’t a thing on the agenda for the day.
“Would you mind being on your own for dinner?” Celia inquired, glancing up from her perusal of the morning paper. “I thought I might run into San Francisco and do a little shopping.” She frowned. “You know, I still haven’t found a honeymoon outfit.”
An image of the clothes packed into Celia’s walk-in closet swam into Andrea’s mind and brought a smile to her lips. Though her aunt had enough outfits to open her own exchange shop, Andrea understood how she was feeling. Celia wanted the perfect ensemble to wear for Blaine.
“I don’t mind at all,” Andrea replied. “You know, I’m going to be on my own almost every night after you and Blaine leave to go traipsing the world together.”
“I know.” Celia sighed. “And that’s the only part about this that bothers me.”
Placing her napkin beside her plate, Andrea rose and circled the table to her aunt. “I thought we had this all settled, Aunt Celia,” she said, bending over the older woman to give her a quick hug. “I’ll be fine, really. I realize it may be hard for you to accept, considering you have a clear memory of changing my diapers, but I am a big girl now.”
Celia’s eyes held a sparkle of tears and teasing. “I know,” she said. “That’s what worries me.”
“I can take care of myself,” Andrea stated, picking up her books and starting for the door.
“I’d feel a lot better if I knew Paul was taking care of you,” Celia called after her.
So would I.
The thought was so startling that Andrea nearly stumbled out of the doorway. Had she come so far in her thinking that she could actually consider letting Paul take care of her? she mused as she drove to the college.
Since Melly wasn’t in any of her classes, Andrea smiled and waved when the pretty blonde rushed up to her as she was entering the lecture hall.
“I need to talk to you, Andrea,” Melly said, panting a little from hurrying. “Will you wait for me after class?”
Thinking immediately of Paul, Andrea hesitated a moment. Except for a few rare social occasions, like the shower the previous Sunday, Andrea hadn’t seen much of Melly since the beginning of school and her meetings with Paul.
“Of course,” Andrea answered after the brief hesitation, positive Paul would understand.
The classroom discussions and arguments were as lively as ever, but Andrea was barely aware of the conversational give-and-take going on around her. Her dreamy-eyed gaze was fastened on the teacher.
His long body propped on the desk behind him, Paul looked relaxed, involved, and utterly fascinating. And he was aware of her fixed stare. At regular intervals, his dark blue eyes would flash to Andrea, drinking her in for an instant before returning to the class at large.
His soft voice washed over her.
“... but that relates to archaeology, not. ..” he was saying.
“... I can’t wait to hold you, kiss you . . .” she was hearing.
Andrea hadn’t grasped a single concept discussed, but she had picked up a lot of exciting vibrations. So bemused was she that she was startled when the students began the usual rustling movements preparatory to leaving the room. Blinking herself out of her daydream, Andrea caught Melly’s attention to tell her she’d meet her outside. Then she waited for the hall to empty.
“You have still more errands to run for Celia,” Paul said in a soft, patient tone as the door closed behind the last departing student.
“No.” Andrea shook her head. “But Melly wants to see me for a minute. Do you mind going on ahead?” She knew it was unnecessary to say where he was to go.
“You’ll be there?”
“Yes.”
“Then I don’t mind.” He gave her a smile that sent her flying out of the lecture hall to meet Melly, eager to have their conversation over and gain her freedom to go to him.
Melly was seated on one of the benches scattered around the campus. As Andrea approached her, she noticed that the younger woman looked pale and washed out.
“Melly, is something wrong?” Andrea asked with concern. “You don’t look quite right.”
Melly shook her head and smiled. “I wanted to tell you I won’t be attending classes for a while after this week.”
“Something is wrong! Melly, what is it?”
“I’m pregnant,” Melly blurted out in her usual way.
“Oh, Melly!” Andrea whispered. “What are you going to do?” she asked, more concerned than before.
“Do?” Melly laughed. “I’m going to marry Mac, that’s what I’m going to do.” She raised her hand to muffle a giggle. “He’s delighted at the prospect of becoming a father.”
Andrea had a flashing image of Mac the previous Sunday, going directly to Melly after arriving at Celia’s house. “But, when— I mean ...” Andrea raised her shoulders in a helpless shrug. “When did you decide all this?”
“Last night,” Melly answered. “I received confirmation about the pregnancy yesterday afternoon, and Mac and I made our plans last night.” She drew a deep breath before continuing. “We decided to get married immediately, and since I’ve been afflicted with the most awful morning sickness, I decided to drop out of school for now and pick up again after the semester break in December.” She rolled her eyes. “That is, if the morning sickness has passed by then.”
&nbs
p; Rather dazed by the news, Andrea shook her head, as if trying to clear her mind. “When and where is the wedding to take place?” she finally pulled her wits together enough to ask.
“You did know that I’m from Minnesota?” Melly asked. When Andrea nodded, she went on, “Well, anxious as I was to get away from home, I now want to go back to be married.” She smiled. “I want my family to meet Mac.”
“Well, of course you do!” Andrea laughed, clasping Melly’s hand. “When will you be leaving?”
Melly grinned. “Not until after your aunt’s wedding. I wouldn’t miss that for anything!”
Clasping hands, and giggling like teenagers, Andrea and Melly talked for another half-hour. By the time they parted company, Andrea not only knew the date of the wedding but the approximate date the baby was due.
As she hurried through the pine copse, Andrea mused on how very thrilling it must feel to carry and nurture the child of the man you love above all others. She had a dreamy look on her face when she came out of the thicket onto the path.
Paul was waiting for her. Free of the trees, Andrea ran to him.
“Oh, Paul, wait till you hear!” she exclaimed as she ran into his open arms. “Melly’s pregnant! She and—”
“I know, my heart,” Paul interrupted her gently. “I spoke with Mac about it this morning.”
Suddenly worried for her friend, Andrea looked up at Paul in concern. “And how does Mac feel about it... the baby, I mean?” she asked, praying Mac had not lied to Melly. She knew everything was all right when Paul smiled.
“I think “awed5 is the most appropriate term.”
Andrea sighed in relief and, circling his waist with her arm, turned to walk beside him to the clearing. Thinking of Mac brought a recollection of the past summer and the number of times he had mentioned, “the prof” to her. Curious, she glanced sideways at Paul.
““You have a question?” Paul asked softly.
“Umm,” Andrea murmured. “I was wondering how I missed meeting you all summer. I recall Aunt Celia mentioning that you had just returned that night you came with Blaine to the house. Were you on vacation?”
