by Savanna Grey
Yes, he wanted her but she could also see the love there too. It still amazed her.
Walking into the church, Tori was greeted by numerous individuals asking how she was doing and how sorry they were about her grandmother.
This small town community could be claustrophobic at times, but they were a tight-knit group that was a strong support system. They took care of their own, which was a far cry from life in Chicago. As crazy as it was she enjoyed the hustle of the city, but she would always look forward to the relaxed pace of home.
Pastor Adams welcomed her home with a generous hug. She had grown up in this church, had been baptized here and one day she hoped to be married here.
She looked up at Drue as the thought crossed her mind. Would their relationship develop into a lasting love of a lifetime? She knew how she felt, but where Drue’s thoughts were was anyone’s guess. Time would tell. She also knew that having a long distance relationship would not be easy, but if they truly loved one another, they would figure out how to make it work.
Ironically Pastor Adam’s sermon focused on putting our faith in God’s plan and not our own. Tori laughed to herself as the Lord and her both knew that patience was not her strongest virtue. When she wanted something, she usually went after it. Too much was on the line to push forward fast and furiously.
‘Patience’ she chanted to herself.
When the service ended and thye stood, Drue placed his arm around Tori’s waist and walked with her through the progression line outside. She didn’t fail to notice the several curious glances that came their way. By dinnertime all of Oak Creek would know that Drue Morgan had staked a claim to little Tori Winslow.
As they came down the church steps walking toward the truck she leaned close and said, “You do realize that all of Oak Creek will be discussing your public display of affection before dinner tonight, right?”
Drue chuckled and replied, “That was my intent. The grapevine network will have done their job, so that come the festival dance, I won’t have to fight every eligible bachelor off.” He stopped and turned to her as they approached the vehicle.
“There will be no mistaking the fact that you are mine.” he told her possessively and leaned down to brush a kiss against her cheek.
A shiver of pleasure ran down Tori’s spine at his words and his touch.
The possessiveness in his words could have set Tori off if it weren’t for the sincerity attached to them. He made her feel not only loved but protected. She didn’t feel so alone when he cocooned her in his arms and his words as he just had.
Kevin came up behind them and jumped in the middle interrupting. “Who’s up for burgers at Rosie’s?”
His mom and dad followed and Mr. Morgan piped in, “That sounds like a fine plan to me. How about you, Mother?” he questioned his wife.
“You won’t hear me argue about not having to cook.” she teased.
“Oh, does Rosie still have the best hot fudge sundae in town?” Tori asked licking her lips hopefully.
“Well, technically she’s the only place with hot fudge sundaes, but they are still the best.” answered Kevin jokingly.
“Sounds great to me.” Tori replied as Drue gave his consent as well.
They drove the few blocks to Rosie’s Café and filtered in. A flaming redhead behind the counter waved as they came through the door. The café was a fifties-style diner with a full-length counter and bar stools, booths and soda fountain to boot.
The red and white shiny seat cushions and black and white tiled floors put you in a good mood the moment you walked in.
As they sat down at a table toward the back, the red-head came toward them with menus.
“Well if it isn’t sweet little Tori Winslow.” she began as she placed menus in front of them. “How are you, sweetheart?”
“I’m doing okay, Rosie.” Tori replied. “I’ll be even better after I have one of your sundaes.”
“You bet, honey.” She continued. “We sure are sorry about your grandma. She was a good woman.”
“Thank you, Rosie. I miss her too.”
“Okay, I can hear those stomachs growling, so what will it be?”
“Cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato and mayo for me.” Tori said. “Give Kevin my coleslaw.” She shuddered at the thought. She never had liked coleslaw.
“Give me the same but make it a double.” Drue chimed in.
They finished their orders and waited for their food.
“I can’t believe next weekend is the fall festival dance.” Mrs. Morgan said. “We have a meeting tomorrow night at the house to go over the checklist and make sure we have everything we need. You all need to be there at 7:30 sharp.”
Kevin and Drue both groaned aloud. “Yeah.” Kevin said unenthusiastically.
“I’m so glad I will be here for the festival this year.” Tori shared. “Missing it last year because of work was a real bummer. It’s always been one of my favorite events.”
“Did the boys remind you about getting a costume for the party?” Mrs. Morgan asked. “You’ll need to figure out what costume to wear. We are all dressing up.”
“I was going into Hartford Tuesday to pick out mine at the costume shop.” Kevin told Tori. “You can go with me to pick out yours. Maybe we can find Yin and Yan costumes together.”
“That would be great!” Tori answered excited. “ I love costume parties.”
Drue shifted in his seat. He hated that it got under his skin at the thought of Kevin and Tori spending time alone. It had irritated him before, he just hadn’t been willing to admit to the true reason of why it bothered him.
Now that their relationship was moving forward and he could be honest with himself and her – for the most part- he was finding himself to be territorial where she was concerned. Never had he experienced such possessive tendencies toward a woman until now. He might as well don a loin cloth for the costume party and beat on his chest like Tarzan.
“You up for a roadtrip to Hartford?” Kevin asked Drue.
“I can’t Tuesday.” he replied. “I have a feed supplier coming in for a meeting.”
Tori thought Drue looked irritated, but she couldn’t think of a reason why he would be.
Lunch had been a pleasurable event, especially talking about the upcoming festival.
“Don’t worry.” Kevin told his brother. “We can pick out your costume for you.” he said as he wriggled his eyebrows mischievously.
Drue laughed at the thought. “How about Victoria picks it out, and it needs to cover my entire body, not just parts of it this time.”
Last year Kevin had picked out his costume. He had come home with what looked like no more than part of a bed sheet and told him it was a Greek God costume. It had only covered half of his body if that.
He’d felt like a piece of meat on display at the butcher shop.
“I’ll take care of you, not to worry.” Kevin finished.
“That’s what I’m afraid of.” Drue answered as Rosie brought their sundaes out.
“Oh, I have been looking forward to this.” Tori said longingly as she scooped up the vanilla ice cream drenched in hot fudge.
She placed the entire spoon in her mouth and licked the ice cream off. Drue became hard instantly. Jesus, how could something so innocent have such an effect on him and with his parents right across the table?
“Get a grip!” he told his over-active libido.
Just then Tori turned to him, her spoon offered up to him.
“Do you want a bite?” she asked him innocently.
He swallowed and cleared his throat. “No, I’m good.”
“Your loss. My gain, just hopefully not too much of a gain.” she laughingly commented.
“Drue Morgan, where have you been hiding yourself?” asked an approaching busty blonde with curves Tori could only dream about.
She came up behind Drue’s chair and wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek.
Tori saw Drue roll his eyes and give his brother
a look.
“Jill, I’ve been working. How are you?” he replied uncomfortably shifting in his seat.
“Jill Thompson” thought Tori. She recognized her now from school. She had graduated with Drue.
“I thought maybe you fell off the face of the earth since I haven’t heard from you. It’s about time we did dinner and a movie again. Give me a call.” she finished and winked at him as she exited the diner.
Drue looked over at Tori. “One date. That was it. It was enough.”
“Hey, you don’t have to explain to me.” Tori told him with a smirk. “You don’t hear me spilling the beans about all the men I dated in Chicago, do you?” she teased.
He didn’t need to know that it had only been two men that had been really just friends more than anything.
“Men?” Drue and Kevin said at the same time?
Tori couldn’t keep a straight face. She chuckled as she looked at their expressions.
Kevin was the first to respond. “I should have known. You almost had us there, Sprite.”
Mr. and Mrs. Morgan joined in the laughter.
“Looks like you need to remember she can give as good as she gets, son.” Mr. Morgan said to Drue.
Drue smiled at Tori knowingly. “I’m figuring that out pretty quickly, Dad.’
Tori blushed. Time to change the subject.
“This afternoon I’ve got a to do list left by Katy, and I also promised Mrs. Kincaid that I would box up clothing from some of the closets for the Salvation Army. She’s picking it up tomorrow.” Tori shared.
“Who wants to help me this evening?” she asked as she looked to Drue and Kevin.
“Don’t look at me. I’ve got a shed door that has to be fixed.” Kevin told her. “Looks like big brother will have to step up.”
“I’ll come over after dinner and help you.” Drue replied.
He was looking forward to some time to themselves. Although it was becoming more and more of a challenge not to try and rip her clothes off when they were alone. Lord, give him strength.
Chapter Fifteen
Tori spent the afternoon on her laptop reviewing her contract proposal from her publisher. The bullet points looked pretty standard, but she was still going to have her attorney look it over just to be on the safe side.
She was still in awe that all of this was coming to fruition. All her life she had dreamed of writing. Now that dream was coming true. She smiled sadly and glanced over at the living room fireplace mantle. From her spot on the floor sitting at the coffee table it looked like the photographs of her grandparents were smiling down on her.
“I so wish the two of you were here to share this with me.” she said aloud. Even though they were not, she knew they would have been proud of her.
Life was changing rapidly. So much had happened in the last month. Out of the ashes of heartbreak at the loss of her grandmother had come joy and love in the form of her book being published as well as coming back to Drue.
Thinking of him brought a smile to her face. Excitement stirred in her belly realizing they would have the house to themselves. There hadn’t been a lot of that in the last week. Whether it was family dinners, church or the fair, someone had always been with them. On the few occasions they had been alone things had heated up.
She tingled all over remembering the ride home from the fair. That man made her hotter than a leather car seat in Phoenix in mid-July. He did more than make her temperature rise. He made her feel loved. The way he would caress her cheek when he was sharing something, or the way he treated her like porcelain that might break when she had injured her hand. The way he worked so hard on the farm to help his family continue to be successful in times that were so difficult. He was a man of honor, integrity and sincerity.
He made her feel good inside and out. Something like this was worth fighting for no matter how difficult it might be.
She looked at the clock. Dusk was settling in. It wouldn’t be long before Drue would be there. Tori decided to take a quick soak in the tub to relax before he did arrive.
Drue had knocked before he entered but didn’t hear any response. When he came into the hallway he looked to his right expecting to see her in the living room, but there was no sign of her. He headed down the entryway hall toward the kitchen. Not in there either. He called out again.
No answer. Growing a little concerned, he went back the way he came and headed up the stairs to the bedrooms. Maybe she had decided to take a nap. He would enjoy waking her up, he thought to himself.
He came to the top of the landing and headed for her bedroom, which was the second door on the right. As he opened the bedroom door, he called out her name again. Not only was there no answer, but there was no Victoria either.
“Where in the world is she?” he asked himself aloud.
Just then he thought he heard something coming from the bathroom. The door was slightly ajar.
He froze in his tracks as he opened the door and found Victoria naked in the bathtub covered sporadically by fading bubbles. Her nipples peaked out of the water teasing his senses as his breath caught in his chest.
He realized the reason she hadn’t answered him was because she was wearing headphones listening to music.
God she was beautiful. The best thing for him to do would be to turn around and wait for her to get out of the bathtub on her own, but he couldn’t look away. As he waged the inner battle with his conscience, Tori opened her eyes and caught sight of him in her peripheral vision.
She screamed, startled to find him standing there.
Water sloshed over the top of the tub as she scrambled to a sitting position, covering herself with her hands.
“Drue!” she screeched. “What are you doing in here?” her breaths coming in short gasps. “You nearly scared me half to death.”
Silence met her words as Drue continued to stare. Slowly he walked to the stand beside the claw foot tub and picked up a bath towel.
Without saying a word, he turned to her and held out his hand.
Tori knew that if she took his hand, this could turn into a very precarious situation. Was she prepared to handle what she knew might come next?
The deep green of his darkened gaze told her he was aroused. Her nipples hardened as he continued to watch her, waiting for her response.
Tori knew there was no going back if she took his hand. Slowly she lifted herself out of the water and stood before him open to his full scrutiny. He drank her in with his eyes roaming from her wet wavy auburn hair flowing down her back to the matching patch of color between her legs.
She couldn’t help blushing. No man had ever seen her nude before. Although she was embarrassed, she wasn’t uncomfortable with Drue. She was just afraid of the unknown.
Reaching out to take his hand, she grasped his tightly. He closed the distance between them, wrapping the towel around her now heated body. The goose bumps running down her flesh were not because she was cold but because of her awareness of him.
Rubbing his hands up and down her body helping her dry herself off, heat spread.
His breath brushed her neck as he leaned in closer to dry her back.
He stroked her body through the towel with such reverence, gently massaging and caressing her. The tingling spread from her scalp to her toes.
Wrapping the towel around her, he gently pulled her to him. Her hands holding on to the towel were trapped between them against his chest.
“I’ve never seen anything more beautiful.” Drue finally whispered as he lowered his lips to hers.
The kiss was tender as his lips moved against hers. Her heart racing no longer had anything to do with being startled. Her adrenaline sped through her system.
“When I couldn’t find you downstairs, I thought that maybe you had fallen asleep.” Drue explained as he set her away from him. “I never imagined I would have walked in here to find you…” he didn’t finish the statement. He just looked at her with such emotion in his expression that Tori felt her knees grow
weak.
“I’ll wait for you downstairs.” he told her gruffly.
As he left the bathroom Tori was undecided. Several thoughts entered her mind. He had been so caring and gentle when he had helped her out of the bath tub. She had felt loved. He made her feel loved.
She didn’t want this to be a moment where she regretted not taking the chance while it was there. She didn’t want him to leave. She wanted him to stay. She had never been more certain of anything.
As Drue walked into her bedroom and headed toward the door, Tori followed.
Standing at the side of her bed, she called to him.
“Drue.” Her voice was heavy with desire. “Don’t go.”
As he turned back toward her, she let the towel slowly drop to the floor. She really had no idea what she was doing, as she had never done this before. Expecting to be completely uncomfortable when the time came, she was amazed at how natural it felt to be standing here completed naked emotionally and physically. She needed him.
He took a steadying breath. “Victoria, a man only has so much will power, and where you are concerned mine is thread thin.”
She smiled at him then, loving the thought that he wanted her that much.
Chapter Sixteen
Closing the distance between them she walked across the carpeted floor to him. Her arms wrapped around his neck.
“I’m attempting to do the right thing here, but you are making it damn near impossible.”
Standing on tip-toes, she placed a feather-light kiss to his lips. She felt almost brazen standing in front of him completely bare, but she didn’t care. Loving him for so many years and finally being able to show him her love was an opportunity she would not overlook. Even if it turned out to be just this one night together, she would cherish it forever.
His hands surrounded her, caressing her shoulders and sliding down her back as he deepened the kiss. He drank her sweetness in as his tongue tangled with hers. Moaning she arched into him. He trailed kisses down her neck and earlobe before returning to her lips.
