“I bulked up early and was mistaken for a high school football player when I was in middle school.”
Her eyes twinkled as she dried her hands. “Oh, but I bet you had girls coming out of your ears by then.” She looked like she honestly believed that.
Chris liked that she assumed the best. “I wasn’t any better looking then than I am now. I had acne, I smelled funny, I had facial hair before any other boys in my class or the next grade up for that matter—”
She paused in her work and looked up at him, a furrow growing between her eyebrows. “Wait a minute.”
Oh hell, please don’t ask for details about all the gross puberty crap.
“What do you mean you weren’t any better looking then than you are now?”
Chris sighed. “Darlin’, I have eyes. I know what I look like. None of the girls I was in school with ever gave me a second glance. Some of them were even intimidated by me. The one girl who ever showed an interest in me got teased unmercifully about it until she ignored me too.”
“Kids are so fucking mean, especially middle schoolers. What does that mean that you know what you look like?”
Chris stared out the window but didn’t really see the landscape beyond. “Ugly. ‘Pug ugly,’ my brothers say. Heard it all my life.” His face flushed with heat as he remembered the teasing. “I come from a genetically blessed family. All my siblings look like movie stars. You should see my parents. Except for the fact that I’m the biggest among my brothers, I’d say I was the runt of the litter.”
Gwen had grown quiet and still. He looked down at her and frowned as he saw the redness in her cheeks and the angry set of her brows and her pretty mouth. He grimaced when she pricked the potatoes, afraid she’d ram the fork right through them and hurt herself, before she wrapped each one in foil.
“They told you that you were ugly?”
Stroking her back, Chris said, “It’s a fact of life. I have a mirror so it’s no big shocker.”
She cut him off when she raised her hand and pointed the fork at him. Glancing at the fork, she huffed and tossed it into the sink and pointed her finger instead. Indignation flashed in her eyes and he had to fight a grin.
“If I ever hear you talk about yourself that way, I’m going to—I’m going to—Well, you’re big, so I’m not going to do anything but shake my finger at you. You listen to me, Chris Potter. You’re not ugly.” Her voice broke on the last two words and tears glistened in her eyes. “You tease. You’re loud. You tickle me—which I still hate by the way. You’re overbearing. You’re not ugly.”
She caressed his cheeks with her cool hands as she scanned his face which was growing hot again, much to his embarrassment.
“You have a powerfully defined jaw, rugged cheekbones, a broad forehead tanned from hard work. You have a large nose that balances the rest of your face like a sculptor had chiseled it. You have lips that I find sensual and wonderfully kissable. You have a thick neck with a jutting Adam’s apple that I think is very sexy. And your shoulders…these shoulders,” she murmured as she slid her hands to his shoulders, where they met his neck, warmth coming into her blue eyes that had been cold with anger.
“Your shoulders are so wide, and strong, and muscular, like the rest of you.” She looked up into his eyes and the heat in her own made a hunger flame to life inside him. “But your eyes are my favorite. Your eyes show me glimpses of the man you are. They show me that you’re compassionate. You’re loyal. You want to make me feel good. And you’re protective. I swear I’m not just bolstering your ego. I’m telling you the truth. You’re not ugly, Chris. You’re absolutely…magnificent.” The last word came out on a whisper. “Wonderful.” She smacked his shoulder and then shook her hand out a bit. “Ow. I don’t want to hear you say you’re ugly ever again.”
He lifted her hand and kissed it for her. “Yes, ma’am.” She threw herself into his embrace and he caught her to him, enjoying the way she wrapped her legs around his waist and squeezed him tightly.
“I’m serious about the tickling. I hate being tickled.” She looked up at him and brushed her fingertips over the knot that was fading on his forehead. “And I hate that I hurt you.”
He smiled down at her and pecked her lips. “I can’t recall the last time that someone took me by surprise like that. I should warn you that I come from a family of men who tickle their women.”
Concern crossed her face and she said, “That may be a problem.”
“Don’t worry,” he said as he squeezed her to him gently. “I’ll warn them not to do that. They mean it as a show of affection.”
Gwen looked discomfited at the thought. “To me it hurts. Especially at my ribs. Even thinking about it is making me a little anxious.” A shudder rippled through her as she clung tighter to him. All desire to ever tickle her again just to feel her response fled from him and was replaced by the need to comfort her instead.
Cupping her ass in one hand and holding her across her back with the other, Chris nuzzled his lips against her throat and breathed her in. “I’m sorry, darlin’. I never meant for you to feel that way.”
She nodded against him silently and they stayed like that for several long, quiet moments.
“I need to put the potatoes in the oven.”
Reluctantly, he put her back on her feet and set the table while she placed the potatoes and the meatloaf she’d prepared earlier in the oven. She seemed lost in thought as she worked, and Chris was content to mull over the words she’d said to him. She really sees me that way?
“Chris?”
“Yeah?”
“If you want to tell me some of your stories, good or bad, I’d enjoy hearing them. I’d still love to meet your family.”
“Really? You still want to come with us?”
“Yes, and this is why. No family is perfect and everyone has good and bad in them to one degree or another. In some ways, your family sounds cruel, but also fairly typical. In the end, you’re the only representative of your family that I know, and I like you very, very much. You make me happy. I laugh and smile with you. You’re protective and…” She balled her hands and held them against her body right below her breasts. “You’re a wonderful lover. You wouldn’t have those qualities without at least some of them being passed down to you from your family.”
Never in his life had someone laid him so bare. He stood there unsure how to reply but he could feel heat growing in his cheeks. If it was anybody else, he’d make some crass remark or make fun of his reaction but he couldn’t do that with her. He stood there silently, the ache swelling in his chest until he nearly couldn’t breathe, looking into her beautiful blue eyes, and knew he was looking at the love of his life.
I love you. I love you so much I ache with it.
The front door opened and Julián smiled when he saw them standing in the kitchen. “Did I interrupt something?”
She smiled at Chris and shook her head as she stroked his chest and leaned against him. Out of Julián’s sight, she shook her finger at him again and said, “I meant it, handsome,” before she went into Julián’s waiting arms. He’d been out on the front porch talking on the phone with his brother.
Chris took a seat on the barstool and smiled as he watched Julián kiss Gwen. It’d surprised him when Julián had told him about his brother and the committed ménage he was a part of with one other man, who Peter was also in love with. It had been a lot to wrap his mind around, but now, watching Julián and Gwen, it made sense to him. It was possible for him to share a woman with another man, because he loved her and wanted her happy.
I do love her. Loved her the moment I set eyes on her.
“How’s Peter doing?” he asked as Gwen left Julián’s side to finish tidying up in the kitchen. She returned with bottles of beer for both of them a few seconds later and gave Julián another kiss when he thanked her. He sat on the barstool next to Chris and said, “Peter is doing fine. I think impending fatherhood is turning him into an overprotective caveman. Tracy took his ph
one from him and told me that she can’t sneeze or cough without him or Jordan calling the doctor.”
Chris grinned, able to picture Julián being the same way.
“He got a burr up his butt because one of his friends said Tracy was big enough to be carrying more than one baby. They had an ultrasound and have since been assured it is just one baby. A boy.”
“Awesome.”
“They’re naming him Cameron.”
He’d never imagined being in that position, considering what to name a baby. Partly because there were so few women in his life and partly because he couldn’t imagine any woman brave enough to risk having a baby with him. It was likely any child of his would be just as big as he was. His mom had told him she’d had so many stitches after having him that she’d looked like a patchwork quilt. He didn’t want to do that to any woman ever.
Gwen leaned against the counter and sipped from her beer. “I love that name. Have you sent them anything?”
“What do you mean?”
Gwen chuckled and rolled her eyes. “That Y chromosome is fully functional, I see. A gift? When is she due?”
Julián laughed and blew her a kiss. “Beginning of March. And you love my Y chromosome.”
Her cheeks turned pink as she gazed at him. “Yeah, I kind of do. I’ll take care of it for you. Just get me the address,” she replied, shaking her head.
“I could just send a check.”
Gwen laughed. “You’re gonna do that too. Might as well start Cameron’s college fund now. We’ll put it in the box before I ship it. Is she registered anywhere?”
“Huh?”
Gwen smirked. “Never mind. I’ll Google it.”
“Something smells good,” Julián said, and Gwen perked up and smiled.
“My very own meatloaf recipe. It’ll be ready in a little while. You have time for showers if you want.” She pulled her phone from her pocket and tapped the screen then put the phone to her ear.
“Teresa! Hey! Are you in the mood to fight the crowds and go shopping this weekend? I need to buy butt plugs and a baby gift.”
Chris and Julián shared a quiet laugh over her word choice as she went to the sink and filled it with hot, soapy water.
Julián turned to Chris and quietly said, “Peter really was worried about Tracy. Before they knew she was pregnant, she had a fainting spell. Scared him and Jordan pretty good. He demanded that ultrasound after-hours because they couldn’t stand not knowing if she was carrying twins. I think I’d go crazy with worry too if something like that happened to us.”
Chris looked over at his friend and a rippling current went through him as their eyes met. He knew they were both imagining the same scenario with Gwen in the middle. A sense of foreshadowing made a shiver race up his spine. Was it possible they’d somehow work everything out and get to that point? He closed his eyes to break the connection, afraid of that kind of hope growing inside him.
Chapter Fourteen
Chris sat behind the wheel of his Dodge Ram, driving the three of them to Junction, Texas, on the afternoon of New Year’s Eve. “I’ve been thinking.”
“Oh yeah?” Gwen replied, sitting beside him in the passenger seat. Julián sat directly behind her. She was dressed to distract but probably didn’t realize it. When she’d asked, he’d told her the get-together was strictly casual. Casual looked damned sexy on her.
She wore a pair of fashionably faded Western jeans that had sparkling stones decorating the pockets, with a slinky figure-hugging turquoise top that made his mouth water. The bodice of the top crisscrossed over her breasts and fitted snugly beneath them, giving a teasing view of her cleavage.
Turquoise adorned her ears, her wrist, and her throat. Her feet were shod in flashy, pointed turquoise cowgirl boots. Head to toe, she was a freaking fashion plate and he could not wait to show her off—unless he thought of the grilling she was in store for. Then he wanted to exit the interstate and hightail it back to Divine, keeping her all to themselves.
Julián leaned forward and he caught his gaze in the rearview mirror. “You still worried about your folks?” Chris appreciated that Julián didn’t poke fun. He must’ve understood that Chris’s concerns were legitimate.
“We’ll arrive around four. That allows a little while to visit before supper and then we can leave. They know we can’t stay until midnight. We leave after we eat, head back to Wilbur’s for a few minutes to handle your evening chores, and then stop in at The Dancing Pony to decompress afterward.”
“Grace told me they’re having a big New Year’s Bash tonight. That sounds like a lot of fun but you don’t have to rush away from your family gathering on my account, Chris. I’ll be fine.”
Chris shook his head. “Don’t be hasty, Gwen. You may thank me later for giving this some thought. If you begin to feel like you need to get the hell out of there, just ask me if my mom has any ginger ale in the house. If you become desperate ask if I have any Tums and I’ll know it’s an emergency.”
Sounding amused, Julián quipped, “I’ll just ask for ear plugs.”
“At least you know what they’re like. Gwen thinks I’m pulling her leg.”
“Guys, it does me no good to imagine the worst because then I’ll start worrying. Everyone has assholes and idiots in their family.”
The rest of the trip was passed quietly until he turned onto his parents’ long, white gravel driveway. As they pulled up to the house, he heard her gasp when she saw the multitude of cars lining the driveway on both sides. He glanced at her and smiled as she surveyed the scene stoically. Then people began pouring from the house and the backyard.
She softly asked, “These are all family?”
“Yeah, some are from out of town. They’re here from back east for the holiday.”
“You didn’t exaggerate much when you said two hundred.”
“No, not much.” He smiled when an elderly lady was helped along into the front yard by his mother. “Aw, there’s Grannie.” Turning to Gwen, he grasped her hand and squeezed. “You ready, Elmer Fudd?”
She grinned at him and then laughed. “I should be pissed, but thanks for that. Yeah, I’m ready.”
He parked next to his sister’s minivan and cut the engine off. “Stay put and I’ll come around to you.”
They’d agreed that morning, as an afterthought, that it was probably best for them to keep to the appearance that had already been set. The family thought he and Gwen were a couple. There was no sense in shocking the crap out of everyone including his aging Grannie by letting it be known that they were actually a ménage. That visit would be hard enough without “those” questions. His family would want details he wasn’t willing to share. Deep inside was also the fear that his brothers would ridicule him for not being able to make a woman happy on his own. He knew that wasn’t what was happening in their relationship. He was holding his own, no problem.
“Wow. I can hear them even with the doors closed.” She bit her lip. “I’ll wait for you.”
“You okay? I can put this truck in gear and drive back down the driveway right now.”
Gwen laughed. “Let’s do this. If it gets dicey, I’ll remember my safe words. We still have The Dancing Pony to look forward to afterward.”
“Good. Brave girl.”
By this point kids were climbing on the truck and the grown-ups were peering inside curiously. He opened his door and waded through a sea of nieces, nephews, and first and second cousins.
“Chris! Chris! Chris!” By the time he made it around to the passenger door, he had two little boys and one little girl hanging off of him like extra limbs. Everyone was talking and laughing loudly—all at once—and two of his brothers were already helping Gwen out of the truck.
Damn it!
Julián was climbing out too, looking mildly amused as everyone talked to Gwen at once and she was smiling and nodding as she tried to decipher what someone was saying to her.
He whistled shrilly and hollered, “Quiet!” Everyone piped down sudd
enly and looked his way. “Everyone, this is my girlfriend, Gwen Henderson. There’s no way she’s gonna remember all your names, so make sure and remind her who you are and who you belong to if you talk to her.” Turning to Gwen, he reached for her hand and said, “Gwen, this is my mother and father, Angelina and Steven, and this is my grandmother, Francesca. This is Gwen.”
For the next couple of minutes, his relatives came to him and hugged and kissed him and greeted Julián, while Gwen tuned all else out but greeting his mom, dad, and grandmother. She made him proud with the way she gave her attention solely to them and responded to their typical demonstrative Italian greetings, exchanging hugs and kisses. It didn’t seem to bother her at all that they had no concept of personal space with a total stranger. The knot that had been tightening in his gut all day loosened just a bit. Maybe it would be all right.
Dad put his hand on Chris’s shoulder and gestured to Gwen with his chin as she stood chatting with Mom and Grannie. He nodded his head, showing approval for Gwen, and said, “Come in the house. We’ll get Gwen something to eat and drink and she can get to know everyone.”
His dad directed the women as Chris clasped Gwen’s hand with his own. He glanced at Julián as everyone turned and headed back toward the house and the backyard like a receding tide. She’d made it through first inspection and now he’d have to make the rounds to warn the guys to not tickle her.
Julián nudged him as they followed the crowd in the house. “She seems in her element. If she can handle the arena and all the accompanying media coverage, she can handle your family.”
Chris watched her ass as she walked directly in front of him. Those jeans were doing powerful things to his libido as her hips swayed and he imagined how she looked from the front. He’d watched her slip into the white lace push-up bra when she’d been getting dressed and recalled the way the transparent white G-string had slowly slid across her hips as she’d watched him watching her getting dressed. Her sultry smile flickered in his memory.
Tangled in Divine [Divine Creek Ranch 14] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 20
