Gifts of Love

by Natalie Ann

  She should have gone with her gut. Instead, she fell in love with him, and she suggested ideas that his firm—his family’s law firm—and her family business could do things in the community. Support events together. A way to bring them as one in her eyes. She’d seen the long term with Jack. He hadn’t.

  No. When things started to go south between them, he accused her of using him and his family to get their business ahead.

  Her pride took a bigger hit than the break to her heart.

  “Do you have time for something?” Brendan asked her just now. His staff was cleaning up the mess from the event. It was only four and still an hour to go, but most of the rush was done.

  “Sure,” she said.

  “I wanted to get a tree tonight for my house. Could you help me pick one out?”

  “Of course. How big of one do you want?”

  The ceilings were high in his house. Probably ten feet on the first floor. When you first walked in the front door, it was completely open to the staircase; she had no clue how high they went.

  “Probably nine feet. It doesn’t give me much room for the topper, but I don’t put a star on top anyway.”

  “You don’t? What do you do?”

  “A Santa hat.”

  She laughed, totally picturing that. “You’re nothing but a big kid yourself, aren’t you?”

  “I’ve been told that before.”

  “Let’s go look at what we’ve got lined up outside.”

  “Actually,” he said. “I was hoping we could cut one down. I’ve never done it before. Honestly, this is the first Christmas I’ve been with someone. Normally I just buy a tree and go home and decorate it. But you know so much about it, and it’s something I’ve always wanted to do...”

  And he was asking to do it with her. Someone he’d only been seeing for a few weeks. It was on the tip of her tongue to comment on that. On how it almost seemed serious.

  She didn’t though.

  Why? Because she was feeling things for him that were pushing her into more of a serious category too, only she hadn’t wanted to make that first step.

  “Then you should do what you always wanted to. It’s going to be dark soon, so we better hurry up. Let me call Ryan. If you don’t mind, he can meet us on the land with tools. I’m sure you don’t have a chainsaw handy in your SUV,” she said, laughing.

  “No. This was a last minute decision. I’m usually prepared for things in life, but not that.”

  “No worries. We’ve got you covered.”

  “And you’ll help me decorate it tonight too?” he asked.

  Things were getting pretty cozy now in her mind. In a good way. In a warm way. In a way that started her heart beating like a woodpecker on crack.

  “The tree should sit for a bit. If we cut it down now, it’s going to be cold and should warm up and settle before you string lights and put ornaments on it.”

  “Then we can decorate it tomorrow when we get up.”

  “So I’m spending the night again?” she asked. Twice in a row. They hadn’t done that yet.

  “I already told you I’d hoped we’d have plans for the night.”

  But plans for the night didn’t mean she’d stay the whole night. “I have to run home and get clothes.”

  “We can do that after,” he said.

  “No. You can take the tree home and I’ll get Reese and some clothes and then go back to your place. No reason for you to follow me home just for that.”

  He sighed and waited while she called Ryan quick. She put her phone away while they both put their jackets and hats on. He pulled his gloves out when she did, then followed her out the door and on the property where they’d get a tree.

  She was hoping that was the end of their conversation but that hope was squashed like a bug hitting the windshield of a tractor trailer on the highway when he asked, “Are you ever going to let me see where you live?”

  She’d prefer not to. “What’s the big deal? It’s just a small house.” One that suited her and she loved, but it wasn’t anything special. Nothing like he lived in.

  Her old home had charm and character, but the house creaked when the wind blew, the windows rattled and let in some drafts. Her kitchen was functioning but hadn’t been updated since the nineties. Her one bathroom was in the same generation of style as her kitchen.

  She’d put some touches on the house and she was proud to have purchased it on her own. But it wasn’t like his mansion. Why throw it out in his face again that she didn’t have what he had?

  “It’s where you live. It’s where Rosie’s brother lives. Maybe I want to see where you get cozy at night.”

  “It’s nothing special,” she said. “Not like your place.”

  “And that’s the problem. You think I’m going to judge you on that?”

  “Not really.”

  “Then what really?” he asked, stopping and turning her to look at him.

  “It’s just a reminder is all.”

  “Of what?”

  “That you have so much more than me.”

  “You can’t let that go, can you? I hate to break it to you, but I’ve got a lot more than most of the women I’ve dated.”

  “And those relationships didn’t last very long, did they?” she reminded him.

  “No, they didn’t. But not for those reasons. Those women wanted more from me. They wanted material things. As you’ve pointed out before, I didn’t take it seriously because I knew what they were after. I’m taking what we have seriously because I’m hoping the only thing you’re after is me,” he said, slapping his hand to his chest.

  She’d hit a nerve. A major nerve.

  “I do want you. How many times do I have to tell you I’m not interested in your money at all?”

  “You say it to me. You show it to me. You make me believe it and then you do things like this. Say words like this and make me wonder what is going through your head.”

  “There isn’t anything going through my head,” she argued.

  “Liar,” he said.

  That nerve she hit with him, he just poked hers with a hot iron. “I’m insecure over not being enough for you. You might not feel it, but I feel it myself.”

  “Then get over it,” he said. “I don’t feel it, so why do you?”

  She couldn’t tell him the reason why though. “I just do. I’m not used to what you’ve got. I’m trying to get used to it, but as we’ve been saying, it’s new.”

  He stared at her like he believed what she was saying. She hoped she’d sold it well enough. “So that’s it. Nothing more than you need time to adjust to it?”

  “Yes,” she said, then started to walk away. “Let’s get your tree. Ryan is waiting. I’ll cook you dinner tonight and we can relax and decorate it tomorrow.”

  “You want to cook me dinner after the day we’ve had?” he asked, following her now. The crisis was over, she prayed.

  “I can make grilled cheese with the best of them. Hope you weren’t thinking I was doing anything special.”

  He laughed and picked her up, then swung her around. “You’re special enough for me. Man, you make my head spin.”

  Just like hers was over that move. “The feeling is mutual.”

  19

  The Person She Was

  Brendan was back at his house, the tree sitting in his sunroom thawing out while he looked around in his fridge for dinner.

  Yeah, Holly said she’d cook for him, but she’d had a long day. She hadn’t spent the whole time talking to people, getting her fingers sticky with glue and glitter, hanging out with the kids, or laughing with coworkers.

  Most of her day was spent directing people on the site for her business, answering questions, and running back and forth to fill in at the main building ringing people out so that her mother could enjoy the festivities.

  There wasn’t a selfish bone in that woman’s body. Which was why it annoyed him to no end she felt the way she did about herself.

  That she thought sh
e wasn’t good enough to be with him because her bank account didn’t hold as many zeroes.

  He didn’t know how many times he had to tell her that meant nothing to him.

  What meant more was the person she was. The way she was with and around her family.

  Even his mother couldn’t say enough nice things about Holly. And Nancy, she’d been hinting at the relationship between him and Holly, but he wasn’t biting and giving up anything.

  Ryan on the other hand gave him a cold stare at first, but then relaxed. He wasn’t sure what that was all about when Ryan had been nothing but friendly to him from the first day.

  Then Holly said Ryan was just protective of his baby sister. Brendan couldn’t say much to that as he felt the same way about Kat.

  After rummaging around some more in the fridge, he figured dinner was probably going to be grilled cheese or omelets. Everything else he had was in the freezer. Chicken strips, fries, snacky foods. Things for when the guys were hungry and he could toss them in the fryer or the oven.

  Most times the men wanted jalapeno poppers, mozzarella sticks, pizza bites. Guy food with beer.

  Holly didn’t often eat a salad like most of the women he dated did, but she wasn’t going to throw back a cold one with a greasy appetizer for a meal either.

  Rosie started to bark the minute the doorbell went off and took off in a run. He followed her up front and opened the door to see Holly standing there with Reese, who took off in a sprint the minute his leash was unclipped.

  He reached for Holly’s bag and took it, then set it on the stairs to take up later, pulled her into his arms and crushed his mouth to hers. The need to feel her and hold her like this had been plaguing him all day.

  He lifted his head to hear her laugh, then she asked, “What prompted that?”

  “I can’t be around you without wanting to do that. It didn’t seem appropriate to kiss you like that in front of everyone when you got all embarrassed over a little peck on the lips.”

  “I might have punched you in the arm if you’d done that today in the greenhouse.”

  Exactly as he’d thought, going to prove she was nothing like any of the women he’d ever dated before. Most of them would have loved the attention. Loved that they were marked by him in front of everyone.

  In the past, he’d never been one for public displays of affection. Too many eyes on him.

  With Holly, it never crossed his mind to be cautious or even worry if anyone was watching.

  “I was just looking through the fridge for food. I thought I’d cook for you since you worked harder than me today.”

  “I think we both worked equally as hard. I’m used to being on my feet. You’re probably used to talking to people all day like you did.”

  “Is that a shot against me?” he asked, not insulted...not completely.

  She giggled and it was a sound he’d never heard before. “Not necessarily.”

  “Close enough,” he said. “Anyway, unless you want to eat like we’re watching the Super Bowl, it’s grilled cheese or omelets.”

  “I bet you have a whole freezer full of man food. Fatty, greasy, and yummy.”

  He looked at her tiny slim build. There wasn’t an ounce of fat on her and he guessed because she worked so much. Sure, she sat behind a desk like him the majority of the time, but she got up and ran around the farm more than she let on.

  She wasn’t one to diet; she ate what she wanted, when she wanted. And he had a feeling she didn’t do much formal exercise, since she’d never said a word about it.

  No, she was in great shape from just her daily life.

  Him, he exercised. He had to. He was making sure his heart stayed in the best shape it could.

  Holly had never mentioned the gym in his building and he wondered if she knew it was there. It probably wasn’t a place that Kat showed her since it wasn’t going to be decorated.

  If he wasn’t working out at his office, then he made sure he did at home. Seven days a week he was on his treadmill running. That was the very least he’d do daily. If he had more time, he’d lift weights, but his heart was what he was concerned about.

  “Do you want fatty, greasy, yummy food? I can make it.”

  “I’ve never seen you eat like that. Just takeout, but you seem to not go overboard with fat and grease either. I mean I know you take blood thinners, but don’t you have to have a healthy diet too?”

  His heart condition didn’t often come up, but she was the only one who ever questioned things. Who ever really wanted to know.

  “I eat healthy the majority of the time. But we all deserve to splurge now and again. It’s more for the guys than me, but I’ll pick at it.”

  “Then we can pick at it tonight. How about veggie omelets? I can make them if you’ve got any veggies in the fridge.”

  “I saw some peppers in there and tomatoes. Does that work?” he asked.

  “Works well enough for me. And you can pick out something we shouldn’t eat but want to out of your freezer. Surprise me.”

  He laughed. “A surprise artery clogger coming up.”

  The two of them worked together getting their quick and filling meal made, then cleaned up. He went to sit on the couch, but she pulled his hand and led him to the stairs. Even better in his mind.

  The dogs were both napping in front of the fireplace, giving them the privacy they needed.

  When they got to his room she bypassed the bed and went to his bathroom instead, then turned on the water in his big clawfoot tub. He couldn’t remember the last time he was in it.

  “This could be interesting,” he said.

  “That was my hope,” she said. “We ended the day outside in the cold and wind and I’m still a little chilled even though your house is always warm. I can’t figure out how such a big house never seems chilly.”

  “The floors,” he said.

  “What?”

  “Heated floors.”

  “Why haven’t I noticed that?”

  “They aren’t for you to notice, but they are never cold either.”

  “Nice feature,” she said. “My house is drafty, so I’m always wearing layers in it.”

  He knew better than to make a comment on that. Rather, he went to a cabinet and found some body wash and dumped it into the tub for some makeshift bubbles. It didn’t build up like he would have hoped, but it was good enough.

  The two of them undressed. Not sexy or flirty moves, but more comfortable ones. Of people that could be themselves around each other.

  Some might find that odd for just dating a few weeks, but to him, it felt...right.

  Once the water was filled enough, and both of them naked, he swung her up in his arms, heard her laugh, then climbed into the tub and sat down, placing her on his lap.

  The softness of her ass on his stiff dick, the smoothness of her legs brushing against his. Her perky nipples right in line with his mouth like he was hoping for, made him go right for it.

  He pulled her in, he tasted her like he’d been dying to do all day and he loved the feel of her nails burning on his shoulders.

  She was expressive in her feelings, never holding back and never making him feel like he was lacking.

  Until she pointed out that he didn’t put himself first, he didn’t realize part of that was he was afraid that he’d never measure up. That it was only his wealth that someone wanted. Probably because most women in his past were pretty vocal about it.

  With Holly it was completely different and he wanted to show her that. He wanted to show her how much he felt for her. How much he realized he was coming to love her.

  He shifted his mouth to the other nipple and then latched on. She arched her back, pushing herself closer to him, giving him better access.

  She moved off his lap, spread her legs wide and got up on her knees, pushing her breasts in front of him. Using her hands and squeezing them together while his lips moved from one to the other, licking her skin, tasting as much as he could.

  His hand
s went to her hips and urged her to stand up, putting her lush mound in front of him now.

  He nudged her legs a bit, parted her lower lips and put his mouth to her tender flesh, found her hidden bud of pleasure and pulled that between his lips to suck. To nurture. To taste the very core of her.

  She loved when he did this. He knew. Not just because she’d told him before, but because he could see it in her response to him.

  See it in her eyes when she let out a breath and completely relaxed.

  He slid one hand between her legs, stroked her up and down while his mouth continued to devour her.

  Her legs were quivering, her hands holding his head in place, and his finger plunged inside of her. With that move her knees almost buckled, but he held her up and he continued to torment her.

  To bring her to the point where she’d shout his name like he loved to hear so often.

  It wasn’t long and didn’t take more than a few strokes of his finger before she was cursing and crumbling back down to her knees, then pulling him close and hugging him tight. “Thank you,” she whispered.

  “My pleasure,” he said back, then kissed her on the forehead.

  He thought maybe they were done. That they could go into his room and finish up on the bed.

  She had other ideas.

  “Switch positions,” she said.

  “What?”

  “Stand up and let me stay on my knees. It’s my turn. I’ve been dying to do this.”

  Oh man, he’d been dying for her to do it.

  He quickly did what she said, standing in front of her, watching while she reached her hand forward and wrapped him up tight. He was hot and swollen and knew it wouldn’t take much to send him over the edge. Not after what he’d just done to her.

  She inched her mouth forward, closed her lips over the tip of his head and just sucked like it was a tootsie pop and she was testing out the mystery flavor she was given.

  Then once she knew it was one she liked, she opened her mouth wide and pulled him in all the way.

  The groan escaped his lips before he could stop it. His eyes never leaving her face, letting him catch the grin that parted from her lips as she continued to suck him.