Unforgettable, page 13
“Hmm. Are you and Wes donating the turkeys to the soup kitchens around the city this year?”
“Absolutely. I also plan to take Kyle along with me to volunteer on Thursday morning before the game.”
“Good.” She smiled. The Prescotts and Gavin had been volunteering their time and food to the area’s homeless and needy for several years. “Tell me, why are you calling?”
“You’ve been on my mind.”
She wasn’t ready to discuss anything personal…especially those kisses they shared. She still hadn’t figured out how she felt. The only thing that she was clear about was that she was scared. He was a passionate man and used to dealing with more experienced women. If she became involved with him, she knew she was risking having her heart broken.
Switching the topic, she asked, “Did Kyle ask about Wayne coming over to study?”
“Took a while but he finally got up the nerve. He wants Wayne to come over on Thursday to study for a math test. And he wanted your brother to stay for dinner.”
“And?”
“You know I said yes. I want him to have a normal life that includes friends. I warned him that your folks also have to agree and since it was a school night Wayne has to be back home by eight.”
“You’re getting good at this. What did my folks say?”
“I’m surprised your mom didn’t tell you that we talked. The answer was yes. I’ll pick them up after school.”
“I can drop Wayne off on my way home,” she volunteered.
“You don’t mind?”
“Not at all. I’m glad for Kyle. He has been doing so well lately. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it continues.”
“And saying a few prayers, I hope?”
“Naturally.” She leaned back against the cushion of her couch, her bare feet tucked under her.
“Anna, I didn’t call about Kyle. This is personal. I’ve asked you to go out with me several times. Tell me what I have to do to spend some time with you away from my home.”
“Gavin—”
He interrupted, “I’m putting you on the spot, but I never met a woman so hard to feed.”
“It’s my job to feed you,” she said flippantly.
“Very clever, but I’m serious. I’d like to take you out.”
“I’ll think about it,” she hedged.
“Answer the question.”
“What was the question again?”
“Anna Mae Prescott, I’m not fooling around. I’d really like an answer.”
She’d have gladly answered if she could think of anything to say but the truth. It wouldn’t be long before he recognized her vulnerability to him.
Gavin’s voice was deeper when he added, “You have all the answers, sweetheart.” After a lengthy pause, he sighed before saying, “Will you at least answer this one for me? Are you involved with another man?”
“What do you mean by ‘involved’?”
Gavin grumbled something beneath his breath before he said quietly and evenly, “You know exactly what I mean but if you want me to break it down, okay…fine. Are you dating another man?”
“No.”
“Are you sleeping with another man?”
“No.”
“That’s a relief. So why won’t you date me?”
“I didn’t say I wouldn’t. It’s just that we’ve known each other forever. Dating involves getting to know each other. I know your favorite color and the food you hate. I know about your stubborn streak, even though you pretend you don’t have one. I know about your growing-up years. You know the same things about me.
“Gavin, do you realize that I’ve met most of the women you’ve dated in the last three years? You like them petite and drop-dead gorgeous. I also know you have a thing against dating out of the race. What else is there?”
He laughed, “You’ve made your point. Anna, there are lots of things I’d like to learn about you. You are a very special woman, and I’d like to spend some time with you…alone.”
“Thank you.” Considering all that stood between them, she persisted. “You see me almost every day.”
“I didn’t plan any of this, but that doesn’t stop me from wanting more. As I told you today, I’m not seeing anyone else. You’re the one I want to spend time with, the one I can talk to about anything. I never would have survived the problems with Kyle without your help.”
“Maybe you’re confusing friendship for something more?”
“There’s no confusion on my part, sweetheart. I enjoy the feel of you in my arms and the taste of you on my tongue.” His voice deepened even more. “Make no mistake, I want you. I suspect that feeling may be mutual. Has someone hurt you? If that’s the case, I imagine you’re not eager to rush into a relationship. You obviously want to take it slow…so we’ll do it your way.”
She confessed, “I’m scared of making a mistake.”
“I don’t want either of us hurt, but I am not willing to put my head in the sand and pretend that there is nothing going on between us just because you’re Wes’s baby sister.”
“There is that. You know what the men in my family are like.”
“Anna, you’re entitled to a life of your own. The Prescott men aren’t having any problems living their lives, why should you?”
“Gavin, if this is about sex…” She trailed off.
“Hardly. It’s about the two of us finding out what is between us. Please just give us a chance. That’s all I’m asking.”
She was quiet for so long that he prompted, “Anna?”
“Okay, but Gavin—” she stopped abruptly.
“Yes?”
“I want whatever this is between us to stay that way…between us.”
“Why?” he joked. “You ashamed of me?”
“You know better. I need a little time to get used to the idea of the two of us being involved.”
“Why, sweetheart?” Gavin didn’t sound as if he liked that idea.
“It’s not as if we have anything to hide, but what happens with us is private. I want to keep it that way, just for now.” She insisted, “We don’t even know if there will be an us.”
“I know. And I suppose I understand. I’m just not crazy about this idea, but I am crazy about you, Anna Prescott. Okay. Whatever’s going on between us will remain between us until you’re ready.”
“Thank you.”
Anna’s cousin and older brothers had grown up with her father’s insistence that they take care of her…no exceptions to that rule. She didn’t have to be told that they would blame themselves if she got hurt. As far back as she could remember, all three had watched over her. And she hated it.
“How about dinner on Saturday night?”
Anna laughed. “We can have dinner every night of the week.”
Frrustrated, he urged, “Okay, give me a minute here. How about a play on Saturday night? There is bound to be something interesting at the Fox and Fisher Theaters.”
“Who’s going to look after Kyle?” She reminded him, “I can’t be in two places at once.”
Gavin let out an exasperated sound. “I could ask Mrs. Tillman, but I don’t think it’s a good idea to leave him right now with someone else. I don’t want him feeling as if he’s in the way or not welcome. It would undo what we’ve both been trying to do for weeks.”
“I think you’re right. For now Kyle has to come first,” she agreed.
“What about a late lunch when I can get away? What do you say?”
“I’d say yes. I’d like that.”
“Good.” Gavin surprised her when he said, “Kyle’s birthday is next Friday. Do you think he’d like a party?”
“I don’t know. I honestly don’t think he has enough friends to invite. Maybe you should ask him. There might be something else he’d rather do, like a movie and pizza with a few of his classmates.”
“You may be right. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
“It’s getting late. I should let you get some rest.” He said softly, “An occasional lunch isn’t much. If you think of something you’d like to do, let me know. Maybe in the spring we can share a week in the islands? Or Rome?”
“You don’t have to try to impress me, Gavin. I have simple tastes. I know what matters in life. How much money you can spend on me isn’t the way, not for me.”
“I’m glad of that, Anna. It means a lot to me. Good night, sweetheart.”
“Night, Gavin.”
On Thursday, Anna was pleased by the way Wayne and Kyle buckled down and actually did their homework at the kitchen table. Afterward they played pool with Gavin in the game room. And after dinner the boys complained when she insisted she had to get Wayne home, since it was a school night.
She was very proud of her little brother. Wayne was easygoing, much like their father. He had always been outgoing and didn’t need prompting to make friends with Kyle. Wayne genuinely liked the quiet, almost shy Kyle. Despite their diverse backgrounds, the boys had things in common, including older brothers in the NFL. They also had to be careful that others didn’t use them to get to know their famous relatives.
Kyle opted not to have a birthday party but asked if Anna would fix a special dinner with all his favorites. He asked if Wayne could come and stay over the weekend.
Kyle’s birthday party was a great success. Anna made macaroni and cheese, baked ham, collard greens, and homemade rolls, as well as a chocolate fudge, triple-layer birthday cake served with homemade vanilla ice cream. Kyle sported a huge grin. He was thrilled with the Playstation-2 he got from Gavin, the sweater that Anna gave him, and the latest Harry Potter novel that he received from Wayne.
Anna had to blink away tears at the genuine happiness she saw in the boy’s eyes. She was touched when he confessed that this was the first birthday party he’d ever had. She saw the shocked look on Gavin’s face that he quickly managed to conceal, and was so glad that Wayne was mature enough not to comment. He, like all the kids in their family, had had birthday celebrations with family and friends every year of his life.
Later, when Gavin walked her to her car, she didn’t even offer a token protest when he took her into his arms and kissed her good night. Even though she worried that the boys might see, she didn’t pull away. Gavin laughed softly and kissed her again, explaining the boys were in the media room watching a movie on the wide-screen television.
Anna was glad her catering company didn’t have an event scheduled on Saturday and she could sleep late. When she finally got up, she began her weekend cleaning. She’d finished her bedroom and the bathrooms and had started vacuuming the living room when the doorbell rang.
“Just a minute.” Turning off the machine, she hurried to the front door.
She hadn’t expected to see Gavin on her front porch but there he stood, all six-foot-four inches of him, handsome in faded jeans and a blue, pullover sweater and a butter-soft gray leather jacket.
“What are you doing here?” Her hand went to the scarf that covered her hair. She hadn’t bothered with makeup and wore her oldest pair of jeans and one of her brother’s old college sweatshirts. “What did you do with the boys?”
It was a windy and cold October day. The trees were nearly bare, having lost much of their autumn colors.
“Hi.” He smiled at her, leaning down to place a kiss against her mouth as he backed her into the tiny foyer and closed the door behind them. “Mmm,” he moaned as he gathered her against his chest.
“Hi yourself.” She sighed, wrapping her arms around his taut midsection.
“I missed you. I’ve gotten used to seeing you every morning.” Gavin placed a tender kiss against her throat before he pulled back. “Did you get any sleep last night?”
“Plenty.” Anna took his hand, pulling him into her living room. “So?”
“So what?” he said, once they were seated side by side on the sofa.
“Where are the boys?” Her dark gray eyes sparkled with laughter.
He released a deep, throaty chuckle. “They’re at the mall. They’ve gone to see a movie and then pick out shoes they both claimed they had to have before I pick them up at the main entrance.”
“How did it go last night?”
“No problems. They both seemed to be having a good time, especially Kyle.” Gavin played with her fingers.
“That’s wonderful. I’m glad Kyle is enjoying himself. Wayne’s a good kid, even if I do say so myself.”
“Yeah. He is.”
Even though she hadn’t expected him, she was vain enough to want to look her best whenever she saw him. “You have to excuse the place and me. I was doing some cleaning.”
“You are beautiful…all the time. You don’t mind me stopping by unannounced, do you?”
She shook her head. “Thank you. The flowers are lovely.” Anna referred to the spectacular arrangement of roses, lilies, and daises he’d sent that morning…all in shades of pink.
“Glad you like them. That’s the least I can do, since I can’t seem to take you out on the town.” He ran a knuckle over her cheek. “You have such beautiful skin…soft, flawless, and so smooth.”
She whispered her thanks, uncomfortable with his attention. She wasn’t used to it and wondered if she would ever be the kind of woman who took a man’s interest for granted.
Anna rose, asking, “Would you care for something to drink?”
He reached for her hand and pulled her down across his muscular thighs.
“Gavin,” she exclaimed.
He tilted her chin until her eyes met his. “What I want I have…you in my arms.”
Unable to look away from the raw need she saw there, she slid her arms up over his shoulders and locked her fingers behind his strong neck. “You have beautiful eyes,” she whispered. “So dark and mysterious.”
“Anna…” He moaned as he warmed her plump bottom lip with his tongue. She trembled, then opened for him, allowing him access to her sweetness. Gavin didn’t hesitate, he slid his tongue inside. He took his time, savoring her honeyed depths. “Oh sweetheart,” he groaned huskily. She was as delectable and inviting as a succulent peach.
“What are you doing to me?” he asked urgently. “I can’t stop wanting you.”
Anna whispered his name, cushioning her full breasts on the solid wall of his chest. She ached deep inside; the hard tips of her breasts verified her longing for him. She moved against him, causing yet another ache to bloom, this one deep inside her feminine center. She moaned, pressing her thighs tightly together.
She said against his generous mouth, “I can’t stop thinking about you.”
Gavin groaned huskily, pulling back. “Please…don’t tell me that. I’m already half wild for you as it is. All I can think about is being inside of you.”
She placed kisses down his warm, scented throat.
“Do you mean it?” He stared into her pretty eyes.
“Yes.” She slid her hand under his cashmere sweater, enjoying the heat and feel of his heavily muscled chest. When she caressed his hair-roughened chest and then worried the tight little peaks, he rasped her name from deep in his throat.
He hungrily devoured her soft lips. When he pulled back and rested his forehead against hers, his voice was hoarse with need, “We’ve got to stop while I can still think straight.”
“Don’t think.”
“Sweetheart…” he growled, moving his hand from her back to the soft swells of her breasts. Then he pulled up her shirt and unclasped her bra, and he buried his face in the scented valley between lush breasts. “You’re beautiful,” he whispered huskily. “So soft…perfect.” Gavin cradled her full breasts in his big hands, gently squeezing before he rubbed her large, dark brown nipples.
“Please…” She moaned as she unwittingly moved her hips against his arousal.
“Don’t…” His hands dropped to her waist after he’d pulled her shirt down as he kissed her forehead. When he could speak, he said tightly, “I need you to push me away.”
“I can’t…” She trembled from sizzling hot need. “I’ve never felt like this before.”
Gavin stiffened. “What are you saying? You can’t be—”
She interrupted, “I’m not completely without experience.”
He stared into her eyes. “You were involved in college, then again last year, right? Wes said something. I can’t remember the details. Tell me.”
Anna dropped her lids, crossing her arms over her tender breasts. “I dated in college.”
“Tell me what happened?”
Anna stroked his jaw. “It doesn’t matter now.” She kissed his chin, his cheek and then his full lips before she ran her fingers over his mustache.
He held her away, keeping their upper bodies apart. “It does. Talk to me, sweetheart.”
“What do you want to know?”
“Everything,” he said, taking both her hands into his big one.
“Wes was mistaken. There is a big difference between dating and having your heart broken. First there was college, then culinary arts school and finally getting the business going. I’ve been too goal-oriented to get serious about one guy.”
“And now?” He caressed her cheek. “With me?”
“It’s different with you. I care about you,” she confessed as she nestled against his chest.
“Good.” He admitted, “I’m not interested in casual sex anymore, Anna.”
“I know.”
“I want more, and you deserve more. Honey—” he stopped when his cell phone began to ring. “Sorry. I have to get that.” He searched his jacket before he dug it out of an inside pocket. “Mathis. Kyle. Okay. I’m on my way. You fellows know where to wait? Yeah. Bye.” To her, he said, “Anna, I’m sorry. I have to pick up the boys.”
She pressed her fingertips against his mouth. “No need to apologize.”
“Can we finish this talk later? If it’s all right with you, I will call tonight, after the boys have turned in.”
“I’d like that.”
“Good. I promised the boys I’d take them to one of the stables outside Livonia. They want to go horseback riding this afternoon. Walk me to the door?”
She nodded, as she rose and linked her hand with his. “Sounds like you three have a full day. Are you cooking?”
