Chapter 14
Chapter 14
Jason grimaced. “I think we’ve done our duty. But I’ll have to say goodbye to Mom before we slip out.”
“Okay.”
Even though they were in a roomful of people, Jason took her wrist and stroked the beat of her pulse with his thumb. “One question, though...”
She raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”
“Where are we going when we leave here? I only ask because my bed is a mattress on the floor. And you told me your nosy neighbors think you’re pure as the driven snow.”
“I never said that.” She laughed softly. “I’m sure your little bachelor hovel is entirely adequate, but I have a full-size fridge and a big-screen TV. Besides, I may have overstated my neighbors’ interest in my overnight visitors.”
A tiny smile tipped the corners of his kissable lips. “And why did you do that?”
“To keep you at a distance.”
He winced theatrically. “Wow. I suppose I should appreciate your honesty, but that stings, Gabby.”
“I’m warming up to you,” she said, running her hand from his shoulder down to his wrist. Even beneath a layer of expensive fabric, the muscles in his arm were impressive.
The party swirled around them. Somewhere in the distance, a woman’s voice sang of being home for Christmas. That song always made Gabby’s chest ache. She had never known the make-believe world those verses described. Nor could she identify with TV commercials where somebody returned from college and the whole family celebrated.
Most years, as she grew up, there had been no Christmas cookies or wrapping paper. Sometimes not even a stocking. As a young child, she had been confused about why Santa Claus always skipped over her in his once-a-year rounds. Only later—when she made it to third grade and one of her classmates announced that Santa wasn’t real—did she finally understand the bitter truth. Storybook Christmases were produced by storybook families.
There was nothing storybook about Gabby Nolan’s existence. But she had never resented her mother. Gabby never railed at fate for placing her in a hard, barren life.
Dahlia and her daughter survived the hard times. Somehow.
And Gabby was the stronger for it.
“Gabby?”
Jason’s low, concerned voice broke her introspection.
She summoned a smile. “Sorry. I zoned out for a minute.”
He frowned slightly. “I could tell. Are you okay?”
She squeezed his hand. “I’m great. Honestly. Let’s find your mom so we can leave.”
Jason could think of only one thing—getting Gabby naked. In fact, he should win a freakin’ award for making it this far without doing something entirely inappropriate. He was obsessed with the woman he’d brought to the party, and he didn’t know what to do about it.
Especially because the obsession might be one-sided.
As they wound their way through the crowd, searching for his mom, Jason battled regret. He had wanted so badly for Gabby to be his date tonight. What he hadn’t counted on, though, was the fact he might have reinforced every one of her reservations about them being a couple...any kind of couple.
She was hung up on the idea they were from different worlds, and now, tonight, he’d been the one to press the point home.
It hadn’t been his intention. All he’d wanted to do was spend time with her.
But it might have been a huge mistake to let her see his parents’ house.
In contrast with the things Gabby had revealed to him in Blossom Branch, tonight’s party was almost painfully over-the-top.
His stomach churned when they finally located his mother, almost in the same spot they had encountered her earlier. Sheila greeted them with a smile and a pout. “You’re not leaving already?”
Jason kissed her cheek. “We are. Gabby and I have both had long weeks. I think we’re calling it a night.”
Gabby, cool and serene, nodded. “It was a great party. Thank you for your hospitality, Mrs. Brightman.”
Sheila cocked her head, her gaze darting from Gabby to Jason and back again. “I saw you both with Cate and Harry. What was that all about?”
“Um...” Now Gabby was visibly flustered.
He grimaced. “Cate thought we could put an end to the gossip if the four of us appeared to be on good terms.”
“But you’re not?” His mother frowned.
“Yes, we are. Of course we are.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “But this seemed like an opportune moment to put our mended relationship on display. Everybody has moved on. Your guests saw us chatting amiably. I think Cate was right. Hopefully, our canceled wedding will be old news now.”
His mother, in an unusually public show of affection, hugged him tightly. “I’m sure it will. I’m happy for you, son.”
She took Gabby’s hand. “I’d like to know you better, dear. What if I take you to lunch Monday?”
Jason saw the panicked look Gabby sent him. “I...uh...” she said.
He intervened quickly. “Gabby’s job is very demanding, especially at year end. She has a hard time getting away.”
Sheila waved him off. “Nonsense, Jason. Everyone needs to eat.” She patted Gabby’s flushed cheek. “I’ll pick you up at noon and have you back to your office in an hour. Surely that can’t be a problem?”
The bland look his mother gave them both did nothing to fool either Jason or—he was certain—Gabby. His mother had an agenda. God help the hapless individual who tried to sidetrack her mission.
Gabby was stuck—unless she could manufacture a convincing lie. But he had a hunch that outright deception wasn’t Gabby’s strong suit. She might guard her secrets and her emotions, but she wasn’t an accomplished liar, not even with the little white ones.
After a few beats of silence that felt like an hour, Gabby smiled. Perhaps only he saw beneath it to the fact that she was freaked out by his mother’s invitation.
“That would be lovely,” Gabby said. “Jason can text you my building address and my phone number. Hopefully nothing will pop up on my schedule.”
“Wonderful.” Sheila beamed.
Jason intervened before things could get worse. “Good night, Mom.”
Another guest appeared, making it possible for Jason and Gabby to slip away without further drama.
Outside, the night was crisp and cold. He shrugged out of his jacket and wrapped it around Gabby’s slender frame.
She shot him a glance. “It’s only a few steps to the car, but thanks.”
“I can’t have my best girl catching a cold,” he said lightly as he steered her around the side of the house.
Gabby chuckled, her breath visible. “Colds are caused by germs.”
He stopped and put his hands on her shoulders, bending down to steal a kiss. “Humor me.”
Her lips clung to his. “Yes, sir.”
When they made it inside the warmth of the garage that smelled of car wax and cedar beams, he stared at her. “I want to make love to you.”
She blinked once, perhaps taken aback by the intensity in his words.
He’d been trying for casual, but that was never going to happen. Not right now.
Gabby nodded slowly. “I want that, too. Shall we stop by your place so you can pack a bag?”
His heart slugged in his chest. “Do I need a bag?”
Her tiny smile was half tentative, half siren. “If you’d like to spend the night.”
All evening, he had battled a potentially embarrassing erection. Now it throbbed, hard as iron. “Yes,” he croaked. “I do.”
He opened her door, waited for her to sit, and then carefully tucked her skirt inside so the door wouldn’t catch it. As he leaned down, she put a hand on his cheek. “If we had a bottle of paint, we could spray all those pesky cameras. Then you could lift my skirt and take me over the hood of the car.”
When he jerked upright, he whacked his head on the door frame. Hard. Pain radiated throughout his skull. “Don’t say things like that, Gabby. I’m barely holding it together right now.”
She batted her eyelashes. “I was only teasing. Fantasies aren’t real.”
He stared at her, his hands fisted at his sides. “When you say the words, they sound real enough to me. Let’s get out of here.”
He ditched his bow tie and slid into the driver’s seat. Unfortunately, they were hindered by other partygoers also heading home. The line of cars and vans waiting to load passengers blocked the driveway.
Jason clenched the wheel, his body quivering with something . Lust? Desperation? Whatever it was, the feeling was all-consuming.
Beside him, Gabby was silent, her hands folded in her lap.
What was she thinking? Did she see him as a fun sexual blip in her otherwise carefully managed life?
He didn’t want that, did he? Was it okay that they were both caught up in a holiday romp? That they had plunged into physical intimacy with no regard for the future?
The one thing clear to him was that his focused and hardworking Gabby had a five-year plan. Hell, maybe a ten-year plan. She had goals and responsibilities that didn’t include him. Yet somehow he’d found a chink in her armor.
“You don’t have to have lunch with my mother,” he muttered. “Text her Monday morning with an excuse.”
“I don’t really mind,” Gabby said, her words calm. “I understand. She’s a mother looking out for her son. I’ll reassure her.”
His head snapped in her direction. “What the hell does that mean?”
Gabby shrugged. “It doesn’t mean anything.” She pointed out the windshield. “We can go now.”
Jason eased the car forward and merged into the line of cars exiting his parents’ long driveway. Once they were on the route back to his house, he exhaled. “You don’t have to come in at my place. I’ll grab a few things. Won’t take me long.”
“I’d like to see what you’ve been working on.”
“The place is dusty, and there are all sorts of tools around.”
Gabby reached across the small space separating them and splayed a hand on his thigh. “I don’t mind a little mess.”
His brain short-circuited. Sure, he wanted her to see his house. Eventually. The only people he’d allowed inside so far were Cate and Henry—and that hadn’t been his choice. Not really.
“It’s more than a little mess,” he muttered. “But sure...if you can’t wait. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
When he parked in the driveway twenty-five minutes later, he tried to see the house through Gabby’s eyes. The single-story brick rancher was emblematic of entire Atlanta neighborhoods from the 1970s. Surrounded by pine trees and seeming to nestle close to the ground, the house was comfortable and appealing, at least to him.
Granted, the soffits were rotten in several places, and he needed to replace the roof, but the bones of the structure were good. Large, mature azaleas would be glorious in the spring. Not to mention the many daffodils and a half-dozen dogwood trees.
Gabby got out of the car and quickly donned her heavy wool coat. She looked around with interest. He had left the porch light on, so there was some illumination, but not much. She didn’t say a word as they walked to the front door. He fished in his pocket for the key. “Welcome to Casa Brightman.”
Inside, Gabby tossed her coat on a small table in the foyer and looked around with interest. His mattress was at her feet, the covers tumbled. Having a beautiful woman in a couture gown standing in the middle of construction debris made an odd picture.
“Why is your bed not in a bedroom?” she asked.
“The three bedrooms are all torn apart. It’s easier to sleep here in the living room.” His college-size fridge was plugged in nearby.
Without saying another word, she walked from room to room.
Her silence bugged him as he followed behind her. “There won’t be a formal dining room anymore,” he said. “I’m knocking out the wall over there and making the kitchen larger.”
“And the garage?”
“I’ll combine that space with the living room and maybe include a screened-in porch. One of my buddies is an architect, so he’s keeping me from going too far off track.”
“I see.”
He couldn’t read her face. Did she hate it? He had to admit that things looked dismal right now. Not a single spot in the house was close to being finished. But he made progress every day. Good progress.
At last, they ended up back where they had started. When Gabby still didn’t say anything at all, he grabbed a duffel bag, stuffed it with sneakers and a few items of clean clothes, and ducked into the bathroom to retrieve his shaving kit.
When he came back from the bathroom, she was right where he had left her, arms wrapped around her waist and a tiny frown creasing the spot between her brows.
“What?” he asked, exasperated. “Your brain is going a thousand miles a minute. You might as well say what you’re thinking.”
She looked at him, still with that puzzled frown. “Why, Jason? You could afford to buy literally any house in Atlanta. What is the point of all this?”
Harry and Cate had responded in a similar fashion, though maybe not with those exact words. How could he explain where he was mentally? Was he ready to be open with this woman who kept so much of herself under wraps?
He swallowed, shifting from one foot to the other. “My whole life was easy up until eighteen months ago. A charmed childhood. A successful college experience, both academically and athletically. A wide circle of interesting friends. A woman who was fun to be with. A plan for the future.”
“I’m not sure I follow, though yes, all of that seems to be true.” Gabby’s expression was neutral.
He shrugged, feeling the faint sting of bitterness. “I never had to work too hard for anything in my life. I was surrounded by people who doted on me and cushioned me from the real world. Everything I wanted was handed to me on the proverbial silver platter, particularly because my parents used gifts to their only child as part of an ongoing competition. So when I ran smack into an honest-to-God, complicated adult problem for the first time, I screwed up. Royally.”
“I think you’re being too hard on yourself. You didn’t choose to be born into your family’s wealth. That was the luck of the draw. And I don’t see you as arrogant or conceited, though you certainly could have been. Despite your upbringing, I’d say you turned out to be a decent person.”
“And the wedding?”
Gabby winced. “Well, yes. That was bad. You messed up big-time. But how long are you going to punish yourself for that?”
He kicked a crumbling baseboard. “I’ll let you know,” he muttered.
This wasn’t how he had planned for their romantic evening to progress.
His companion unfolded her arms and closed the distance between them. She was tall and graceful and lovely, even more so with the juxtaposition of his unruly building project framing her. She stopped shy of touching him but waved a hand. “I’m missing something. How does the house fit into what you just told me?”
He might not have been able to answer that question six months ago, but he was learning along the way. “I wanted to do something hard. Something that would push me to the edge of my talents and capabilities. I needed to create something that was mine . This crazy project is clearly more than a simple renovation. I’m basically starting from the ground up. But I love the challenge. And I feel as if I’m finally seeing clearly. When and if I eventually finish this, I’ll have a house that’s my home. My home.”
“And your photography?”
“That’s the great thing. I can move at any pace. It may sound crazy to you, but the photography and the remodel are similar.”
“How?”
“Well, when I travel, I see things worth framing with my lenses, and I get excited when I can capture an image that is unique.”
“And the house?”
“I’m changing it bit by bit to fit the vision in my head. I see something in this place that no one else sees.”
Finally she smiled. “Okay, I think I get it. Thank you for sharing that with me.”
“But we’ve killed the mood, haven’t we?”
Gabby’s smile lit up the room. “Not necessarily. Grab your bag, big guy. Let’s head over to Peachtree Court and have a little Christmas party of our own.”
Gabby felt both relieved and melancholy. Jason’s willingness to be honest with her had crushed any burgeoning dreams she might have entertained in private. He was probably still going to travel the world. Footloose and fancy-free. Coming home only to work on his very special project.
Nothing in what he had told her made room for a partner. Nor did she want to be in a long-term relationship with a man who might pick up and leave at any moment. She knew herself well enough to accept that she had a craving for certainty and permanence. After years of upheaval and turmoil, she had created a foundation for herself and her mother that felt comfortable. Reliable.
So she was not going let herself fall in love with Jason Brightman—but there was no reason at all to deny herself the pleasure of his company in the short term.
At her apartment, they climbed the stairs together. She was chilled to the bone, even wearing her coat. Thankfully, she had not turned the heat too far down when she left for the party. The apartment was warm and homey, even without a Christmas decoration in sight.
Jason slipped out of his tux jacket and tossed it on a chair. “We could get you a tree tomorrow,” he said. “I’m free.”
She hung her coat in the hall closet. “I don’t know, Jason. We’re well into the month already. Seems like a lot of trouble for a short time. Besides, I’ll be in Blossom Branch for the holiday.”
“Oh.” He frowned.
“What?”
His jaw stuck out with a hint of belligerence. “I thought you and I might be together on the twenty-fifth.”
That idea was so incredibly appealing she almost gasped. Instead, she straightened her spine and smiled. “I doubt that. We both have family commitments.”
“What if I’d rather spend time with you than with my folks?”
“Sometimes we have to make other choices. The right choices. Christmas is about home and family. You and I barely know each other.”
“That’s a damn lie.” His eyes sparked blue flames. “I saw something in you I wanted when we were in college. I’m thinking that’s been buried all this time, and now we’ve come full circle. Don’t push me away, Gabby. Please.”
“Okay, fine,” she said, huffing. “We’re not strangers. Is it time to adjourn to my bedroom?”
His jaw tightened again. “You’re deliberately changing the subject.”
She lifted her chin, staring him down. “I thought you wanted to have sex with me. My mistake.”
His body language relaxed, and he laughed out loud. “You’re a piece of work, Gabby Nolan. Stubborn. Brilliant. And if I’m honest, infuriating at times. But I want you too much to argue anymore. At least not tonight.” He held out his hand. “Come here, woman.”
What would it be like when all this was over? Would she survive having Jason and then not having him? The part of her brain that always weighed risk and reward knew the answer. He was going to break her heart.
Even so, there was no way she could walk away from him now. It was far too late for that.
They both kicked off their shoes. Urgently. He kissed her all the way down the hall, showing an impressive knack for walking backward and never letting her go.
In her room, he stopped and kissed her some more. “Thank you for going with me tonight.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck and played with the hair at his nape. Then she tipped back her head to lose herself in those incredible blue eyes. “It wasn’t as bad as I thought. Your parents are nice, and their house is incredible.”
He found her zipper and lowered it slowly. “You’re not wearing a bra?” The question was hoarse.
“It didn’t seem necessary. The satin isn’t thin.”
He took the zipper all the way down and held her hand as she stepped out of the dress. “Hanger?” he asked. “I don’t want to be responsible for ruining this.”
“The chair,” she whispered, leaning into him and pressing her breasts against his hard chest.
Jason stepped away from her for three seconds and took her in his arms again. He stroked her bare back. “I’ve been imagining this moment all day.”
“Me, too.” Was sex with Jason the only reason she had agreed to be his date for the party? Or did she simply want to be with him in every way? She started unbuttoning his shirt, revealing smooth tanned skin.
When Jason shuddered hard, she stared at him. His eyes were closed. His fingers dug into her hips. Desperation was written on every plane of his face. Was this a natural male reaction to unfolding sexual pleasure, or did he really want her ?
She tapped his cheek. “Help me with the cuffs.”
His eyes opened slowly, his expression dazed. “Cuffs?”
“On your shirt. I can’t undo them.”
Quickly he removed his silver cuff links, and the two of them ripped off his shirt. When her bare breasts nestled against his bare chest, they both groaned.
Gabby felt his thundering heartbeat beneath her cheek. “Merry Christmas to me,” she whispered.