Turning Up the Heat: A Sizzling Modern Romance Novel

29. Oskar

Her body arched under mine,her breath coming in sharp pants as I thrust into her. I leaned down to touch my lips to hers, inhaling her gasps tinged with red wine.

“Oskar, please.”

Her body tensed in a familiar way. I reached a hand down to the small of her back, lifting a little and changing the angle of our joining. She grabbed my shoulders as she began to fall apart around me. I picked up speed, driving her harder and driving myself closer as she cried out my name.

My climax overtook me, and I leaned down to pour my moan into her mouth as I kissed her. She held my shoulders, clinging as our hearts raced together.

I kissed her mouth, working down her jaw until I could bury my face in her neck; then I gathered her to my side, absently rubbing my rough chin along her collarbone and wrapping both arms around her body.

I felt one small hand begin to stroke the nape of my neck as the other ran up and down the arm that clutched her tightly.

“I love you so much.”

I closed my eyes, inhaling the fragrance of her skin, memorizing the singular smell of our scents combined. “I love you, Kelsey.” My body relaxed in the way it only could when I was next to her.

“I know there’s a lot to talk about.” Her voice was so quiet I would have missed it if I hadn’t been glued to her body. “But can we just wait for a couple of days? I need you like this, Oskar.”

There was a tinge of panic in her voice, and when I looked up, I saw tears in her eyes.

I frowned and reached a hand up to cup her cheek, kissing away the tears in the corners of her eyes. She was as tense as a bowstring. “Kelsey, it’s going to be okay. We have time, okay? No talking about moving or work or anything for a couple of days.”

“Okay.”

I looked out my window into the dark and unexpectedly clear night to see the moon rising over a line of cedars in the distance. I concentrated on breathing in and out as I felt her exhausted body finally relax against me. The arms that were holding me tight began to loosen as she drifted to sleep.

“Oskar, you want another beer?”

I heard Kurt call my name as I looked out the window of El Mirador to the bustling crowds on Pomeroy Street in Pismo.

I turned. “Yeah, thanks. Another Corona would be great.”

We’d stopped for a late lunch by the pier. Kelsey was taking Talia out to get her nails done or something, so Kurt and I were occupying ourselves with fish tacos and too many beers as we watched the tourists busy with last-minute Christmas shopping. The sun was out, and the waves were big enough to draw a few surfers to the cold water. I saw a few wander up from the beach, hair wet and tugging blankets around their wet suits as they made their way to their cars.

Kurt slid a beer across the table and I caught it, sinking the lime before I took a long drink.

Tonight was the last night I was working before I closed the restaurant for Christmas. I wouldn’t open it again until next Tuesday, giving me four full days off for the holiday.

I needed it.

Kurt and I sat silently, drinking our beers and enjoying the sun streaming through the window. It was warm enough in the small restaurant that the cold Corona felt great sliding down my throat.

“So how’s Talia feeling? She still getting sick?”

“Yeah, every now and then, but for the most part she’s feeling a lot better. Thanks for asking.” He surprised me by slapping his hand on the table suddenly. “Hey. You know that mushroom soup you make at the restaurant?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you think you could make like… a giant pot of that stuff and just freeze it for me or something?”

I frowned. “I guess. You having a party or something?”

“No. Talia woke me up three nights in a row last week, craving that damn soup. She was half-asleep and asking me for fucking mushroom soup, and then she got all pissed when I told her your restaurant was closed and there was no way I could get her any.”

I smiled. This was one problem I could solve. “I’ll make some tonight and have Kelsey bring it over.”

“Thank God.” He looked slightly desperate. “You hear all these crazy stories about pickles and ice cream with pregnant women, but try being married to a woman with gourmet taste buds. Pickles and ice cream? No, she wants wild-mushroom soup or truffle risotto or shit like that.”

Kurt was a wine guy, but he was the kind of wine guy who liked his wine with barbeque and burgers. Talia was more like Kelsey when it came to food.

“I got you covered. Just let me know what gourmet cravings Talia has and I’ll take care of it.”

“And send me the fat-ass bill at the end of the month.”

“If she wants truffles, I will be sending you a bill.”

He clinked his beer against mine before taking another drink. “Shit.” He burst out in laughter. “Can you imagine what Kelsey’s going to be like? She’s going to want you to go out and hand-harvest vegetables or some shit.”

His laughter died when he saw my sullen expression.

Kurt cleared his throat. “Sorry. We all just sort of assume… You know, I’m going to shut up now.”

Instead of punching the lucky bastard sitting across from me, I took a long drink of my beer before I spoke. “It’s not simple.”

He glanced over at me. “You know she’s moving back though, right? Talia’s dead certain she’ll be back before the baby comes in May.”

I shook my head and took another silent drink of my beer.

Kurt continued. “I mean, I know that’s sort of a long time and everything?—”

“It’s not the time,” I snapped. “It’s the uncertainty.” I was getting pissed at something that was absolutely none of Kurt’s fault. “Sorry. She had a meeting with her boss at the beginning of this week that didn’t really go the way we were hoping.”

“That sucks.”

I shrugged. “It looks like she might be spending a little more time down here even if it’s not full-time.”

“That’s great!”

“Yeah.”

We were silent for a few minutes, finishing our beers and watching the sun start to sink down toward the horizon. I could see the low fog off in the distance, starting to roll in from the ocean.

After we finished, Kurt got up to pay, waving me away when I reached for my wallet. “Consider it a down payment on the soup.”

Christmas Day

Kelsey leaned against my chest as we relaxed by the fireplace at Josh’s house after a low-key Christmas dinner. We had decided to go the “everyone bring something” route after Kelsey’s stressful Thanksgiving. It was a lot easier for her, but I wasn’t able to convince her to sneak off with me to the bunkhouse again. And she’d been wearing an apron for most of the day.

Lost opportunities.

Josh had home-cured a ham from the pig he hunted in the fall. I’d brought a turnip au gratin dish and—after a desperate call from Kurt—another pot of wild-mushroom soup.

Kelsey had made some caramelized brussels sprouts. Kurt and Talia provided the sourdough bread and wine since Josh claimed he needed a break from his own. Sergio brought tamales and every dessert known to mankind.

Kelsey loved her present. I’d bought a vintage kitchen scale from the 1940s and had it recalibrated so she could actually use it. I had seen her eyeing one in an antique shop in Arroyo Grande one time but remembered her saying she wouldn’t want one that she couldn’t use.

I was also pretty pleased with a number of very tiny aprons that I found for her to add to her collection. Those were waiting back at my house.

Kelsey bought me a blue sweater that she said brought out my eyes and a Shun cleaver I’d been ogling online.

All in all, it had been one of the best Christmas Days in my memory, even though it was the first that I had spent without Hanna.

Stan’s family did some huge Christmas party that he wanted her to attend so she could meet everyone. I could only imagine the look of terror that had to be permanently affixed to her face. I’d seen Kelsey texting on her phone throughout the day, and I was pretty sure it was with Hanna.

We were lazing around Josh’s fireplace, enjoying wine and coffee, talking about New Year’s plans.

Talia asked Kelsey, “So are you working on New Year’s?”

She nodded. “Yeah, they’re doing a dinner at Incanto that I’m supposed to cover.”

That was news to me. For some reason I’d thought she was going to be at Mesa on New Year’s Eve. I realized I hadn’t told her we had a party planned. She must have caught the annoyed look on my face.

“I’m sorry.” She frowned. “The magazine always wants me to cover a restaurant on New Year’s Eve, and I agreed to cover Incanto months ago. I forgot to tell you.”

I’d like to blame too much wine and stress for the comment that I made, but mostly I was just being an asshole. “No, I’m the one-weekend-a-month boyfriend. I get it.”

Her mouth dropped open, and the whole living room fell silent. Kelsey blinked rapidly as she got up and walked out of the room.

Josh glared at me. “Oskar, what the fuck?”

I looked around the room. Sergio was avoiding my eyes, but Talia and Kurt looked at me like I had just kicked a puppy.

I felt a crushing weight in my chest, and I scrambled to my feet. “Kelsey?”

I followed the sound of a slamming door and saw her shadow walking toward the dark vines that were lit up by the full moon.

“Kelsey.” I followed her. “Kelsey, stop. I’m sorry, okay?”

She didn’t even slow down but walked farther into the tangled vines, which reached out with their bare tendrils to brush against my body as I ran over the rough ground, trying to catch up with her. I finally did, grabbing her arm and turning her to face me.

She pulled away from me, and I saw tears streaming down her angry face. She held up a shaking finger and shook her head.

I had really fucked up. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it.” I was panting as I shook my head. “I didn’t mean it.”

“Part of you did mean it, or you wouldn’t have said it.” Her voice was low and flat. “Part of you must think that to even say it.”

“It was stupid and I?—”

“Do you think I only want you for a weekend here and there? Do you think I don’t miss you? Do you think it doesn’t kill me every time we have to say goodbye?” Her voice cracked. “How the fuck could you say something like that?”

I grabbed the back of my head with both hands, yanking at my hair. “I don’t know! I don’t think you only want me one weekend a month. I just…” My shoulders slumped. “I’m so fucking frustrated. I come home to an empty house every night.”

“So do I.”

“I want to fix this, and I can’t. There’s nothing for me to fix. And I can’t…”

“This isn’t your kitchen, Oskar. You don’t run the world, and you don’t run me.”

“Quit,” I blurted. “Move here. I can support both of us while you figure everything out and?—”

“That’s not how I was raised,” she snapped at me. “And I’m not going to just give up my career. I don’t know how you could even ask that.”

“I’m not asking you to…” That was exactly what I wanted her to do. “Would it be so bad to be together?”

She blinked, opened her mouth, then closed it again. “I’m going to stay here tonight.”

I felt like she’d kicked my chest. “What?”

“I need some time to think, and I need time away from you.” Her voice was soft and devastating.

I felt a wave of panic sweep over me. “Are you breaking up with me?”

“No.” She shook her head. “I’m not ending anything, but you need to calm down. And you need to think about why I’m so upset right now.”

She walked past me back to the house, and she didn’t look back.