27. The Best Present
27
THE BEST PRESENT
REX
“I can think of much better ways to use my tongue.” I winked at Chelsea, standing next to her in front of the dresser in her room. Clearly feeling much better, I believed my fever broke, but she had to be sure.
“Stop. This is serious. You landed on our doorstep with a fever last night. Now put this under your tongue, hold it there, and quit talking.” She stuffed the glass thermometer just so in my mouth, unusually grumpy for my typically sunshiny lady.
I took it out again and tried hard to make her laugh. “You’re really turning me on, taking care of me like this. Remind me to buy you a nurse costume. I can see this fantasy playing out really nicely for me.” I popped the stick back under my tongue and wiggled my brows. Her head cocked at me with crossed arms told me to be serious.
“You’re making some big assumptions there, considering we haven’t talked yet. ”
I was. Hell was waking up next to Chelsea on Christmas morning hard as a rock and not being able to do anything about it, since she insisted we talk, and that I shouldn’t exert myself until my fever was gone. I willed the mercury to stay in the normal range, while my stiff cock twitched, dying to be inside of her again.
It was early morning on Christmas, and no one else in the house stirred but us. Waiting the few minutes for the thermometer to register and not being able to talk to Chelsea or touch her was extremely painful.
When time was up, she removed the implement from my mouth, inspecting it with laser concentration. “Wow, Mr. Buchanan. Looks like you’ve made a miraculous recovery overnight. You’re back to normal temperature. But you do still have a cough, so take it easy today. Don’t overexert yourself with strenuous activities.”
“Yes, Nurse Chelsea.” I grabbed her and dipped her, eager to taste her again. “Does this count as strenuous?” I nuzzled into her cleavage, kissing and drawing my lips across her skin.
“Oh. That-that should be fine,” she sighed as if I took her breath away.
I brought her upright, continuing to pursue with kisses from her neck to her earlobe, delighting in her quick breaths turning into tiny moans. “And this—is it too much?” I kissed the sensitive spot I knew well under her ear.
“Stop, Rex. We need to talk. Your kisses are confusing the situation.” She broke out of my reach .
“I disagree. My thoughts and intentions are clear as day, after I spent the better part of the past two months living under a dark cloud of shame and guilt. Fuck, Chelsea, if I could take back that night on the rooftop, I would. Who the hell did I think I was then? Yes, I’ve always been a bit of a spoiled billionaire, but your face when you gave back the ring broke me. Killed me. Stabbed me in the heart.” I jabbed my chest for extra measure.
“Good, because you hurt me so much that night.” She brushed a tear away.
“Baby…” I stepped up to her and cupped her cheeks, re-familiarizing myself with the depths of her green irises. “I can’t stand the thought of how badly I hurt you, but I think that night was necessary to wake me up to the man I’m supposed to be. With you. ”
She sputtered, more tears forming at the corners of her eyes. “Your words sound good, and I want to trust them.”
“You can. But if I need to prove myself to you again, every single day I will. Tell me what I need to do. I’m not in charge of Buchanan Energy now. I’m so far removed from the building, I don’t care about it anymore. My stress level has returned to normal. I can go back to doing what I love with my real estate investments. You’ll find I’m a different man, but with the same heart that beats only for you.” My lips claimed hers with gentle persuasion. But only one lingering kiss. I couldn’t be bullish about this. I needed patience to bring her back around to me.
“Rex, I missed you, but I don’t know. I can’t stop thinking about you and wondering what might have happened if things were different, if we were different. But we can’t go backwards.”
“We are different now, sweetness; I’m different now. I believe everything that happened changed me for the better. Please, give us a chance to try again.” I fingered her locks, but a tickle in my throat caused me to cough again.
“We shouldn’t be talking so much, aggravating your cough. Come on, back to bed.” She sat on the edge and patted it. “I’m wondering if we should take you to the urgent care today?”
“I’m fine. I weathered the storm to get back to you. You’re all the medicine I need.” I got back in bed and pulled her to me before she escaped. We settled in, but she was quiet and I could feel her shutting down. I couldn’t rest, needing to keep going, to explain, to plead, to grovel, whatever it took to get her back.
I lifted on my elbow to see her face. “So much has happened. Things I need for you know.” I broke down and told her about Marlena and my personal hell of the past two months.
Her brow creased as if angry. “I wish you would have reached out and told me what was going on. We could have battled her together, gone to the police, tried to explain.”
“It’s done now. I’d do it all again, put myself through hell, if it meant protecting you. Thankfully, Mom came to my rescue, and I didn’t have to go through with marrying her. What about you and the show? Do you enjoy working there?”
“Stanley told me you’re the one who recommended me. ”
“Ah, I told him not to.”
“I guess I should thank you for the opportunity.”
“Hey, no, all I did was put your name in front of him and show him your social media posts. You did the rest, charming him, and everyone who watches that show, with your sunshine. You’re so good at it. I can’t tear my eyes away?—”
“You’ve watched it?”
I brushed the back of my hand on her cheek. “Every single episode, a dozen times each, and I think I can recite your recipes from memory now.”
She relaxed into a chuckle and shared with me all about her TV work and her plans for the deli, her eyes lighting up with the passion she had for it all.
“For the record, I need for you to know that my old feelings about the deli are gone. The building means nothing to me and I threw away the plans to remodel. Instead of the past when I think about that place, I see you, sweetness, all your sunshiny ways, making people happy with your food, and killing them with kindness.” I chuckled, and she joined me. “You cured me. You’re all I want.”
“I’m busier than ever, now, though, Rex.”
I squeezed her to me. “Maybe you won’t have time for me anymore, then.”
She peered up at me. “I used to think, in order to achieve my goals and work hard, I couldn’t make room for a man or love. But now…I realize it’s all about balancing the areas of my life in order to feel totally fulfilled.”
“Love…?” I ran my fingers through her hair and down her jaw, lifting her chin so our eyes locked so she’d know I was serious. “I do love you, Chelsea. Why do you think I risked so much coming to Holly Creek? The entire journey here, I had no idea what you’d do when I found you. You could have slammed the door in my face and left me out to freeze to death, and I would have gladly died of a broken heart if you had. Because at least I tried to get to you and make one last appeal for you to take me back. I’m a broken man who loves you.”
“There’s always been something between us too strong to understand. I thought we were over, that there was no way you could redeem yourself after that night on the roof, but now you happened upon my doorstep on Christmas Eve, of all days.” A shadow of worry and doubt crossed her eyes still. “I want so badly for you to be the best present I’ve ever had.”
“No, you’re the best I’ve ever had. I love you, Chelsea. Please forgive me. I’ll do whatever it takes to be the man you need. Fuck, you have no idea how much I want to buy your love, to offer you the world, my money, my possessions if you’d just take me back. But now I know there’s only one thing I can give you that’ll mean the most to you. My heart. And you have it; it’s yours, but will you take it? Take me back? Give me another chance?”
I sweated what seemed an eternity for her reply as she searched my eyes. My heart ached for her as if she reached in and twisted it just to see how strong I was in my resolve to be better for her.