My eyes go wide, and although his size is very intimidating, my body heats at the reminder of how good he felt sliding in and out of me.
His chuckle has my eyes snapping up to his, and I feel a blush creep up my cheeks at being caught ogling him.
“You keep looking at me like that and you’ll be calling Jeremy to let him know he’s got the kids for another couple of hours.”
His laugh is deep when I drop my eyes from him and turn around. Spying my shirt a couple feet away, I grab it and my jeans beside it and put them on. I shiver when the cold and wet material touches my skin. My shirt has no buttons. I turn around to ask him for a shirt, and thankfully see he’s dressed in the same jeans and thermal shirt he had on before, even though they are obviously wet. Silently, he holds out a shirt for me. I slip it on and stealthily smell the soft material.
I snag my jacket off the floor and we leave the bedroom. Gigi comes trotting out of the kitchen and meets us at the front door. I give her a few rubs before he opens the door and we step outside. The rain has stopped and there’re a few rays of sunlight filtering through the clouds.
Before I can walk down the steps, he turns me around to face him, loosely putting his arms around my waist and resting his hands on my lower back.
“How about you and the kids come over for dinner tomorrow night?” he suggests.
I smile, because, well, I can’t not smile. I love that he wants us to come back. I love that he wants to spend time with the kids. And I love that he seems to be working past his issues. We’ve never actually talked about what’s going on between us, but we both know there is something there.
“I’d love to, and I know the kids would too.”
“Good.”
He drops his head and sweeps his lips across mine before settling them more firmly against my mouth. I love the way he tastes and the way he kisses me. His arms tighten around me, bringing me closer to him, and I dig my fingers into his sides as we tangle our tongues together. My core begins to pulse with renewed need, and I wish we had more time. My body is pleasantly sore, but it doesn’t stop me from wanting him again. From his deep groan, he wouldn’t be opposed to the idea either.
The crunch of tires on the driveway is what pulls us apart. We break away and turn our heads to see a white car driving up to the house.
“Shit,” Alexander mutters when the car pulls to a stop. He drops his arms and takes a step back.
“Who is it?” I ask, turning to him.
His eyes leave the car long enough for him to look back at me and say, “My parents,” before looking back.
Surprise has my mouth dropping open, then nerves start to take over.
“Wait! What?” I squeak.
Alexander turns back to me, sees my anxiety, and reaches for my hand. “Hey,” he says, bending his knees to look directly into my eyes. “There’s nothing to be worried about.”
A car door slams behind us. I’ve got no choice but to nod. I’ve got no time to freak out or get used to the idea of meeting his parents. It’s not that I don’t want to; actually, I really do want to. It’s just that I would have liked more time to prepare.
A tall man with weathered skin, dark brown hair, and kind eyes comes walking up, a petite woman with sandy-blond hair tucked into his side. As soon as the woman sees Alexander and me standing on the porch, she pushes away from the man and rushes forward, her hand flying to her mouth. Alexander releases my hand and walks down the steps, meeting her at the bottom. When he engulfs her in his arms, she’s so small compared to him that the only thing I can see is her arms wrapped around his waist.
Murmured words come from her, but they’re so low, I can’t hear them. I look past them and see the man looking up at me curiously. I offer an unsure smile and one corner of his mouth lifts.
A moment later, Alexander and his mother break apart, and I hear his softly spoken, “Hey, Mom.”
She puts her hands on either side of his face and pulls his head down to kiss his cheek before stepping back to let the man step forward. They embrace tightly, clap each other on the back, then step back.
“I’ve got someone I want you to meet,” Alexander says, then steps back so his mother can see me.
I wring my hands nervously as they take the few steps to the porch where I’m still standing. Alexander comes to my side and wraps an arm around my waist.
“Mom, Dad, this is Gwendolyn.” He squeezes me. “Gwendolyn, this is Helen, my mother, and David, my father.”
“It’s nice to meet you both,” I say, holding out my hand to Helen.
She looks just as startled as me, but recovers quickly. I expect to shake her hand, but she surprises me when she pulls me into her arms. I’m stiff for a split second before wrapping my arms around her. Helen’s head only comes to my nose. She’s such a tiny thing, but her arms are tight around me.
When she steps back, David comes forward and hugs me as well.
“It’s so good to meet you, darlin’,” he says after pulling back.