Drawn Together
Page 61
“You say you don’t know how to do this, but you’re doing just fine.”
He was so glad he’d told her. He’d been worrying over the last month about it. Vacillating between wanting to let it go and wanting to tell her so it wouldn’t pop up to hurt her.
A weight was off his shoulders and after their conversation, she never ceased to touch and surprise him. Things felt good. Better than ever.
And now he watched her move. Goddamn. They’d done a little dancing when he’d taken her to the big band club the month before. But this . . .
A distinctly Latin remix played in the club and she switched her hips back and forth in time with the beat, her tits moving just right, enough to render him so hard it nearly hurt. Of course, knowing she wore the chain helped too.
He just stood there and let her make him look good. He’d confessed he wasn’t much for club dancing and that’s what she’d told him.
She backed up to him, whipping her hair back. He slid his hands over her shoulders and then down to her hips. Her head was turned to the side, her gaze locked with his as she brushed that luscious ass against his c**k and then dropped it low, stood, bent at the waist and pressed back as she slowly stood again when the song ended and something else came on.
Her hands went up and he held her waist as she stayed against him. This was his woman. Oh, he saw the glances. Saw that some of the people knew her. One or two of them actually got near enough for her to shake her head no and turn back to him. Far from feeling jealous, it made him hot all over. Others may have wanted her, but she was his. Totally and utterly.
That was f**king sexy.
Finally after a while she turned to him, encircling his neck with her arms. “I need a drink. I’m hot.”
He bent to kiss her. “You sure are. I think I can buy you a drink in thanks for all the entertainment your ass has given me all night long.”
He walked in front of her, keeping her behind him, one arm reached back to keep her against him and to take the bulk of the crowd so she wouldn’t get bumped.
“What would you like?” he asked when they finally reached the table where their group had set up.
“A water and a cosmo. Please.”
She scooted in next to Erin and he followed. The waitress caught his eye and came over. He indicated a reorder of what everyone already had at the table and got his and Raven’s drinks.
It was loud, though thankfully not so thick with smoke he could barely breathe like it had been in his premarriage days. The lights flickered all around them as he took her hand. Levi and Daisy came over and sat with them as well.
It was good. He was too old to want to do this on a regular basis. But dancing with Raven when she was all sensual and moved the way she did? Well, that was totally worth the crowd and the noise.
They stayed for several more hours before making their way back to his place. She still slept in his guest room and that was . . . all right. He hoped that one day she’d move to his bed. But he got it. And he would let her make those steps herself. He knew her well enough to understand just spending the night in his house was a big step for her. So he’d continue to be patient because she was worth it.
She changed into the pajamas she seemed to own in every possible combination from sexy silky vixen stuff to what she wore then, flannel with her ever-present socks.
They snuggled in his living room listening to music and drinking tea.
“Erin told me to invite you to pool and karaoke when Carrie goes back to Italy and you’re free for social stuff again. They used to go once a week but now that everyone has babies they go once a month. Sometimes it’s at Adrian and Gillian’s place because they have a game room and a pretty nifty karaoke machine.”
He hadn’t really been part of a social group since he’d been married. Most of them had been Charlotte’s friends and had chosen her after the divorce. He did hang out with his brothers, but now that he and Levi had girlfriends in the same circle he saw his brother more than he had in some time. He liked that too.
“Sounds good. Listen, Erin invited me to Thanksgiving. I said no because there’s a big thing at my parents’ place. My grandparents will be there. All my brothers and Carrie too. I know you’re busy with dinner with them and with Alexander’s party and stuff. But after. You know if you were done, I mean. We won’t eat dinner until eight. I want you to meet Carrie. I’ve told her about you so that’s not a problem. She wants to meet you too. Daisy and Levi will be there, and you know Mal will be there, but not Gwen since they’ve split and all.”
“I don’t know. I barely want to go to Gillian’s for Thanksgiving. I’m not really cut out for dinners with the family. You know? It’s not . . . I’m not good at it. I’m going to say something offensive. And I don’t want to put you in that position.”
“I think you’re better at it than you let yourself believe.”
She laughed. “I nearly got into a fistfight with your brother’s wife!”
“She deserved it. And she started it. My grandfather will tell you stories about Korea and my grandmother will drink wine and make my mother uncomfortable all day. It’s really the only day of the year we get to see my mother on the other side of the way she often treats others.”
“Oh. Well, that is alluring.”
“Look, I know this is new. But I would like you to be with me. I haven’t had anyone at a holiday dinner with me since Charlotte.”
“So no pressure or anything,”
He was so glad he’d told her. He’d been worrying over the last month about it. Vacillating between wanting to let it go and wanting to tell her so it wouldn’t pop up to hurt her.
A weight was off his shoulders and after their conversation, she never ceased to touch and surprise him. Things felt good. Better than ever.
And now he watched her move. Goddamn. They’d done a little dancing when he’d taken her to the big band club the month before. But this . . .
A distinctly Latin remix played in the club and she switched her hips back and forth in time with the beat, her tits moving just right, enough to render him so hard it nearly hurt. Of course, knowing she wore the chain helped too.
He just stood there and let her make him look good. He’d confessed he wasn’t much for club dancing and that’s what she’d told him.
She backed up to him, whipping her hair back. He slid his hands over her shoulders and then down to her hips. Her head was turned to the side, her gaze locked with his as she brushed that luscious ass against his c**k and then dropped it low, stood, bent at the waist and pressed back as she slowly stood again when the song ended and something else came on.
Her hands went up and he held her waist as she stayed against him. This was his woman. Oh, he saw the glances. Saw that some of the people knew her. One or two of them actually got near enough for her to shake her head no and turn back to him. Far from feeling jealous, it made him hot all over. Others may have wanted her, but she was his. Totally and utterly.
That was f**king sexy.
Finally after a while she turned to him, encircling his neck with her arms. “I need a drink. I’m hot.”
He bent to kiss her. “You sure are. I think I can buy you a drink in thanks for all the entertainment your ass has given me all night long.”
He walked in front of her, keeping her behind him, one arm reached back to keep her against him and to take the bulk of the crowd so she wouldn’t get bumped.
“What would you like?” he asked when they finally reached the table where their group had set up.
“A water and a cosmo. Please.”
She scooted in next to Erin and he followed. The waitress caught his eye and came over. He indicated a reorder of what everyone already had at the table and got his and Raven’s drinks.
It was loud, though thankfully not so thick with smoke he could barely breathe like it had been in his premarriage days. The lights flickered all around them as he took her hand. Levi and Daisy came over and sat with them as well.
It was good. He was too old to want to do this on a regular basis. But dancing with Raven when she was all sensual and moved the way she did? Well, that was totally worth the crowd and the noise.
They stayed for several more hours before making their way back to his place. She still slept in his guest room and that was . . . all right. He hoped that one day she’d move to his bed. But he got it. And he would let her make those steps herself. He knew her well enough to understand just spending the night in his house was a big step for her. So he’d continue to be patient because she was worth it.
She changed into the pajamas she seemed to own in every possible combination from sexy silky vixen stuff to what she wore then, flannel with her ever-present socks.
They snuggled in his living room listening to music and drinking tea.
“Erin told me to invite you to pool and karaoke when Carrie goes back to Italy and you’re free for social stuff again. They used to go once a week but now that everyone has babies they go once a month. Sometimes it’s at Adrian and Gillian’s place because they have a game room and a pretty nifty karaoke machine.”
He hadn’t really been part of a social group since he’d been married. Most of them had been Charlotte’s friends and had chosen her after the divorce. He did hang out with his brothers, but now that he and Levi had girlfriends in the same circle he saw his brother more than he had in some time. He liked that too.
“Sounds good. Listen, Erin invited me to Thanksgiving. I said no because there’s a big thing at my parents’ place. My grandparents will be there. All my brothers and Carrie too. I know you’re busy with dinner with them and with Alexander’s party and stuff. But after. You know if you were done, I mean. We won’t eat dinner until eight. I want you to meet Carrie. I’ve told her about you so that’s not a problem. She wants to meet you too. Daisy and Levi will be there, and you know Mal will be there, but not Gwen since they’ve split and all.”
“I don’t know. I barely want to go to Gillian’s for Thanksgiving. I’m not really cut out for dinners with the family. You know? It’s not . . . I’m not good at it. I’m going to say something offensive. And I don’t want to put you in that position.”
“I think you’re better at it than you let yourself believe.”
She laughed. “I nearly got into a fistfight with your brother’s wife!”
“She deserved it. And she started it. My grandfather will tell you stories about Korea and my grandmother will drink wine and make my mother uncomfortable all day. It’s really the only day of the year we get to see my mother on the other side of the way she often treats others.”
“Oh. Well, that is alluring.”
“Look, I know this is new. But I would like you to be with me. I haven’t had anyone at a holiday dinner with me since Charlotte.”
“So no pressure or anything,”
