The advantage of Arlen is that no place is ever more than a fifteen-minute drive, and before long, we’re parked in front of Mom’s house. The front door flies open even before Declan kills the engine, and she comes bounding down the porch steps.
“Mom,” I say as I get out of the car.
I rush to her, and we cling to each other. Josh comes down the porch as well, and I hug him next. Declan joins us, and more hugs are exchanged. Josh feels like an old friend, and I’m glad that my mom has him to spend her life with. Arlen can be a lonely town, especially for singletons. I know because Mom told me about it every time we spoke on the phone.
We troop inside, and a teasing scent of food hits us as we walk into her living room.
“I can’t wait to tuck into whatever it is that’s smelling so tantalizing,” Declan says.
“It’s ready if you’re hungry, Declan,” Mom says. “We can go straight to the table.”
“Let’s,” I say, hungry as well.
In the bathroom, while we’re washing up, Declan pulls me into his arms and kisses me. “It’s been too long,” is the only explanation he offers.
Back at the table, we compliment my mom on the spread that she’s laid out.
“We’re going for dinner at Dad’s and Terri’s,” I tell her minutes later.
“That’s nice,” she says mildly.
Josh has changed her. A year earlier, she would have thrown a fit at such news. She’d become a bitter woman, and it had saddened me that there was nothing I could do to help her see life differently.
“Your father will be pleased to see you,” she says. “Now, can we talk about the wedding?”
“Have you thought about a small wedding?” I ask her without holding out much hope.
“No, I haven’t because I have no intentions of having one,” she says briskly, which makes Declan laugh. “This is my last wedding, and I intend to make a mark.”
“There’s no other way to do it,” Declan says.
I slap his thigh lightly. “Don’t encourage her.”
Chapter 23
Declan
Marian is quiet on the drive back to the Resort, but that doesn’t surprise me. Judy had outrageous demands for what she wants for her wedding, and Marian fought her all the way. Now I see why she’s so successful at what she does. She keeps her feet firmly on the ground and makes sure that her clients do as well.
“I have plans for you, ma’am,” I tell her.
“Like what?” Marian says with a tired smile. Protective feelings come over me, and I want to wrap her in my arms for the rest of the day.
“We’ll start with a massage for the lady,” I say.
“Can I take a shower first?”
“Sure, anything that the lady wishes.” When we’re together like this, I wonder how I lived before Marian came into my life. She’s quickly taken the center stage, with my plans revolving around her.
The Resort feels like a sanctuary, away from the noise that is the world.
“Welcome back, Mr. and Mrs. Carter,” the nice lady at reception says.
We thank her and head to our room through the quiet, carpeted hallways. I keep Marian’s hand in mine until we get to the room.
“Go on and have your shower; I’ll come in after you,” I tell her while gently propelling her to the bathroom.
She bats her eyelashes at me. “Are you sure you don’t want to come in with me?”
My body heats up in an instant at the loaded invitation in Marian’s voice. “You know what will happen if I do, and I want to give you that massage. Your job is to shower then come and lie face down on the bed.”
“Bossy Declan is back,” Marian says before she disappears into the bathroom.
Minutes later, I hear the sound of the shower. While Marian is at her father’s for dinner, I’ll have dinner at a bar nearby. After five minutes Marian turns the shower off and I strip off for mine.
Stripped to boxer briefs, I enter the bathroom just as Marian leaves the bathroom. We pause in the doorway to kiss, drawn to each other like magnets. Her lips are soft and warm, and it takes every ounce of my self-control to pull away and enter the bathroom.
Marian’s laughter follows me into the bathroom. She can laugh all she wants, but I’m determined that she’ll get that massage, and nothing will distract me. I shower as fast as is humanly possible and emerge from the bathroom to find Marian sprawled on the bed, wrapped in a towel that barely covers her ass cheeks.
I inhale deeply. My cock jumps to attention.
“Just following instructions,” she says in her throaty voice.
“Good girl,” I growl.
I grab a fresh pair of boxers from my bag and slip them on. I notice a bottle of oil on the bedside table and reach for it. “Perfect.” I open the lid and sniff it. It smells of Marian. Peppermint. I could drink the stuff.