CHAPTER ONE
~
ROBYN
I woke up the day after Christmas with a huge smile on my face. I rolled out of bed and slipped on my robe and slippers. After I put the coffee on to brew I made my way in to take a shower. I turned on the water and held my hand underneath it until it was warm. The apartment felt extra cold this morning. I thought it was probably because I’d felt so warm while Aaron had been with me all day yesterday. It had turned out to be the best Christmas ever. After a long, tiring day of Christmas revelries I’d fallen asleep in his arms watching Christmas movies. As I stepped into the shower and felt the warm water cascade over my shoulders and down my back I thought about how sweet he’d been. He picked me up and carried me into my room. He’d lay me down and covered me up to my chin with the cozy comforter before I woke up.
“Are you leaving?” I had asked him, disappointed.
“For tonight,” he said with a smile. “If I don’t go now, we might do something we’ll regret later. I know it’s too soon, but you’re hard to resist.”
I thought about that now and smiled. He’d been such a perfect gentleman…so much more so than any man I’d ever dated. I’d gone out on one simple date with men before who expected to be “paid” for the dinner and drinks they’d bought me at the end of the night. He’d told me how badly he wanted me and then he’d done the right thing and walked away. I found that incredibly sexy. I didn’t mind waiting. I just knew that when we did finally make love, it was going to be explosive.
Me and Aaron had agreed to start dating. I couldn’t help but wonder what it was going to be like when we went back to work. It wasn’t like I’d really ever see him, but I imagined him bringing flowers down to me…taking me out to lunch. I suddenly realized that I’d been standing underneath the water daydreaming for so long that the water had gotten cold. I shut it off and stepped out. I was excited for the day to hurry and go by Aaron and I were going to watch a winter jazz concert in the park in the evening and then out to dinner…he’d only left eight hours before and I already couldn’t wait to see him.
I spent the morning cleaning up the apartment and reading through the Christmas cards and emails that I’d gotten. The day seemed to go on and on as I waited for it to be time for mine and Aaron’s date. At last it was time to get ready and I dressed comfortably in a new pair of jeans and a black angora sweater with black boots. I topped it off with a black beret and left my hair down in soft curls around my face. When the doorbell rang I took one last look. Satisfied, I went to let Aaron in out of the cold.
When I opened the door he let out a low whistle, “Look at you, you’re gorgeous.”
“Thank you,” I said, stepping back and eyeing the red and white roses he was carrying.
“These are for you,” he said.
“I was hoping,” I told him with a grin. I took them out of his hand and stuck my nose down into them, “They’re beautiful!”
“Not as beautiful as you,” he said. This was just feeding my fantasy about him bringing flowers to me at work…the other girls would be beside themselves with jealousy and poor Gary would have a conniption….I still couldn’t stop smiling.
He pulled me closer and bent his face down towards mine. I stretched up on my tiptoes, even when I was in heels he was a lot taller than me. His tall, lean, muscular body, his dark hair and the deep brown pools of his eyes made my breath catch every time I was close to him. Our lips met and although we’d kissed most of the day yesterday, it felt like it was the first time. His kisses were gentle but firm at the same time…it was hard to describe. He had full, soft lips that sometimes I just couldn’t take my eyes off of and when my lips were on them, I was in heaven. As we kissed he gently ran his fingers through the hair that hung down across my shoulders and pet the soft sweater I was wearing down my arm. It was sweet and sexy at the same time.
When we broke the kiss he said, “Are you ready to go?”
“Yes,” I said, still smiling, “Let me just put these in a vase.” I went to the kitchen and filled a crystal vase with water for the roses. After they were arranged and sitting prettily on my dining room table, I grabbed the throw blanket off the couch and we headed out. I was delighted when we got outside and I saw Jeffrey waiting by the car door.
“Jeffrey! It’s so good to see you! Did you and your family have a merry Christmas?”