She dragged his head back down to meet her lips again while he put his hands on her hips and brought her into closer contact with him.
He forced himself to move his mouth away from Mack’s though, when he heard a throat being cleared.
“You’re both giving me high blood pressure!” Thomas shouted from the kitchen window.
They both started laughing. He put her slowly back down then stepped away from her. “I think you better go before I drag you inside.”
She took a few steps away from him, and then on unsteady legs started to walk away to her own cottage. She couldn’t help but look back to a very aroused Dean.
“Promises, promises.”
She entered her own cottage laughing.
Dean let out a sigh of relief as he entered his cottage. Heck, he had it really bad for Mack. He’d just come so close to taking her up against the door.
Her hair was soft and smelled of raspberries, her skin was lovely and smooth, and those freckles, he thought they were sexy as hell. She’d kept teasing him all day with glimpses of her stomach, every time she moved, he just wanted to reach out and caress her skin. She was basically driving him crazy.
Hopefully, sometime soon, she’d mention the diary, or he could get her to tell him, then perhaps the perfect opportunity would arise for him to tell Mack his real name and about his grandfather.
He really wished he hadn’t been an idiot and given his actual surnam
e of Evans, instead of Simone.
Mack had a quiet dinner with Lucas, and afterwards, she played a new Super Mario Brothers game on the Wii for half an hour with him. He kept winning, telling her she was worse than his friend Scott was.
Lucas was in his bed asleep while she was lying propped up in bed, drinking her hot chocolate and thinking about Dean.
He was really appealing, both in personality and looks. She had never felt so attracted to someone so quickly. He was taller than she was, and his body rippled with muscles—there wasn’t an ounce of fat on him. With his blue eyes and the tattoo that peeped out from the neck of his T-shirt, he was sinfully delicious and he hinted at being a little rough around the edges. All of it had her motor running and she couldn’t remember the last time, if ever, a man had one that to her. After being lost in her own thoughts for ten minutes, she reached out and picked up Rose’s diary to read some more. Before opening the book, she stopped and thought about Dean. Maybe she would show him the diary in a day or two and she could get his opinion on what to do if Jacob didn’t get back to her.
Chapter 16
April 5, 1947
Breakfast with my parents…
After the upset of yesterday, I really didn’t want to get up. I snuggled down for five more minutes, thinking about Jacob and how gentle he’d been last night. He had been so patient, so tender when he’d made love to me in his bed. He made me feel cherished and loved.
I’d promised to marry him and move to Boston. The thought echoed through me and I couldn’t stop the smile shining on my lips. I could hardly wait. I wanted to be with him desperately. My heart was filled with so much love and hope when I thought about my future with him.
When he walked me home last night, we talked about our plans for Boston. At first, we would rent one of the rooms his sister had available in her boarding house. Apparently, she only rented rooms to married couples so to begin with, until we could marry, we would pretend. Jacob had already spoken to his sister about me, and she had agreed to let us stay together and treat me as his wife.
I finally dragged myself out of bed, rushed to the bathroom to avoid everyone in the house and then back to my room to dress for work. I was actually dreading facing Mother and Father at breakfast. If I could avoid doing so, then I would.
I took a few deep breaths for courage before I walked out of my room and down the stairs.
“Morning, Mother, Father,” I said, acting as though nothing untold had happened last night.
I took my seat, where my breakfast was already waiting for me. While I buttered a piece of toast, my father cleared his throat. “Where did you disappear to last night?”
“Somewhere peaceful,” I replied and started to eat.
“Rose, dear, we just thought that it would be a good match between you and Richard. He would be able to look after you,” my mother said, patting my arm.
Father nodded, “Richard would be able to look after you well. His family has more money than we’ll ever see.”
I pulled my arm out from under my mother’s hand and speared my father with a stubborn glare. “Father, I’m sorry, but I’m not going to marry Richard. As your only daughter, you should want me to marry for love and to someone who can make me happy just by being with them. Money shouldn’t come into it at all.”
“You need money to live, Rose,” Father said, his words clipped, as his face grew red with irritation.