Falling for the Wrong Twin (24 page)

“Okay,” he said. “But you know I’m not like that, right?”

Her head dropped to one side. “Like what?”

He didn’t want to say the word, but there was no escaping it. “I’m not…impulsive.”

She shot him an irritated look. “Knowing something is true--especially about feelings--is not impulsive. It’s facing facts. I’m falling for you. Have fallen. Fell.” She made a gesture with her hands. “Splat.”

He winced. “Could you sound less depressed about that, please?”

“Could you sound less panicked, please?”

He pulled back. “I’m not panicked.” In truth he felt warm and almost bubbly happy. She loved him. That was incredible! But he wasn’t one to just blurt out his feelings, even if he was thinking that they could find a way to make this work. That he was willing to put everything he had into making sure they stayed together for the long haul. “I’m not panicked at all,” he repeated. “I’m trying to get a handle on my thoughts.”

“You’re talking to me as if I’m a mental patient off her meds.”

“I am not! You’re projecting your fears onto me.”

“Now who’s going all psycho-babble?”

“Now who’s on the defensive?”

“I just told you I love you! Of course I’m defensive!”

He pressed his lips together, trying not to lose control of the situation. No, scratch that. The situation was long lost. He was trying to get control of himself. Of his confused thoughts and even more tortured emotions. He knew his role here. He was supposed to say “I love you” right back. But he couldn’t do that. Not yet. Not so easily. Even if he was beginning to think he could be in love.

But damn it, he couldn’t say that yet. He wasn’t that brave.

So instead, he slid into practicalities. “I’m really cold here. Do you think I could slide under the covers with you?”

She blinked. “Um, okay. Sure.”

She scooted over to the far side of the bed. He climbed in after her, settled the covers so he wasn’t freezing, then opened his arms to her. “Please, will you come here?”

“You’re putting yourself at risk for physical violence, you know. And I don’t pull my punches.”

That much he’d already realized. In the game of saying-what-one-thought, she was miles ahead of him. “I’ll risk it.”

“Don’t say you weren’t warned,” she grumbled. He slid closer to her. And closer. In the end, he was able to enfold her in his arms. She settled against his chest and he dropped his cheek onto her head. And then he just sat there, enjoying her scent, the silky texture of her skin, and the heat as she lengthened her entire body against his.

“This is nice,” he said softly. Understatement of the year. It was nice enough to make a man think of marriage and happily ever after.

“Hmmm,” she said as she flattened her hand against his chest. Her fingers were spread wide and he liked the possessive feel of that. But in the end, he knew he had to speak. She’d put herself out there with her declaration, now it was his turn.

“You know I’m a guy, right?” he began.

She snorted. “Yeah, I’d noticed.”

“As a rule, we’re not so good with emotions.”

“I don’t care about guys as a rule. I want to know about you. About…” She stiffened slightly. “About how you feel.”

He soothed her as best he could, stroking up and down her arm and shoulder until she relaxed again. “I really like you. A lot. I know you’re hoping for more from me right now, but I’m just not there yet.”

“Yeah,” she said on a sigh. “I’d figured that much out already.”

“Okay, smart girl, did you also figure out that this is the closest I’ve ever come to it? And the fastest?”

She tilted her head up a bit. “No, I hadn’t gotten that.”

“How about this?” He took a deep breath. In for a penny, in for a pound, right? “I’ve had a job offer in St. Louis. It’s with a small, elite machine shop. Specialty orders, specific parts. I used to work there summers as a kid. The owner is thinking of retiring. He’d like me to leave Caterpillar and come work for him. If all goes well, he’d like me to buy him out.”

She lifted her head off his shoulder. “Is this something you want to do?”

“It’s a big risk, a big change. But yeah, I’ve been considering it. It would put me closer to my family again, give me more challenges than what I get at my current job, and open the door to huge financial reward.”

“Sounds like a win.”

“But if it doesn’t work out, then I could be in real trouble. Jobs like mine aren’t easy to come by. It’s not like I could fall back to Caterpillar if things go south.”

She settled back on his shoulder, obviously mulling over his words. “So what are you going to do?”

“I’m going to take the job. Embrace the risk and all that.”

“Good for you,” she said firmly.

“Good for us,” he said softly. He tightened his arms on her. “I’m going to take it because that would put me closer to you. You said you do work in St. Louis, right?”

“All the time.”

“Well, then we can keep seeing each other. We can see where this goes.”

Her hand started stroking his chest. “You’re taking the job so we can be together?”

“Yeah.”

“Wow,” she murmured, and he felt her smile against his chest. “You just put your career on the line. For us.”

He pressed a kiss into her hair. “This is a good career risk whatever happens. I just needed something to tip the balance.” He touched her chin, tugging her face gently up to his. “I can’t say what you want right now. I’m just not there yet.”

“I know--”

“But I can do this. I can commit to moving closer to you. To seeing if we work out. Is that enough for you?”

She grinned. “Of course it is. For now. But just so you know, I’m looking for more. I won’t be content with rock-my-world sex and new car advice for more than…oh, ten years or so. Think you can make up your mind by then?”

“I’ll give it a shot. That is kinda fast for me.”

“Yeah, I’m sure it is.”

Then he kissed her. Hard and deep and so thorough they spent the next hour pleasuring each other. He made sure every stroke of her skin, every kiss or tease with his lips, showed her that he valued her. He wanted her. She was the woman he wanted in his life.

And when he finally thrust deep into her, he felt like he always did with her: that he’d come home. No, that wasn’t right. He didn’t slide into a home, he built one right there with her. It was a house made of physical intimacy and shared laughter, but it was just as real to him as the brick and mortar building he lived in. And she’d done it with him. They’d made it together.

Then just before the end, just before orgasm overwhelmed them both, he dropped his forehead to hers. He was thrusting into her, a steady rhythm while she arched and writhed beneath him.

“Say it again, Anna,” he pleaded. “Just…say it again. Please.”

She touched his face, her eyes glittering with passion and something more. Then she whispered the words he was too afraid to say.

“I love you.”

“God, you’re so incredibly brave.”

She laughed at that, the sound joyous. It was that sound--and that feeling of her belly rippling--that sent him over the edge. He slammed into her and erupted, pouring everything he had into her.

Her orgasm hit a moment later, her cry grabbing hold of him more powerfully than the grip of her body. It settled into his heart, taking root there in a way that would frighten him if he weren’t so open to her happiness. But he was open, he was buried in her, and he did want to stay here forever.

Forever.

The word echoed in each pulse of his body.

Forever.

And in that way, he tumbled into sleep. He stayed awake long enough to settle onto the bed and coil her tight into his arms. But he never left her body. And he never lost that word.

Forever.

…

Anna woke on the morning of her 27th birthday with a sense of hope that she hadn’t felt since she was a child. She was wrapped in Mike’s arms, there were a couple more days of vacation before she had to get back, and Mike hadn’t turned tail and run the moment she said the L word.

All in all, things were looking up.

Which, in her experience, was a sure sign that disaster was around the corner.

Chapter 18

They slept through breakfast. Not surprising since they spent most of the night making love, but it was still embarrassing. No one said a word to Anna, but every single one of his family gave them a knowing look. The only ones who weren’t smirking were under the age of 5, but Anna was sure Darla did something lascivious with her dolls just to show she was as clued in as everyone else.

They left mid-afternoon to pick up her new car. They said nothing, but held hands most of the time. It was a quiet thing, but something she noticed. He liked touching her. When they were standing together, when they were waiting in awkward plastic chairs, even when they walked out to her new-to-her, washed and cleaned car. He was always close to her, often touching some part of her, and the shimmering happiness in her blood told her that things were good. That this could be her future. That
he
could be with her for a good long time.

Maybe… If… When…

And then they made it back to the B&B.

Everyone came out to admire her new purchase. Truthfully it shouldn’t have been that big a deal. After all, it was just a used car and not a very exciting one at that. But everyone came out and admired the shiny red vehicle. The older boys had a zillion questions she couldn’t answer. Mike fielded those. While the others just gathered around and told stories of their cars.

It was just like the big family she’d never had. Hell, the scene could have stepped right off the screen of a Hallmark commercial. It was everything she wanted in her life, and the feelings nearly overwhelmed her. They might have if Mike hadn’t come to her rescue. She could tell he had no idea why she was tearing up, but it didn’t matter. He made it to her side and dropped his arm around her.

In that one gesture, he brought her completely into his family. They accepted her, laughed with her, and shared their lives with her. She couldn’t have loved him more in that moment if they’d spent fifty years together.

And then Aunt Tilde clapped her hands. “I believe we have something to celebrate!”

Anna laughed. “I think a new car is celebration enough.”

“Nonsense. It isn’t every day that someone turns twenty-seven, now is it?” Then she turned to the kids. “So who wants birthday cake?”

“What?” Anna gasped. “How did you know?”

She looked at Mike, a question in his eyes, but he just threw up his hands. “Don’t look at me. My mother has ways of finding out these things. She ordered me to keep you away until teatime--like I even knew when that was--so that naps would be over and they’d have time to set up the party.”

“Party?”

“Well, I’m sure it’s nothing like an event you could have thrown, but we did our best.”

She pressed her hands to her mouth, trying not to cry. She hadn’t had a birthday party since her mother had died. She just hadn’t seen the point. Which is why she’d chosen to travel over her birthdays.

“You all are too much,” she murmured, but her words were for Mike. He smiled at her, the corners of his eyes crinkling. The sun was in his hair--finally the clouds had started to blow off--and his solid body was wrapped around her, ready to support her if her knees went out.

“Come on, beautiful,” he said. “Let’s go see if you have any presents.”

This entire day was present enough, but she couldn’t get those words out. So together they walked inside the B&B, heading into the dining room. Someone had strung a Happy Birthday banner across the far wall and there were balloons attached to the legs of a table piled with presents and a huge birthday cake.

“That can’t possibly be for me,” she murmured, but it was. The gaily wrapped packages and thick icing-covered chocolate cake was for her.

“Happy Birthday!” everyone cheered as she neared the table. And then, with Aunt Tilde directing, they all launched into a loud, off tune rendition of the birthday song. It was the most wonderful thing she’d ever heard.

When it was done, the kids clamored for cake, so Anna grabbed a knife and started cutting. Once the kids had their sugar and ice cream, Aunt Tilde waved her toward the presents.

“You really didn’t need to do this,” Anna said.

“Nonsense. You’ve made this reunion especially delightful, my dear.” She waggled her eyebrows at Mike. “For some of us more than others.”

Anna hadn’t a response to that, and neither, apparently, did Mike, though his red face was comment enough. Everyone laughed as Aunt Dee pushed forward an envelope.

“Start with this one dear. It’s from me and Tilde.”

With shaking hands, she opened the envelope. In it was a printed sales certificate for a signed photo of Alan Alda.

“It so you can remember that time you two sat together at the Oscars.”

Anna stared at it, her heart twisting painfully in her chest. She’d never actually claimed she’d sat with Alan Alda. She’d merely talked about that people
did
sit with the man. Complete nobodies who filled in empty seats at the Oscars.

“Thank you,” she breathed, her breath choked tight. “I’ll look at it and remember--” Lying to these dear people. “--the two of you forever.”

Tilde giggled. “It’s to remember Mr. Alda, dear, not us.”

“But you gave it to me,” she said as she embraced the two women.

“This is from us,” said the goth twin boy, indicating his brother, his parents and himself. “You said you got to hang out with Joss Whedon at the last Comicon. We thought you’d like this since you haven’t seen the movie. Which is awesome, by the way.”

Actually, she said she’d hosted a party
next to
where Joss had hung out, which was kind of true. They’d been on separate floors of the event, but she’d seen the man from a distance. And she’d gone to his panel. She unwrapped the present with shaking hands. It was a Blue Ray version of the movie
Serenity
.

“Thank you,” she breathed. “Want to watch it tonight?”

“Hells to the yeah!” the boys screamed.