Heart of Clay (7 page)

Clay took a quick shower and shaved. In his
preoccupied state, he nicked his chin. After dabbing it with a
tissue, he slathered on some aftershave Callan purchased for him.
She always seemed to appreciate it when he wore it. He had no idea
what type of fragrance it was because it smelled like everything
else to him – nothing.

Carefully dressing, he combed his hair,
grabbed his coat, stuffed his phone in his pocket and headed out
the door. He had just enough time to run a few errands before
surprising Callan.

Clay pulled into the convention center’s
parking lot at a quarter to seven. He parked on the back of the
building close to Callan’s car and walked around front. As he
entered the facility through the big double doors, the sounds of a
party spilling out of one of the big ballrooms filled the
foyer.

Not wanting to intrude, he casually strolled
to the ballroom door. Inside the room, it didn’t take him long to
find Callan. At her height, she was easy to spot in the crowd.

He leaned against the wall and watched her
graceful movements. Callan looked amazing in a simple yet elegant
black cocktail dress and heels. He knew she sometimes attended the
events she planned and dressed up, but he was most often in bed
when she got home, so he rarely saw her in anything but her
business attire. She still had her hair up, but a few curls fell
down her neck, softening her appearance.

She chatted with two women who looked
important and official. Callan shook their hands, nodded her head,
and turned toward the door. When she noticed him leaning against
the wall, her eyes widened in surprise but she sent him an
appreciative smile.

Although she kept a cool, professional
demeanor in place, she hastened her pace as she headed his
direction. As she stepped in front of him, a look of genuine
pleasure lit her features and her emerald eyes twinkled.

“Clay, what a surprise! What are you doing
here?” She looked him over from head to toe, clearly pleased with
what she saw. He knew he looked his best. His black boots, jeans
and sports coat along with his royal blue shirt had him feeling
punchy. The way Callan gazed at him made him think his idea to
surprise her was on the verge of brilliant.

“I wanted to take my best girl out to dinner
tonight. Will you come with me, please?” Clay gave her one of the
dimpled grins that used to make her agree to anything he wanted. He
felt downright smug as he watched her eyes sparkle with
excitement.

“I’d love to.” Callan slipped her hand into
his and gave it a squeeze. She’d forgotten how seeing Clay across a
room could make her stomach flutter anxiously. He looked so
handsome and enticing leaning against the wall with his blue eyes
glowing from an inner light. When she took a deep breath, his
aftershave teased her senses, making her legs feel languid. “Let me
get my coat.”

Clay led her to her office and helped Callan
into her coat before they walked across the street to Giovanni’s,
her favorite Italian restaurant. He’d stopped in earlier and made a
reservation for a private corner booth. As the host showed them to
the table, he slid in next to his wife instead of letting her sit
across from him. Despite her noticeable surprise, she didn’t move
away.

They chatted about holiday plans, about Clay
forgetting he didn’t have to go to work that morning, and recalled
fun memories from past Christmas celebrations. After an amazingly
pleasant dinner, Clay walked Callan back to the convention center.
They sauntered through the building with their fingers entwined,
enjoying the beautiful decorations, towering trees, and twinkling
lights.

When they exited through the back door close
to the gardens, Clay saw all the landscape lights creating a warm
glow through the snow. It looked like a lacy wonderland.

“Would you like to go for a walk?” he asked
Callan, hoping she would say yes. She nodded her head in agreement
and he put one arm around her waist, holding her hand in his free
hand as they walked along the newly shoveled pathway. He didn’t
want her to slip and fall, or so he offered as an excuse to hold
her close.

Although neither one of them said anything,
they strolled along in a companionable silence, taking in the
beauty and wonder of the chilly night. The moon peeped out from
behind the clouds and washed the gardens in a cloak of silvery
light.

The picturesque scene could have been right
out of a fairytale. It brought back memories to them both of a
similar night they enjoyed not long after they wed.

Swept up in the moment, Clay turned Callan
to face him and gave her a slow, tender kiss.

Callan started to step back, struggling to
keep her emotions in check with Clay acting so attentive and
looking so devastatingly attractive. Before she could back away, he
pulled her close and her body melted against him. With a sigh, she
wrapped her arms around his neck and returned his kiss, reveling in
the feel of his lips moving on hers.

Afraid to break the spell she seemed to be
under, Clay rubbed her back and held her close, never wanting the
moment to end.

“I’ve missed you so much,” Callan whispered
as she rested her forehead against his jaw. Her grip on her
emotions slipped and another affectionate move on Clay’s part would
push her over the edge. One lone tear rolled down her cheek.

Leaning back, Clay wiped the tear before he
nudged her chin up with his finger and kissed her again. “I’ve
missed you too, Laney. It’s okay. Let’s head back to the car.”

When they returned to the parking lot, he
opened the passenger door of his pickup for her. “Let me drive you
home, girl. I’ll bring you to work in the morning.” She nodded her
head and climbed in with his assistance.

Clay got in and started the pickup before
handing her a single pink rose. Pink was her favorite. He gave her
a shy smile when she buried her nose in the bloom. On the ride
home, they didn’t say anything, just held hands and listened to the
Christmas station on the radio. It was a comfortable silence, so
unlike the cold quietness they had become accustomed to
enduring.

After parking in the driveway, Clay hurried
out of the pickup to open Callan’s door. He noticed the sidewalk
looked icy again. He silently wished he’d taken time to put out
more de-icer.

He offered to carry Callan and earned a
disbelieving stare. She accepted his outstretched hand and slid out
of the truck. He settled his arm around her waist and pointed out
that with her heels on she needed to be cautious about not falling
again. So busy reminding Callan to be careful, Clay lost his
footing and took them both down into the snow piled next to the
sidewalk.

Afraid that he had hurt her or, even more
unforgivable, completely ruined the mood of the evening, he glanced
over as Callan laughed.

Hastily jumping up, he clasped both her
hands and pulled her to her feet, then gently brushed the snow off
her coat.

“If this is going to be a nightly event, I’m
going to have to get a padded coat,” she said with a smile,
cautiously taking the few steps to the door and unlocking it while
Clay tried to dislodge the snow that clung to his sports coat.

Once inside, she walked into the kitchen,
flipped on the light and laid their coats over chairs to dry.
Before she could turn around, Clay stepped behind her and slipped
his arms around her, kissing the back of her neck.

Mindful that she should pull away and put
distance between the two of them, Callan couldn’t muster the will
to do it. It felt too good to have Clay’s arms around her, to sink
into his strength and breathe in the wonderful scent of him. Unable
to fathom what had gotten into him, she wondered if he realized
when he kissed her like that, it turned her knees to a gelatinous
mass and made her as giddy as a schoolgirl.

If he didn’t behave himself, she’d have a
hard time keeping the lid on her box of churning emotions.

Clay had no intention of behaving
himself.

After taking Callan’s shoulders in his
hands, he turned her around and gave her a deep, passionate kiss
that left them both breathless and undone. With determination set
in his jaw, he reached over and tugged the clip out of her hair,
tossing it onto the nearby table. Gently, he ran his hands through
her hair, letting it fall down her back and over his arms.

He stepped back and drank in the sight of
her. “I haven’t seen your hair down for a while. It’s beautiful and
so are you.”

Callan looked into his eyes and watched the
blue depths grow darker, stormy with longing. Didn’t he realize how
good that color looked on him? What was he thinking, showing up
looking and smelling so irresistible?

When she saw him leaning against the wall at
the party, she couldn’t help thinking some woman was very blessed.
Then she realized it was her Clay. It still amazed her that he had
chosen her to marry, especially with all the girls who would have
jumped at the opportunity.

With his hot blue gaze locked intently on
her sparkling green eyes, he stirred sensations in her that made
her feel like this could have been their first date, not a lovely
evening enjoyed by a couple long married. In actuality, it had been
a while since they’d been this close and interested in each
other.

As she continued to drink in the sight of
him, she noticed the nick on his chin that hadn’t been there last
night. Without thinking, she took a step forward and put her
fingertip on the spot before pressing a light kiss to his chin.

Clay closed his eyes and savored the
feather-light kiss on his skin for the second it lasted. He was
afraid to hope but couldn’t wait any longer to know if Callan would
return his amorous feelings. With a deep groan, he pulled her close
and buried his face and hands into her hair. Tremors of desire race
through his entire body and raised his temperature to the boiling
point. His plans to take things slow rapidly dissipated.

“Callan…” His voice in her ear was husky,
deep, and full of longing. “Let me love you tonight.”

She nodded and wrapped her hands around his
neck, turning her face against his solid chest.

He swept her into his arms, obliterating the
need for more words.

Clay stretched lazily in bed, not quite
ready to open his eyes, not quite willing for a new day to begin.
Although yesterday had been wonderful, thoughts of last night made
a satisfied smile cross his face. He’d almost forgotten how amazing
it could be to hold his wife in his arms.

When he reached out his hand to touch
Callan, all he felt was an empty bed. Quickly coming fully awake,
he looked around. The open bathroom door let him know Callan wasn’t
in there. He jumped up and tugged on his robe. He didn’t think
she’d take the truck and leave him without a vehicle. He charged
into the kitchen and pulled up short. Callan sat at the table,
drinking tea and eating a muffin.

A becoming blush stole over her cheeks as
she glanced at him with a shy smile. “Good morning,” she said,
absently running a hand up to her hair, making sure it was in
place.

Clay grinned. Callan was back to business
mode this morning, looking all proper and professional. She wore a
berry-red blouse with her black suit, though. An indisputable chink
in the all-black armor had been rendered.

“Mornin’ Callan,” Clay drawled, bending to
kiss her cheek. Cautious not to say anything that would make her
blush more, he decided to give her an easy out. “How about if I
grab a quick shower and then I’ll take you to work?”

“That would be great.” Callan hid her face
behind a cup of tea. “Would you like me to make you some
breakfast?”

“Nah. I’ll get something later. I’ll just be
a minute.” Clay turned back to the bedroom and hurried to the
bathroom.

After taking a shower in record time, he was
soon dressed and ready to go. On his way out to warm up the pickup,
he noticed Callan placed the pink rose he gave her in a vase on the
counter. He started the pickup and scraped the windshield then
returned inside the house. In the kitchen, he watched Callan root
around in her purse, digging out one of her many lists.

“Laney, give me one of those lists,” Clay
said, holding out his hand. His tone warned her not to argue.

“What?” Callan’s head snapped up and she
looked at him as if he’d sprouted horns.

“I’ve got time to do some errands today.
Give me one of your lists and I’ll take care of it for you.” Clay
waggled his fingers at her and raised an eyebrow.

“Really? You’d really run errands?” Callan
scrambled to decide which list Clay would be least likely to
bungle.

“You bet.” Clay winked at her and waggled
his fingers again. “Now what have you got that I’m capable of
doing?”

Callan ended up giving him the grocery list.
If he forgot anything, she’d still have time to go to the store
before Christmas Eve.

Clay dropped Callan off at work with a smile
and a kiss that left her completely befuddled. As she fumbled to
open the pickup door, she dropped her gloves then entangled herself
in the seat belt.

Clay wanted to burst out laughing. He loved
seeing her flustered and barely held back a comment that would no
doubt bring the blush back to her cheeks. Instead, he said, “See
you tonight. Have a great day, girl. Love you.”

Callan had been halfway out of the pickup
when he spoke. She stopped mid-slide off the seat and turned back
to him. “I love you, too. Thank you so much, Clay.” She gave him a
quick peck on the cheek, then climbed out and shut the pickup door.
She straightened her shoulders, mentally shifting into business
mode, ready to take on the day as she walked into work.

Clay ran by the grocery store and got
everything on the list. He made it home in plenty of time to find
the files he needed from Callan’s office before going out to the
ranch to work on her Christmas present.