The Billionaire Next Door (The BAD BOY BILLIONAIRES Collection) (15 page)

To her relief, Ransom soon shifted his attention to the
other nipple, drawing it out of exile and treating it to the same delicious
attention he’d given the other.

When Solie felt Ransom’s hand sliding along her leg then
up toward her hip her heart gave a jerk of anticipation.  Or was it fear?  She
was ready for this.  Her body was calling for him and so was her heart. 
But…was this the right time?

Ransom’s hand stilled.  It lay there, high on her hip,
but he made no attempt to move farther.  It was as if he’d sensed her apprehension.

Gently, he slid his hand back down, pulling the hem of
her dress with it, covering the length of her legs that had been exposed.

Ransom pulled away but not before he’d adjusted the top
of her dress so it now covered her demurely.  He gave her a rueful smile and
shook his head.  “Sorry.  I couldn’t help myself.”  Then he grinned.  “How
could I, when you look so irresistible tonight?”

Relief washing through her, Solie smiled back and took
the hand he held out to her. He wasn’t mad.  She’d spoiled the moment yet there
he was, smiling down at her like she was a treasure, even as he paid her the
sweetest compliment.

When she was back on her feet he picked up her scarf and
gently draped it over her shoulders.  “We never did get to that drink, did
we?”  He chuckled, as he stood close.  “But I’ll give you a rain check on
that.  You and me, in this house tonight?  Too dangerous.”

Solie could not agree more.  She let him take her hand
and walk her home and as she closed the door behind her she raised a trembling
hand to her still throbbing nipples.

There was no doubt in her mind who she'd be dreaming
about tonight.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

“Feliz Navidad
!”

Solie covered her ears under the assault of the
children’s screams as they tore through the house, light sabers flashing red
and green as they ran from living room to kitchen to outdoors and back again. 
“
Feliz Navidad
!”

“Okay, that’s it.  Stop.  Now.”  Solie planted herself right
in the pathway of the four and six-year-old, determined to put an end to the
torture.  “Go watch some TV or something.  Give your poor old auntie a break.”

That made Carina laugh.  “You’re not old.  You don’t
even have gray hair.”

“Yeah, not old.”  Perez shook his head then looked to his
older sister as if for confirmation.  “
Tia
Solie is not like
abuelita
.”

“Come here, you two.  So cute.”  Solie knelt down and
pulled them into a big bear hug.  “I may not be as old as Grandma but I still
have to protect my sanity and with all this noise you guys are making,"
she shook her head as she laughed, “I’m this close to going insane.”

“What is insane?”  Perez looked at her with curious
brown eyes.

“It means
‘loco’
,” Carina said, pulling away and
giving her brother a look of disdain.  “Everybody knows that.”

Solie chuckled and lifted a finger to touch her on the
tip of her nose.  “Not everybody, Carina.  Remember what I told you about not
teasing your brother.  You’re in a higher grade than he is.  You’re bound to
know more words.”

“ ‘Cause I practice all the time.  I always speak in
English,
Tia
Solie, especially with my teacher at school.”  She nodded
vigorously, her eyes shining with pride.

“And you’re doing great.  You both are.”  Solie got up
and, resting her hands on their shoulders, she turned the children to face the
open back door.  “Now go out into the yard and do all the screaming you want.” 
A tiny shove sent them on their way.

Solie was still smiling as she watched the children dash
out onto the grass where they continued their chants of
‘Feliz Navidad’
,
even louder than before.  Thank goodness she’d got them to go outside before
they turned up the volume.

Solie had arrived in Panama three days earlier, in good
time to help prepare the traditional Christmas Day dinner that was held at her
mother’s house.  She’d hit the market the first day she landed, stocking up on
good chicken stock, rice and spices for the
pollo con arroz
, eggs and
nutmegs for the
Ron Ponche
, and raison, prunes and dark rum for the
Christmas cake.

Now everything was ready, her sisters were here,
Caridad's husband would soon be back from a quick run to the nearby liquor
store and it would soon be time to gather at the table.  The one thing Solie
needed to do now was get her mother away from the mirror and into her dress. 
If there was one occasion for which Niurka insisted on dressing up it was for
the family Christmas dinner.  And that process, unfortunately, could take a
very long time.

Solie tapped at her mother’s door then gently pushed it
open.  As expected, Niurka was nowhere near ready.  Hair still in curlers and
wearing only her full slip and stockings she was busy applying shadow to her
eyelids.

“Mama, what’ve you been doing all this time?”  Solie
practically wailed.  “I can’t believe you haven’t even combed your hair yet.”

“Stop complaining,
hija
, and come and help me.” 
Niurka waved her over and pointed to the curlers on top of her head.  “I always
have so much to do, Soledad.  That is why I do not get the chance to get
ready.”

Solie could have rolled her eyes but she didn’t.  Her
mother had probably been in her room procrastinating the whole time.  She was
notorious for getting distracted and sneaking in an episode of ‘
Betty La
Fea’
on the TV in her room when she should have been getting ready.

“It’s okay, Ma.  I’ll help you.”  She began to pull the
curlers from her mother’s hair, dropping them one by one onto the dressing
table in front of her.

“You did not talk to me since you came,
hija
.” 
Niurka gave her a little pout.  “How is Fort Lauderdale?  Are you keeping in
touch with your uncle?  When was the last time you visited him?”

Now Solie did have to roll her eyes.  “Mama, why do you
always insist that I visit
Tio
Jose?  He’s so cranky.  I hate going
there.”

“But he is my brother.  He is family.  You have to visit
him.”

Solie gave a noncommittal grunt.  She knew her mother
would not rest until she gave both time and date when she would be paying her
uncle a visit.

“And how is it that you cannot find time to visit my
poor brother when you have time to help this man next door?  Are you still
doing that?”

Solie almost coughed.  She’d told her mother about
Ransom?  When had she done that?  More important, why?

“Uh, I…no.  Not anymore.  He’s…fine now.”  Then, wanting
to dig without it being too obvious, she said.  “What else did I tell you…about
Ransom?”

“Ransom?  That’s his name?”  Niurka began to brush loose
powder onto her face then she turned to look up at Solie standing over her. 
“Now that we’re talking about it, I have some questions for you.  Who is that
man, anyway?”

“Man?  What man?”  Solie decided her best line of
defense was to play dumb.

“That one.  Ransom,” her mother said, looking
exasperated.  “When I called that time you said you were rushing over to help
him with something.  Is he your friend?”

Solie cleared her throat, her fingers going still in
Niurka’s hair.  “You could say that.”

“But you did not sound like you were friends that time. 
Did he hire you, then?”

“No, I was just helping.”  Solie went back to pulling
out the curlers, her mind racing.  She wanted to change the subject so bad. 
She was definitely not ready to talk about Ransom, not to her family.  She was
busy trying to work things out in her mind.  Now was not the time to be talking
about the man who was entangling her heart in so many wonderful webs.  She
didn’t know whether to give in and love him or give up and leave him.

A slight smile curled her lips as she thought about it. 
She already knew what her choice would be.  And it was while she was standing
there, her fingers in her mother’s hair, that she began to admit it to herself
– she was falling madly and wonderfully into the web of love that Ransom had
cast.  She was in love and there was no nicer feeling in the whole world.

“Are you going to answer me?”  Niurka was tapping her on
the hand.  “Why were you spending your time helping him?  It didn’t even sound
like you knew him that well.  Was he paying you?”

Solie smiled at her mother in the mirror and shook her
head slowly.  “Oh, Ma, I did it because I wanted to.  If I’d charged him for my
time he probably wouldn’t have been able to pay.  I don’t know if construction
workers make that much money.”

“So he’s a construction worker, is he?”

“Yup.  When he heads out to work he’s always in his
yellow hardhat and safety vest.”  Then she chuckled.  “And he looks good in it,
too.”

“Ay,
mi hija
.  It sounds like you’ve been bit by
a bug.”  Niurka was smiling broadly now, her eyes sparkling as they met Solie’s
in the mirror.  “My Solie has found herself a man.  Tell me all about him.”

Solie sighed and shook her head.  She’d walked right
into that one.  “I’ll tell you, Ma, but after Christmas dinner.  Now hurry up
and let’s go eat.” 

***

“Rafe, my dear, you sit right here between us.”  Maggie
patted the chair between her and Bill Kent.

“Yeah, Rafe, go sit by your mommy.”  Ridge grinned at
him across the table.  “Mama’s boy.”

“Leave him alone.”  Ransom was the only one who knew
what it had taken for Rafe to decide to come back home.  He was probably still
as skittish as a colt.  He didn’t want Ridge spoiling things now and sending
him running.  He jerked his head toward Rafe who still stood looking at the
empty chair, his hands thrust deep into his pockets.  “Sit, kid, before the
food gets cold.  I’m hungry.”  The last words were said on a growl.  Not
bothering to wait, he reached for the bowl of mashed potatoes.

“Patience.”  A well-aimed slap from his mother had him
pulling his hand back.

Maggie looked over at her husband.  “Thirty-odd years
I’ve been teaching him manners and he still lets me down.”

Bill reached out to pat his wife’s hand.  The smile he
gave, so full of love, softened the strain on his face.  “You’ve been a good
mother, dear.  If the boy goes astray it’s his own fault.”

That made everybody laugh, including Rafe who’d seemed
so tense just seconds before. Ryder remained cool, just observing and Ransom gave
his mother a rueful grin.  “Sorry, Ma.”

After that, Rafe settled in between Mom and Dad, Ransom
got the potato salad he’d been reaching for, Ridge started stuffing his face
with roast chicken - which meant he’d have his trap occupied for a while so
he’d have to hold off on teasing Rafe - and Ryder sat there grinning like a
fool, observing the family together at last.

“It’s been a while since we’ve done this,” he said,
looking as pleased as rum punch.  “We should do it more often.”

His father nodded.  “I could not agree more but there’s
just one thing missing.”

Ransom looked up from the plate on which he’d been
piling chicken, roast beef and string beans.  “What’s that?”

“Grandkids,” Bill said, looking directly at him.  “When
are you going to give me some of those?”

Ransom drew back.  “Hey, why are you asking me?  Talk to
those guys.”  He looked at his brothers, one after the other, his eyes
challenging.  

“You’re the oldest,” Rafe pointed out and he drew the
macaroni pie closer.  That had always been his favorite.

“Yes, Ransom, you are.”  His mother gave him a pointed
look.  “When are you going to get serious and settle down?  When are you going
to bring home a nice girl and tell us you’re getting married?”

“Yeah, Ransom.  When?” 

Ransom scowled at Ridge.  It was too much to expect him
to keep quiet.

“When I’m good and ready,” he said.  “Now let’s eat.”

Effectively changing the subject he turned everyone’s
attention back to the food.  He breathed a sigh of relief when nobody brought
up the ‘bring girl home to Mom and Dad’ scenario again.

As soon as his mother had said the word there was a girl
who had come to mind, a girl who had climbed into his heart and made herself
comfortable there, probably a bit too comfortable.  If she got too comfy in
there he’d be in real danger of losing his whole heart to her.

For now it was best to keep all that to himself.

He glanced around the table at the family he loved so
much.  One day he would make them happy with kids running around the table
while they ate.  And it could be sooner than anyone of them would imagine.  If
he played his cards right…

Smiling at his little secret he lifted his glass of
wine.  “Merry Christmas, everybody,” he said.  “May we have many, many more.”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN