Back to December (Ward Sisters Book 1) (22 page)

They talked about art, her job and the gala. Before Em knew it, Rob sneaked up behind her, wound his arms around hers and squeezed a hug. Anja said she'd see them in the living room in a few minutes, putting her hand on Em's arm as she left the kitchen.

Rob turned Emily so that she faced him and he stepped between her thighs. She snaked her legs around the back of his. “So, did she give you the third degree?” he asked.

She laughed. “You know your mother better than that. But we did talk.”

“About?”

“As if you don't know. She wanted to make sure I have honorable intentions toward you.”

“Did she really say that?” he asked, horrified.

“No, silly. She didn't say it like that. But she did ask about my feelings for you.” Emily ran her hands up his chest and linked her arms around his neck

His lips brushed hers. “Oh? You have feelings for me?” he teased.

“You
know
I have feelings for you. You have to stop fishing for compliments. I might think you're insecure.” She kissed him quickly.

“Not fishing, just making sure that I wasn't imagining things. Plus, if I'm going to get in trouble for making out with my girlfriend while everyone waits to open presents, I want to be sure it's worth the hassle.” He kissed her again, this time not even remotely sweet in his intentions.

She pulled him closer with her legs and deepened the kiss. If they had been truly alone, it would have easily led to getting naked. Instead, Emily heard Rick clearing his throat. “You two have
got
to get a room.”

Rob pulled away just a little and touched his forehead to hers. “Busted,” he whispered. Emily smiled. “Did they send you in to get us?” he asked his brother.

“Yes, I was volunteered because, and I quote, 'You probably have to witness them making out all the time anyway'. Can you two tear yourselves away long enough to join us for presents?” They nodded and headed to the great room, holding hands and taking jabs from the adults as they sat down for a couple hours of presents.

Dinner was the most delicious prime rib she'd ever eaten. It was served with the creamiest mashed potatoes and vegetables her family never ate at Christmas dinner, like asparagus, broccoli and glazed carrots. There was a delicious Yorkshire Pudding and Au Jus as well as gravy. When it was all said and done, she didn't think she could eat another bite, and then a bûche de Noel cake was brought to the table, and Emily instantly found more room.

Anja was an amazing cook. She'd promised to teach Emily some tricks over the years, which inspired teary eyes, because it meant that Rob's family had seen her as a more permanent fixture the same way he did. It was both scary and wonderful.

By the time they left for the night, it was 9 p.m. They said goodbyes and promises were made to have a family dinner again before Emily left Minnesota. She would see the adults at the gala, at least, but the children returned to school in just over a week.

They quietly traveled back to Rob's house, except for the Christmas carols playing on the radio, snow falling in big, fat flakes. They drove into the garage, took the gifts out of the car, went inside the house and removed their outerwear, and still silence. Instead of seeming awkward, like they'd had a fight or one of them had inadvertently upset the other, it felt comfortable, as though they didn't need to speak or touch in order to be happy in the other's presence.

Rob led her by the hand to the great room, where only the tree was lit. Emily smiled, realizing that they had yet another thing in common – apparently, they both liked to sit in the dark and admire the Christmas tree.

They sat on the couch and Em sighed as she curled into Rob's arms. He rubbed her arm and stroked her hair without a word. After a little while, she turned to him and touched his face. He had tears in his eyes, which she could barely see by the light of the tree. Emily kissed his lips gently and a tear fell. She brushed it away with her thumb and kissed him again, increasing pressure, opening her lips to his. He pulled her to his lap and kissed her for a bit, then he lifted her and carried her to the bedroom.

They took their time undressing each other, peeling away the layers like they were slowly unwrapping a gift. It was time for his present, and when they were both naked, Rob walked them to the bed and laid on his back. He instructed her without words to bring her private place to his mouth while she took him in her own.

Em had done this before, but had been on bottom, and she wondered if that had been the problem. By the time they were giving one another pleasure, she was convinced that she was right. When the orgasms came, she knew, without a doubt, that she'd been doing this all wrong. Not just the oral sex, but all of it.

What she'd had with Josh had always fallen short.

As Emily lay in his arms afterward, she sighed in happiness. Despite the fact that it was just the two of them, Rob whispered, “Did you have a good Christmas?”

“Best Christmas ever,” she whispered back.

“Oh, so that wasn't just me?”

“Mmm. No. Definitely not. I think when you get someone the right gift, you receive as much joy as you give.”

He snuffed a laugh. “Well, that was the best part, but I meant all the rest, too.”

“Oh, I meant the rest. You said having me here was the best present I could give you. The one I just gave, notwithstanding, of course. But I had no idea how great a gift it would be for me to spend Christmas with you and your family. This was the happiest Christmas I've had in years. I had no clue how miserable I really was before.”

He hugged her, kissed the top of her head. “You can't know how happy that makes me.”

“I think I have an idea. But maybe you can show me. Remember I said I was hoping for a repeat of the first time?”

“I make no guarantees, but we can have fun trying...”

After, as they lay spent from the lovemaking and the day, she curled into his arms with her nose buried in his chest. She heard him whisper, “I love you.” She kissed his chest in response, and he was soon breathing steadily.

Convinced he really was asleep, she whispered so low she wasn't sure if she was speaking out loud, “I love you, too.” And whether or not he was truly asleep, he pulled her closer and sighed.

Minneapolis, Minnesota, day after Christmas...

Emily woke to Rob nuzzling her ear. “Morning, beautiful.”

She sighed. “Morning. I think this is the first morning we've been together when I wasn't up at the crack of dawn or woken by a ringing phone or both.” She rolled to face him. “I far prefer waking up to your voice in my ear.” He kissed her, a slow, sensual meeting of lips and tongues. “Or your lips. I think I could stand to have your lips wake me up every morning.” She pulled him toward her mouth hungrily. She loved kissing him.

In the middle of their erotic encounter, Rob's phone began to incessantly play Tommy Tutone while he ignored it. He refused to be interrupted and Emily was eternally grateful for that. But Jenna was in a panic. Rob's social network had been slammed because of the photo and the press release Amy had sent, and Jenna needed Rob to approve help from the publicity department, since she couldn't get in touch with Amy's assistant Barry.

With that settled, Rob said, “Let's get dressed and I'll make you breakfast. I don't know about you, but I'm starving, and we'll need our energy for snowshoeing.”

“Definitely. I should call Marcus before it gets any later. Not that I have a clue what to tell him.”

“You'll be fine. Just be honest and confident.” He kissed her and got off the bed, looking for sweats to wear. Em stared at him as he walked around naked. “Are you watching me?” he teased.

She sighed. “Can't help it. You're a lovely sight to behold when you're naked.”

“It's just the lighting,” he joked, throwing her comment from the night before back at her.

“Nah, I don't think so. I've been up close and personal with that body and I can say without a doubt that it's
not
the lighting.”

“I'm not that special.” He gave her a wry grin.

Emily walked toward him and put her arms around his neck. “Yes, you are. And you're even more lovely on the inside. It's why I like you so much. You're the whole package.” She kissed him sweetly.

Rob put his forehead to Emily's. “Ditto. And as much as I'd like to spend the whole morning showing you my appreciation, you need to call Marcus and I need to call Amy.” He kissed her quickly and broke away to get dressed. As they pulled on sweats, he told her he'd start omelets if she made the coffee.

They walked, hand in hand, down the stairs. When they got to the kitchen, Emily immediately started the coffee as Rob took out the ingredients and dishes for omelets. Somehow, despite having never done this before, they managed not to be in each other's way. They shared a glance and smiled.

When the coffee had started brewing, Emily said she'd head to the great room to call Marcus so that he could talk to Amy while he cooked. She kissed him as she left the room, secretly pleased that he was cooking for her. She could cook and even liked it, but since she had spent the last five years cooking for Josh, rarely being treated to the occasional breakfast – the only meal Josh could make – Rob was earning some significant brownie points by cooking anything for her. He didn't even need to be good at it, the offer was what mattered.

She dialed her boss' cell, hoping he would be available and she didn't need to leave a message. The last thing she wanted was to worry about an appropriate voicemail that wouldn't panic him but would get him to call her back. Thankfully, he answered.

“Emily! This is unexpected. I hope there isn't a problem.”

“Hi, Marcus. No, there isn't a problem. The opposite, actually. You should expect the magazine to receive a lot of free publicity in the coming weeks.”

“And how did you manage that?”

“I'll be walking into the gala on the arm of Rob Deacon. As his girlfriend.”

“Amy Ramirez's brother? The actor? I'm assuming you met the other day at lunch? I know he was supposed to meet with Andrew.”

“We met before that, but, yes, my lunch the other day was with him. Rob hasn't dated for a while. For some reason, his new girlfriend is news in the entertainment world.”

“I see. Let's try to keep the news clean, shall we?”

“That's the plan. Amy isn't just Rob's sister, she's also his publicist. She has an interest in spinning things so the museum and the magazine look good, too. I'm sure she'll forward you the press release she sent out this morning.”

“Yes, that would be great. It's not really my business, Emily, but weren't you living with your boyfriend at home?”

“I was. We broke up before I left.”

“Well, I have to say, I'm surprised. This is...a little out of character for you.”

“Are you concerned that I won't be able to do my job? Because I can assure you that there haven't been any negative impacts.”

“I'm sure that things are going well. I'd have heard if they weren't. You're just usually a lot more cautious and...rigid. Frankly, it's good to see that you've got some spontaneity and can roll with the punches. Just don't screw this up until after the event is done, okay?”

“I don't have any intentions of screwing it up, period, but I'll do my best to avoid anything messy before the opening.”

“Do that. I'll look forward to seeing that press release. And I still expect to hear great things from Lucinda. Thank you for calling me directly. Happy holidays.”

And that was it.

Emily walked back to the kitchen, the smell of ham, eggs and cheese, mingled with fresh coffee, filling her nose. As she rounded the corner, she could hear Rob finishing his call with Amy. She waved to him to get his attention. “Hold on a sec.” He tilted the phone away from his face. “What's up?”

“Can you ask her to send the press release to Marcus?”

“Did you hear that?” he said into the phone. He looked at Em. “She sent it as soon as I told her you were talking with him. He just emailed her back and seemed very pleased.”

Emily nodded and poured herself a cup of coffee. That was fast. Which meant that Marcus probably knew before she said much of anything. He was glad that she had called him directly, so hopefully, this would end in her favor at work. Not that being with Rob was about trying to get ahead at work, but she'd never complain if it helped get her promoted to features.

Rob finished his call as he flipped the omelets onto plates. “Breakfast is served,” he said with a smile. “Want to eat in here or in the dining room?”

“Here is fine. It smells delicious and looks beautiful.” She took a bite and the flavors of cheese and ham combined with basil and tomatoes, onions and mushrooms. “Mmm. Tastes even better. I should have known you could cook.”

He laughed. “Oh, and why is that?”

“Because your mother is a great cook and your father did a fantastic job with brunch. And you admitted to being a foodie. Chances are better than average you'd want to learn to cook and that you'd be pretty good at it.”

“I do okay. I like to leave the fancy stuff to people who are more talented than me, but I can make plenty of breakfast foods and I'm good with a grill.”

“Well, then, we'll make a good team. I can do it all if pressed, but those are my weak points. I'm better with baking, roasting and sauteing.”

“Let's cook together tonight, then.”

“Are we staying here tonight or are we heading back to the hotel?”

“It's up to you. Whichever you'd prefer. We'll need to get up a little earlier here. No room service to bring breakfast and we have to drive back to the city during rush hour. But there is more privacy here.”

“I vote for wake earlier and get one more night of real privacy.”

“You read my mind,” he said with a devilish grin.

They snowshoed around Rob's property and Emily was sufficiently impressed. It was no wonder he wanted to keep it protected – between the privacy offered even in the winter and the serenity of the landscape, it was worth keeping the property for the family if they didn't need to sell it.

By the time they were showered and dressed again, Em had very little energy to do anything strenuous. Rob suggested sitting in the great room and watching a movie, since he had a bunch of them. As they headed downstairs, she agreed if he'd watch one of his with her.

It was his turn to blush. “I, um, don't usually watch them after the premieres.”

“Too self-conscious?” He nodded. “I promise I won't be a harsh judge.” She gently kissed his lips.

He gave her a shy smile. “I've never really sat down with someone outside the industry to watch anything I've done. Except my family.”

“Am I going to watch the premiere with you at Sundance?” He nodded. “Then think of this as practice. I'll let you pick. You choose whichever one you want to watch. I don't care if it's something I've seen already.”

He agreed and they cuddled together on the sofa to watch
Indiana Road
. Em had really liked the movie when she saw it the first time, in a little art house theater, so she was happy to watch it again. She found that she was as moved this time around as she had been then – Rob played the paraplegic best friend to the main character. She was surprised to get so lost in it that she nearly forgot the man on the screen was holding her in his arms.

As the credits rolled, he turned to look at her, trepidation on his face. “Hey,” she said, touching his cheek, “don't look so worried. You were fantastic. I hope the guy who won that year really deserved it, because you were amazing. I had to keep reminding myself that it was you on the screen. You're very talented, Rob.”

He blushed and looked at his hands. “Thanks,” he muttered.

Emily tipped his chin so he'd look at her. “I mean it. You're good at what you do. Thank you for sharing it with me. I can only imagine how hard it is to watch yourself like that.” She laughed lightly. “I had a hard time watching myself on that YouTube video, and I didn't have to worry about anyone judging how genuine my performance was.”

That lightened the mood. “No, I don't think there was any question about that. Besides, you're horrible at faking it.
Not
that I'm complaining. I like knowing that you can't fake it,” he teased. And just like that, his expression changed from playful to lusty.

As he moved to kiss her, the sound of
Itsy Bitsy Spider
broke the sexual tension.

Emily sighed, her lips just millimeters from Rob's. “I should get that. It's Annie.” She kissed him quickly and got up to retrieve her phone from her purse, reaching it just in time.

She spent the next half hour arguing with her sister. First trying to explain why it was that Josh just wasn't the flavor of ice cream for her – he was vanilla, Em said, to Rob's brownie sundae, good but just not for her – and then fighting again about the damn video. As if she had intentionally paraded her relationship with Rob in the public eye to hurt Josh. She had been trying to do the opposite!

“That's your excuse? 'Oh, the attraction was too great. I couldn't help myself.' What, you're dating a movie star so you think your life should be a feature film?”

Em was getting so sick of this argument with her family. “That's out of line. And I'm not dating a
movie star
. I'm dating an amazing man who happens to be a well-known actor. He's more than just his job, Annie. A lot more. I hope you never have to put up with this kind of harassment from your family when you care this much about someone.”

“Oh, so now you're in love with him? You're really that fickle?”