The Christmas Tree Guy (14 page)

“I promise you, no brakes, smart aleck.”

Quinn urged her to ask him anything, and she asked the questions she felt she probably should have before they ended up naked in bed. He answered each of her questions and even asked a few of his own. Before long, they were back to making out and rolling around in the sheets. Finally exhausted from their romp in the sack, they talked and laughed for another hour before Quinn made a move to get up. She still had her reservations, but they were no match for Quinn’s enthusiasm and the spark of excitement he’d injected into her veins.

“Hey, where are you going?” She rolled over and admired him as he got dressed. Sydnee had never felt so satisfied in her life. Quinn had done things to her no man had ever done. He had satisfied her a number of times and she still wanted more. She continued to gaze at his perfect body standing in the middle of her bedroom, realizing Sara was right about tattoos. The intricate tattoo traveling the expanse of Quinn’s shoulder blades was alarmingly hot and sexy. She never knew a guy could have that much definition in his back, much less his entire body. He was muscular, but it wasn’t bulky. It was as if a sculptor had taken the time to etch each muscle in his body with precision.

“Well, I figure it’s pretty late, or early, however you want to look at it, and I’m sure your boys will be coming home in a few hours. I could be wrong, but I don’t think you really want to explain why the ‘Christmas tree guy’ is in your bed, so…” he paused, and with a wicked grin finished buckling his belt.

“Oh, yeah, I guess you have a point.” She giggled at the fact he’d used the same nickname she and Sara had dubbed him with as she rolled over on her back to look at the ceiling and then back at him. “That would be pretty hard to explain.”

“Believe me, I don’t want to go.” He sat on the edge of the bed to put on his shoes. Once he was done, he leaned over, his lips hovering inches from hers. “Call you later?”

“Yes.” He carefully lifted her chin, stared deep into her eyes and leaned in to kiss her before walking to the living room to retrieve his shirt and coat and walk out the door.

Looking back at the ceiling, Sydnee pulled her lip between her teeth, thinking about what just happened between them, before snuggling deeper under the comforter. She hadn’t felt so much excitement and passion in such a long time. But how could she ignore the fact this man was so much younger than her? What was she thinking? She had children to take care of. Her mind was a jumbled mass of confusion. She thought about her growing attraction for Quinn and wondered what she was going to do. It was pretty obvious he was going to be a lot more than she bargained for.

“Mommy, guess what?” Travis barreled in the house with Charlie hot on his heels. “We saw a bunch of lights. And a snow princess. We had cookies and we got to ride a train.” She laughed at the excitement erupting from their cherubic faces, as they took turns filling her in on all of the things they saw and did.

“Sounds like you guys had an awesome time with Grammie and Grandpa.” She hugged both of them and smiled at Charles closing the door. It was a welcome diversion from the things she’d been thinking about. She had done nothing but relive the previous night’s events over and over in her head. What if Mina was right? What did Quinn know about her, and more importantly, what did she really know about him? Standing in the living room, Sydnee tried to focus as she listened to the boys go on and on about making snowmen and a tree that talked.

“It was so much fun. Look, Mommy, we got you something,” Charlie dug in his bag and pulled out an ornament. It was a picture of him and Travis with Santa Claus and she laughed at their adorable toothy grins.

“Oh, guys, this is great. Thank you so much.”

“Grandpa said you could hang it on the tree before Christmas.”

“And Grandpa was right, thank you. You and Leanne are going to go broke with these two in tow.” She and Charles watched as the boys ran to the tree to discuss where she should hang the ornament before taking off to their room.

“You know us, we can’t seem to say no to them.”

“I know. Were they good, at least?”

“Of course. They had fun, but I think Leanne and I had more fun than they did. Just watching their eyes light up looking at the houses and decorations was wonderful. I’ll make sure Leanne sends you the pictures she took.”

“Thanks. I appreciate that.” Obviously her aloof and distracted demeanor was a little more apparent than she thought and Charles tilted his head.

“Sydnee, you okay?”

“Oh, uh, yeah.” Sydnee looked up at her father-in-law with wide eyes.
Am I that transparent? Get it together, Syd.

“Well, you just seem a little distracted.”

“I just have some things on my mind. Nothing to worry about,” she shook her head and offered up a smile. She couldn’t have told a much bigger lie than the one spilling out of her mouth.

“I hope you know Leanne and I are very proud of you and how you’ve been able to keep everything together under the circumstances.”

“Really?” If only he knew the myriad of feelings waging war on her insides, he may retract his last statement.

“Well, it can’t be easy on you and I think you’ve done an excellent job keeping things together. We know you loved Matt and you were always a good wife and mother. What he did, I don’t agree with or begin to understand, but, well, that shouldn’t prevent you from moving on and having a happy life.”

“Thank you.” She looked at the ornament in her hands with Travis and Charlie’s picture, gazing at their beautiful brown eyes and their animated expressions. “You know, Matt did give me two great gifts. I love Travis and Charlie with all my heart and they are the best things that have ever happened to me.” She looked up to see Charles watching her. He was such a good man and she was so thankful for her father-in-law. The love and care he gave her and the twins was immeasurable. “I’ve been relying on you a lot since he left. I guess for a while I just never knew how to move on. How do you just put a part of your life, such a huge part of your life, away and start over? I’ve been so focused on the boys and trying to make sure they have a somewhat normal life, I tend to put myself on the back-burner.”

“I know. They are blessed little boys to have you. But you deserve to have a normal life. Unfortunately, that knucklehead son of mine doesn’t know what he had. And I’m sorry he wrecked your trust in people. Now, I know it’s not as easy as it sounds, and I’m not saying go out and get married right away.”

“You don’t have to worry about that,” Sydnee laughed, thinking about all of the blind dates she’d been on. “Mina has introduced me to a lot of people she thought were just perfect for me, but no love connections yet.”

“Well, take your time. You’re young. I just wanted to make sure you knew it wasn’t a problem for us.”

“Charles?” He had been like a father to her since she met and married Matt and she wondered if she should tell him about Quinn. “You’ve been extremely good to me and I’m so grateful. I appreciate the way you’ve looked out for us and, well…”

“Yes?”

“Well, uh, thanks.” She suddenly thought better of it. She didn’t think Charles would have a problem with Quinn as a person, but the race and age issue may make a difference. Her in-laws couldn’t tell her who to date, but she did value their opinions.

“You’re truly welcome.” He gave her a hug before walking out.

###

“I’m glad you called me.” Sara and Sydnee walked around the mall, shopping after lunch. “I was a little worried about you. I mean, with what went down at the party.” Sydnee had pretty much shut down after the party and her night with Quinn. Her impulsiveness with him threw her way off kilter and she wasn’t as sure of herself anymore. Hell, it had taken her a long time to get back on track after Matt left, and now Quinn had her stumbling through life once again. “Syd?”

“Huh,” Sydnee looked up to see Sara staring at her.

“You okay? I’ve been talking to you and you haven’t said one word.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Sara. Just, uh, what were you saying?” She had to figure this out. As promised, Quinn called her, but she hadn’t the heart to answer the call. His sweet voice mail message made her want to call him back, but she wasn’t sure what she would say. She did tell him she was okay and they could slow things down, but was she truly ready for a relationship again?

“I was saying, I still haven’t gotten Gavin anything and I’m having a hard time with his gift,” Sara paused and stopped to look at her again. “You sure you’re okay?”

“Yes. I’m fine. And, I’m sure whatever you get him will be fine. If you’re that stressed over his gift, you two must be getting pretty serious.” Sydnee deflected. Sara was her best friend, but for some reason she was having difficulty telling her what was truly going on in her head. Sydnee still hadn’t talked to Mina after their argument at the party even though she’d called, leaving Sydnee numerous apologetic messages.

“I don’t know about that. You know how I am about commitment. Kinda scares me. Anyway, I’m really sorry about Mina. She had no right to say what she said.”

“It’s not your place to apologize.” Mina was definitely out of line with her comments and Sydnee just wasn’t in the mood to talk to her or hear anything more about her. She still needed time to deal with the fallout. It was unbelievable that someone she’d called a friend had been so hateful and mean. “I’m shocked she feels the way she does. Maybe I shouldn’t have expected much more from her. It just made me mad, especially bringing Matt into it.” She’d always believed Mina wanted the best for her. And maybe she did, but she had a very strange way of showing it. Sydnee couldn’t figure out what hurt more, the way she had treated her, or the backwards mentality it seemed her friend possessed.

“I know. She has a big mouth and she’s too damn nosy. I tell her that all of the time, but she never listens. But enough about that, let’s go in here.” Sara pointed to a storefront and Sydnee’s eyes grew wide as she turned to see Sara grinning at her.

“A lingerie shop? I thought you were looking for something for Gavin.”

“I am. I can definitely get something Gavin will like here.” Sydnee watched a devious smile cross Sara’s lips as she shimmied and jiggled her body in a quick little sexy dance and they both laughed as they entered the store. “He can un-wrap it under the Christmas tree.”

“You’re crazy.”

As the two walked further into the store, Sydnee started to browse the racks. Everything from racy bras and panties to garters hung on every wall. Sydnee was nearly in shock from the plethora of underwear. It had been a while since she’d gone shopping for anything sexy. After years of marriage and motherhood, she usually ended up buying a pack of undies at the local superstore as she did her grocery shopping. The most risqué she got was to get a multicolored pack. She was thankful she’d at least had one nice set the night she spent with Quinn. “So, this Quinn guy must be something special. Especially for you to bring him to the party. I knew he was cute when we saw him at the bar. But my goodness, up close and personal, the man is gorgeous.”

“He is sweet.” Sydnee thought of how good Quinn was to her. She’d pretty much thought of nothing else since the night of the party and the way he had set her body on fire. It wasn’t just his attentive lovemaking skills, but also the way he held her and looked at her. His gaze held her like she was the only woman on earth and she felt more special than she had in a long time.

“Sweet? Girl, he’s like a full-bodied wine. Lots of pucker power and just itching to be sipped. He is great to look at, but I think what makes him even more attractive is how smart he is. He’s very intelligent and so personable you forget he’s younger. Gavin was really impressed by him. And that voice. Man, he’s got the kind of voice that will make you give up your social security number over the phone.”

“He does.” Sydnee laughed at Sara’s vivid description of Quinn as she looked at a lingerie set. “Sara, I’m having a lot of fun with him, which is a little scary.” Her demeanor turned serious as she lifted her eyes to her best friend.

“Why?”

“Because, I haven’t been out with anyone on a regular basis, or gotten close to a man, since Matt left.” Those silly blind dates were a bust and it had been some time since she really connected with anyone. Quinn was like nothing she had ever experienced and her mind raced with a tumultuous amount of doubt. “It’s a little scary to be having so much fun with him. Especially with the differences, and all of my insecurities.”

“Honestly, honey, I’m glad you are. Really, it’s about time you do something for yourself. You are always taking care of the boys and working, but you never seem to think about
you
. I say go for it. Plus, he’s young, lots of energy and stamina,” Sara giggled, continuing to look through the racks.

“Don’t I know it,” Sydnee murmured, thinking about how good Quinn’s sculpted beautiful physique felt against her own. He looked like he belonged on the cover of a fitness magazine and she shuddered at the thoughts of his ever so sexy upside down triangle. It was the one reason Sydnee watched NFL football games each season. She didn’t care too much for the game and only watched for the cornerback and safety positions. It was something about the way their broad shoulders narrowed to svelte waistlines. And there was something truly sexy about the way a man’s physique had a tendency to form an arrow pointing to their treasure chest below. Quinn was no exception.