Heavenly Angel (15 page)

“Did you do the pee-pee dance with him earlier?” she asked, giggling as she imagined this big cowboy doing the dance.

“Yes, ma’am, I did. I felt like I was on
Dancing with the Stars
. He showed me how to do it and criticized me until I got it right,” he said, and they both laughed together.

She made some tortillas and set them aside on a plate under a dish towel. She spread butter on one and rolled it up, then gave Joaquin the first bite. He moaned rapturously as he stirred the chicken while she took the next bite.

“You like it?”

“Please marry me!” He opened his mouth for another bite.

She held it back, teasing him. “What about my cooties?”

He gave her a devilish grin. “I like your cooties. Give me more, please,” he begged. She held it up for him, and he took another big bite. “Angel was right,” he said over the mouthful. She blushed with pleasure that he liked it so much. He turned the chicken and covered the skillet with the lid. “He said you were a good cook, and he wasn’t exaggerating. Who taught you to make tortillas?”

“My mother. She also taught me how to cook. When I left Tillman, she gave me her recipe book.”

“She did? Wow.”

“Yeah. She was pretty wonderful, old fashioned. I’ll show you her picture sometime. I have some from when she was very young after she married my father. She was beautiful.”

“How is she now?”

“She has dementia, Alzheimer’s,” she said matter of factly. “My dad shares a room with her in their nursing home. His health is declining, as well.”

“What’s wrong with him?’

“Nothing except old age.”

“Would they like to move to Divine?”

“I don’t know. I suppose I could ask him.”

She smiled and chuckled a little to herself as memories of her parents came to mind. When he looked at her expectantly, she giggled and said, “I can remember when I was a little girl, my father would come in the backdoor while she was cooking and tug on her apron strings. He would sing ‘Besame Mucho’ to her and use them to pull her into his arms and dance her around the kitchen singing to her. She would giggle and blush, but I know she loved it. He made her very happy.” Her chin quivered, and her vision blurred with unshed tears. The pain of missing them the last three years was suddenly a heavy weight on her heart.

She sniffled and allowed him to pull her into his arms. He patted her back, and she sighed. After a minute, she wiped her eyes and smiled up at him. “Thank you. I’m so emotional today.”

“Don’t apologize. It must be hard to be away from them, especially during the holidays. I hope you won’t think ill of me, but I tended to tune my mother out when she went off in Spanish, and my dads hardly ever spoke it around us kids. When she spoke Spanish, she was usually yelling, or maybe even cursing, who knows? What does
besame mucho
mean?”

Teresa turned to him incredulously. “You’re kidding right?”

“No, ma’am. I’m a Texas boy. I speak English and Texan. Angel knows some Spanish, but I was never a good student.”

“Well,
besame mucho
means…kiss me,
a lot
.” She giggled when he smiled big. “I have it on a CD. I’ll bring it so you can hear what it sounds like. It’s a beautiful, old romantic love song.”

“Do you like to dance?”

“Yes, but I haven’t gotten much practice. Angel taught me how.”

“I would love to dance with you some time.”

Her heart felt open and unfettered as she turned to him and looked up into his handsome face. “I’d like that, too.” Feeling brave, she rose on her tiptoes and kissed him. Her hands slid up his broad chest, over his shoulders, and into his silky hair. She shivered when his lips and tongue stroked hers. He slid his large hands over her ribs, holding her lightly. She could tell by his touch and his kiss how careful he was being to not come on too strong. He allowed her complete control of the moment, so she took her time.

Her heart pounded, and her nipples hardened against his chest, tingling almost painfully. The heat of desire washed through her core. That sensitive spot between her legs throbbed in pleasure, and her panties were suddenly damp. His masculine scent filled her nostrils, and she moaned softly against his lips.

They were brought back to Earth abruptly by the smell of a burning tortilla. She used a fork to hurl it in the sink then quickly applied another one to the cast iron griddle. He smiled, watching her fingers work the next tortilla. She grinned up at him and leaned her head against his arm as he stirred the chicken and turned the heat off.

“Did I surprise you?”

“I’ll say! Surprise me as often and as much as you like, sugar.”

* * * *

Along with Angel and Joaquin, Teresa pulled Grace and her men aside at the ranch house that evening and told them the good news, including that Teresa was considering making it a threesome with Joaquin. Angel said they were postponing setting a wedding date so that Teresa could take her time getting to know Joaquin. Joaquin told them he wanted her to have all the time she needed.

As he said the words, Teresa knew he was giving her an out in case it didn’t work between them, but she already knew she would love him. It would just take a little time for her to be sure.

Michael asked Joaquin if he wanted to watch his video with him. Joaquin grinned at Teresa and Angel and lifted Michael onto his back and gave him a piggyback ride to the living room where
The Aristocats
was currently playing. They grinned when they heard Michael singing along.

“Everybody! Everybody wants to be a cat!”

Grace admired Teresa’s ring, and they went into the kitchen to finish setting up before everyone arrived. The mild temperatures meant that people would be able to flow in and out of the house, making use of both the indoor and outdoor spaces.

Teresa kept a closer than usual eye on Grace as the Christmas get-together got into full swing. She observed with new eyes the way Grace interacted with her three men. They were always classy in the way they showed affection toward her. A simple touch, a whisper in her ear, a sweet caress or pat depending on the body part, and it was easy to see why she was so happy. She moved easily through the crowd, mingling with their guests and paying attention to all three of them.

Teresa noted a marked lack of stress in her features regarding the party, the mess,
or
the clean up. The men made sure the food and drinks were set up and kept the food coming and the beverage coolers full. They were the ones handling the electric knife, carving the beef brisket, and cutting up the sausage and pork tenderloins. They were the ones with pot holders in hand, removing heated items from the ovens and placing them on the buffet table. If Grace helped at all, it seemed incidental.

Teresa’s cheeks heated a little as she observed Grace and Ethan conversing across the room. The two of them were standing together, and he was whispering something in her ear, a wickedly sexy smile on his handsome face. Grace’s eyelids slowly closed, and her cheeks bloomed a rosy pink as his fingers traced over her cheekbone.
Wow
. Whatever he was telling her, she was enjoying a lot. Grace reached out a hand to Ethan’s shoulder to steady herself. He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her lips adoringly like nothing else was pressing at the moment.

Ethan looked up and made direct eye contact with Teresa. He smiled at her and winked before leading Grace over to the buffet table and put the things she pointed at on a plate. He led her by the lit fireplace and sat down in one of the overstuffed chairs. Grace joined him, comfortably curling in his lap. They fed each other bites of food from the same plate, but not in a way that made them a spectacle for those around them.

“They look like they enjoy doing that, don’t they?” Joaquin whispered, startling her a bit, but also sending a pleasant shiver down her spine. “We would want you to feel that kind of freedom between us. Have you noticed how they care for her? She hasn’t had anything to drink or eat all night because she’s been socializing.” Teresa nodded, still watching the couple but very aware of his warm proximity. “I’m sure he wants her to feel cared for. At the end of the evening she’ll be happy and ready to give him and the others the attention they crave.”

The thought of what kind of attention they craved could have filled her with apprehension. Instead, a wave of desire for Joaquin flooded her with its hot intensity. She released a quivering sigh when he traced his callused fingertips down her inner arm, stroking the sensitive skin of her inner wrist.

“Does it turn you on to watch the way they interact so tenderly with her and imagine us the same way?” he asked, smiling down at her when she groaned and nodded, leaning into his chest a bit. Her body bloomed with arousal, responding to his scent and his body heat. He stroked her back and she swayed against him and felt the hard shaft that pressed against her through his blue jeans. A sudden tension grew within her, familiar to her now from her experience with Angel on Christmas Eve. She felt a tingle as though she were being watched and located Angel across the room. He watched them with a contented smile on his face and love in his eyes. Michael sat in the crook of Angel’s arm still dressed in his cowboy outfit as Angel talked with Evan and Wesley Garner and Rosemary Piper.

She smiled back at him, vaguely noting her own absence of worry at what he thought of seeing her interact with Joaquin so intimately. Angel excused himself from the threesome and made his way over to the two of them.

“It’s getting late, and the two of you look about ready to combust. Would you like to say goodnight and go back to the house?” he asked while Michael was distracted in his arms. Joaquin looked down at her, and she nodded.

Chapter Thirteen

Michael yawned hugely and laid his little head against Angel’s shoulder as they climbed the steps onto the front porch and went inside. He would be sound asleep in a matter of minutes. Teresa had planned for this possibility and packed pajamas for him to wear. At Joaquin’s urging, she took him to his bedroom and laid him down half asleep and changed his Pull-Up and put his pajamas on. He revived enough to want to use the potty when Joaquin asked him and then returned to Joaquin’s large bed. He said his prayers with them, and they tucked him in and propped pillows around him, smiling that he was snoring again before they even left the room.

Angel was in the living room. He patted the couch between him and Joaquin as his brother joined him there. She went to them and climbed onto the couch, her calves and feet tucked under her, sitting back comfortably, looking from one man to the other.

“What a wonderful day, from beginning to end. And I don’t mean just the material gifts. I also mean the way you treat me and the way you are with Michael. I feel especially blessed.”

Angel caressed her thigh. “The day did turn out even better than I expected. We wanted you to feel special, and we want you to know that you can trust us. You know neither of us would take advantage of you.” In her heart, she knew he spoke the utter truth. The trust was there for both of these men.

“You wouldn’t have been as kind and sweet to me as you’ve been for the last six months if you didn’t intend to keep my trust in you intact. I love you,” she said, reaching out a hand to Angel’s biceps before turning to Joaquin. “And I think you know I’m falling for you, as well, Joaquin. I would be a fool to deny what I can plainly see and feel. Maybe I’m foolish to give in so easily, but I trust you, as well, with…everything. Maybe more importantly, I trust you both with Michael.”

Angel leaned in and kissed her then backed away slightly as Joaquin leaned in and kissed her, as well. Angel was thoughtful for a few seconds and then asked her a question.

“Beautiful, tell us where you want to go from here.”

She pondered that question for a few seconds. Teresa thought about watching Grace in Ethan’s lap. She smiled, a vision of exactly where she wanted to go from there in her mind. She was about to live up to Grace’s advice and seize the day.

“I want to go wherever it was Grace went, to get to where
she
was tonight. She’s so happy, content and so in love with her men it radiates from her. I want to be cared for on that level. I want to love you like that, and I want you to teach me what to do, so you look as satisfied as her men do. And I’m ready to get started when you feel the time is right.” She grinned at the surprised expressions on their faces and added, “We don’t have to do anything tonight if you don’t want to, but I’d be open to the possibility.” Her body clamored eagerly for them to do something tonight.

Angel touched her cheek. “What happened to the shy, nervous Teresa I flirted into speechlessness?”

Placing her palm over his hand, she answered his question. “I can’t have what Grace has by continuing down the path the old Teresa was on, ruled by fear and doubt. If I want what Grace has, I need to forget the past, let go of the fear, and learn to trust someone. Well,
two
someones
.
” She smiled at Angel, touching his cheek with her fingertips and reaching out to Joaquin to do the same.

Angel looked up at Joaquin, and she perceived some sort of silent communication between them as she went to Angel and wrapped her arms around him and felt his arms envelop her. They must not have anticipated this change in her so soon. She wondered if maybe she was moving too fast. She decided she could move slowly toward her goal or take each step without hesitation. She stood from the couch, knowing her next destination.