Authors: Judy Angelo
“Leave the girl
alone, Eleanor,” Bob grumbled from the back seat. “It’s none of our business.”
“None of our
business?” Eleanor gasped. “This is our only child.”
“All right, Mom.
Can we talk about this later? Wolf's on the porch now and he’s staring right
at us.”
“Wolf?” Eleanor
gasped again, even more dramatic this time. “His name is Wolf? A man with a
name like Wolf can’t be good. He sounds like a rake.”
“Rake?” Came
another grumble from the back seat. “Who in the twenty-first century says 'rake'?”
Tessa groaned. Oh
Lord, here we go again. We’re practically at the front door and they're still
bickering. Tessa parked the car and hopped out. “Come on, guys. They're
waiting.”
She breathed a
sigh of relief when Bob got out of the car and helped Eleanor out, as he always
did, but then he took her arm and plastered a smile on his face. After a quick
little hrmph to indicate that the conversation was not at an end – they’d
continue it tonight back at Tessa’s house, to be sure – Eleanor also put on a
smile.
As they walked up
the pathway Wolf came down the steps to greet them. “Welcome, welcome,” he
said, shaking the Tyndales' hands. And then his eyes were on her, devouring
her unapologetically. “It’s good to see you again, Tessa.”
She could feel
herself coloring. “It’s good to see you, too.” And it was. Ever since they’d
parted on Sunday night after a terrific weekend in Peterborough, she’d been
dying to see him again. How could a man have wormed his way into her mind –
and her heart – in such a short time? Dear Lord, was she falling in love?
No time to tackle
that question. Not right now, anyway. Right now her focus had to be on her
parents and getting them to last through the evening without taking jabs at
each other. Sometimes she felt like wringing their necks. You’d think they
were a couple of four year olds.
To Tessa’s
surprise and relief her parents and Wolf’s hit it off beautifully. As they
ate, Lydia started a conversation about her travels to India, so fascinating
her guests that Eleanor seemed to have forgotten to get on her husband's
nerves. “I love Indian food,” she gushed. “There’s a wonderful restaurant
close to our place in Florida. We’ve been there lots of times, haven’t we,
Bob?” She gave him a little nudge but, thank goodness, he didn’t make a fuss
about it. “We’ve had Pelau and curried chicken, escoveitched fish and even
beef patties.”
“No, Eleanor,
that’s a West Indian restaurant.” Bob gave Lydia an apologetic smile.
“Eleanor gets mixed up sometimes. It’s a restaurant run by a Trinidadian
couple. They told me that their grandparents migrated from India to Trinidad
several decades ago so although they’re of Indian descent the food they prepare
is West Indian. Which really means Caribbean.” He emphasized the last word as
he narrowed his gaze at his wife.
Please, God, don’t
let her answer him, not here, not now. Tessa dropped her eyes and feigned
great interest in the piece of fish on her plate but she was holding her
breath, waiting on her mother to lash out with her sharp tongue and rip into
her dad.
It never
happened. Instead, Eleanor reached over and patted his arm. “You’re right. I
can be such an airhead sometimes.” Then she turned her attention back to
Lydia. “But do go on. Tell us all about India.”
By the time Lydia
was done praising that country Eleanor was ready to book a ticket to go. She
wanted to see the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort, and eat tandoori chicken and samosas.
Bob was not so enthused. He was more of a homebody and flights between Florida
and Canada were enough for him. A seventeen hour flight to India was a whole
other story.
Tessa gave him a
reassuring smile. “It’s okay, Dad. We can talk some more when we get home.”
He gave a nod and
settled back in his seat, looking comfortable again. Apparently he was very
comfortable around the Spencers because he engaged Ruben in a long conversation
about the golf courses in Florida, causing the other man to turn wistful eyes
toward his wife. She nipped that in the bud right away. “No, Ruben, we are
not moving to Florida. We have perfectly good golf courses right here in
Ontario.”
The parents seemed
to be having so much fun chatting among themselves that eventually they forgot
about Tessa and Wolf. At least, that was how it seemed, because when the
conversation turned to the music of the sixties Tessa had nothing to
contribute. Neither, it seemed, did Wolf. They looked at each other across
the table and smiled. He cocked an eyebrow at her then jerked his head toward
the exit.
Tessa frowned.
What the heck was he up to?
He did it again,
then excused himself and got up from around the table. He gave her a knowing
look then left the dining room.
She finally caught
on. She was supposed to follow him. She looked over at the older folks, all
deep in conversation. She decided to make her move. She got up, sure she
wouldn’t be missed, and hurried down the hallway behind Wolf.
He stepped out of
the shadows, almost making her scream.
“Are you crazy?”
she demanded in a fierce whisper. “You almost scared me to death.”
He did not seem
the least bit perturbed by her reprimand. He gave her a slow smile and pulled
her into his arms. “I’ll make it up to you,” he said, and then he was kissing
her, chasing all thoughts from her mind, leaving her with nothing more than the
taste of his lips and the feel of his muscled torso pressed against her chest.
When Wolf finally
released her, Tess pulled away, panting. “Suppose they come out here and see
us like this?”
He shrugged. “So
what? We’re adults. And besides,” he reached for her and pulled her back into
his arms, “I’ve been wanting to do that all evening. I was praying all four of
them would fall asleep at the table so I’d get the chance to ravish you.”
Tessa’s mouth went
dry at the thought. That sounded good. She was one maiden who would not mind
being ravished by the handsome lord of the manor. On the contrary, this damsel
would welcome it.
She leaned into
him and gave a groan. “Stop torturing me with promises you can’t keep.”
He gave a low
growl. “I can keep it right here, right now, parents or no parents.”
She feigned a
gasp. “You wouldn’t.”
He chuckled.
“You’re right, I wouldn’t. Not with them in the next room. But just prepare
yourself. I plan to make good on my word.”
Tessa sucked in
her breath and this time her little gasp was for real. She didn’t know when
and she didn’t know where but when Wolf made his move she would be more than
ready.
******
Wolf yawned then
reached over and turned off the lamp. The darkness fell over him like a
blanket of midnight fleece. He had a smile on his face as he folded his arms
under his head and stared up at the ceiling. He’d had a good time tonight but
next time he had Tessa over there would be no parents – just him, the woman he
desired, and his king-sized bed.
Tessa had been
warm and willing in his arms and he knew she wanted him just as much as he
wanted her. The staccato beat of her heart against his chest, the tiny tremor
that shook her body when he caressed her, the way she sucked in her breath each
time they touched, they were all evidence of her desire.
And next time he
saw her he would put that desire to even greater test. He would invite her
over for dinner, charm her with romantic music and candlelight, and seduce her
with his undivided attention, leaving her with no doubt that he wanted her.
Then he would take her in his arms and kiss her till-
The shrill ringing
of the phone broke into his thoughts. Dang it, who was calling at this hour?
Then his face cleared. It must be Tessa. She was probably lying in bed, doing
the same thing he was –anticipating the inevitable, and what an earth shaking
inevitable it would be.
He grabbed the
receiver, “Hello,” he said, and waited for Tessa’s girlish giggle.
“Why are you
avoiding me? I need to see you, Wolf.”
He froze. That
wasn’t Tessa on the line. It was Vanessa.
Still holding the
receiver to his ear he sat up in the bed, the sheet falling from his bare
torso, leaving him cold. As cold as he felt inside, hearing Vanessa on the
phone. He’d been so sure it was Tessa, his body had grown hot and he’d
hardened instantly. But the shock of hearing Vanessa’s voice had been like a
splash of ice cold water.
“Vanessa, what do
you want from me?” His voice was cold. This was not a conversation he wished
to have.
“I want you,
Wolf. I want you back.” She drew in her breath with a little sob. “I made a
big mistake in leaving you. The biggest mistake of my life. But I know that
now.”
For a moment Wolf
did not respond. What the hell was Vanessa up to? He’d loved her, opened his
heart and made himself vulnerable to her, had even asked her to be his wife...and
she’d walked out on him without so much as a glance over her shoulder. She
didn’t love him, she said, not enough to marry him. She needed her space, she
needed room to explore.
“Vanessa,” he
said, his tone cool, “it’s been over a year. You moved on with your life and
so did I. Why dig up the past now?”
“I was young,” she
cried into the phone, “so young and stupid. I was only twenty-four. I didn’t
know what I wanted. I thought…I wasn’t ready to settle down, and that I needed
to…see other men to know for sure. But now I know, you were the real thing.
And I want that again, Wolf. I want you. Please,” she began to sob, “give us
a chance.”
Wolf frowned.
This was getting weirder by the minute. This wasn’t the Vanessa he’d known.
She’d been full of confidence, haughty and even aloof at times. And she was
the one who’d decided to end the relationship. He was not enough for her. She
needed to see other people. So what now? Hadn’t it worked out? Was that why
she was now running back to him? And who was this weeping, clingy person on
the phone?
“I want to see
you, Wolf,” Vanessa continued. “We need to talk. Where can we meet tomorrow?
At your office?”
Wolf almost hung
up the phone. The woman was crazy. What? Did she expect them to pick up
where they’d left off?
“Forget it,
Vanessa.” His voice was clipped, curt. “We’re not getting back together so
let’s not waste each other’s time.” She couldn’t commit to their relationship
then, and she expected him to believe she’d be committed now? Not bloody
likely.
“But why? You
still love me, don’t you?”
The words made
Wolf pause. You still love me, don’t you, she’d asked? He didn’t hate her, he
was sure of that. But love her? No, not anymore. If he’d still loved her his
heart would have leaped at the knowledge that she wanted him back. But he felt
nothing like that. Instead, her declaration left him cold.
“No, Vanessa, I
don’t love you so let’s not go down that road, okay?”
“But…but you asked
me to marry you. I know you love me. You can’t just turn it off like that.”
Wolf almost said,
but you did. But then he remained silent. He was not about to start an
argument about who was at fault.
When he didn’t
respond Vanessa piped up again. “You love me, Wolf. And I’m ready now.
There’s nothing to stop us from getting back together. Unless…you have another
woman in your life.”
Wolf almost said
yes. But did he, really? He knew he wanted Tessa and he had no doubt that she
was attracted to him. But was physical attraction enough? Tessa was growing
on him with each passing day and he could feel himself on the verge of falling
for her. But, the question was, what would Tessa want out of all this?
He gave a snort.
“That’s irrelevant. What’s important is that you and I are over and we’re not
getting back together.”
“But I realize now
what I had. I want you back.”
“It’s too late for
that. Just forget about what we had and move on.”
“I’m not giving up
that easily,” she said, her voice taking on a new hardness. “I’m not giving up
without a fight.”
Wolf had had
enough. Arguing would be useless. “Goodbye, Vanessa.” He hung up the phone.
Thirty minutes
later he still lay in bed wide awake. He hoped the phone call was the end but
he had a feeling this wouldn’t be the last he’d hear from Vanessa Smythe.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Tessa hopped out
of her car and turned her face up to the sun. It was a bright and sunny spring
morning and although it was Saturday, almost the end of her spring break, she
was in a heck of a good mood. And she knew why. Today, she’d be seeing Wolf
again.
It was only three
days since she’d last seen him, when she and her parents had had dinner at his
house, but it felt like three weeks. It was like she needed to see him every day.
She knew she was treading on dangerous ground but Lord knew she couldn’t help
herself.