Uncorked (45 page)

“Show me what you got. We can
start fixing it and just slip everything in the oven tomorrow.”

“Sounds great. Do you have any
Christmas traditions?”

“We do, but I don’t mind starting
new traditions with you.”

She blushed, then quickly tore
her eyes away from his and headed toward the kitchen.

“What about you?”

“When my parents were alive, we
always made eggnog. My mom would bake, and we’d make ham sandwiches while we
fixed Christmas dinner.”

“Let’s do it.”

She smiled at his eagerness.

They spent most of the day
prepping the food for Christmas dinner the following day. By afternoon, Chella
was exhausted and went to bed to nap.

As Chella slept,
Mitch came across a finished
painting of Morro Bay on an easel. A little girl in a pink sundress walked
along the beach as the sun set in the background. Mitch recognized it as the
first place they’d ever gone together on
Ciao Bella
. His gaze drifted
down to the signature: C. Noon. On a nearby table sat a palette with some
brushes in water.

Despite being thousands of miles
away, Chella had thought about him and his child and painted a scene so similar
to that special day. The little girl was Emily—without a doubt—for she wore her
favorite dress. The curly tendrils of her brown hair blew in the ocean breeze
the same way his daughter’s did. He traced the outline of the little girl, now
hardened acrylic, softly with his fingertips. He never knew Chella painted, but
being in that environment had obviously inspired her. The painting said so much
about what was on her mind and in her heart. His throat constricted.

He sat on the sofa thinking about
Chella. When she answered the door the night before, he knew he had to have her
back. Although he did have concerns about Emily, he was certain there must be a
way for them to be together, even if it meant he had to keep his life with her
and his life with Emily separate for a while. At this point, he was willing to
do anything it took to be with her. When he ran into her in the dark kitchen in
the middle of the night, it took every ounce of self-control not to pull her
into his arms and devour her lips. He knew if he came on too strong, he would
risk pushing her away completely. He would have to tread carefully during his
stay.

He was getting off the couch when
one of the throw pillows fell to the floor. He picked it up and was about to
replace it when he noticed the familiar black stripped fabric of his shirt. He
pulled it out and smiled.

So that’s where you’ve been
hiding. It looks like Chella Noon might miss me more than she’s willing to
admit.

The snow had subsided a bit, so
he went into the garage to see if there was any equipment to clear it. He found
a snow blower, shovel, and a small chainsaw. He cleared the walkways, driveway
and patio then took a walk to see if any progress had been made on the tree
that fell in front of his rental vehicle the night before.

Chella looked around
the house, but saw no sign of
Mitch. She did notice that the patio was clear of snow. She slipped on a coat,
went outside, and saw the driveway had been cleared, too. Although she couldn’t
see him, she saw tracks headed down the hill. She had no idea what he was up
to, but she went into the kitchen to make hot cocoa to warm him when he
returned.

Half an hour later, she heard a
vehicle pull up to the house. She looked through the window and saw it was
Mitch. She slipped into a coat and opened the front door.

“Where did this come from?”

“A tree fell across the road in
front of me last night, so I had to leave it parked down the street. I found a
small chain saw in the garage, so I was able to clear away enough of the small
branches to get by.”

“Was there any damage?”

“No. I saw a few of the neighbors
down the street. They said we’ll be getting more snow tonight.

“Let me open the garage door so
you can pull in.”

“Thanks. That would be great.”

When he returned inside, she
smiled and said, “I never knew you could handle manual labor.”

“Who do you think did all the
hard work around the house growing up?”

“You’re full of surprises.”

“Do you need any more firewood?”

“Sure. I’ll help you bring it
in.”

Chella poured cocoa
. Mitch walked up behind her,
freshly showered, and trailed kisses down her neck. Her knees weakened.

“Mitch, this is not a good idea.”

“Why?” he replied, circling his
arms around her, cupping her breasts in his palms, and softly caressing them.

“This will make things too
complicated.”

“It doesn’t have to be
complicated. Not anymore. I want you, and I know you want me. Everything else
is just details…”

“But Mi—”

“No buts. I want to make love to
you, right here, right now.”

Her mind said no, but her body
said yes. She turned around to face him and allowed him to slowly, gently part
her lips. She sank her fingers into his damp hair. He drew her into his body,
deepening their kiss.

He caressed her body through the
thick sweater dress she wore. She returned his kisses, and as his hands roamed
over her body, one of her nude images crossed her mind.

She jolted away.

“What’s wrong?” Mitch asked.

She couldn’t answer.

“Sweetheart, tell me what’s
wrong.”

“It’s nothing,” she said, taking
a deep breath. She walked into the living room. He followed. When he caught up
to her, he held her hand and directed her behind him toward the sofa.

“What did I do? One minute you
were enjoying it and the next you pulled away.”

“It’s not you. This is all moving
a little too fast, that’s all.”

“You’re not telling me the truth.
You got nervous, almost scared. Tell me what’s wrong.”

“I had images of their hands all
over my body.”

For a second
Mitch was lost, then suddenly he
realized she was talking about whoever had drugged her and taken the pictures.

“I didn’t mean to stir up bad
memories or feelings.”

“It’s not your fault. The images
just popped into my mind.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“I’m not sure what’s
worse—knowing or not knowing what happened. Sometimes I wonder how many people
were there, how many put their hands on my body, how many watched, how many
touched. I’m not sure I want to know. I wish I had gone to that dinner with you
that night. This never would have happened.”

“I’m sorry. I wish I could make
it all go away.”

“There’s nothing anyone can do.
Let’s watch a movie or something. It’s useless talking about it.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“I’m here if you change your
mind.”

“Thanks.”

 Mitch underestimated how deeply
Chella was affected by the drugging and subsequent photography incident. It
bothered him that there was nothing he could do to protect her then, or now
that they were possibly in cyber space. This was one time things were
completely out of his hands. All he could do at this point was hope that the
photos didn’t get out and be there for her in the event that they did.

“You know what?” Mitch said,
getting to his feet. “I might have something that can cheer you up.”

“What’s that?”

“I’ll be right back.”

Mitch returned moments later with
two gift boxes in that familiar blue color.

“What did you do?” she asked
curiously.

“One’s not really a gift, it’s
just something I want you to hold onto. Here, open it.”

She pulled away the white ribbon
and carefully opened the box. Inside was a large heart key ring in silver with
a set of keys on them. His keys.

He smiled at her. “I want you to
have them. You’ll always have a place you can call home.”

“I don’t know what to say,” she
replied, looking at the keys dangling as she held them up.

“You don’t have to say anything,
just hold onto them. This is the real gift.” He handed her the other box.

“I got you a gift, but I had it
shipped to San Diego.”

“You don’t have to worry about
that.”

“There’s something else I’d like
you to have.” She walked over to her painting and lifted it from the easel.

“Here. I’d like you to have
this.”

“Thank you. I saw it earlier. You
never told me you could paint.”

“It’s something I used to love in
my other life. I’m sure you can find a home for it somewhere.”

“I love it. When was the last
time you painted?”

“Before my parents died. I took a
walk through some of the galleries in downtown Aspen, and I felt inspired, so I
picked up some supplies.”

“You’re in Aspen, but you painted
Morro Bay. You’re talented. You should paint more often.”

That was my happy place…on Ciao
Bella… with you and your beautiful daughter.

“Maybe… we’ll see.” She looked at
her watch. It was midnight. “Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas to you, too,” He
replied, leaning over and kissing her gently on the cheek. “Now open your
present. Tell me if you like it.”

She opened the box. Inside was a
diamond necklace.

“It’s exquisite. Diamonds are a
girl’s best friend. I love it. Thank you,” she said as she removed it from the
box. He helped her fasten it around her neck.

“I’m glad you like it. Make sure
you use those keys.”

“Hopefully, one of these days
when I’m back in town, I will. Do you want anything from the kitchen?” she
asked as she got up.

“No, thanks. Let me help you,” he
said, about to get up.

“I’ve got it. Relax,” she said,
bringing the dishes to the kitchen.

The truth was she needed a few
minutes away from him. His gift touched her, and she wasn’t thinking about the
stunning diamonds surrounding her neck. He opened up his home and his life to
her at a time when things were rocky between them. Home had always been a
figment of her imagination. No place had ever given her the comfort of what a
real home should feel like. That he should give it to her spoke volumes.

She wished she could forget about
the stresses in her life and all the things that kept them from being together,
because at that moment she wanted to forget about everything and be with him.
She rinsed the dishes and slipped them in the dishwasher.

Mitch walked into the kitchen.

“You okay?” he asked, looking
concerned.

“I’m great, thanks.”

“You looked really deep in
thought.”

“I just have a lot on my mind.”

He massaged her shoulders, then
said, “Try not to worry about anything. Let’s enjoy each other’s company until
you get sick of me and throw me out.”

Why do you have to make this so
damn hard… I need to stay away from you…

“I can’t get sick of you,” she said.

An awkward silence fell between
them.

She turned and kissed him lightly
on his lips. He returned her kiss, but was hesitant. She kissed him again, and
he lifted her by her hips, and set her on the island.

“Chella, I love you. I don’t want
you to do anything you’re not ready for.”

“I love you, too,” she whispered,
circling her hands around his neck and leaning her forehead against his. “I
miss you so much.”

“I miss you too, Sweetheart,” he
replied, kissing her lightly on her cheek then finding her lips once more.

She pulled his sweater over his
head and placed soft kisses all over his chest, allowing herself to feel every
hard contour of his rugged body.

He unbuttoned the closure to the
side of her neck then slipped her sweater dress over her head. She slipped her
strapless bra free, giving him full access to her breasts. He kissed and
caressed them as she raked her fingers through his thick, dark hair. He pulled
her to her feet, pinning her body against the wall.

Even through the thick fabric of
his jeans, she felt his erection as he kneaded his hips into hers. He trailed
kisses down her throat, her neck, her bare shoulders. His hands roamed her
body, creating pleasurable sensations and sexual desire as he fondled her
between her thighs.

She unbuckled his belt and
released the buttons to his jeans, pushing away all the fabric between her
fingertips and his body. He kicked away his jeans, gloriously nude before her,
occupying her mouth, grinding his body against hers. He tugged at the red
cheekies that sculpted her ass and worked his fingers inside her.