Chapter Ten

“I don’t want to go.”

“I heard you the first time, the second, and the third. Now be quiet and pull in the driveway slowly. The wine will top over.”

“I hate family functions.”

Kim prayed for patience. Gerald reminded her of a kid ho dragged his feet and wanted to stay home to play with his toys instead of see relatives.”

The past two weeks had flown past in relative smoothness except for his growing complaints regarding the holiday. Maja reminded her Thanksgiving with the Anderson had been more of a Halloween nightmare, so Kim gave her husband a wide berth but refused to let him off the proverbial hook. “We don’t have a choice. As a married couple, we’re expected to show up for dinner. There won’t be too many people there, anyway.”

Gerald snorted. “I’ll be bored.”

“Get drunk.”

He scowled and swung into the driveway. The pile of cakes and pies and wine clattered in the backseat but held steady. She reached for the door handle, left the car, and stretched out her legs. The bite of November wind ripped up her skirt and through the thick tights she wore under her mini. She shivered and looked at the cars already lined up on the lawn. “I knew we’d be late.”

His features change, became softer, more intimate. Those chestnut depths gleamed with memories from early this morning, of warm, tangled sheets and cries and long wet kisses. Her body came to immediate attention. Her s pressed against her purple sweater, and in achy heat pooled between her thighs.

He reached over and ran one finger down her check, then lightly traced her lower lip. “I clearly asked if you wanted to continue, remember.”

Heat rushed to her checks. “You shouldn’t have started in the first place. You knew we’d be late.”

“We could skip the whole thing and spend Thanksgiving in bed.” Her stomach dipped at his low murmur. “What do you think?”

“I think you’re trying to bribe me.”

“Is it working?”

“No. Let’s go.” She heard his low laugh behind her. He knew she lied. He always tempted her. After two week of steady , she still couldn’t get enough of her husband and a day in bed with him sounded like a sheer heaven.

She carried in the pies and he grabbed the wine. The door was open and they were immediately folded into family chaos, with loud greetings and handshakes, drinks into open hands, and a thousand different conversations overlapping.

“Hi, Ma.” She kisses Evelyn and took an appreciative sniff of the plump turkey filled with sausage stuffing. A cloud of moist, fragrant steam rose in the air and wrapped her in warmth. “Smells great. You look pretty.”

“Thanks. It’s amazing what paying off the mortgage does for stress load.”

Fear hot through her. She leaned in. “Mom, please don’t mention it – remember our deal?”

Evelyn sighed. “Ok, honey. I’m just so grateful and it feels strange not to say something.”

“Mom!”

“Fine, my lips are sealed.” Her mom gave her a quick kiss and readied the tray of antipasto.

Kim plucked a green olive from the tray of appetizers. “I’ll bring it out.”

“Don’t eat them all on the way. Where’s Gerald?”

“Talking with Dad in the living room.”

“God help us.”

Kim smiled and joined her husband. He reached for a black olive and popped it in his mouth. Typical, she thought. He liked black olives, she liked green. So many ways they were complete opposites. In other aspects, they were perfectly in sync.

Her niece raced down the hall. Honey brown hair tumbled around her shoulders, and her legs and feet were have underneath her green party dress, a rich velvet with a frothy skirt that made her seen like a fairy princess. Raine hurled herself into her arms with a leap, and Kim caught her with ease. She slid her around to rest on one hips. “Hey, squirt.”

“Tita Kim, I want ice cream.”

“You can have some later.”

“Okay, I want an olive.”

“Green or black?”

She made a terrible face only a toddler could master.

“Green is yucky.”

Kim rolled her eyes at her husband’s look at triumph. Gerald took a fat black olive and stuck it on the end of his finger. “The child has great taste. Here you go.” He offered it up and watched her chew in delight. “Good?”

“Hmmm. Now can I have ice cream?’

Kim laughed. “After dinner, okay? Go tell Mommy to finish dressing you.”

“Okay.” Raine scurried off and left the adults together amidst drinking and munching and frequent burst of laughter.

Kim noted her husband took her advice and started drinking early. He held his Scotch and soda with tight fingers. He nodded at various conversations but retained an air of assessing distance that caused her heart to ache. Then his gaze broke and lifted to meet hers.

FIRE.

The air lit and charged around them. He raised his brow in comic wickedness and motioned toward one of the bedrooms.

She shook her head and laughed. Then spun on her heel to go find her cousins.