A Fool in Love

Though I had never felt so brazen, the way I dug my hands into his hair, and licked into his mouth. I smiled, loving the deep throaty groan that came out of him as he shifted us on the couch. Until he was on his back with me blanketed on top of him, losing ourselves in each other, as we just kept on kissing.

I could feel him pressed up against me nice and hard, making my nipples throb and pussy clench. Sure I'd never felt as aroused, I wanted to touch him, run my fingers over him, and stroke him through his jeans. But I wasn't sure if I should push the envelope, at least so soon.

My heart really starting to pound, I sucked on his bottom lip, while he filled his hands with my backside and squeezed, letting me have a feel of what I was doing to him. And I wondered if we really were going to do this; get naked together and get busy.

Then we broke apart and he shook his head and groaned when we heard the abrasive sound of the timer going off on the stove, letting us know that the roast was done.

I smirked, as he rolled his eyes, chuckled and muttered, "Saved by the bell."

Maybe just as well, because things were moving along so fast, I imagined we'd be giving poor Riley an eyeful if we kept it up and started throwing our clothes around.

Once I managed to catch my breath and could focus again, smoothing a hand over my hair to try and compose myself, I followed him into the kitchen. Avoiding his gaze, I tried to act like we hadn't just been making out like horny teenagers on our kid's couch.

But when I finally got the courage to look up, the sexy little glint in Rafe's eyes as he slowly raked me over from head to toe, made it pretty clear that something was going on between us that was pretty hard to deny.

Up until now, I thought I'd been doing a pretty good of shielding myself, and had become immune to any advances. Being a single mom, raising my daughter on my own, I hadn't had time to fool around with anyone. But somehow he'd managed to slip under my defenses, and it hadn't taken much. Probably because I knew he was as sweet as he was sexy -- which was a pretty lethal combo.

Could be he'd decided to enjoy a week of fun with me, too. As long as the kids didn't find out, we knew we wouldn't be hurting anyone, since we were both single. And hopefully a week would be enough to get each other out of our systems, so we could go on as before -- at least I hoped.

But as I watched him working at the stove, with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows with his sexy darkly matted forearms on full display, he just looked so hot. Which had my dirty imagination going into overdrive just thinking about all the things we could be doing together, of course once we got our clothes off. Watching him bend to get the roast out of the oven I had to bite into my lip to stop myself from whimpering, because damn, I'd never seen such a nice tight ass. And watching those muscled thighs flex as he stood again, was actually making me wet.

I decided I'd better grab a couple of hot mats and a few plates and get out of the kitchen, because like they say, if you can't stand the heat...

And what he had pooling between my legs had me feeling like I was about to combust.

After I'd set the table, I got lost for a moment gazing out of the big wall of windows at the back of the house, transfixed at the beauty of the snow, falling heavy now in the yard, turning everything into a pristine white. So I didn't notice him coming up behind me till I felt the heat of his big, hard body pressing against mine as he wrapped his arms around me and dropped a warm, lingering kiss on my neck.

His arms just felt so strong circling my waist, as I wrapped my hands around them. I never realized how much I'd missed the feel of a man, until now with him. Shivering at the feel of him nuzzling my neck, I thought maybe it was meant to be that the kids had asked us both to stay to look after their furry little family.

Though he was still busy dusting little kisses up and down along my neck, making my nipples get all tingly again, Rafe murmured against my ear, "We should eat."

Heaving a shaky sigh, I nodded, still amazed by how pretty all the trees looked painted in a fresh coating of snow. But even more how wonderful it felt to have him wrapped around me, trailing kisses up to my ear, especially on a beautiful day like this, making my pulse leap and my heart pound, like they hadn't done in ages.

I noticed that everything was covered, even the barbecue had about a foot of snow sitting on top. "I wonder if it's going to keep up all night."

"It's supposed to snow for days," he murmured, running his hands up along my waist till his thumbs were just barely brushing the underside of my breasts, making my nipples grow hard enough to start them aching. And I could feel him growing hard against my backside, as he brushed his lips against my ear, and whispered, "So, we might find ourselves stranded here together. And we'll have to find a way to entertain ourselves for the next few days."

Turning my head, I smiled up into the naughty look in his eyes, already imagining what it would be like to entertain myself with him.

Finally, after he'd pressed one last kiss to my cheek, he let go. Then he pulled a chair out at the table for me, so we could sit by side and watch the snow coming down as we ate.

"Ooh, that looks good," I said when I noticed the platter he'd set on the table with a nicely browned standing rib roast surround by perfect golden brown roast potatoes, glazed carrots, parsnips and little onions. Along with a steaming side dish of baby peas and cauliflower, that all looked so tempting.

As he carved up the roast, I gazed outside and said, "I don't know why they chose to build their house in such a snowy place. This part of Michigan is like blizzard central."

He shrugged. "They said they like that it's close to the water for the summer months, so they can swim and go sailing. And they can also cross-country ski and snow mobile together in the winter."

I knew that Rafe was as close to his son as I was to my daughter. And I liked that about him, that he was still a family man, though he and his wife had divorced.

Standing at the table cutting into the roast, he looked down and laughed at the pleading look in Riley's eyes as the dog anxiously shifted from paw to paw, watching him carving up our dinner, especially as he slid two thick, juicy looking slices of roast beef onto our plates. Pointing the fork at him, he said, "Sorry, buddy, but your dad gave me strict instructions -- absolutely no table food for you. And you already had your dinner, so you can quit giving me those big, sad puppy dog eyes, 'cause I'm not gonna to cave, just because you think I'm your grandpa."

Though I laughed, I just hoped he wouldn't come begging from me, because I'd probably sneak him a little something under the table. I was such a soft touch. And the dog had probably figured that out by now, too.

But then Rafe winked at me, as he carved another slice of beef and set it aside to cool for the dog. So, it looked like he was as bad as I was when it came to spoiling the pets.

After Rafe had sat down and filled our wine glasses, he touched his glass to mine and said, "Bon appetite."

I nodded looking down at my plate. "Thank you for making this, Rafe. It smells amazing. I can't remember the last time I had a roast, probably well over a year ago when Carrie was still living at home. So I know I'm going to enjoy every bite."

True to my word, I actually moaned when I had my first taste, the beef was just so juicy and tender. Of course, the man had to be a genius in the kitchen, too. I looked over at him and laughed at the way he rolled his eyes, obviously from the sounds coming out of me, just from a little bite of meat.

"Glad to hear you're enjoying it," he said, chuckling.

Unabashed, I just nodded, smiled back and kept eating, and kept on moaning too, because I realized I was pretty hungry, and everything was just so good.

"Marcus mentioned that they're thinking about expanding their family. So, I wondered if they're planning on getting a playmate for Riley or for Lucy," Rafe said as he reached for his wine.

I looked over at him, surprised that he thought they were talking about getting another pet. "Well, from what Carrie said, I think the hints they were dropping were about them trying for a baby, on this second honeymoon they're having. And if it happens, we really will be grandparents."

Rafe's brow shot up, looking surprised. "Wow. I thought they'd wait a while. They've only been married a year. But I guess since Marcus is thirty and Carrie just turned twenty four, they're old enough to know what they want. Bet they'd make great parents, too."

"Well I think Carrie's a lot more prepared for motherhood than I was when I had her. By the time I was her age, she was already six. I was still only eighteen when she was born, and I ended up having to raise her on my own."

Rafe looked a little puzzled, so I decided I might as well explain.

Thinking back, sometimes I still couldn't believe how foolish I was to have started my married life so young. But of course I thought I was in love. I took a sip of wine and then I told him the whole gory story, imagining he'd already heard bits and pieces of it by now. "My high school sweetheart talked me into getting married, right after we graduated, the day after I turned eighteen. We'd been dating for a couple of years and he convinced me that we'd grow together as a couple if we married young, like his parents had. And they were happy, so, silly me, I believed him. Even though my parents begged us to wait till we were a little older.

"Then right after we got married I got pregnant with Carrie, and he seemed to change overnight. And he didn't try to hide the fact that he wasn't happy about us having a baby. He even refused to go to the ultrasounds, to see how she was doing. After she was born, I didn't realize how jealous he was of her until he started complaining that I was spending all my time fussing over her and ignoring him."

Though his jaw was clenched, Rafe was quiet, just watching me. So, heaving a sigh, I shrugged my shoulders and continued.

"When she was only about a month old, one night watching me hold her bottle for her to feed her, looking annoyed, he asked why she couldn't hold it herself. Then he asked how long it would be till she could walk on her own. When I said probably not until she was over a year old, he muttered that he wasn't going to wait around that long to get his wife back. And a few weeks later he went to work in the morning and never came back home. I called his mother and told her that he'd left us. And she just couldn't believe that her son would do something like that, and walk out on his family. But he wouldn't talk to either of us when we tried phoning him. I heard later that he moved to Florida and started over, and he never looked back.

"But thankfully, both his parents and mine were good to us. And they helped a lot with Carrie when she was little, so I could get my education.

"And from the time her father walked out, it was just the two of us, which I guess is why we're so close."

Rafe just shook his head. "What an asshole, to leave you and his child like that," he said, probably without even realizing he'd said it out loud.

I nodded and even managed to laugh a little at the way he'd said it, but it was true. He'd turned out to be a selfish immature brat. And it didn't take me long to realize that I was better off without him. "He really was. Eventually, I was glad he'd left, because I started to think I couldn't trust him to be alone with her. And I don't think Carrie really missed having a father around since she had so much family, with both sets of grandparents doting on her. After he left, to save money, we had to move in with my mom and dad. So she always had family around her, even when I was at school."

"Well, she's a really nice young lady, and I think you did a great job raising her."

Not sure what to say, I just shrugged, because I thought she was pretty special. But of course I was her mother, so she'd always be special to me.

Rafe smiled as he thought back. "I still remember when Marcus phoned and told me he'd met a girl. And I got the feeling it was serious when kept talking about her non-stop, gushing about how sweet and how pretty she was. She'd interviewed him for an article she was writing on young tech giants for the magazine where she worked. And Marcus said they just clicked. After the interview, he hated to see her go, so he asked her out for dinner. And I think they've been together ever since."

"I think they were made for each other," I said, smiling as I remembered how in love they looked at their wedding. And the looks they still give each other now, just to let each other know how much they care, were just so sweet. I could almost feel the love flowing between them.

Then I glanced over at Rafe, and the look in his eyes was so intense that I actually shivered. He reached out tipped up my chin, touched his lips to mine and murmured, "You are a remarkable woman, Sophia."

Feeling my cheeks flush, I didn't know what to say, since I just did what I had to. So, since we were finished eating, I got up and started clearing the table. Rafe helped, and we had everything cleaned up in no time. I had just finished wiping around the kitchen sink when he came up behind me and boxed me in with his arms, with his hands on the counter on either side of me.

When I turned around, the heated look in his eyes had me shivering right to my toes. His eyes all dark and stormy, he touched his lips to mine, and as I wrapped my arms around his neck, his mouth crashed down on mine, and it was back on. But this kiss was demanding, urgent, scorching hot. There was nothing sweet about it. Digging our hands into each other's hair, fighting to get as close as we could, our hands going everywhere at once, we kissed for what felt like forever, till finally, I pulled back.

Things were heating up so fast that I needed to catch my breath, literally, with how hard we were both panting.

I knew where we were headed, and I wasn't sure if I was ready to take that leap. Though I'd never been this attracted to anyone in my life, I was a little afraid I might be getting in over my head -- especially with a man like him.

I looked into his eyes and told him the truth. "I'm not looking for a fling, Rafe."

"Neither am I." He cupped my face in his hands, and ran his thumb across my bottom lip. "I want way more than just a fling, Sophia." With a gentle brush of his lips against mine, he let go of me and murmured, "But we can take it slow."

Then he grinned and wiggled his eyebrows and my heart leapt wondering what he had in mind.

"You know what I think we should do now?"

I shook my head, not even sure that I wanted to know.

He winked and pointed out the window. "We should look for a movie to watch together, because we won't be going anywhere tonight with that blizzard still raging out there."

I rolled my eyes, and he laughed. And I felt like I could breathe again. Now that I knew we'd be doing something normal like watching a movie and wouldn't be tearing each other's clothes off -- at least I hoped.

He was flipping through the play list on their big screen TV, when he asked, "You ever seen, A Fish Called Wanda?"

"No, I don't think so."

"It's really funny. I think you'll like it."

And he was right. We laughed ourselves silly. It was hilarious. The entire cast was fantastic. But Kevin Kline had me in stitches the way he kept calling everyone, "Asshole!" who drove past him on what he thought was the wrong side of the road in England. And I was so glad Rafe had picked it.

But whenever a scene in the movie was quiet, I was so aware of him sitting beside me with his arm draped behind me and his fingers just barely brushing my shoulder, making me go all tingly, that I could actually hear his every breath, and maybe even the beating of his heart. I just felt so connected to him. Which I knew was crazy, but it seemed like the kids weren't the only ones who'd clicked.

When the movie ended, Riley got up from sitting by our feet and raced over to the sliding glass doors to be let outside.

While Rafe wiped his feet clean once he'd come back in, I made sure that he and Lucy had fresh drinking water, and some dry food in their bowls.

Then it was time for bed.

I led the way upstairs, and I swear I could feel Rafe's gaze burning right into my backside.

And I nearly jumped out of my skin when he said, "Which bedroom do you want?"

"Um. Either of the guestrooms is fine."

"Then how about you take the one facing the yard, so it'll be quieter, and you won't hear the snowplows when they start coming around. And I'll take the room facing the street."

"If you're sure."

He nodded. "I sleep pretty soundly, so I'll be okay."

After he'd put my bags in my room, standing together in the doorway, he slipped his arms around me. With his gaze fixed on mine he dusted a few kisses across my lips and stroked his hand along my jaw, cupping my face in his hand. I could feel my heart pounding like mad, as I looked into his eyes, wondering where this was headed. He smiled against my lips, and then with one last gentle brush of his lips across mine, he whispered, "Night, Sophia."

Then he turned, and he was gone.

I don't know why, I felt a little disappointed that he didn't at least try to charm his way into sleeping with me. But maybe he thought we needed more time. And I knew I should be grateful that he wasn't pushing me into doing anything I wasn't ready for.

Once I got in the room, I smiled when I saw Lucy curled up on the bed, like she'd been waiting for me. She lifted her little head and looked up at me with her big, pale green eyes, wide and curious. And I went over ran a hand over her soft, white and orange mottled coat, and smiled at the way she instantly started to purr. But as I looked across the big empty bed, knowing that Rafe was just across the hallway, I kind of felt torn. I was almost tempted to surprise him and put on a little nightie and head over to join him in his bed.

But I decided I'd better not. We'd have at least a week together to get know each other a little more. And that was probably a good thing, especially with how conflicted I was feeling.

In the morning, the hum of the snow blower in the driveway woke me up. As I blinked myself awake, looking down at Lucy snuggled at my side, I imagined Rafe was out trying to clear away some of the snow. So I got up and got a shower and decided I'd better put on some coffee.

But when I got downstairs, I saw that the coffee maker was full and Rafe must have already done it before he went outside. He was just so thoughtful.

A few minutes later I heard him calling out from the side door, "Come here Riley, and I'll take you for a walk."

I poked my head into the laundry room and he flashed me a smile. "Be careful out there," I said as he put the leash on the dog.

"The plow cleared the street a little, so I thought he could probably use a walk. It's still a little snowy out to go for a run, but at least he'll get some exercise. We won't be long."

About twenty minutes later the two of them came back in through the side door into the laundry room, where Rafe took off his boots and all his outerwear. Of course Riley came up to me wagging his tail like mad with his tongue hanging out, all excited about having gone for a walk.

Now, just in his sock feet, Rafe walked in and started to smile as he approached me in the kitchen. I noticed his cheeks were rosy from the cold, and his hair was tussled and damp. And lordy, did he ever look sexy.

Reaching out he tipped up my chin, and I shivered a little expecting a kiss. But he made me laugh when he just brushed his nose against mine and said, "Cold, huh?"