Desire and a Bottle of Merlot: (Like Sisters Series Book 5) Chick Lit: A Romantic Comedy (23 page)

Tarrytown’s biggest party of the season was happening right at that moment with friends, family, and a group of sisters enjoying the beautiful wedding and each other. The calm was interrupted by the distinct sound of motorcycles approaching. The roar was out of place for the normally quiet, residential street. The band had taken a short break and there were few sounds other than the voices of guests mingling, so the rumble of Harleys nearing the Victorian made everyone stop and look pensively around the deck toward the street.

Sasha screamed with delight, calling the girls over to see who was coming down her driveway. “It’s Bubba, Tony, and the gang,” she yelled as if that would give anyone else a sense of comfort.

The men climbed off their Harleys, ten in all, and strolled to the back of the house. The girls confidently approached these questionable-looking characters, with chaps and braided beards, that even Max was hesitant to talk to. They hugged the burly bunch, laughing and jawing with them, while Karen and Vic ran to grab a bunch of beers to pass around. Tina was shocked to see Bobby Mack in the crowd of rough riders until she remembered Bobby and Bubba were brothers. She gave Bobby an extra tight hug and then noticed a look of alarm on Dan’s face.

“Okay, enough suspense everyone. No worries here, these boys are our BFFs—biker friends forever,” Sasha stated proudly. “They own the coolest tattoo parlor in White Plains, called Tony’s Tats and Trim. All of us women are permanently inked by this fun bunch of dudes, so welcome guys, and enjoy the party with us.”

Relief swept across the faces of the well-dressed, nervous guests as they let out their breath, especially when Alina gave Bubba a welcoming hug and joked about the day the women entered the tattoo parlor looking scared to death. Mia took dozens of pictures of the bridesmaids embracing this group of grungy guys, with Alina hugging Bubba, sitting dead center in the mix.

The band played classic rock, and couples danced until late into the evening. New friendships were formed between businessmen and bikers. Waiters in white tuxes buzzed around, carrying large silver trays of Merlot, champagne, beer, soft drinks, and appetizers until the crowd finally thinned out at midnight, and the echo of motorcycles could be heard until their distant hum faded into the darkness.

Josh and Sasha spent their first night together as husband and wife in the Victorian, and J. J. snuggled up with Kismet in his very own room.

Tina invited Dan to her house for a nightcap, or a cup of coffee—his choice. He opted for coffee since he still had to drive home. “You know, in two days I’ll be moving to Tarrytown. I’m really excited about living closer to you, Tina. I’m feeling good about us. Tell me what you want. What do you desire for your life?”

“That’s a pretty deep question coming from a guy.”

Dan laughed as he playfully twisted the ends of Tina’s hair. “I still have to get used to this crazy reverse golden sombré look you’ve got going on. Anyway, yeah… sometimes I can get deep. That comes from having two sisters and a really intuitive mom, I guess. So, back to my question: what is your heart’s desire? What does Tina Lawrence want for her life?”

A flush covered Tina’s face.
Too much wine, damn it.
She felt the heat climbing up the back of her neck and circling around to her cheeks. “Are we being absolutely serious right now? You really want me to tell you what’s in my heart?”

“Yes, I really do.” He kissed her hand, then held it in his lap.

“I didn’t know what I wanted until I met you. Somehow, getting to know you woke me up. Maybe going to the expo helped a little, too. I’ve suppressed everything for years. My own personal feelings were shoved under the rug out of anger I had toward a man. I didn’t let myself feel anything for anybody other than Mia and Vic until I met Sasha and Karen. All of those girls have been my saving grace, and I love them dearly. But it’s time to feel more than womanly love. The girls are coupling up, and I guess my own singleness began to stand out. Before, when we were all single, except Mia, it didn’t matter at all. Nobody noticed. I’ll admit that when I saw you the first time, when we banged into each other at Amelia’s, I was interested. I wanted you, but I had no idea who you were until I saw you again at Sasha’s house. You know the rest of that story.” She laughed. “What I desire is to be happy, to be loved, and to have a relationship just like everyone else does. I think I’m lovable enough—I just need to let my guard down. You can help me with that if you want to.”

“Tina, there’s nothing I would like more.” Dan pulled Tina in closer and put his arm around her.

“Seeing the love Sasha, Mia, Vic, and now Karen have for the wonderful guys in their lives makes me want that, too. They’re all so blessed now, but none of their relationships started out easy. They all had hurdles to jump over and some heartbreak along the way. It shows me even more clearly how anyone can conquer their fears and anger if they really want to. I’m thirty-three”—she glanced at him, her eyes twinkling—“almost thirty-four, and I’d like to be in a serious relationship and get married someday. I guess we’re all a little slower than Sasha when it comes to that, but only having Claire, or Kismet, to snuggle with is not quite what I had in mind… at least not anymore.”

“I’m glad you said that. I think we’re on the same page. We’ll learn more about each other as time goes on. I don’t want to rush you into anything.”

“What if I want you to?” Tina set her coffee cup down, still wearing the peach-colored bridesmaid dress, and straddled Dan’s lap. He wore the suit and tie from the wedding, looking hotter than any man had a right to. Tina leaned in and kissed him deeply, searching his mouth with her steaming tongue. She tugged on his bottom lip, pulling it with her teeth in a teasing way. Dan took Tina’s face in his hands, kissing her neck, throat, and bare shoulders. She kicked off her heels and lay back on the couch against the leopard-print throw pillows. Dan stood, removed his suit jacket and gave Tina a questioning look as if to ask what she wanted to do.

Come here and make love to me, right now, on the couch. I want you so much, Dan. You’re all I think of.”

“You’re sure?”

“I’m sure.”

The rest of the night was a dream come true for Tina. She hadn’t made love with any man for years. Dan was real—no skeletons in the closet, no hidden girlfriends, no lies to cover up. He wanted Tina as much as she wanted him. They made primal love on the couch, then real love in the bedroom—slow, passionate, caring love that would only get better with time. They lay under the blankets, spent with perspiration, exhausted from the late night, and fell asleep in each other’s arms.

Tina began to stir. The bright light shining through her window seemed wrong. She rolled over and squinted, trying to focus. Her eyes didn’t work yet, but her brain did.
The sun is never on this side of the house until noon.
Rolling over again and rubbing the sleep-caked makeup out of her eyes helped. She reached for her cell on the nightstand and checked the time. “What the hell?” she screeched, waking Dan.

“Morning, Tina.” An enormous grin spread across his face while something else enormous was waking up under the blankets. Dan yawned, stretched, and reached for Tina’s face. He kissed her cheek and snuggled tightly against her.

“All right, mister, I’ve got to get up. It’s almost twelve thirty. There’s no time for hanky-panky.”

“As in the noon kind of twelve thirty?”

“Um, yeah… that one. It is light outside, goofball. Sasha and Mia’s gift-opening party starts in an hour. I’ve got to shower and get dressed. Are you coming with me?”

“Am I invited?” He moaned and rolled over, his tight white derriere peeking out from under the blankets. The rest of his body sported a deep bronze tan that made Tina’s heart thump triple-time in her chest.

She wanted nothing more than to climb back in bed and jump his bones, but she’d made promises that she had no intention of breaking. “Yes, you’re invited, but I have to shower, and you, Mr. Hot Stuff, have to make the coffee.” Tina grabbed her robe from the foot of the bed and dashed off to the master bathroom. She swore as she got in the shower, and through the half opened door, she heard Dan laughing.

They arrived at the Victorian just as everyone found a seat to watch the gift opening. With the volume of presents for both couples, this was destined to be an all-day event. Tina was thankful for more coffee and appetizers since the only thing she’d had to eat was a dry piece of raisin bread, torn in half and shared with Dan as he drove.

Gradually, the guys found their way out to the deck to enjoy a few beers together, leaving the gifts and the oohs and aahs to the women.

“So, what time can you make it to the realty office?” Josh asked. “I’m available all day tomorrow.”

The closing would be held at Redmond Brothers Realty rather than at a bank. Josh and Jake regularly held closings in their conference room, making it more convenient and more casual for buyers. This transaction would be a no-brainer. Dan already had his tools in the garage and had bought quite a bit of Josh’s furniture. There were only a few pieces of furniture and his clothing left to move into the house, and he could do all of that at once by using his work van.

“How about eleven o’clock? Would that work for you? I have an appointment at nine to put a few new outlets in the house next door to my folks.” Dan walked around the deck, handing out a second round of beers to the guys.

“Yeah, eleven o’clock is fine. Actually, the timing for the closing couldn’t have worked out better since we’re leaving for our honeymoon on Wednesday. Sasha has a checkup with her doctor Tuesday afternoon, plus he has to give her clearance to fly. We’ll be gone for ten days of wedded bliss.” Josh sighed. “It will be nice to relax and unwind.”

“Amen to that. I’m with you, man,” Aaron chimed in. “I have a feeling we’re going to do more touring than relaxing, though.” He kicked his legs up on one of the vacant chairs that hadn’t been picked up yet by the caterers. “No matter what, we’re going to have a blast.”

Dan strolled into Hair Brained at eleven fifty-five on Monday. Tina looked up as she swept the hair off the floor from Molly Brent’s new, super-short cut. Molly had donated her waist-long ponytail to Locks of Love with Hair Brained matching the donation in cash.

A smile crossed Tina’s face as she motioned for Dan to come over. “Hey, handsome, what’s up?”

Dan looked around to make sure nobody was watching before he planted a quick kiss on Tina’s lips.

“I saw that,” Vic yelled out from the back room.

Tina blushed.

“I guess I’m busted… sorry. I was wondering if you were free for lunch. I’d love to treat you to something at
my
house,” he said proudly.

“I bet you would.” Tina smirked as she put away the broom and dustpan. “So, the closing is over?”

“Yep. I’m now legally a Tarrytown resident. How about it? Are you free?”

“Sure am. I’ll be ready in a second.” Tina tidied her work station in advance, knowing she’d have a one thirty appointment with Mrs. Lenz for her cotton-candy-color touch-up and a perm. Tina waved to Vic as they walked out of Hair Brained, promising to be back by one fifteen. Dan held her hand, helping her climb into the large work van, and they sped away.

“I swear this won’t be our norm,” he joked as he ran into Amelia’s to pick up the order he’d called in earlier. “I just don’t want to waste one minute of time with you.” They arrived at Dan’s new home, which still looked an awful lot like it had when it belonged to Josh.

“Did you buy everything? It’s like a turnkey house, fully furnished down to the dishes.” Tina laughed as she put her arms around Dan’s neck and kissed him. “I could get used to this.”

“That’s the plan. We even have a kitchen table to eat lunch at. Pretty convenient, huh?” Dan set the table with plates and silverware Josh had left behind. Tina recognized the glasses from the day she’d been there, soaking wet with a limp foot, looking like an Afghan hound. Dan had handed her a glass of water, with one of those glasses, and four aspirin, and they’d kissed for the first time.

“I’ll help you put your own signature on this place. It doesn’t have to look like Josh’s stuff. We’ll work on it together. Okay, let’s eat, I’m anxious to see what you bought for lunch.”

Dan pulled out a Caesar chicken wrap, a turkey club sandwich on whole-wheat bread, and two orders of waffle fries.

“I’m impressed. I like everything you picked out. I think we’re going to do just fine. Do you have a preference?”

“Are we talking about the sandwiches?” he joked as he reached for the turkey club. “This will work for me. How long does it take you to eat?”

“You’re insatiable, Dan Mason. Do you have any ketchup in that fridge?”

“Good question. I have no idea if there’s anything in there or not.” Dan opened the refrigerator and grinned. “Gotta love that Josh. He sure makes things easy on me.” He shook the plastic ketchup bottle several times over the sink and opened it to squirt out the water before handing it to Tina. “Here you go, babe. Ketchup at your service.”

Dan checked his watch. Tina hadn’t even swallowed the last bite of food when he grabbed her hand, begging her to join him in the bedroom.

“Seriously? I haven’t even finished my fries,” she pleaded. Tina happily ran down the hall and jumped on the bed anyway as she licked the salt off her fingers.

“You can finish your fries while I’m driving you back to the salon. I’ve been thinking of you ever since Sunday morning when I woke up next to you. I was ready to make love to you all day long.”

“Okay, stop talking and do it, then. You’ve got twenty minutes.” Tina ripped off her clothes and watched eagerly as Dan did the same.

Sasha’s doctor’s appointment was at two o’clock. Mia joined her since Josh had a house showing at two thirty. They happily talked about leaving for France the next day. Sasha described the chateau and grounds to Mia as they waited. It had nine bedrooms, and each one overlooked the vineyards that surrounded the estate, set high on a hill. It sounded glorious.