McKnight in Shining Armor (20 page)

“I hurt you. Can you forgive me?”

She would have forgiven him anything; she loved him so much. “You’re forgiven,” she murmured, wondering if this meant they could salvage some part of the relationship they had torn to shreds. There was only one way to find out. “I
wanted to tell you this on Friday, but… I was wrong, too, Alec. I didn’t trust you enough to let go of my safety net of responsibilities. You were right, I am a coward. I hurt you. Can you forgive me?”

“I already have,” he said, holding her gaze with his.

Kelsie was shaking inside and out. She was sure she saw love in his eyes. If she was wrong, she was going to fall hard, but it couldn’t be any worse than what she’d gone through since they’d broken up. And if she was right… “Do you think we can start over?”

She thought she’d die when he shook his head, but then his arms were around her and he said, “I was hoping we could just pick up where we left off.”

The kiss was like waking up safe and warm after a bad dream. Alec pulled her close, her nearness feeding his strength. Kelsie wrapped her arms around his neck. Her stomach fluttered as her knees buckled and her world suddenly tilted. Not even thinking of breaking contact with her mouth, Alec carried her to the couch and lowered her feet to the floor.

There were still things that needed to be said. They both knew it. But for the moment each of them needed the soothing reassurance of physical contact, physical love, to confirm what was in their hearts.

He pulled her sweater off over her head, barely breaking the rhythm of her fingers as she unbuttoned the red jacket of his costume, which joined her sweater on the floor. His skin was remarkably warm as her hands caressed his chest. His tongue found the shallow cup of her ear and dipped inside to tease her.

“Ever fantasize about making it with Santa?” he asked in his satiny voice.

“Too kinky, Alec,” she said, nipping at his collarbone.

He chuckled wickedly. “You think so? How about with one of Santa’s helpers?”

Kelsie giggled, then gasped as his hands found her breasts. He cupped them together, bent and pressed a kiss to each before letting his fingers roam to the drawstring of her sweat pants.

“I love these things,” he said, plucking at the bow. “They’re so easy to get into.” A groan rose
up from deep in his throat when he slid his hands inside the soft fabric to cup her bottom. “And do you know what it does to me when I find out you aren’t wearing any panties? It drives me wild.”

“They’re like pajamas to me,” she explained breathlessly. “I don’t see any need to—”

“I wasn’t complaining.”

“Oh. Ohhhh… Alec, you’re so naughty.”

“Yeah, but I doctored Santa’s list, so I’m still getting presents.”

The sweat pants dropped to the floor, joining the sweater and jacket. Kelsie raised up on tiptoe, her mouth seeking and finding his. She kissed him as deeply as she knew how, her tongue sliding in to caress his mouth as his hand slid over the silky curve of her hip.

A wolf whistle sounded from the far corner of the dining room. “Love me, baby. Love me, baby. Love me, baby.”

Their groans were a duet of mutual frustration.

“Have you given any serious consideration to baking that bird for Christmas dinner?” Alec asked as Kelsie grabbed up his red Santa jacket and slipped it on.

“What kind of stuffing do you prefer?”

“Oyster,” he said, admiring the way the jacket barely covered her bottom as she went to the parrot’s cage and dropped the cloth cover over it. When she came back to him, he wrapped his arms around her lightly and said, “Anyone can see we belong together.”

“You think so?” she asked, feeling pleasantly lightheaded. She traced the arc of his smile with her fingertip.

“Oh, yes. We’re
well suited
,” he said, tugging at the white fur trim of the jacket.

She barely had time to groan and roll her eyes before he pulled her down on top of him on the couch.

“I believe we have some unfinished business with this piece of furniture,” he said, vividly recalling the night he had taken Jeffrey to the hockey game and how he and Kelsie had played on the couch afterward until they were interrupted.

“Mmm, yes, I—ouch! What have you got in this jacket pocket?” she asked, arching up to save herself from getting jabbed again.

“Pocket? Oh! I almost forgot.” He dug into the
pocket and produced two small gift-wrapped packages. “Two more early Christmas presents for you. Open this one first.”

They sat up side by side, and Alec watched and held his breath as Kelsie unwrapped a diamond and sapphire engagement ring.

“I figured this would solve a few of our scheduling problems,” he said softly as she stared at the ring in open-mouthed shock.

“Alec,” she said. “I don’t know what to say.”

“There you go again, letting me know your weaknesses. Say yes. That’s what I want to hear.”

“Are you sure?” she asked, looking deep into his eyes for her answer. “You know it’s not just me you’ll be marrying, Alec. Jeffrey and Elizabeth—”

“I think Jeffrey and Elizabeth are terrific kids.”

“And the dog and the rabbits and the fish and the parrot and the cats?”

“I really like Jeffrey and Elizabeth.” He broke into a grin at her look of disappointment because he hadn’t included her pets in his statement. “Honey, I don’t care if I have to adopt the whole damn Minnesota Zoo. I love you. And if this last
week has been a preview of what my life would be like without you, I know I couldn’t stand it.”

Tears spilled over the rim of Kelsie’s lashes and caught on the corners of her smile. “I love you too.”

Tenderly Alec brushed the crystal drops away. “Think you can stand being married to a neat freak who wants to spend all his spare time with his arms around you?”

She tried to laugh and nodded her head, wiping away more tears. Alec leaned over and pressed a kiss to her trembling lips.

“Open your other present,” he ordered.

Kelsie slipped her ring on first. It was a tad large, but that hardly spoiled the moment. Then she carefully untaped the wrapping on the small flat box. Inside, on a bed of white satin was an expensive-looking gold pen.

“A pen. You romantic devil. This sure tops the engagement ring,” she said dryly. “It’s lovely, Alec, but I’m not sure I understand the significance.”

He traced a finger over the eyebrows he found so sexy. “Friday you left a calendar at the studio for me. Whether you meant to leave it or not,
after what happened, I don’t know. Inside the cover you wrote that it would remain blank until I filled it in.”

He lifted the pen and tapped it against the end of her upturned nose. “I thought it would be a better idea if we filled it in together. That way we can both make time for what’s important. Sometimes it’ll be work. Sometimes it’ll be the kids.” He smiled. “Sometimes it might even be the Humane Society. All are important, but in our hearts we’ll know we will always take time for each other—starting with a honeymoon,” he added with a devilish grin.

Kelsie laughed and agreed.

In unison they said,
“That’s
what’s
really
important!”

They shared a kiss, a kiss full of promise.

“Merry Christmas, sweetheart,” he whispered, holding her close.

As Alec drew her back down on the couch with him, Kelsie murmured against his lips, “You make a good knight in shining armor, Mr. McKnight, but you’re also a great Santa.”

Alec gave her a wily smile and pinched her bottom. “Ho ho ho.”