The Husband Recipe (12 page)

This had to be taken care of before the situation got completely out of hand.

Meredith knew what Lauren saw in her dad. For an old guy, Cole Donovan was handsome. He didn’t have a pot belly and he still had all his hair. His picture was on a baseball card, for goodness’ sake! Meredith remembered going to baseball games, hearing fans scream her father’s name, getting caught up in the excitement when he got a hit or made a great play on the field. She could still hear them chanting “Whip-
lash!
Whip-
lash!
Whip-
lash!
”

But Meredith had to wonder, what did her dad see in Miss Lauren? She wasn’t the prettiest woman in the world. In fact, she was kind of flat-chested and ordinary. She wasn’t at all funny. She didn’t bat her eyelashes at him in adoration. It had to be her cooking. Meredith picked at a piece of celery in the chicken and rice, then she poked her fork at the homemade roll. If she could learn to cook just as well as Miss Lauren, they wouldn’t need her at all.

While the two adults at the table were looking at one another with totally disgusting gooey eyes, Meredith reached out and knocked over Justin’s milk. Since he hadn’t drunk much, the milk splattered and quickly soaked the tablecloth. It pooled around the vase.

“Hey!” Justin shouted, turning an accusing glare to his sister. “Why did you do that?”

“Do what?” Meredith said sweetly, as Miss Lauren jumped up and ran for the paper towels. She’d have a fit over some spilled milk, she’d get angry that her meticulous order had been disrupted, and then everyone would see what she was really like.

It had worked before.

“You knocked over my milk!” Justin shouted.

Meredith shook her head. “It’s okay, Justin, I know you didn’t mean to make a mess. Accidents happen.”

Miss Lauren—who was definitely annoyed and more than a little flustered—started sopping up the milk with a clump of paper towels. Dad helped. Too bad there was a tablecloth to slow the flow. If the glass had fallen over on a bare table the milk would be running onto the floor by now. That would make a real mess and Miss Lauren would be freaking out. Then Dad would see what a basket case she really was.

To Meredith’s dismay, Miss Lauren didn’t yell at Justin. Her annoyance faded quickly, and soon she was smiling again. She even laughed. “Justin, honey, Meredith’s right. Haven’t you ever heard that you shouldn’t cry over spilled milk?”

“But I didn’t spill…” Justin began.

“Justin’s very clumsy,” Meredith interrupted. “He’s always dropping stuff or losing things, or spilling his milk.” She glanced around the very neat kitchen. “Everywhere he goes, he makes a big mess.”

The youngest Donovan child gave Meredith a narrow-eyed glare that made him look like a very small version of their dad. “I do not.”

Hank, who hadn’t even stopped eating, said, “I think I need to make a big batch of my ungrumpy potion.”

“How about chocolate cake instead?” Miss Lauren suggested. “In my experience, no one can eat cake and remain grumpy.”

The thought of chocolate cake soothed even Justin, who had been falsely accused. “I think I’ll need two pieces to get ungrumped.”

Miss Lauren laughed. Dad laughed. And Meredith had the sinking feeling that she was losing this battle.

And losing this battle would mean losing her father.

The boys were in the backyard, chasing fireflies. Cole could see them through the window. Lauren was cleaning up. He’d offered to help but she’d refused, so he stood at the end of the counter and watched her.

Meredith, refusing to leave them alone, sat at the clean kitchen table leafing through several cookbooks.

Lauren was a good woman, a
rare
woman. Chemistry was one thing, but when he felt that chemistry with a woman he actually liked…wouldn’t it be foolish to walk away? Maybe they’d get involved and he’d find out that she wasn’t all she appeared to be. Maybe they’d tire of one another quickly. Maybe whatever he felt wouldn’t last. But damn, he wanted to find out.

He tried to remind himself to take things slowly, but he had a sinking feeling that spectacular plan was going to fly out the window.

The dishwasher was running, and she had the milk-soaked linens in the washing machine. Other dishes were stacked in the sink and the few things she wanted to wash by hand—good lord, why would anyone go to that trouble—had been washed and set aside to dry.

He should go. He didn’t want to go.

“Mer, would you collect the boys and get them in?” he said. “If they don’t start getting baths now they’ll be midnight getting to bed.”

“But I really wanted to look through these…”

“Take them with you,” Lauren said, smiling at the sullen girl. “I’ve probably got two hundred cookbooks. Any kind of cuisine you want to try, I can get you started.”

Meredith stood, snatched up the books and stalked toward the back door. She didn’t say thanks, she didn’t even look back. The door slammed behind her, and they heard her calling her brothers’ names at the top of her lungs.

Cole looked at Meredith. “Sorry.”

She shook her head gently. “No need to apologize. Twelve is a difficult age, as I remember.”

“She spilled the milk on purpose, then tried to blame it on Justin.”

“I know,” she whispered.

They were neighbors who hadn’t known one another nearly long enough to explain away the electricity in the room. They had all the time in the world, and yet it felt as if every minute that passed was a minute wasted. He’d said
slow,
he’d planned
slow.
But this…it was anything but slow.

“If we…do this, it’ll happen again. And worse.” Might as well lay it all out on the table, let Lauren know what she was in for.

She didn’t pretend not to know what he was talking about. “I suspect that’s true.”

Cole moved closer to Lauren. She stood there, waiting for him, tilting her head up to catch his eye. His arms wrapped around her, so easily. She leaned into him and it felt incredible. Amazing. He could stand here for hours, just like this.

He nuzzled Lauren’s neck and breathed deeply. Her scent filled him. She leaned into him, fitting against him as if they’d been made for one another. Height difference aside, the way they fit together was very right. He liked it. She sighed, took a long, deep breath. His body responded to hers and he realized he could
not
stand here for hours just like this.

“I’m going to ask you out on a date,” he whispered.

Lauren hummed deep in her throat, then she whispered, “It’s about time.”

“I’m a little afraid, though.”

“Why?”

“I haven’t dated in a while, but the last few were…”

“Interesting?”

“Disasters.”

She laughed and turned her head. Their lips brushed, met, settled together for a kiss that rocked him to the core. Slow? Uh-uh. Whatever this was, wherever it was going, it was powerful and would not be set aside. Lauren’s lips moved gently, testing him, teasing.

She took her lips from his and whispered, “Let’s not overthink this. If we do we might end up talking ourselves out of something good.”

Was she getting in his head now, or did she have the same nagging doubts he did? “You don’t strike me as a ‘go with the flow’ kinda girl.”

“I’m usually not. For you I’ll make an exception.” She tilted her head, touched her lips to his.

Before the kiss had a chance to grow into more, a sharp crash from next door—too close—interrupted. Hank screamed at his sister. Something about a broken jar of fireflies, as far as he could tell.

“I have to go,” he said, reluctantly stepping away. Lauren nodded, crossed her arms across her midsection and leaned against the sink. “If you ask me on a date,” she said, “I think I’ll say yes and take my chances.”

If he hadn’t already been a goner, that would’ve done it.

Chapter Eight

L
auren had just finished putting away the second load of dishes out of the dishwasher when a tap at the back door made her jump. Seeing Cole standing there beyond the square window, illuminated by the back porch light, made her smile. Inside her heart did a strange flip, and her gut tightened.

She could so easily fall in love with him.

She unlocked and opened the back door. “Is everything all right?”

“The kids are asleep.” His voice was low, as if they were nearby and he was afraid he’d wake them if he spoke too loudly.

“Good.”

He didn’t make a move, not to come inside, not to tell her why he’d come back.

“Did you forget something?” she asked. Yes, she had to look
up,
but it wasn’t so bad. She was content to just stare at him, to take in every feature, to soak it all in while she could. Perfect nose, stunning eyes, sharp, masculine, recently shaven jawline. And oh, the body… Maybe she should take Summer’s advice and invest in some very high heels, just for moments like this one. What would he think if she met him at the door wearing those high heels? And nothing else? “Yeah.” His response was almost a growl, a low rumble that Lauren felt to her bones. “I forgot what it felt like to want something so much I hurt.”

Lauren’s gut clenched. Her heart did something funny and she could barely catch her breath. The timing and the situation were far from ideal. She hadn’t known Cole nearly long enough to feel so strongly about him. His kids were a complication; at least one of them hated her.

But she knew what he meant when he talked about wanting something so badly it hurt. She was also ready and willing to take her own advice and stop overthinking. For the first time in a long while, she wanted to jump without a parachute. Cole made her feel like she could fly.

Lauren stepped back and Cole entered her kitchen. She didn’t even try to fool herself about why he was here. She didn’t offer coffee or cake, didn’t pretend that he was here for conversation or to borrow a cup of sugar. More important, she didn’t suffer a single second thought.

“What about the kids?”

Cole kicked the door shut, never taking his eyes off her as he reached into his back pocket and pulled out the receiving end of a baby monitor. “The other half of this is in the hallway. If anyone gets up, I’ll know it.”

Lauren grinned. “You still have a baby monitor?”

“I use it when one of the kids is sick and I want to know if they wake up in the night.”

“Handy,” Lauren whispered.

“Yes, it is.”

Cole pulled her to him, crushed her body against his and kissed her. Not like the first kiss, which had been tentative and almost sweet. Not like their kiss earlier this evening, which had been interrupted too soon. This was a devouring kiss, a sexual kiss, the beginning of something wonderful. There wasn’t a hint of hesitation in the way he held her, in the way his mouth claimed hers.

He held her body against his so she could feel his erection pressing against her. He wasn’t shy, didn’t try to hide what he wanted. His tongue thrust into her mouth, and her knees started to go weak. She was such a pushover where Cole was concerned….

If he made love to her she was definitely going to fall hard. If they took the next step—who was she kidding, there was no
if
here, no
if
in his kiss or in her response—she was going to be in over her head, drowning. Lost. She’d sworn to herself that she’d never again build her life around a man, and here he was, a man she could very easily give up everything to, and for.

No
if.
It was nice, to simply give up and give in, to surrender to what she’d felt all along. The kiss went on and on, and as it did her world got smaller and smaller. There was nothing but his mouth and hers, the warmth and strength of his arms, the way her body thrummed.

Cole’s fingers, warm and strong, slipped just beneath her waistband. Her heart took a leap, the deep tremble that had begun when she’d seen him standing at her back door intensified. He easily unfastened the button there with a flick of his thumb. Inside, everything melted. Lauren was a goner. She wanted him here and now. On the table, on the floor, against the counter…she didn’t care where, as long as it happened
now.

But a part of her, the cautious part that made sure every segment of her day was planned from beginning to end, insisted that she clear the air. He had to understand where she was coming from. Whatever they felt, it was just some freaky physical attraction. Hormones. Pheromones. She wasn’t out to trap him, the way his kids—Meredith, at least—seemed to think she was. For now, at least, she just wanted him in her bed. Neighbors with benefits.

Because if it was all about the physical and nothing more, he couldn’t break her heart.

“This is just sex, right?” she whispered hoarsely.

Cole’s answer was somewhere between a grunt and a moan. It sounded affirmative to her. That was good enough.

She unfastened the snap at his waistband and slowly lowered the strained zipper of his jeans. That was all it took for him to groan again and lift her off her feet. Lauren wrapped her legs around his waist, bringing them closer together, positioning herself so near to what she craved. They stood like that for a minute, so close but not yet close enough. Another minute and she’d happily have him on the kitchen floor.

“Bedroom,” Cole growled, and Lauren responded by pointing toward the hallway. He carried her there, kissing her throat, her mouth, her earlobe. When they reached the doorway to her bedroom, where a soft night-light lit the way, he glanced toward the bed and moaned. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Is this a test?”

Lauren turned her head to see what he was talking about, then smiled when she imagined how the neatly made bed with the mountain of carefully arranged pillows would look to him. “They’re just pillows.”

“A lot of pillows.” He placed her on her feet near the bedside. “Please tell me they don’t have to be removed carefully and stacked in a certain order or color coded or…”

Lauren turned, grabbed the edge of the comforter, and yanked up hard. Pillows went flying, this way and that. Up, across, onto the floor and to the end of the bed. Another shake, and they were all scattered on the floor. She turned to face him again and smiled up. “All better?”

Cole smiled as he removed her top, pulling it over her head with more than a hint of impatience. He flicked the hook and eye at her spine with nimble fingers and removed her bra, slipping the straps down her arms and tossing the confining garment to the floor. Then he reached back and released her hair from its ponytail, running his fingers through the loosened strands. Slowly, with no more indication of impatience. He even took a moment to rake his thumb across her cheek as if he were literally savoring the feel of her.

He very gently tilted her head to the side, then leaned down to lay his mouth on her throat, there on the curve where shoulder turned to neck. At the same time he cupped one breast in his palm and brushed a thumb over a very sensitive nipple. Lauren shuddered, and suddenly she was the impatient one. She placed her hands on Cole’s waist, held on so she wouldn’t melt to the floor. What was he waiting for? She’d never before been a real fan of the quickie, but then again she’d never been so ready for a man that her entire body trembled in anticipation. Tonight quick would be just fine.

Once again his fingers slipped beneath the waistband of her capris, but this time he pushed them down along with her panties. Thank goodness! She stepped out, and stood before him completely naked, bared to her soul.

Even though she was anxious, Lauren took a deep breath and attempted to grasp some control. After all, a moment like this one should be savored. She didn’t gobble down her dessert, she never read the last page of a mystery to see whodunit before she’d read the entire book, and there was no reason to rush now. Cole wasn’t going anywhere; neither was she. It wasn’t just the destination she was concerned with, it was the ride. And, oh, what a ride this was.

Even though she was normally a modest person, Lauren wasn’t about to dive beneath the covers and hide, not when Cole was still fully dressed—unzipped jeans aside—and she wanted nothing more than to touch his bare skin. Besides, the gentle illumination from the night-light was soft enough to be flattering, and he looked at her as if he very much liked what he saw. She pushed his T-shirt up, her fingers relishing the warmth of his skin on her fingertips. Cole was so hard, he was muscled and tough in a way she would never be, and even though he was obviously as anxious as she was, he allowed her to take her time. He allowed her to trail her fingers softly over his chest, to lean in and lay her lips there as she pushed the shirt up and over his head. He stepped out of his shoes as she pushed his jeans down and off. The sight of him naked made her insides quiver.

He was gorgeous and hard and ready…and hers….

Reality intruded like a splash of ice water. “Oh, tell me you came prepared.” When she’d thought about not overthinking, that hadn’t meant they shouldn’t think
at all.

His voice was raspy as he responded, “Do I not
look
prepared?”

She smiled, touched him, leaned in so her breasts rested against him. He was so warm. Almost hot. “A condom, Cole. Please tell me…”

He squatted and reached into the back pocket of his jeans, pulling out three wrapped condoms. A baby monitor and a three-pack. He was most certainly prepared.

With the condoms in hand he lifted Lauren off her feet and gently tossed her onto the bed, where she bounced softly. He followed, hovering above her, spreading her legs with his knee, pushing her farther back on the bed. He leaned down and kissed her throat, sucking, sending her into overdrive, and then with a grunt he moved away to separate one condom from the others—tossing the remaining two to the bedside table, where they landed beside the baby monitor she hadn’t even noticed him placing there.

He covered himself quickly, then returned to the position above her, close but not close enough. “It’s been a long time for me.”

“For me, too.”

He grinned. “I just don’t want you to have…unrealistic expectations.” Again he kissed her throat, then lowered his warm mouth to her nipples.

Lauren almost came off the bed. Maybe she didn’t have much to brag about in the chest department, but her nipples were very sensitive. If he sucked there too hard she was going to be finished before they began.

She reached down, wrapped her fingers around him and guided him to her. He didn’t need any more encouragement. He took his mouth from her nipple, slid up her body, and—with a little guidance from her—pushed slowly and completely inside her trembling body.

The slow didn’t last, which was good because she didn’t want or need slow right now. She wanted power, force, quick thrusts to bring her quickly to the edge, and over. She came with a moan from deep inside her throat, and Cole came with her. Fast but powerful. Too soon, but also just right.

He blew the top of her head off.

If unwanted thoughts of love teased her muddled brain, for a moment, that was why.

It had never occurred to him that three condoms might not be enough. Cole had actually thought he was being overly optimistic to bring so many. After all, it wasn’t like he could spend the night. The baby monitor would get him by for a short while, but eventually he’d need to go home, to his own bed. And no matter how much he wanted to, he couldn’t ask Lauren to come home with him.