Finally, I saw her. It wasn't until I pulled right up next to her that I realized she looked tired, and not just the kind of tired that came with a long day of travel. She looked...worn. The sort of bone-deep weariness that left lines etched on her face. Lines that hadn't been there earlier this week.
She shouldn't have changed so much in such a short period of time.
I opened my door and called her name. She looked up, her eyes wide as if I'd startled her. She grabbed her bag and came over to the car. I waited until we were heading back out of the airport before speaking.
“How was your flight?” I gave her a quick glance.
“Fine.” She glanced in the visor mirror and swore. “Mom and Dad will have a field day if I show up looking like this.”
She began to rummage through her purse.
“Are you okay?” I asked. “Did something happen over the last couple days?”
There was only the slightest hesitation before she shook her head. If I hadn't spent the last five months with her, I probably wouldn't have seen it. I also knew her well enough to know that she wouldn’t tell me anything at the moment.
“Just the usual craziness of work,” she said. “And some nerves about being here.” She gave me a tight smile. “How're things going?”
I shrugged. “You know how Mom and Dad are. Asking questions about how things are going, then twisting it around so that it's all about RJ and Abbie.”
Juliette sighed. “Nice to know that some things haven't changed.”
“Abbie's looking good,” I offered. “Two more months and the baby'll be here.”
“Do they know what they're having?”
I shook my head. “They want to be surprised.”
Juliette gave a sharp, brittle little laugh. “Most people would want to be prepared, you'd think.”
“They did the nursery in sea foam green,” I said. I was getting some weird vibes from her, but I didn't ask. If she wanted me to know, she'd tell me when she was ready.
“Mom and Dad must be thrilled that they're finally going to be grandparents,” Juliette said as she finished touching up her make-up.
“They are,” I said. “Hasn't stopped them from asking when I plan to finally settle down and have kids, so be prepared.”
Juliette turned to look out the window. “How's Cross handling all of it?”
“He's pretty much ignored most of it and been his usual charming self.” Cross was a safe subject. “They haven't exactly said whether they like him or not, but at least their jabs have been at me. Then again, it's not like they could really find much to complain about with him. He's gorgeous, rich, and intelligent.”
“You've got it bad,” Juliette teased.
When I glanced at her this time, she still looked pale, and I could tell there was still something wrong, but I'd respect her clear desire not to talk about it. For the rest of the drive back to the house, we made small talk about work, about things around the apartment, a new restaurant that was opening up and whether or not we thought they'd cater enough to be competition. By the time I parked the car in the driveway, she seemed more like herself again, and I felt a bit better about the holiday going smoothly.
“Did Juliette seem off to you tonight?” I asked Cross as I settled next to him. “I mean, I knew things would be tense between her and our parents, but it felt like more than that.”
He wrapped his arm around my waist as he pulled me back against him. He pressed his lips to my temple. “Think maybe she could just be airsick? I mean, she didn't eat much at dinner, did she?”
I thought for a moment and shook my head. “She didn't, and I know she loves Mom's spaghetti. I just hope she's not coming down with something. We have a couple clients coming in for meetings next week, and they specifically asked to meet with both of us.”
“I hope you don't have any plans for the first day we're back.” His hand slid up to cup my breast over my nightshirt. “Because I have plans for us both.”
I glanced over my shoulder at him, arousal tightening things low inside me. “Oh really? And what might those plans be?”
“I haven't narrowed down all the specifics,” he said, keeping his tone light, conversational. “So many options. Maybe I'll take you in every room, starting with fucking you up against the front door.”
I shivered.
“Then maybe we'll move to the couch. Bend you over and take you from behind.”
I liked the sound of that, and judging by the erection I could feel pressing against my ass, he liked it too.
“What next?” I asked.
“How about a round in the shower?” His fingers found my nipple. “Bodies slick and wet. Then the playroom. I think I'll tie you up, play with you a bit.”
“Yes, please,” I whispered. “Then what?”
“What do you want me to do, Hanna?” He scraped his teeth over the top of my ear. “Do you want me to fuck your ass? Your cunt? Do you want me to take you so hard that you'll feel it the next day? Spank you until it hurts to sit down?”
I growled in frustration. “Dammit, Cross. How am I ever supposed to get to sleep tonight when all I can think about is hot, kinky sex with you?”
“If it makes you feel any better, I've got a serious case of blue balls.”
We both laughed, but I couldn't deny that it was a sound more of frustration than any real humor. My parents knew that Cross and I had sex. They were letting us stay in the same room. But I still couldn't bring myself to actually do anything more than cuddle and talk. No matter how badly I wanted it.
“The day we get back,” I promised, “you and me, in bed all day.”
“Sounds good to me,” he said as his arms tightened around me.
Chapter Five
Cross
As the only child of two only children, holidays hadn't been about big family celebrations. We usually spend Thanksgivings at a local soup kitchen, and then went home to have our own meal before decorating the house for Christmas. Other families in our social circle hired people to come in and decorate for them, but doing it ourselves had been a tradition for as long as I could remember. We had similar traditions for other holidays too. None of them included large family gatherings.
So, when I woke on Thanksgiving morning to the smell of all sorts of wonderful things cooking, I knew I was in foreign territory. While there were only seven of us, the house somehow seemed fuller than it had before. A parade was on the television, and everyone seemed to be talking and doing stuff. Getting the meal ready. Snitching food here and there. Laughing and joking, talking about old traditions and family stories.
I heard about how, on Thanksgivings in the past, Mr. Breckenridge and the kids would play a few rounds of football before the meal and the games. They talked about a time when Mrs. Breckenridge had forgotten to get the instant mashed potatoes that everybody liked, and ended up driving to a store thirty minutes away to find them. RJ and Abbie told the story about their first Thanksgiving as a married couple and how they'd accidentally gotten things mixed up between when they were supposed to be eating with Abbie's family, so they ended up eating two meals just so no one would be upset.