Gwen stroked Chris’s thick bicep. “I felt terrible. I shudder when I think how close I came to really hurting you. I may be little but—”
“You pack a mean punch. I know,” Chris murmured as she stroked his brow where the red bump was located. “Julián warned me not to do that. It’s just habit. Or at least it was.”
“It’s from years of fending for myself.”
“I’m glad you know how to defend yourself,” Chris murmured as he smiled down at her. The warmth in his gaze was like a physical caress down her torso.
Teresa said, “Boys, go see if Daddy needs help.” The boys obediently scooted from the room as Joaquin and Teresa followed after them.
Julián and Chris took advantage of that moment to move in close on either side of her.
“Having a Merry Christmas?” Julián asked as he kissed her jaw. His dark, dark eyes promised all sorts of hedonistic delights, and heat simmered inside her as she was held in his gaze.
“Yes. It’s wonderful.” And that was the truth. The pall that usually hung over Christmas day wasn’t nearly as heavy as usual.
He replied, “I wish I had that gift that’s probably sitting in your post office box so you could open it right now.”
Chris chuckled as he stroked her hips. “That would be something, wouldn’t it? I’ll bet she’s gonna love it.”
“Any hints for me?” She turned to look up at Chris. He grinned at her as he bent down, drew her close, and blew a raspberry on her neck, making her giggle as a tickling shiver raced through her whole body. He might have surprised her earlier in the morning, and gotten more than he’d bargained for, but her whole body responded more than willingly to him when he played with her like that.
“No hints. You’ll just have to wait.”
“This has been such a great morning and I wish I had given you something to remember me by after I’m gone.”
Shadows crossed both their gazes, at the reminder, and then tenderness filled Julián’s voice, matching Chris’s eyes, as he said, “You already did, Gwen. Trust me. Trust us. You already did.” She ached for them. There was no way to avoid it.
And her heart would break in March when she left. There was no avoiding that either.
Chapter Eleven
The day after Christmas, Gwen sat on the tailgate of her old truck, waiting while Wilbur Wilson called through her list of references. She hoped everyone she’d listed for him on her resume was available to take a call. Otherwise she was up a creek. From her spot on her tailgate, she looked around at Mr. Wilson’s ranch.
At one hundred acres, it was a nice size, with cross-fenced pastures and a large stock tank a short distance from the barn. There was a nice deck and a floating dock, which led Gwen to believe that Mr. Wilson’s family had spent time down there fishing and swimming. The well-maintained ranch house and outbuildings were located on a hill so the view of the surrounding acreage was fantastic.
According to Mr. Wilson, what remained of his herd had been moved into two of the fenced pastures at the rear of the house, near the barn, to make them easier to feed and care for. He had one horse, which she had yet to see. The ranch was big for one person to handle, but given the reduced size of his herd, she could easily manage it and have time left for working with his horse. She could handle this job.
Before Christmas, this opportunity had seemed like a good thing coming out of something bad. Serendipitous. A solution for what she’d do with herself for the next two months. Now, if she got the job it would be an answer to prayer. She didn’t want to leave Divine just yet.
No. Be honest. You don’t want to leave those two men who have double-teamed your heart.
In response, her heart lurched in her chest at the thought of them. Between Julián’s sweet wooing and Chris’s playful combination of teasing and tenderness, she was their willing lover.
After supper the night before, they’d lit candles in the bathroom and filled their tub with frothy bubbles for her. She’d soaked for a while and then they’d bathed her themselves, arousing her to a fever pitch of wanting in the process. Once he was done drying her, Chris had carried her into the bedroom where she’d discovered they’d also lit candles around the room. Late into the night, they’d loved her, talked, and made love to her some more until they’d all finally fallen asleep curled together.
That morning, after realizing in their zeal they’d gotten her a little sore, they hadn’t made love to her again. She’d been partly relieved and partly regretful. They were both wonderful lovers, unique in their approach, and very caring in their own way.