Thanksgiving
Brian wanted to kiss Karen so badly.
As he perused the food options, Brian fought to keep his mind off Karen’s soft-looking, inviting lips.
He’d told her this evening wasn’t a date, but it sure felt like it as he carefully chose each part of the meal and selected their alcohol options.
He imagined Karen dressing up a bit for their dinner like she would if she was actually going on a date. Wait, did she have a boyfriend? He shook his head, feeling silly at the sudden nonsensical thought.
She didn’t have one when she first agreed to work with him, and there was no way she could’ve gotten one without him knowing—wouldn’t she be spending Thanksgiving with this mystery dude instead?
So no, as beautiful and sweet as Karen was, she still didn’t have a boyfriend after all this time. How could she? She was stuck watching his kid most days, confined to one of their homes. Why was he even thinking about this anyway?
Because you feel bad about intruding on her life? Because you think you might be standing in her way?
No, he answered himself. If she didn’t want to do what she was doing, she’d quit—simple as that. Or find a workaround.
Finally, as he selected the stuffing, he admitted to himself what was really going on—he was glad Karen was kept from view, in a way; he was happy she was mostly his.
He liked having her in his life, and it wasn’t just the convenience of having help with his surprise daughter when he needed it most.
He had grown attached to Karen beyond their arrangement, and he knew she couldn’t be with them forever, so he had blinded himself to the plain, obvious truth that he wanted far more from her than what she was already giving him so generously.
He wanted to claim her, keep her in his life somehow.
He knew it wasn’t a good idea to take things further between them—not when everything was so uncertain, but he couldn’t help it—he wanted her. And not just to bury himself between her legs.
He had grown used to her presence—the way she imprinted herself on the room, her delicate vanilla scent, the way her smiles always seemed reluctant. The hope in her brown eyes.
He wondered what she was hoping for, what she really wanted. Sure, they’d talked about some of their desires and dreams, but he sensed she wanted more than she’d told him, and he wanted a chance to help provide it.
He wanted more opportunities to hear her voice, share some of his life experiences with her—whether it was trying out a new restaurant, walking through a park or museum, or hiking Mt. Rainier.
He wanted to spend the night with her, wake up with her soft, warm body next to his, surprise her with omelets made with leftovers from tonight—the best omelet she’d probably ever have.
But it was a bad idea to upset the delicate balance they had—one wrong move and it wasn’t just the two of them who’d have to deal with the consequences.
He needed to do what was best for his baby, and wasn’t that staying on warm, neutral terms with her temporary caretaker?
Once Karen disappeared from their lives in a month or so—whenever she stumbled on a new job she liked and her housesitting stint was over—the baby was still young enough that, although she’d probably be upset at the sudden absence, the memory of her first mom would disappear.
What the hell are you gonna do then, Brian?
He shook his head again. He couldn’t think about that now—he had to focus on the present and be grateful for what he had right now.
Wasn’t that what the whole holiday was about?
When they finished arranging everything, the spread looked amazing, and it was definitely too much for just the two of them.
Karen looked just as he’d hoped—as if she’d dressed for a date—wearing an upscale blouse and black pants instead of the jeans, T-shirt, and sneaker combo he normally saw her in outside of her job interview days.
He liked thinking she had dressed up for him, despite figuring it was mainly for the occasion—a way of differentiating the holiday event from any other; lots of people stepped up their wardrobe game for the holidays.
Her dark hair fell over her shoulders in soft-looking waves, and she was wearing more makeup than usual—although he was never sure she was wearing any when he saw her in the mornings and when she left to go home.
Tonight though, it was clear she had lined her eyes, her eyelashes stood out more, and her lips were tinted red.
She hadn’t gone overboard, but her beauty was enhanced, and looking the way she did, all soft and pretty and smelling good in this quiet moment carved out for just the two of them, Brian felt a number of stirrings—both in his chest and in his groin.
It definitely felt like a date.
Nervousness and excitement filled him, but he was mostly content, happy Karen had agreed to spend the holiday with him and to be in his life from the get-go.
His emotions took a dive as he remembered that at some point, he’d have to let her go.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Oh, nothing. Just that—you look really beautiful, that’s all.”
She smiled but her eyes had an intelligent look as if she’d guessed what had temporarily sent him down in the dumps.
Did she feel the same? Was she dreading the moment she finally got to peace out, or was she impatient to get to that point, ecstatic to leave him and his baggage behind?
Karen took an audible breath, her eyes darting around at the dishes, and then she said, “I figure—and I know this is corny—but I think we should…”
“You’re not going to ask me to pray, are you?”
“No, I just…I figured in the spirit of…you know, ‘thanksgiving,’ we could each sort of say something we’re thankful for.” She shrugged casually, avoiding his eyes.
“Okay,” he said lightly.
She looked up and seemed relieved to see his face, though he was fighting back a smile and losing.
“As luck would have it, I have quite a few things to be thankful for lately—some unexpected gifts. But you go first since it’s your suggestion. And I’m chivalrous, obviously.”
She flashed him a grin. “Okay, I’m grateful for…gosh, so many things. I’m grateful for the chance to meet and take care of Isabelle, I’m thankful she’ll probably be out for a solid four hours or so. Yup, I’m definitely happy about that—the increase from two- or three-hour naps, to four or five hours.”
“Here, here,” Brian said raising and tipping his glass toward her.
She smiled at him. “In all seriousness, I’m grateful for what the three of us have right now. Working together. It almost feels like…”
Brian’s heartbeat pounded in his ear.
“We have a well-oiled machine going,” Karen said instead of what he figured she meant to say. “I was feeling sort of aimless till you guys showed up. I’m overjoyed to have something to do—something so fulfilling. It’s truly my pleasure to be there for you and your precious daughter; I’m grateful you invited me into your life in this way, and I’m definitely thankful for this delightful, store-bought dinner with you. Your turn.”
“Well, I’m thankful for my daughter, obviously—although the jury’s still out on whether the whole’s thing’s a blessing or not…” Karen gave him a look with a cocked eyebrow and he chuckled. “And you, Karen—having you around to help me deal with all of these unexpected things—I’m grateful you showed up when you did, that you were here when my baby got dropped off. I shudder to think what could’ve happened to her had you not been housesitting, that she could’ve remained there alone and cold all night. That she could’ve perished from exposure. Her mom might’ve gotten the wrong house, but somehow, it turned out to be the right one, because I don’t know what I would have done if I’d been the one to find her instead. You helped me figure out she was mine when it might not have crossed my mind otherwise, and I would’ve unknowingly turned her over to the system. So I’m thankful you were at the right place at the right time. And to think my luck didn’t stop there—to think you’ve been able to help me care for her since… Thank you for everything you’ve done, Karen; I honestly don’t know what I would’ve done without you.”
Karen exhaled a strange sound, like a choked cry that he almost thought was the baby’s. “That was...lovely,” she said.
She was staring down at the table, not looking at anything in particular. She seemed to be avoiding his eyes.
He let a few silent moments pass, then said, “Time to dig in!”
Once he started, she followed his lead. They were chowing down in no time, the previous heaviness in the air dissipated.
“This is pretty good—seriously,” Karen said brightly a few minutes later. “I think I’ve sorted out how to do this from now on. Why bother wasting time making it at home? Who enjoys that sort of uncertainty and effort?”
“I don’t know—weirdos,” he replied, grinning at her and trying not to think about how much he wanted them to do the same thing next year—together.
“Since you provided the food, I suppose it’s only fair that I put away the leftovers and the dishes,” Karen said.
“Oh, is that how it works?”
“In my home, yes! Well, my mom’s home. At some point, if we wanted her to make things we liked, we had to promise to do the dishes. Eventually, I totally got it—the person who did all the hard work of cooking shouldn’t also have to do all the cleanup. What would be the incentive to cook? Might as well just order delivery and have bags and disposables instead.”
“So that’s how you’ll be running your own home?”
“Definitely. By the time the kids are twelve or so, handle those dishes, tweens!”
“So you definitely still want kids. Plural too, I noticed.”
“Oh, definitely. It clearly wasn’t in the cards for this year, but I’m all for it whenever the time comes.”
Brian stared at her for a moment, not realizing he had lingered too long until she said, “What?”
“Oh...” Think quickly, Brian... “I just...personally, I hadn’t thought much about the whole thing. I definitely wouldn’t have chosen to be a dad at this time, and I’m not sure if I would’ve ever chosen it. But here I am, and I can actually picture having more someday. Can you believe that?” His heart hammered his chest, and he felt somewhat exposed.
Karen smiled at him. “Well, at least you’ll be a lot more prepared for the next one.”
“We’re both almost pros now, right? It’s been almost two months—we should teach classes.”
Karen laughed and Brian felt something grip his chest. He couldn’t stop staring at her, and before he could stop himself, he pulled her to him, making her drop the cooking utensil in her hand, locked her body against his, then brought his mouth down to hers.
She gasped and resisted for all of one second before melting into his claim.
He knew he shouldn’t be doing it—that he should stop immediately—but he couldn’t. A torrent of feelings raged through him and poured from him into his passionate kiss. He’d wanted to do this far longer than he’d let himself acknowledge—perhaps from the first day he saw Karen, the stir he felt at the sight of her.
For a number of reasons, he hadn’t allowed himself to think of her that way, and now that she was right where he wanted her all along, he couldn’t stop telling her how he felt with his lips, his tongue, his hands. His firm grip on her soft body.
He wanted to do so much more than kiss her. He desperately tried to ignore his growing erection, but his stiffening manhood seemed to startle her out of the kiss.
“Brian...”
“I know things are complicated, but I want you, Karen. And I sense you want me just as much.”
“But...look, my sister has a crush on you. It wouldn’t be right if I...”
“I never wanted your sister, Karen. I want you.”
He knew he had her—the longing in her warm eyes, the way her mouth hung open a little, begging for his lips again.
She couldn’t hide her interest, her desire, and he didn’t want to give her time to talk herself out of what he knew she wanted—what they both wanted.
His lips met hers—gently at first, and then more demanding as she accepted his kiss.
“Let me tuck you in,” he said after reluctantly tearing his lips away from hers.
“But what about the dishes?” she asked.
“We’ll handle them later,” he growled. “I need you now.”
He buried his face in her neck, and she let out a breathy, feminine moan that almost spurred him to take her right there on the dinner table, or perhaps right there on the ground.
His cock throbbed with need and it took superhuman control not to rip Karen’s clothes off immediately.
“Okay,” she said softly, pulling away from him to lead him to the nearest bedroom, which was thankfully a guest bedroom on the first floor just a few yards away.
They were barely inside before clothes started flying. While his cock was almost completely in charge, he had a sliver of sense left to take a moment and appreciate what was before him—beautiful Karen in the nude and willing to accept more of him in her most intimate places.
He fondled her perky breasts with their taut nipples, then let his hands roam until they were grabbing her ample ass. A groan of need escaped him.
He kissed her hungrily again, walking her backward toward the bed, then crawled over her, forcing her to lie back on it.
“Wait!” she said.
His eyes closed briefly and he focused on his breathing. They were both naked, and he was on top of her, his body planted firmly between her legs. He was in the perfect position to enter her honey pot, his swollen manhood moments from doing so.
She wasn’t actually about to stop him, was she?
“Condom?” she said tentatively, and he let out a breath of relief.
He quickly moved away to check his pants for his wallet, happily producing the requested item and glad Karen had enough sense to remember such a crucial thing.
After Isabelle, he should’ve been more cautious than ever, and yet he’d been about to plunge into Karen’s feminine depths bareback without a second thought.
His emotions had gotten the better of him.
“Karen,” he exhaled, kissing her one more time as he lined up their hungry parts.
Then he lifted his hips and sunk his cock into her tight warmth in one stroke.