A McClendon Thanksgiving Page 11

  Dismissing a flutter in her stomach as hunger pains, Faith smiled. “Thanks, Mikey.” She had forgotten that he wanted to be called Michael, but her thoughts had started to flurry everywhere.

  She walked over to the sound system when she tuned in to Teddy Pendergrass asking a woman to go with him somewhere. She was sure that the large landscape portrait prominently displayed over the fireplace—a black thoroughbred racehorse grazing in the pasture—was photographed by Michael.

  Scanning the room, Faith noticed several things that reminded her of a romantic setup. The music selected was very seductive, the dimness of the lighting in the room. A person couldn’t help but feel the change in the atmosphere. But that couldn’t be right.

  “You have a nice place here,” she said, taking a seat on the sofa.

  “Thanks, I’ve been here for about two years now.”

  Smoothing out the wrinkles in her clothes, she said, “You had me wear this dress, so I hope you have a long apron that I can put on.”

  “You’ll be fine. I won’t let anything happen to your little red dress.” He winked at her.

  “Ha-ha. If it does, you’re going to have to buy me a new one.”

  “I’ll buy you whatever you want, even if we don’t mess up the dress.”

  Faith gulped, but chose to ignore him. She got up and walked over to where he stood. “Boy, show me where the kitchen is. I’m starving and you’re playing.”

  Soon, they were in the kitchen and Michael was retrieving all the ingredients for their meal. He laid them out on the counter.

  “Do you have olive oil so we can sauté the chicken?” she asked.

  Michael pulled out the olive oil and the utensils needed to create the meal. He and Faith worked together, quickly preparing the meal. Soon they were plating the pasta and then slicing the sautéed chicken, placing it on the top.

  Faith peered into the dining area and saw the table all dressed up. “Wow, the table is beautiful.”

  Faith looked at Michael and said, “You are such a copycat.” She was sure now that he was up to something.

  Michael pulled out her chair. “No, my dear, I did this on purpose. I meant for the atmosphere to be romantic.”

  Faith did a double take to see if he would laugh, but he didn’t, so she sat down. “I thought we were supposed to just be cooking, Michael?” She knew the sentence had come out wrong, but he’d caught her off guard with his comments, once again. She just wished her stomach would stop doing that dance.

  Faith rested her hands in her lap, against her stomach. Maybe that would calm her down or prepare her for whatever Michael was getting ready to do next.

  Michael strolled over to the mantel, picked up the remote for the sound system and turned up the volume so that they could hear the music in the dining area.

  Taking a seat across from her, they held hands and said grace.

  Halfway through their meal, Michael felt the appropriate time had come for him to express his feelings.

  “Faith, we’ve been friends for a long time, right?”

  She nodded, picking up the wineglass, putting it to her lips.

  “I really need to talk to you about something that’s important to me.”

  Michael got up and went around to the empty chair next to her. The intoxicating scent of Faith’s perfume enveloped him, causing his desire for her to grow stronger.

  “Michael, don’t come over here and tell me something crazy.” Faith tried to contain her laughter.

  Michael hated that she couldn’t take him seriously, but maybe that was because he was always joking around with her. That might have been true before, but not now. He scooted his chair a bit closer to hers, lifted her left hand from her lap, causing her to turn her body in his direction.

  He took her other hand, caressing the top gently, reveling in its silky softness.

  “Please don’t tell me your mother is sick.”

  He continued to caress her hand when he saw the panicked look in her eyes. He gazed intently into the depths of her deep-brown eyes and said, “No, my mother isn’t sick, but my heart is.”

  Michael could tell she was uncomfortable by the way she shifted, squinted her eyes then dropped her head.

  When she looked up, Faith asked, “What about your heart?” She snatched her hand back and pushed against his shoulder. “I thought you said that nobody was sick.”

  Soon, Michael realized that the words had come out wrong and he needed to explain himself quickly. He didn’t want her to think what he had to discuss with her was sad. No, it was the total opposite. In his opinion, it was the best thing that could have ever happened.

  Expressing himself to her was harder than he’d imagined, so he took a deep breath and started again.

  Michael got up from his seat, moved the chair out of the way and dropped to his knees in front of her.

  Faith looked down at him, her eyes widened. “Michael, get off the floor.”

  Suddenly, she turned away from him.

  He tried to get her to look his way so she could see he wasn’t joking, but she wouldn’t. “I want to give my heart to you.”

  Faith must not have heard him because she didn’t respond, only looked at him, frowning in misunderstanding.

  But at least she was looking at him, so he continued, “When we had lunch that day right before you got engaged, you asked my opinion of your husband-to-be.” Michael knew he was taking a chance, bringing Kevin into the conversation, because Faith still hadn’t mentioned much about her ex.

  Faith sighed, but Michael didn’t let that deter him. He once again continued, “Wait, baby, hear me out.”

  “Go ahead,” Faith whispered, slumping her shoulders.

  “I was so jealous of him because he was taking my baby away from me.”

  For several seconds there was silence…until Faith burst into laughter.

  Michael dropped his head momentarily, trying his best to hide his disappointment. He clearly wasn’t explaining things correctly.

  “I wanted you for myself,” he explained, pouring his heart out to her.

  Faith patted his hand. “Michael, you’ve always had a special place in my heart. But I’m not sure why we are talking about Kevin. He is no longer in my life.”

  Raking his hand over his close-cropped head, Michael needed to find the right words to help her understand. “You are missing the point, Faith. I didn’t want a special place in your heart. I wanted your whole heart. And not in a sisterly or brotherly way, either. Brothers don’t want to make love to their sisters, kiss them breathless and touch their bodies in places that make them scream in ecstasy.”

  Faith blinked rapidly, swallowed hard, and he could see her pulse pounding in her neck in response to his confession. The words were shocking, candid and raw, he understood that, especially for Faith because he had never spoken to her that way.

  “Well, I want to do all that to you, with you, every day. But you were going to give your heart to another and he didn’t deserve it. And I gave you my honest opinion —that’s why I was so blunt about Kevin.”

  Assessing Faith’s reaction, Michael couldn’t describe if it was terror, disappointment or disgust on her face or in her eyes. Maybe telling her wasn’t the right thing to do. He had been so busy thinking about his feelings and what he wanted that he hadn’t thought about how his announcement would affect Faith. Now, she may not want a relationship with him at all, brotherly or otherwise.

  Faith pulled her hand away from his and left the table.

  Michael didn’t know if she was going to haul off and hit him, or get her coat and run.

  Instead, she went into the living room and sat down on the couch, with her back to him.

  After a long period of silence, he approached her warily. “Faith, say something, please.” Her silence was deafening and he needed a response so he’d k
now where he stood. He moved around Faith, kneeled down and faced her.

  He reached out to touch the silken skin on her exposed legs, but thought better of it.

  Faith lowered her head, so he gently touched the pointed toe of her shoe. She glanced at him then looked away, then back at him. “How long have you felt this way?”

  “As far back as I can remember.”

  “Michael, we’re not kids anymore, playing childish games. We are both adults with grown-up responsibilities.” Her tone was quiet.

  “Yes, I’ve loved you through those years, but I am not in love with the nine-year-old you with pigtails and braces. I know who you are as a woman and every day that passes I love you more and more.”

  Faith got up from the sofa. “Michael, you don’t know me. Not the me I am today, because I’m just starting to get to know her.”

  Michael stood as well. “Faith, it’s the truth, baby. I love you.”

  He finally realized that she had a problem with trust. Faith didn’t trust him or what he said, even though she’d known him since they were children. She would try to find any excuse not to give Michael a chance to make her happy.

  Faith shook her head and looked up at the ceiling. She turned around and walked a short distance then stopped. “If we get involved with each other, it will change our relationship forever, and it is one of the most important in my life.”

  Michael walked up behind her, wanting to caress her, touch her, soothe her. “Mine too, babe. For me, nothing else is more important.”

  She turned to face him, her eyes glazed with tears. “I don’t want to blow it because we get romantically involved and it doesn’t work out.”

  “My feelings will never change for you, Faith.” He meant every word—if only she would believe him, they’d have a chance.

  “I’m not sure I’m willing to take that chance,” Faith said honestly.

  With hesitation, Michael slowly reached out and caressed her face. “Have a little faith in me. This is not a game and I’m not trying to gamble with your feelings.”

  He was relieved that she didn’t step away when he touched her, so he continued, “After you got married, I tried to move on, thinking that the feelings I had would go away. I even dated other women, beautiful women, but the relationships never seemed to work out.”

  “And why is that?” she asked.

  Michael enveloped Faith in his arms and held her. “Because they weren’t you,” he answered, whispering as they embraced each other. He really had tried to have relationships with other women, but after a couple of dinner dates, the appeal and desire would fizzle.

  Right now, Faith felt so good in his arms, his precious lady. Though they’d embraced many times before, he hoped she could feel the difference. He took a tiny step closer and their bodies were flush against each other.

  Soon she relaxed and rested her head against his shoulder.

  Michael felt his arousal grow against her, but as soon as his lips grazed the sensitive part of her earlobe, she pulled away.

  Her reaction was understandable. Going down this road was a new experience for them both. “Faith, baby, say something to me. Tell me what you’re thinking.”

  Faith sat on the sofa with her hands folded in her lap. She finally glanced up at him.

  “Michael, I’m afraid.”

  He rushed to her side, his heart beating faster and harder than before. “I know, baby, I know. The beauty of this is our friendship. Our bond is on a solid foundation. We would be building upon that.”

  A tear rolled down her cheek. It was more than just anxiety—Michael was sure Faith had real feelings for him too.

  He pulled her onto his lap, wrapping her in his arms. “I love you, Faith Denise McClendon.” He kissed her neck.

  Faith was in a state of euphoria as the words “I love you” slipped from Michael’s lips. Resting against him, wrapped in his arms, Faith reveled in the warmth of his body, tenderness of his touch and soft caress of his voice.

  How had he loved her that way all this time without her knowing? Michael had always shown her love and respect, never crossing the line. He’d said “I love you” many times before, but it had never sounded like it did tonight.

  Only for a couple of seconds did she have any doubt, because the truth was that Michael had always been loyal and selfless. He had many other great qualities, but those two were constant. There were many times that he put aside his interests for hers. Always that shoulder she could cry on when she was hurt, her biggest supporter, cheerleader and encourager.

  He was even right about her ex-husband, but she’d cut him off for speaking the truth. What a big mistake, Faith had missed Michael—his support and the way he made her smile.

  She looked up at him, gazing into eyes that reflected a seriousness, as if they would tell her some secret.

  But, even after all that, she was afraid. Starting a romantic relationship with Michael could ruin their easygoing friendship. He was a treasure and she didn’t want to lose him if it didn’t work out. Now, Faith had to make a decision that would change both their lives forever.

  Faith leaned forward and searched his eyes. She palmed the side of his smooth, dark face before Michael captured her lips. Trying to catch her breath, she opened her mouth and he deepened the kiss as she finally allowed herself to kiss him in return. Soon their tongues did a dance to a rhythm of their own, darting in and out as they mated.

  “Are we going to give our love a chance?” he asked, getting up from his seat, urging her to do the same.

  Michael swept Faith off her feet and started down the hall before stopping abruptly.

  She wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on him.

  “Baby, I want to make love to you so bad right now,” Michael said, gazing into her brown eyes. “But if you’re not ready, I won’t take you to my bed.”

  Faith answered him with a kiss. She had to trust him, the one person outside of her family who’d always looked out for her. She wanted to experience the tender touch of a man who wholeheartedly cared for her, had no hidden agendas and wanted only her.

  Michael carried her down the hall to his bedroom. The masculine room had some feminine charms and modern flair with chandelier-style lighting, floor-to-ceiling draperies and steel-gray tones on the wall and covering of his masculine cherrywood bed.

  Carefully placing her on top of the covers, Michael stretched out, pulling her close.

  Suddenly, Faith felt very warm, but wiggled closer to him.

  He kissed her nose, then her lips, with his hand cupping her rear-end, causing a dull ache between her thighs.

  Michael kissed her collarbone while caressing her back, pulling the zipper on her dress downward until it got to the top of her buttocks.

  As he peeled the garment off one shoulder to reveal smooth, vanilla-scented skin, Faith heard Michael whisper “beautiful” before kissing her bare shoulder, then repeated his actions on the other side. Soon Michael had helped her remove the top of the dress.

  When Faith moved to take it off herself, he stopped her. “Wait, baby, I wanna go real slow. I’ve been waiting years for this moment.”

  The smoldering look in his eyes didn’t frighten Faith, but she’d never seen love and lust at the same time. She wasn’t afraid that Michael would hurt her because he had always cared for her. She felt safe.

  Even now, with the dress halfway off her body, between them, it didn’t stop Michael from kissing her lips again and again with increasing passion and fervor. He released the hooks of her red-satin push-up bra, slowly and gently pulling the straps forward until her body was free of it.

  Her nipples puckered as soon as the air caressed them. Michael followed with his mouth, teasing them with his tongue until her body lifted from the bed. Faith could feel the natural juices begin to flow between her legs as the ache intensified.
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  Suddenly, the intense heat she felt vanished, so she opened her eyes and saw Michael standing.

  “Baby, it’s time that we get that dress off of you.”

  He beckoned her with his forefinger and Faith rose from the bed. Michael helped her to stand. He methodically pulled the dress down over her hips and thighs, helping her step out of them, down to the floor, revealing her lacy, red underpants.

  Michael got down on his knees and kissed the inside of her right thigh. The action caused Faith to lose her balance, but Michael steadied her with his hands. “I’ve got you, baby.”

  Michael brought her lower body flush against his face, seeking and probing with his tongue, all the while steadying her body with his hands.

  Stunned and speechless, Faith couldn’t believe what he was doing. She wasn’t a prude, but she’d never experienced this kind of lovemaking, so she closed her eyes and let him have his way.

  Next thing Faith knew, she was back on the bed, naked as the day she was born. She didn’t remember when he took off her panties or when he placed her back on the bed. For a fleeting moment, Faith wanted to cover herself, and instinctively placed her hand over her curly mound, but Michael gently moved her hand.

  “Don’t, baby. I want to see every gorgeous inch of you.”

  All she knew was that the ache between her thighs had grown stronger, and only Michael could help her relieve it.

  Michael took off his pants and underwear and let them fall to the floor.

  Faith wanted to turn away, but she couldn’t take her eyes off his magnificently built body. Her eyes followed him as he stood next to the bed and opened the nightstand to remove a condom packet.

  Turning down the bedding, he slid under the covers, close to her, then lifted her buttocks, so that he could fold back unfold her side as well. Michael pulled Faith closer, and the foreplay started all over again. The night ended with tender, passionate lovemaking.

  Chapter Eleven

  When Faith’s eyes fluttered open the next morning, she looked up at the ceiling that didn’t look like the one in her bedroom. She blinked several times before it hit her that she’d spent the night with Michael.