complicated than it needs to be?”
“No.” Her succinct answer segued into a wince of pain, then a very unladylike curse when the gold cut into her flesh. “I must be retaining water,” she said hopelessly.
Taking pity on her, he reached for her left hand. “Here, let me help.”
“What?” she asked incredulously as he examined her finger. “You’ve got a pair of clippers in your glove box to cut the ring off my finger?”
He chuckled at her sarcasm. “Nope. Don’t need any.”
She snorted in disbelief. “Well, that ring isn’t going to come off any other way…”
Her sassy comment rolled into a surprised gasp as he lifted her palm and used his tongue to dampen the skin where the ring encircled the digit, then closed his mouth over her finger to moisten the entire length. He suckled gently, swirling his tongue up and down her finger, thoroughly wetting her sensitized skin. Her eyes widened, her hand went limp in his, and an arousing groan slipped past her parted lips.
Once he was confident that her skin was slick enough, he dragged her finger from his mouth and gave the ring a twist and a gentle tug. The band slipped to her knuckle, and tightened around the bone. She let out a discouraged sigh, but he wasn’t about to admit defeat, and slipped her finger into his mouth again, using his teeth and tongue to work the ring over her knuckle.
This time, he succeeded. Removing the band from his mouth, he turned her hand over and dropped the ring onto her palm.
“Thank you,” she said breathlessly.
“Anytime.” He grinned wickedly. “Do you need help putting it on your other finger?”
She quickly shook her head, but not before he saw the spark of desire that colored her brown eyes. “I think I can manage on my own.” She did the deed herself, without any problems.
Putting the car into drive, he eased back into the street. “If you insist on wearing a ring on your left-hand finger, you need to think about getting yourself one that fits.” He extended the comment mildly, but a fleeting, possessive thought crossed his mind as he turned into the Spencers’ driveway. He wanted to be the one to put a ring there.
“SO, AUSTIN, how did you and my daughter meet?” The elder Evan Spencer the third asked as he handed Austin the double shot of Bailey’s he’d poured for him.
Austin glanced around the expensively furnished parlor, complete with a professionally decorated twelve-foot blue spruce, and noted that all eyes were on him-from Teddy’s parents, to each one of her three brothers and their respective wives, to Teddy herself. The eight nieces and nephews he’d met in a blur upon arriving were now in an adjoining playroom, watching videos, playing on the pinball and arcade games, and from the sounds of their laughter, having a good time with all the high-tech toys Grandma and Grandpa had purchased for their enjoyment.
“Yes, how did you meet?” Teddy’s mother, Gloria, insisted on knowing. She tilted her blond head questioningly, appearing very much the well-bred hostess.
Teddy stood a few feet away, next to her mother, her luminous gaze pleading with him to be gentle with his answer.
No pretenses, he’d told her, yet he found he didn’t want to embarrass Teddy, either. He’d only known the Spencers for less than half an hour, yet he got the distinct impression that Teddy’s parents would find the truth distasteful and him unsuitable for their only daughter. The last thing he wanted was two strikes against him before he had a chance to convince Teddy how good they could be together.
He grinned at everyone, then settled his gaze on Teddy, giving her a private smile. “We met on her birthday, at the Frisco Bay.”
Gratitude colored Teddy’s eyes, but her relief was short-lived.
Gloria gasped, her hand fluttering to the pearl necklace layering the front of her cream silk blouse as she stared at her daughter in mortification. “You were picked up in a bar?”
Susan and Natalie, two of Teddy’s sisters-in-law who were sitting next to each other on the sofa, smothered amused laughter. The sympathetic look they sent Austin’s way led him to believe that their mother-in-law’s theatrical display was a normal occurrence.
“No, Mother,” Teddy said patiently. “I was with Brenda and Laura, having a drink for my birthday, and Austin didn’t ‘pick me up.’ He was very much a gentleman, and we hit it off well.”
“So well that she took him to her Christmas party,” Susan announced, just in case that tidbit of information hadn’t made the rounds.
“Wow, must be serious, Theodora,” Teddy’s oldest brother, Evan, Jr., commented, winking at his little sister. “It’s been so long since you’ve dated, we were beginning to worry that you were thinking about joining a convent.”
Teddy glared at her brother. “You live to torment me, Evan.”
“You’re wrong, Evan,” her other brother, Russ, added. “She’d rather be a CEO than a nun.”
That earned a harrumph from her father. “I just don’t understand you and your silly whims, Teddy,” Evan, Sr., said sternly, swirling his martini. “We raised you to be a respectable young woman-”
“I’m an independent woman,” Teddy interrupted her father’s tirade.
“No argument there,” Brent agreed with a grin. “Independent, stubborn and full of sass.” Brent saluted Austin with his own drink of Jack Daniel’s and soda. “If you can handle the independent gal, you can have her.”
“No man worth his salt is going to allow his wife to work,” the senior Evans said gruffly. Susan rolled her eyes as if to state she’d heard this lecture before, and the other two merely shook their heads.
“Isn’t that right, Austin?” Evan, Sr., asked, looking for approval.
The cable-knit sweater Austin had worn suddenly felt heavy, hot and suffocating. Teddy’s three sisters-in-law leaned forward in their seats, looking on in avid interest. Her brothers were obviously finding a lot of humor in the situation, and Teddy’s mother was standing by her man and his old-fashioned ways. Even Teddy’s expression showed she was curious about his answer.
This one he had to ride out on his own, and since there was only one person he wanted to please, he spoke the truth. “Well, sir, I’m all for a woman working and having a career, if that’s what she really wants.”
The three sisters-in-law grinned at one another, as if Austin’s statement had marked a major milestone in the Spencer household. Something in Teddy’s gaze softened perceptibly, and Austin grasped and held on to the emotion, tucking it away for later.
“And who’ll stay home and raise the kids?” Evan, Sr., argued.
“Dad, this is a moot point,” Teddy interrupted before Austin could reply, her cheeks flushed a faint shade of pink. “I have no intention of getting married anytime soon, let alone having kids.”
Her father shook a finger at her. “You’re too stubborn for your own good, Theodora.”
Russ stepped up to his father and slapped him good-naturedly on the back. “Dad, I think she’s got you beat on this one.”
“She already passed up one great catch,” Gloria interjected. “How many others will she go through before she runs out of suitable men to marry?”
Evan, Sr., glanced at his only daughter, frowning. “I don’t know many men who’ll wait around while a woman chases after a fanciful hobby that keeps her too occupied to be a proper wife.”
The hurt in Teddy’s eyes was unmistakable, as was the resignation that her parents would never understand her choices.
The maid announced dinner, dispelling the awkward moment, and the family moved to the formal dining room. Austin remained behind with Teddy for a few extra seconds while she regained her composure.
“It’s like this every time,” Teddy said wearily.
Not knowing what to say to that, Austin touched his hand to the small of her back in a supportive gesture as they entered the adjoining room. Her parents didn’t understand what drove Teddy, but he certainly did. The woman was strong and independent, but what no one realized was just how much her struggle to establish her own individuality was costing her emotionally.
Beneath a glittering chandelier, a long cherry-wood table was draped with cream linen and set with fine china, gleaming silver and elegant crystal. The adults sat at the formal table, while the kids were served at the picnic-style table in the game room established just for them.
The meal was an enjoyable feast of rack of lamb, sweet potatoes, fresh green beans and warm, crusty bread.
