She knew what she looked like. Men had constantly told her she was beautiful. Her complexion was flawless. For the first time since she had made the drastic cut, she wished she hadn't.
Vincent had loved her hair. He used to tug on the thick twists, calling her his black Rapunzel. Now her hair was shorter than his. She worried her bottom lip, wondering if she should consider growing it.
Shaking her head instantly, she stepped back. She had cut it for a reason. She was too busy to worry about styling it or going to the salon to sit for three hours to shampoo, condition, and have the hairdresser come up with a style that suited her.
Having it short like this suited her in every way. She wasn't about to change it, not even for the man she loved.
And she loved him. Dear God! She loved him so much that it was like an ache inside her chest.
Wrapping the robe around her and tying the string tight, she left the bedroom and went into the kitchen.
*****
She wasn't the only one wide awake in the early hours of the morning. Vincent had a hard time falling asleep. After tucking his son in, he had taken a cold shower, which hadn't helped one damn bit. He just sat on the edge of his bed, staring into the shadows of his room.
He could still feel her breath on his lips. Still feel her slender curves against his. Getting up, he roamed the length of his room, his brow furrowed. He was pushing the guilt aside. And telling himself that it had been a long time since he felt anything other than grief, and he was entitled to a life.
In the past, he had felt nothing. When he took a woman to bed, it had been just physical, something he could just walk away from after the act. Something to slake his thirst. After all, he was a man and he had his needs.
Now he felt it was different. Instinctively, he knew it was. That's why the guilt was gnawing at him. That's why he had gone out of his way to avoid her. He couldn't stop thinking about her. Just a simple touch of her hand, of her breath made him dizzy. Wanting her was consuming him.
If it hadn't been for David, he would have followed her home. He was as giddy as a schoolboy with his first crush. Even now, he was hard as the proverbial steel.
Dragging his fingers through his hair, he decided that a session in his home gym was in order.
Chapter 7
She concentrated fiercely on making the intricate and varied pastries. She had decided on everything pink, since that was the theme of the party. The girl loved her pink, Althea thought wryly as she added sprinkles to cupcakes frothing over with pink frosting. The cake was strawberry and cream and in the middle there was an array of real strawberries sliced to perfection. Finishing up, she stepped back to view the result.
The counter was full to overflowing with baked goods and the kitchen reeked of it. She had been baking since last night and ended up doing more this morning. She had completely forgotten an order of two dozen cupcakes, a dozen honey buns, cinnamon sticks, jellied cakes and almond cakes for Sunshine Bakery.
The senator was sending someone to pick up the baked goods, but she was going to have to deliver the stuff to the bakery. Glancing at her watch, she wondered if there was time to stop by Pollie's salon and do a quick pedicure. She had thought of doing it herself, but her toes were looking the worse for wear. Mostly because she had not had time to go to a nail place and with the onset of fall, spilling into winter, she was mostly wearing boots.
She was going to be with Vincent for the first time, something she had dreamed of since they were teenagers. She certainly did not want to go to bed with him wearing faded poppy red nail polish and scruffy heels.
Making the decision, she raced upstairs to change into leggings and an old sweater and run her fingers through her thick hair. If only she had time to do something about it as well, she fretted. But past experience had taught her that it took time to deep condition and finger curl it. Just the pedicure for now. If and when he invited her out on a date, she would go all out.
She had to stop and press a hand to her stomach. All morning, she had been busy, with no time to think about tonight. Now that she was free, her thoughts were filled with what was going to happen. The anticipation was killing her.
Taking a deep breath, she slung her purse over her left shoulder and grabbed a jacket from the closet before heading back down. She had work to do. And a house to tidy.
*****
He did his best not to think about what was going to happen tonight. David woke him up, the excitement of his weekend with his maternal grandparents shining in his gray eyes. They had promised to take him and his two cousins to the zoo, and he was looking forward to being with the other children.
Vincent felt guilty that he had kept his son away from them for so long. But now he was trying to make up for it. He was also agonizing over the fact that his son would be gone for theweekend, giving him time to be with Althea. He desperately needed to be with her.
Since he had given Mrs. Paddy the weekend off, it was left up to him to provide breakfast for both of them. Deciding against settling for cereal and toast, he opted to take them to a nearby diner where David got to order pancakes and lots of syrup and whipped cream.
Vincent settled for wheat toast and two cups of coffee and listened as his son chattered excitedly about what had happened at school the day before.
"And Maggie threwed up in the classroom."
"Threw up," his father corrected him. "Was she ill?"
His son nodded, cutting into his pancakes. "She had a bellyache. Mrs. Hollis sent her to the nurse and then she went home. Daddy?"
"Hmm?"
