Page 64 of The Playboy and the Widow
The remainder of the dinner was a nightmare for Diana. Whereas Joan and Katie had chattered all the way into Seattle, they sat sullen and uncommunicative on the drive home to Kent. A couple of times Cliff attempted to start up a conversation, but no one seemed interested. Diana knew she wasn’t.
Back at the house, Joan and Katie went upstairs to their rooms without a word.
Diana stood at the bottom of the stairs until they were out of sight and then moved into the kitchen to make coffee. Cliff followed her and placed his hands on her shoulders as she stood before the sink.
Miserable and ashamed of her children’s behavior, Diana hung her head. “I am so sorry,” she whispered when she could speak.
“Diana, what are you talking about?”
“The girls—”
“Were exhausted from a two-week vacation with their grandparents. You haven’t been back twenty-four hours, and here we are hitting them with this.” Gently his hands stroked her bare arms. He felt bad only because Diana did. “I love you, and I love the girls. Tonight was the exception, not the norm. They’re good kids.”
She nodded because tears were so close to the surface and arguing would have been impossible. Cliff must really love her to have put up with the way Joan and Katie had behaved. Diana couldn’t remember a time when her daughters had been worse. After all these years as a single mother, Diana had prided herself on being a good parent and in one evening she’d learned the truth about her parenting skills.
“Diana,” Cliff whispered, “put that mug down. I don’t want any coffee. I want to hold you.”
The mug felt as if it weighed a thousand pounds when Diana set it on the counter. Slowly she turned, keeping her eyes on the kitchen floor, unable to meet his gaze.
His arms folded around her, bringing her against him. He didn’t make any demands on her, content for the moment to offer comfort. His chin slowly brushed against the top of her head, while his hands roved in circles across her back. The action had meant to be consoling, but Cliff had learned long before that he couldn’t hold Diana without wanting her. Diana looped her arms around his neck and directed his mouth to hers. The kiss was possessive, filled with frustration and undisguised need. Diana shuddered at the wild, consuming kiss.
Cliff was pacing outside the gates of heaven. He loved this woman, needed her physically, mentally, emotionally—every way there was to need another human being. But she was driving him crazy. The drugged kiss went on unbroken, and so did the way she moved against him. “Diana,” He pulled his mouth from hers and buried his face in her shoulder while he came to grips with himself.
They remained clenched in each other’s arms until their strained, uneven breathing calmed. Gathering her courage, Diana tilted back her head until she found his eyes.
Cliff smiled at her, bathing her in his love. His thumb brushed the corners of her mouth, needing to touch her.
Little could have gone worse tonight, and Diana felt terrible. “You don’t have to go through with it, you know.”
He frowned, not understanding.
“With the wedding... After tonight, I wouldn’t blame you if you backed out. I think if the situation were reversed, I’d consider it.”
Cliff’s frown deepened. She had to be nuts! He’d just found her and he had no intention of doing as she suggested. He saw the doubt in her eyes that told him of her uncertainty. He met her gaze steadily, his own serious. “No way, Diana,” he whispered, and cupped her face, tilting her head upward to meet his descending mouth. The kiss was deep and long, warm and moist. When he broke away, his shoulders were heaving and his breathing was fast and harsh. He didn’t move a muscle for the longest moment. Then, slowly, regretfully, he dropped his arms.
“I’d better go,” he said with heavy reluctance. It was either go now or break his promise to her.
Diana wanted him to stay, needed him with her, but she couldn’t ask it of him. Not tonight, when everything else had gone so wrong. Wordlessly she followed him to the front door.
He paused and lifted his hand to caress her sweet face. Diana placed her own over his and closed her eyes.
“I’ll call you tomorrow.”
She nodded.
“Mom, when will Cliff be here?”
Diana finished removing Joan’s hair from the hot curler before glancing at her wristwatch. “He’s due in another hour.”
“Do you think he’ll like my dress?”
“I’m sure he’ll love it. You always did look so pretty in pink.”
“Really?”
Diana couldn’t remember Joan ever being more anxious for anything. The Girl Scout banquet was a special night for her daughter and for Cliff. The wedding was set for the second week of August; they’d found a house near Des Moines that everyone was thrilled with, and they planned to make the big move before the first day of school. Diana had already started some of the packing.
Her parents were flying out for the ceremony, as were Cliff’s. His brother, Rich, and his wife and family were driving up from California. But for Joan, the wedding and all the planned activities that went along with it ran a close second to the father-daughter banquet. Cliff had told her he was ordering an orchid for Joan, and out of her allowance money Joan had proudly purchased a white rose boutonniere for Cliff.
