“No. Let’s do it here,” she said. “I like that the Christmas lights are on and our shopping bags and wrapping paper are scattered all around. This is the perfect ending to the best day I’ve had in years.”

He looked concerned. “I’m afraid you’ll be uncomfortable.”

“I’ll be far from uncomfortable,” she said with a laugh. She had so many hormones flowing through her they could probably make love on a bed of nails and she wouldn’t feel the pain. “But...do you have any birth control?” She’d stopped taking the pill when Skip died; there hadn’t been any point.

“In my wallet.”

“Good.” She unfastened his pants and pulled them down over his hips. “You might want to find it,” she said, her voice husky as her eyes lowered to what she’d revealed. It wasn’t December 25 yet, but this was her Christmas gift to herself—and she was going to let herself enjoy every minute. Even if it turned out to be a mistake.

30

Making love to Sophia was every bit as fulfilling as Ted had expected it to be. He knew in his heart that he should’ve waited, given her more time before getting physical. Their relationship had been progressing nicely, especially today. He would’ve been wise to nurture that a little longer. But it had been getting harder and harder to keep his hands to himself, especially because, as much as he hated to admit it, she’d been the one he really wanted when he’d slept with Eve.

“Everything okay?” he murmured when she stirred. They’d been dozing on the floor, lying naked in each other’s arms.

“Fine,” she mumbled and snuggled closer.

“You’re getting cold.” He rubbed a hand along the smooth skin of her side. “Let’s go up to bed.”

He wasn’t sure she’d agree to spend the rest of the night with him.

She never got the chance to say one way or the other, because the doorbell interrupted.

“Shit,” he groaned. “Do you think we can pretend we’re not home?”

She hid a yawn with one hand as she sat up. “I doubt it. You didn’t put the garage door down when we drove in, did you? And the lights are on.”

“Good point.”

He didn’t want to bother answering, wasn’t happy that Sophia had pulled away and was starting to put on her clothes. This was an intrusion he wouldn’t have welcomed no matter who was at the door. But then he heard his mother’s voice calling to him, and realized she’d let herself in through the garage.

“Holy hell!” he snapped and jumped up.

Sophia went white as a sheet and began to scramble, too.

As he yanked on his jeans, he wondered if he should yell out for his mother to stay put. But that would give them away for sure. He thought they still might have time to dress, but he was just reaching for Sophia’s sweater so he could help her get it on when his mother walked into the room. She was carrying a stack of presents—which she dropped when she saw him standing there bare-chested and barefoot. He hadn’t even taken the time to put on his boxers or fasten his pants.

“You can’t wait for me to answer the door?” he asked, thrusting Sophia behind him to shield her.

“I wouldn’t expect to find my son having sex in the living room!” she retorted. “Especially when he doesn’t even have a girlfriend.”

“Can you please go out and give us a chance to dress?”

He didn’t have to ask twice. No doubt she was as embarrassed as they were. Leaving the presents where they’d fallen, she pivoted abruptly and headed down to the kitchen.

He turned to Sophia. “It’s okay. No big deal. You don’t need to worry about this.”

“I’m sorry,” she said as if it was somehow her fault. “I should’ve known better. I did know better.”

“Better than what?”

She was so upset she was shaking, which made it difficult for her to get her sweater on. He saw that it was on wrong side out and stopped her to change it around.

“Relax,” he soothed. “This isn’t the end of the world. She’s the one who walked in. She shouldn’t have done that.”

“But it was my fault we were in the living room.” She started toward the door leading out to the deck, but he grabbed her hand.

“Stay. Don’t scurry off like we were doing something wrong.”

“According to your mom, we were doing something wrong. She’s not happy she found you naked with me. Eve can have sex with you because she’s a good person, someone she’d deem worthy of being her daughter-in-law. But me? Never.”

She pulled away but he went after her. “Sophia, stop! We’ve got to go in there together, or she’ll continue to treat you the way she’s always treated you.”

She cast a longing glance at the door. “Dealing with your mother is a no-win situation for me. She’ll never believe I’m not the terrible person she thinks I am. How could I convince her, anyway? With the embarrassing scene she just witnessed? I can guarantee she’s not impressed.”

“Maybe she can’t be convinced, but she’d damn well better respect my choices!”

“That’s between you and her. It has nothing to do with me.”

“It has everything to do with you,” he insisted.

When she started to dig at her cuticles, he stopped her.

“Fine. I’ll go in there if you want me to,” she said. “But...don’t get into a fight with her, okay? I don’t want to feel responsible for that, don’t want to ruin your Christmas.”

Christmas was the last thing he was worried about.

“Whether or not we get into an argument will be up to her,” he muttered and walked downstairs to the kitchen, gently tugging Sophia behind him.

The second they walked in, his mother glanced pointedly at their clasped hands, and Ted didn’t have to look at Sophia to know that her color had returned—with a vengeance.

“Well, wasn’t that a lovely surprise!” his mother said.

He shrugged off her sarcasm. “I’m not the one who walked into your house uninvited.”

“I apologize. When you told me you weren’t sleeping with your housekeeper, I made the mistake of believing you.”

“Why didn’t you wait until I answered the door?”

“I assumed you’d be writing. Last I heard, you had a deadline looming. I thought I’d slip a few gifts under the tree, since I’d gone to the trouble of hauling them over here.”

The fact that she’d been bringing gifts reminded him how much she loved him and helped keep his temper in check. “Mom, I appreciate what you do for me, what you’ve always done. And when I said I wasn’t sleeping with my housekeeper, I wasn’t. But...things change. At least, they did tonight.”

Her lip curled. “As I’m sure she’s been hoping all along.”

Sophia tried to release his hand, but he tightened his grip, stubbornly believing that he could achieve some sort of truce. “If she was hoping for that, all she had to do was come to my bed,” he said.

“She would’ve been there long before now if she’d known that,” his mother said. “My God, Ted. You’re not some randy teenager anymore. Can’t you see what’s happening?”

“Whatever it is, it’s none of your business.”

“It’s none of my business that she’s using you?”

“You don’t even know her, not anymore!”

Rayma came to her feet, and her voice rose an octave at the same time. “What’s to know? Can’t you be objective enough to see the truth? Of course she’s going to cling to you, and put out for you and do whatever you want. How else will she survive? There isn’t another person in this entire town who gives a damn about her!”

Shocked silence followed this outburst. Even his mother seemed to realize she’d gone too far. He opened his mouth to tell her just how out of line she was, but before he could say a word, Sophia interrupted.

“You’re right,” she said. “You’ve revealed my whole diabolical plot. I’m the worst person ever born, and I wanted to sleep with your son so I could manipulate him into...what? Giving me money? Is that what you’re afraid of?”

He’d offered her a loan for that car just tonight and she’d refused. Although he wanted her to say that, she didn’t. Maybe she feared that it would only make his mother angrier at him.