Begin Again (10 page)

He brushed his palm down her hair, which she’d let go untamed. It had curled even more than usual. “I don’t know, Ms. Ludzecky, I think our date ended well.”

Her
heartbeat speeded up at the memory. “So do I.” She held his gaze. “Want some wine? I asked Magdalena what you might like.”

“Sure.”

She took it from the cloth bag
.

“Hmm, a Cab. Yes, I’ll like this.”

“You’re gonna have to open it, though,” she said, handing him a corkscrew. “It’s not my thing.”

He made quick work of the cork. “Will you have some?”

“Nope, I brought beer for
me.” She’d thought about changing what she drank tonight, but the idea didn’t sit well with her.

“I got some lawn chairs from the trailer, too. And blankets. I thought we could relax and talk for a while.”

“I’d like that.” He poured the ruby liquid into the wine glass she’d found in their cupboard, and she popped the top off a beer. They sat under the canopy of trees, but they could still
see the music hall site. He said, “She’s going to be a beauty.”

“Yeah. I think so. I was studying the floor plan, though. There might be an issue with the backstage.”

He shook his head “Not tonight. Tonight’s you and me, a woman and a man. Tell me what you did the rest of this week. Did you win your soccer match?”

“It was a tie. Ben managed to score a goal. Usually, at this age, it’s
just hordes kids scrambling after the ball and crouching on the field. Still, it’s fun to watch them out there.”

“Does your sister’s son play?”

“No. Sal’s shy. Nia had him in T-ball because the sport’s less aggressive, but he hated it.”

“What does he like?”

“To draw. Honestly, Adam, for five, he’s unbelievably talented.”

She also told him about yoga with Sofia and watching
movies with the kids. “Probably sounds boring to you.”

“No, it doesn’t. It sounds warm and loving.”

Spontaneously, she reached out and squeezed his hand. “I like that. How about you? What did you do?”

He’d attended a gallery opening, chaired a meeting of board of trustees for a charity, and played golf with his dad
.

“What charity?” she asked because that interested her.

“One
for research on leukemia.”

“You’re kidding, right?”

“No. Dad’s brother died from it when he was child. Why?”

“My sister Sofia had leukemia as a teenager. I, um…” She broke off.

“What?”

“I don’t mean to brag. But I gave her a bone marrow transplant.”

He reached over and ran his knuckles down her cheek. “How generous of you to be her donor, Paulina.” He sighed. “My dad did
the same thing with his sibling. It didn’t work, though.”

“Oh, wow, I’m sorry. Was it recent?”

“No, thirty years ago.”

“They’ve made great progress in research. Sofia’s worked, thank God.”

She was pleased they’d found common ground. He took her hand and seemed happy about it, too.

Adam sat back down on one of the canvas chairs she’d brought along and patted
his stomach. “I’m stuffed. When did you have time to do all this?”

Paulina took the second chair. “Last night.
Matka
made the pirogues, of course, but I know how. We all cook.”

“I can’t fry an egg.”

“You probably had servants to do that.”

He cocked his head. “We did. And I have a housekeeper now. But you said that like it’s a fault.”

“Did I? I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.” She
tried to smile, but it came off weak. “Want a magic cookie bar?”

“A what?”

“Oh, Lord. You’ve never had one?” She stood. “I’ll get them.”

Grabbing her hand, he tugged her onto his lap. He noticed she didn’t resist. “Not yet. I want another kind of magic.” He tipped her chin and lowered his mouth. She tasted sweet and sexy. Cupping her hand at his nape, she moved to meet his chest with
hers. The kiss went on, until he knew they’d have to stop or he’d embarrass himself.

When he drew his head back, she climbed off his lap as if she had the same thought. “Want to go for a walk? There’s a little clearing in the trees a ways back, and we can see the stars come out.”

A walk would calm his nerves…and other parts of him. “You’re on.”

After she put everything back in the
picnic basket, she snagged blankets from the bench. He took her hand and they wended their way through the trees. He’d traversed the woods before he’d designed the music hall, but he didn’t remember the clearing out here. The night had gotten darker as they’d walked, but when they came to the small open space, he stopped. The ground was lit by the stars. “This is breathtaking.”

“Yeah, I eat
out here sometimes when I’m working. The sky is more…present, even in the daytime.”

Taking the blankets from her, he spread one out and dropped the other. They sat down and looked up at the stars. “Do you know the constellations?” she asked.

“Of course. I went to astronomy camp when I was young.”

“Never heard of that one.”

“Did you go to camp?”

“Girl Scouts. Basketball.”

“Ah, so you played.”

“Yeah, even as an adult. But then I had the boys and quit the league. Luke and I still shoot some hoops when he’s home and we’re not buried in snow. Did you play any sports?”

He stared hard at her. Her eyes picked up the sparkle of the stars, and her hair was mussed from his hands, her lips rosy from his mouth. Suddenly, he decided to go after what he wanted. “You know
what Paulina? I don’t want to talk about all this.”

“Why?”

“Because it’ll just show how different we are. I’d rather concentrate on what we have in common.”

“And that’s?”

He lay back and pulled her down over him. “This.”

She fell on top of him with little grace. But she didn’t care. All she wanted was to be close to this man. The kiss earlier had whet her appetite
for him, an appetite that had increased since she’d met him. Now her mind was clouded with the woodsy scent of him, with the feel of his hard chest against her. Reaching out, he moved her so her body aligned with his and they melded into each other. His arms banded around her, making her feel desired.

The kiss went deeper, got hotter, and she struggled to get closer to him. After a while,
he eased her off him, to her back, then angled himself over her. “You are so lovely I can’t control myself.”

“I don’t want you to.”

He cocked his head. “You’re sure?”

“Shut up and kiss me again. Do whatever you want to me. With me.”

He grasped her arms and found her neck with his mouth. Paulina closed her eyes, let him kiss her there, encouraged him to leave marks. Tonight, she
cared about nothing more than being as much a part of him as she could. His hand slid under her blouse, and she felt his strong fingers explore her rib cage. He bent his head to the skin exposed by the neckline of the blouse, ran his tongue around her collarbone and Paulina sucked in a breath. His hands kneaded her breasts, then found the clasp on the front of her bra. He didn’t ask permission to
open it, just snapped it, and the feel of his hand on her bare flesh made her burn for him. She tried to inch her hand between them, to find him, touch him, but he stayed her. “Don’t, baby, I’ll go off.”

“Adam, I…”

He removed her shirt and bra together. When his mouth closed over a nipple, shock waves went through her. “Adam, me, too. I’m dying here,” she managed to say
.

He eased back.
“Then…more is okay?”

“I want more. Much more.”

She felt his hand tug at her skirt, yank it up, and then a tearing sound rent the air. Oh, God, he’d ripped off her panties. She arched up into his hips. “Not this way, though,” she got out in a ragged breath. “I want you to come inside me.”

“I didn’t bring protection, sweetheart. I didn’t want to be presumptuous.”

She reached for
her skirt and retrieved foil packets from a pocket. “Call me Presumptuous Paulina.”

His hand left her. She heard the jangle of his belt, his
Goddamn it
, when it stuck. A zipper. The rustle of the condom packet. Then he yanked open her legs and plunged into her.

Sensation washed through her as he began to thrust. It was all she could think about.

Adam rolled off her,
lay on his back and closed his eyes. He could barely catch his breath. She gasped for air, too, next to him. Never in his entire life had he ripped off a woman’s clothing, ravaged her mouth. Not even when he was a teenager and didn’t know what he was doing.

She didn’t speak, but he heard the rustle of her clothing, then felt her sit up. More rustling. A blanket covered him, and she sidled
in next to him. Completely naked. For Christ’s sake, he felt himself go hard again.

Tenderness came from somewhere. He tugged her close, entangled their legs. “So,” he said, surprised at the amusement in his voice, “I guess you liked it. Even in the missionary position.” Which was not the best for women.

“Are you kidding?” Her husky tone warmed him. “If I liked it any more, I’d be dead.”

Laughter bubbled out of him. He couldn’t remember laughing during a lovemaking session, and from all appearances, this one wasn’t over with.

“Did, um, you?” There was insecurity in her voice now.

He eased her to the ground and braced himself over her. He covered her from her breasts down, but he could see the flush on her skin, a few marks he’d made. “How could you even ask that? I
was out of my mind.”

“Whew!”

Studying her, he asked, “Are you embarrassed we did this out here?”

Her brows knit. “No, I like making love outside.”

“You did this
before
?”

“Sure. Haven’t you?”

“Never.” He watched her. “Then, what’s wrong?”

She bit her lip. How on earth this woman could be shy now boggled his mind. “Tell me, Paulina.”

“I didn’t want to be too eager.”

“There’s no
too eager
in lovemaking.”

She looked away, and something occurred to him. “Paulina… That’s right. You told me you haven’t dated since your husband died, so you haven’t made love either, have you?” Like a little girl, she shook her head and stared at him.

“Why didn’t you remind me?”

“Well, for one thing, I wasn’t thinking straight and you were pretty far gone.”

“Did
I hurt you? I wasn’t exactly coherent.”

Now she chuckled and it was good to hear. “All I could think of was you. And the pleasure you gave me.”

“That’s a relief.”

More relaxed, he lay back and brought her to his side again. Tucked the blanket around them. And stared at the sky. Her breathing evened out, and he liked how their hearts beat in one rhythm. After a while, he said, “You
brought protection. I didn’t have any.”

She actually laughed at him. “This is a role reversal. But Adam, it’s the twenty-first century. A year after Donnie died, Luke brought me a box of condoms. Insisted I keep them in my purse, in the car, in the office.”

“Hell!”

“I put some in the picnic basket, just in case.”

“I guess that’ll show me. Women’s rights, and all.”

“Yep.” She
snuggled into him
.

“Since we’re equal partners in this, let me know when you’re ready again, babe.”

“Okay. I like cuddling, too.”

He never had. But tonight was different. He savored her nearness, the feel of her naked body. Just staring at the stars with her. But then her hands got busy stripping off the rest of his clothes and retrieving another condom.

It was a long time before
they talked again.

On Saturday night, Donuta stood before the mirror and her eyes widened. “I do not even resemble myself,
corka
.”

Magdalena, the most sophisticated of her children and the most discreet, smiled at her from where she lay on the bed. Even lounging in the house, this daughter wore a copper silk top and pants to match. Her eyes glowed with the color. “You look
like who you were,
Matka
.”

“When I was young.” She touched her hair. “I did not even know it would curl this way.”

“And the makeup I forced you to wear is just right.”

“It does flatter me. And the dress. Beautiful but too expensive.”

“Gerald will appreciate it. That’s enough.”

When the man had asked Donuta to go to the private screening of a new Broadway show,
All of Me
, and
the after party,
Matka
had said no. Gently, Gerald had told her if she didn’t have anything to wear, his assistant would help her pick something out and he’d pay for it. She’d given him her best haughty look, the one she’d used to face down Stash, her Old World husband, many times.

I would never allow that. I am thinking about the
logistics
, I believe is the right word.

In what way?

Getting there, getting home.

I have a car for all that.

Perhaps I would rather stay in Manhattan with one of my daughters.

Anything to get you to come.

All right. And I will take care of my appearance…

“I wish you’d let me pay for the dress.” Magdalena had offered, of course.

“I have money. Enough for this, but it is extravagant.” Donuta remembered going without new clothes
for years to provide them for the children. “You paid for this hairdo, which I fancy, and”—she held up her finger—“this frivolous but lovely manicure.”

The doorbell to Magdalena’s home buzzed. “He’s here.” She watched her mother as she rose. “Are you nervous?”

“I was nervous when I flew to America by myself to marry your father. When Lukasz got shot. When Sofia was diagnosed. This, my
child, is nothing.” “
Kocham ciebie
,” Magdalena said to her.

“I love you, too.”

Gerald was handsome as sin in his tuxedo. The sight of him made Donuta’s pulse quicken. At sixty-five? She chided herself for her self-doubts. She wasn’t dead yet.

“I’m speechless,” Gerald said when he saw her. “You are lovely, Donuta, when you want to be.”