"Who are you texting?" Kristen asked as she sat down on her mother's couch Saturday evening.

"No one." Her fifteen-year-old niece, Delainey, answered. 

"Her boyfriend." Delainey's nine-year-old brother, Preston, supplied as he sat on the other side of his sister.  His attention was focused on the Game Boy in his hands but he couldn't pass up the opportunity to torment his sister.  Kristen smiled as she looked over at her nephew-his tongue sticking out as he concentrated on whatever game he was playing.

"Shut up!" Delainey exclaimed as she reached over and shoved Preston away from her.

"What's his name?" Kristen asked with a grin.

"Travis." Preston answered.

"Preston!" Delainey hissed.  Kristen chuckled as she watched her niece's face flush brightly.

"What?" Preston asked, his eyes still focused on the game he was playing.  "She asked." He stated matter of factly with a shrug.  Delainey sighed heavily as she rolled her eyes.

"Is he hot?" Kristen asked, leaning closer to her niece.  Delainey glanced at her.  The girl didn't say anything but the deepening blush on her face gave Kristen the answer she was looking for.   

"No." Preston snickered.  Delainey reached over and smacked her brother upside the head.  "Ow!" He exclaimed, finally looked up from his game as he rubbed the back of his head.  "Mom!" He called out.  "Lainey hit me!"

"Delainey." Michelle, the kids' mother and Kristen's sister-in-law, called out from the kitchen.  "Be nice to your brother.  Please."

Preston stuck his tongue out at his sister in triumph. 

"You're dead!" Delainey stated as she lunged for her brother.  Kristen reached out and pulled Delainey back as Preston jumped off the couch and scurried from the room with a laugh.  "Ugh!  I hate him!" She stated forcefully as she pulled her knees up in front of her.  She wrapped her arms around her legs and lowered her head, pressing her forehead against her knees.

"I know." Kristen replied, trying to hold back her laughter. She took a sip of water from the cup she was holding to hide the chuckle that escaped despite the fact she was biting her tongue.

"He makes me so mad!" Delainey continued as she lifted her head and turned to look at Kristen.

"He wouldn't be doing his job as your brother if he didn't." Kristen told her.  "At least you only have one." She continued.  "I had three growing up." She reminded the girl with a laugh.  "And your dad was the worst of the bunch!" She said in reference to Jack, her oldest brother. 

"Really?" Delainey asked, her blue eyes watching Kristen closely. 

"Mmm-hmm." Kristen nodded as she took another sip of her water.  She tucked some hair behind her ears as she brought her legs up beneath her and turned towards her niece.  "All I had to do was look at a boy and I never heard the end of it!" She chuckled.  "I swore I was going to be permanently scarred and traumatized, but..." she shrugged.  "I turned out okay and so will you." She smiled.  "Don't let him know he's getting to you and eventually he'll get tired of teasing you." She counseled.  "Now...tell me about Travis." She grinned excitedly.  Delainey's cheeks flushed again and the girl dropped her gaze as she began telling Kristen about her latest crush--extolling all of the boy's virtues and declaring with a sigh that she was certain they were destined to be together forever.

"He's the one, huh?" Kristen teased with a chuckle at the dreamy look in the younger girl's face.  Delainey nodded.  "You're lucky you found him and you're only fifteen!" She nudged the girl with her elbow as she grinned teasingly. 

Delainey chuckled as she dipped her head and tucked her hair behind her ears.  "I know.  Don't worry, Aunt K." She said, looking up as she placed her hand on Kristen's arm.  "You'll find your soul-mate one day." She nodded confidently.  "I know it."

Kristen smiled.  She wondered if she should feel offended about a fifteen-year-old giving her advice on love, but she loved her niece too much to ever be offended by anything the girl said.  "Thanks, Lainey." She said, reaching over and giving the girl a hug.  "What do you say, we go see if dinner is ready?"  Delainey nodded and the two of them stood and made their way into the kitchen.

Kristen stopped as her cell phone suddenly vibrated in her back pocket.  She stopped and pulled it out-a smile spreading across her face as she read the text she'd received.

Hey, Vanilla!  ;) What are you up to?

She chuckled at Chris' sudden nickname for her--his dig at her choice of ice cream flavors making her laugh.  She set her water down on the end table closest to her as she then typed her answer.

Family dinner for my mom's birthday.

He was quick to reply, making Kristen's smile grew.

Great!  I'm starving.  What are we having?

Kristen laughed.

Lasagna, salad, garlic bread, some wine (juice of course for the kiddos) and brownies with VANILLA ice cream :)

She picked up her glass from the end table and took a drink as she waited for his reply--her thoughts returning to last night and the passionate kisses she and Chris had shared in his kitchen.  Her knees felt a bit unsteady as she remembered the look in his eyes when he'd told her that she wasn't boring and that he couldn't stop thinking about her.  Her!  He was rich and famous, had traveled around the world and back, and had been chased and adored by millions of girls but he couldn't stop thinking about her.  Kristen Miller.  Children's hospital fundraiser, Chicago sports fan, drunk karaoke singer, and ice cream lover.  She didn't know what made her so special as to have caught his attention but somehow she had and she wasn't going to argue with it.  If he wanted to think about her, and if thinking about her led to him kissing her the way he had last night, then Kristen was more than okay with it. 

Her phone vibrated in her hand, bringing her out of her thoughts and she looked down at it, reading his text.

Again with the vanilla ice cream!  I just don't understand.

Kristen laughed as she typed out her reply.

Come over later and I'll explain it to you...

Her heart fluttered as she waited to see what he would say to that invitation.  They had decided not to set any ground rules when it came to their relationship--deciding instead to just take it day by day and see what happened between them.   She still felt guilty about being with him, but she couldn't stay away.  She was quickly becoming addicted and knew she wouldn't be able to stay away from him for long. 

When should I be there?

Kristen smiled as she read his text and typed her response. 

Might be kind of late. Once my family gets going sometimes there's no stopping us! Lol

She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth as she sent the text and waited. 

"Kris?" Kristen looked up in surprise as her brother Jack walked into the Family Room.  "Dinner's ready." He told her. 

"I'll be right in." She told him, looking down as her phone vibrated in her hand. 

Tell me when to be there, Vanilla, and I'll be there.

Kristen smiled. 

I'll text you when I'm leaving :)

She looked up as she shoved her phone back into her pocket.  Jack was watching her and she smiled as she picked up her glass of water. 

"Who are you texting?" He asked as they walked into the kitchen.

Kristen glanced over at him.  "No one." She said, chuckling as she gave him the answer his daughter had given her earlier.  "No one."

~~~~~~~~~~~

"How you holding up, Peanut?"

Kristen moaned and rolled her eyes as her brother plopped down next to her on the couch.  His weight on the cushions caused Kristen to roll over against him and Lance chuckled as he put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her even closer to him. 

"Don't you think I've outgrown that nickname?" She asked, as she put a hand against his chest and looked up at him.  "I am thirty-two after all." She reminded him unnecessarily.  "It's kind of ridiculous that a woman my age still has a stupid childhood nickname.  Can we just drop it?"  She begged.  "Please?"

"Never." Lance grinned, his brown eyes sparkling teasingly as he gave her shoulders another squeeze.  "You'll always be, Peanut, in my book." He stated with a wink.

"Great." Kristen rolled her eyes again as she laid her head against his shoulder.  "One of these days I'm going to burn that book of yours." She mumbled under her breath.  Lance just chuckled again as Kristen turned her attention back to her mother as she sat in one of the chairs across from the couch, opening her presents.  Kristen's five nieces and nephews were all seated close as they watched and waited for Grandma to open their individual gifts to her.  Kristen smiled at the scene, chuckling as two-year-old Grace kept scooting closer and closer to her grandmother, wanting to "help" unwrap the presents. 

"Seriously." Lance said quietly, intruding on Kristen's observation of her family.  She looked up at him.  "How are you?"

He didn't have to elaborate as to what he was referring to--she knew, and her heart warmed at the genuine concern on his face.  Lance had always been the one she was closest to out of her three brothers.  While she loved Jack and Ryan equally as much, Lance just understood and "got" her.  He was the one who always laughed at her jokes and seemed to know what she was thinking.  He knew when she needed to talk and when she needed to be left alone.  He had been the first one in her family she had told about Kevin's cheating and she had had to physically hold him down by sitting on him to keep him from going to kill her now estranged husband.  She laid her head back down on his shoulder and put her arm around his waist, hugging him.  

"Today is a good day." She told him honestly.  "And...things have been getting better." She smiled as she once more thought of the dark haired, brown eyes man that had suddenly become a fixture in her life. 

"Does that have anything to do with whoever it was you were texting earlier before dinner?" He questioned.  Kristen felt her cheeks warm and kept her face pressed against his shoulder so he couldn't see her blush.  Lance chuckled--taking her silence as the answer he was looking for.  "Good." He stated and Kristen looked up at him in question.  "Don't let Kevin hold you back if someone better has along." He counseled. 

"Even if I'm still technically married to the slimeball?" Kristen asked, needing someone else's opinion on the state of her eternal salvation.  As her brother looked at her--his eyes searching hers--Kristen was suddenly caught off guard by how much he looked like their dad-though it didn't really come as much of a surprise.  Lance had been the only one of the boys to follow their father into law enforcement and sometimes when she saw him in his uniform, Kristen had to blink back the tears--like right now. I wish you were still here, Daddy.  She thought.  She would give anything to be able to have her dad give her a hug and tell her everything was going to be okay--even though she knew he had no control over the situation.  She missed the safety and security she had always felt having her dad around.

"You were always the one who insisted on coloring inside the lines and cried when you didn't, thinking you'd ruined the picture." Lance remarked.  "It's okay to break out of the box once in a while, Kris, and this may be one of those times.  I think God understands."  Kristen gave him a tremulous smile as she blinked at the tears once again.  "You've got that special Kristen spark back in your eyes." He continued.  "Whoever he is, he must be pretty special."  He smiled.

"I hope so." Kristen nodded.

"Do you want me to run a background check on him to make sure?" He asked and Kristen laughed.

"No." She shook her head.  "You don't need to run a background check on him.  He's..." she trailed off, wondering what her family would say if they found out whom she was beginning to spend time with.  "No." She said shook her head again.

"Okay." Lance replied with a shrug.  "If you change your mind, let me know."

"Thanks." Kristen smiled.  "I won't."

Lance laughed as he pulled her close again and kissed the top of her head.  "Make sure he treats you right." He continued quietly.  "I don't want to have to hurt him."

~~~~~~~~~~

"E..."

Don't say twelve.  Don't say twelve. Don't say twelve.  Kristen chanted in her head as she and Chris sat cross-legged on the floor of her apartment on either side of her coffee table, staring each other down.  She had left her mother's house an hour and a half ago and had texted Chris like she'd promised she would.  He had shown up shortly after she'd gotten home and, since nothing good was on TV, they had decided to play a game.  Kristen watched as Chris tapped his chin with the small red game piece in his hand as he narrowed his eyes at her.  They were currently in the middle of an intense game of Battleship and he was one move away from placing the final blow and winning.  His eyes looked down at the board in front of him then back up at her. 

"Are you going to make a move, or what?" Kristen asked him. 

"I'm thinking." He replied, his eyes never leaving hers. 

"About what?" She questioned with a smile.  "It's not that difficult of a decision to make." She chuckled.  He looked down at his board once more.

"Twelve." He said as he looked up at her again.

"Damn it!" Kristen exclaimed.  She crossed her arms and rested them on top of the coffee table as she laid her head down--a groan of defeat escaping her. 

"Yes!" Chris put his arms up in the air as a huge smile lit up his face.  He laughed and Kristen peeked up at him.  "Say it." He said.

"Why?" She countered.  "You know you won.  Why do I have to say it?"

"Say it." He commanded, a teasing sparkle in his brown eyes.

Kristen pursed her lips together as she sighed heavily.  "Fine." She relented.  "You sunk my battleship." She said, delivering the trademarked line.

"You bet I did!" He exclaimed with another laugh.  "That's twice." He told her, rubbing in the fact that he had won two of the three games they had played and now had bragging rights over her.  "I win!"

Kristen couldn't help laughing over his excitement.  He was acting like Preston whenever she played a game with her nephew and he won.  "Best out of five?" She asked.  She needed to regain her dignity.  Battleship was her game!  It always had been and it had been a long time since someone had beaten her twice in a row. 

"Sure." He replied with a shrug of his shoulder.  "But first," he said, placing his hands on the table and standing.  "Where's your bathroom?" 

Kristen smiled.  "Down the hall on the left." She told him, gesturing over her shoulder.  Chris disappeared down the hall and Kristen stood then made her way into the kitchen.  Dinner had worn off and she was feeling a little munchy.  I wonder if he's a sweet or salty snacker.  She wondered as she began rummaging through her pantry.  Deciding to play it safe she pulled out the half-eaten bag of Hershey Kisses she had and the bag of Cheetos she'd gotten at the grocery store Friday night.  "Now....drinks..." she muttered under her breath as she set the food down on the counter.  Opening one cupboard she went up on her toes slightly and reached up for two glasses. 

~~~~~~~~

"So explain to me your love of vanilla ice cream." Chris said, coming into the kitchen and startling Kristen.  "I still don't..." He trailed off as his eyes focused in on the small expanse of skin showing from where her shirt had ridden up as she was reaching for whatever was in the cupboard.  He swallowed hard as she looked over at him, lowering her feet back to the floor as she set the glasses in her hands down on the counter.  He wanted to peel the shirt off her and run his hands over her smooth, warm skin again.  He wanted to forget about the Battleship tournament they were apparently having and play and entirely different game with her.  He brought his eyes up to meet hers and felt a shot go through him as she stood, watching him closely.  Her cheeks warmed slightly and he wondered if she could read his mind; if she knew what he was thinking. 

Help me out here.  He silently begged her. 

They had decided not to set any ground rules regarding their relationship, which was fine, but at the same time he hated flying blind.  He didn't know what he could and couldn't do--which advances she would accept and which ones would be rejected.  In past relationships they had built up to sleeping together.  He hadn't slept with a girl first and then tried to build a relationship with her.  All he knew was, the longer she stood there looking at him, the harder it was to remember why he couldn't just push her back against the wall and have his way with her.  Maybe it had been a bad idea to come over here tonight.  When he had walked out of the bathroom a few minutes ago, he had caught sight of her bed, through her open bedroom door, and the memory of that night two weeks ago had returned. And then he walked in here and was confronted with the sight of her stretching out in front of him--her beautiful body on display...

The playful teasing they had shared earlier over the game had been replaced with the thick tension currently between them and Chris felt like he was ready to scream.  It had been two weeks and he was wound tighter than he could ever remember being, which was ridiculous.  He'd gone longer than that before in the past, but for some reason he was suddenly at his breaking point. 

And it was all her fault.

His mind and body still vividly recalled how this woman standing in front of him felt, wrapped around him, and he knew she was the only one who could provide the release he was suddenly desperate for. 

"It's, uh..." Kristen finally spoke, breaking the silence between them.  She tucked some of her hair behind her ear as she turned towards the fridge.  "It's versatile."  She told him.

"Versatile?" He questioned, trying hard to remember what question he had asked her that she was now answering.  He could barely remember his name over the haze that had settled over him.  He shook his head and stepped farther into the kitchen, leaning back against the counter as he watched her. 

"You can..." she cleared her throat and he felt his lips twitch upwards slightly.  Maybe she had read his thoughts.  She was suddenly extremely flustered and he felt a smug sense of satisfaction come over him.  It was good to know that he rattled her as much as she rattled him.  "You can, uh...you can make it into whatever you want it to be." She said as she opened the fridge and stood, looking inside of it for a moment. 

"Kristen." He said, needing her to look at him again.  He didn't care anymore what her reasons were for liking vanilla ice cream.  He wanted to see if what he was beginning to suspect was true. 

"Do you want water or beer?" She asked, refusing to look at him.

"I want you." He stated.  He waited what seemed like an eternity as she stood--statue still--in front of the fridge.  Slowly she closed the door and turned to look at him.  Pushing away from the counter, Chris took the few steps towards her.  He watched as she swallowed hard and her chest began rising and falling rapidly.  Finally he stood in front of her--their eyes locked on each others.  "I want you." He said again. "I." He lifted his hand as he tucked some of her curls behind one ear.  "Want." He lifted his other hand and did the same thing on the other side.  "You." He finished as he placed both hands on her hips and tugged her closer.  "I'm dying here." He confessed quietly as he lowered his head, his lips a breath away from hers.  Kristen's lips parted slightly as she closed her eyes and exhaled a soft sigh.  "Put me out of my misery." He begged.

Kristen would her arms around his neck as she pressed her lips against his.  Chris groaned as she seemed to be giving him the answer he wanted.  Her fingers tangled in his hair and he bent down.  Putting his arms around her hips he straightened.  Kristen jumped, locking her legs around his waist as their lips remained locked in a heated exchange.  She combed her fingers through his hair as he turned--setting her down on the counter.  She let out a moan as he dug his hands into her thick curls and Chris was positive it was the sexiest thing he'd ever heard. 

He pulled back, finally breaking the seal of their lips and Kristen slowly opened her eyes, giving him a dazed look.  He gripped her hips and shuddered as she flicked her tongue out, wetting her bottom lip.  She combed her fingers through his hair as she leaned forward, taking his bottom lip between hers. 

"The feeling is mutual." She told him, looking at him through her lashes.  Chris groaned again as he took full possession of her mouth.  She tightened her legs around him and, with an arm under her for support, he pulled her off the counter and turned, walking out of the kitchen and down the hall to her bedroom--finally deciding that it had been a good idea to come over here tonight.

~~~~~~~

Kristen rolled over.  She smiled as she felt the bed move behind her.  Chris put his arm around her as he pulled her back against his chest.  He pressed his lips against her shoulder and Kristen felt a rush of goose bumps as his warm breath fanned over her skin.  His lips moved slowly up her neck until her nuzzled her ear.  She giggled quietly as his goatee tickled her.  His arm tightened around her as he placed one more kiss below her ear then settled down behind her.  Kristen pulled her bottom lip between her teeth as she listened to his breathing even out and deepen. 

Please don't leave this time.  She pled as she finally closed her own eyes--succumbing to sleep.  I don't want you to leave...