by Jill Sanders
Chapter 12
There was no way Simon was going to move from the spot. He was holding Laura against his chest, cradling her in his arms as her light breathing assured him that she was fast asleep.
Glancing at the dark windows, he could see the white flakes still falling outside.
“I should head home,” she surprised him by saying.
His arms tightened around her, not wanting to let her go just yet, or ever.
“Stay,” he said into her hair. He placed a kiss on her head. “Please.”
She sighed and relaxed further into him, laying her head on his chest.
“I’m too tired to move anyway,” she said with a yawn.
“Stay the entire weekend with me,” he said as he closed his eyes and held his breath, waiting for her answer.
“Simon, I…”
“What? Have work?”
“N-no. It’s just…” She was silent for a while.
“We can hit your place in the morning if you need a change of clothes and whatever.” He thought about it and added. “I was hoping you’d pick out a color for this room and help me paint it?”
She sat up slightly and narrowed her eyes at him. “Trying to bribe me?”
He smiled and ran his fingers through her hair. “Is it working?”
She chuckled and sighed loudly. “Yes.” She leaned up and kissed him. “I’ll stay.”
His hands continued to roam over her, and he felt his body growing hard against her. Her smile grew, and she leaned up and straddled his hips.
“Now,” she said, placing her hands wide across his chest, “what could we possibly fill our time with?”
He leaned up quickly and took her mouth and enjoyed how she melted against him.
She tasted the same as she had all those years ago. He’d missed the feeling of her, her soft subtle scent, and the way her soft lips fit perfectly against his.
“I’ll always want you,” he promised her as he tucked her body underneath his again. “Always.” He trailed his mouth down until he could suck her nipple into his mouth.
She’d mentioned how he’d grown in size and muscle mass. Well, she’d grown too; her breasts filled his hands now. He could spend a lifetime re-exploring every curve of hers. He’d been in such a hurry earlier that he hadn’t felt like he’d really gotten to enjoy all of her. Now, however, he felt more in control and knew they had all night to enjoy one another.
No matter how she tried to hurry him along, he would pull back, slow down, and spend as much time teasing her as he could. He enjoyed watching her cheeks turn a slight shade of pink when he ran his tongue over her skin or slid a finger into her.
When he trailed his mouth lower to join his finger, she cried out and gripped his hair.
He remembered the first time he kissed her. The first time they made love. Tonight, it felt like the first all over again. He’d been just as nervous, just as anxious, and just as excited.
She had been his everything back then and now she was again. Running his hands over her body, feeling her glide her fingertips over him, he knew that he didn’t want to go another day without her. Without telling her exactly how he felt.
All the things he’d kept inside of him for all those years. There was nothing he wouldn’t do to win her back completely. To ensure that he had the chance to make up the missed time to her.
“Simon, please,” she begged, breaking into his thoughts. When her nails dug into his shoulders, he willingly went down to her, covered her, filled her completely.
“I love you,” he said against her lips. “I’ve loved you forever,” he whispered.
For a moment, he felt her tense. Then he moved his hips, and she relaxed and wrapped her legs around him to hold on while he pleased them both.
Her hips were a little fuller than before, and he enjoyed the softness of her against him as he held onto her. She had always made these sexy little sounds when she’d come for him and didn’t disappoint him this time. He felt her body tense with her release, and his wasn’t far behind.
Spent. He lay there with her in his arms until their breathing calmed and he felt himself drifting off.
“I love you too,” she said softly.
He smiled and pulled her closer and fell asleep with her scent filling his senses.
When he woke, it was to a chill in the air. He’d forgotten to turn up the thermostat when he’d returned home.
He grabbed the extra blanket from the foot of the bed and pulled it up over them.
“Sorry,” he told her when he felt her shiver and wrap her cold legs around his. “I forgot to turn up the heat last night.”
“It’s freezing in here,” she said between clenched teeth.
“I could get up and start a fire?”
“No, don’t leave me again. You’re so warm.” She laid her head against his chest.
He glanced towards the windows and could see the greyness of more snow falling outside.
“It’s still snowing.” He ran his hands over her.
“Hmm…”
He smiled. “Still not a morning person?”
She groaned in response.
“How about I go start a fire, turn up the heat, and then cook us some breakfast?” he suggested.
Her arms tightened around him. “Instead, why don’t we lay here for another hour and then you can go do all that?”
He chuckled and quickly rolled away from her.
She squealed at the chill and jerked the blankets up around her.
“You’ll be warm in a few moments,” he promised as he pulled on a pair of old sweats and a sweatshirt and then bent in front of the fireplace in his room to start a fire.
She mumbled something from under the blankets, but he figured it was probably better he hadn’t heard the words. Her meaning was very clear from the tone of her voice. He chuckled again as he worked.
Once he was done there, he walked into the living room, turned up the thermostat by a few degrees, and started a fire in the living room fireplace as well.
Then he busied himself by making waffles, eggs, bacon, and fresh orange juice all while listening to the news on the television set that hung over the fireplace.
“What’s all this?”
He turned when he’d set the last plate on the table to see her standing in the doorway, wearing a pair of his sweats and her sweatshirt. His eyes moved down to her feet and he smiled. She had found a pair of his wool socks. She still had a blanket wrapped around her shoulders.
“Breakfast.” He moved over and nudged her into a chair. “Still like your coffee black?”
“No.” She glanced up at him. “If you have vanilla creamer…”
His eyebrows shot up, then he nodded. “I do.” He smiled. “So,” he said after setting the creamer down in front of her. “What else has changed about you over the past five years?”
She glanced around the full table. “For starters, I hardly eat anything for breakfast anymore.”
He shook his head. “Too bad. I guess that means there’ll be more for me.” He dug in.
She added some fruit to her plate and then cut a waffle in half.
“Whipped cream?” He offered her the bowl.
“Is that… Did you make that?” she asked with a frown.
“No.” He chuckled. “But I did whip it a little longer and add some cinnamon.”
She took a spoonful and added it with the berries onto her waffle.
He waited and watched her take a bite. She closed her eyes on a moan.
“Wow, this is amazing,” she said.
“Yeah, I learned how to do that in France. Of course, I put it on crepes instead.” He shrugged. “But what are waffles but thick crepes?”
She smiled at him. “You’ve changed a lot as well.”
“Do you still like watching horror movies with the lights on?” he asked after taking a bite.
“What other way is there to watch scary movies?” she said with a shrug between bites. “What about you? Are
you still really into hockey?”
He laughed. “Yes. Even when I was in Europe, I made a point to never miss a game. I would often piss off everyone in a pub by requesting they play the hockey game instead of football.”
She smiled. “I still watch the games…” She quickly glanced away with a shake of her head.
“You do?” He narrowed his eyes. “The Avalanche are doing pretty well this season.”
“Seriously.” Her smile grew. “Did you see…” She dropped off again.
“Why do you keep doing that?” he asked after setting down his coffee.
She shook her head. “Logan… he kept making fun of me for allowing you to corrupt me away from football.”
Simon laughed. “Remind me to have a talk with your brother.”
She turned her eyes towards the large windows that overlooked the hillside. He could tell she was struggling with something this morning.
“What’s going on?” He reached across the table and took her hand in his.
She shook her head. “I didn’t expect… for things to be this way so quickly.” She turned back to him. “I was supposed to be mad at you for a while.”
He smiled. “Sorry if I screwed up your timeline.”
She smiled slightly. “I’m glad you did. I just don’t want to take anything for granted. I don’t want to skip over anything. When we were younger, everyone around us assumed…” She dropped off.
“That we would get married?” he offered.
“Yes.” She nodded and frowned slightly.
“I had saved up for a ring,” he admitted.
Her eyebrows jumped up. “You did?” Her frown grew.
“I was going to ask you the night of graduation.” He looked down at their joined hands. “I told myself that if I came back into town and found out that you were happily married with a half dozen kids, that I would be able to move on.” His eyes moved back to hers. “But I knew it was a lie.”
He heard her breath hitch as her eyes filled with tears.
“Laura, you’re the only woman I’ve ever loved. The only woman I see myself being with in the future. Screw timelines. Screw rational thought. What we have goes beyond all that.”
She chuckled and wiped the tears from her cheeks.
“I’m not going to ask you now,” he said easily as he looked around. “It’s not the right time. But I want you to understand that that is where this is heading. That’s where this has always been heading.”
“Yes.” She nodded. “You’re the only man I’ve ever wanted to grow old with.”
He felt his heart jump in his chest.
“Good, now that that is settled.” He picked up his coffee mug. “Let’s finish eating then head into the paint store and get started on covering up the pink walls in our bedroom.”
She laughed. “They’re mauve and…” Her smile grew. “I never agreed I’d move in here with you.”
“You didn’t?” He picked up a forkful of waffle. “Yet,” he added before shoveling the food into his mouth.
Laura’s laughter was the best sound he’d heard in years.
Chapter 13
Laura had never had as much fun painting a room as she had covering the mauve walls with Simon by her side.
Simon pulled the massive, outdated furniture away from the walls while she removed the curtains and blinds from the large windows.
“This view is so great.” She stopped and appreciated the snow-covered mountains. “There isn’t even another house in sight.”
“Yeah, it’s what I liked the most about this place.” He stopped working and moved over to stand next to her. “I guess since all the windows are tinted from the outside, I don’t need to hang those back up once you’ve taken them down.” He motioned to the pile of curtains.
She glanced over at him, a little shocked.
“Of course, you need curtains.” She shook her head. “The bedroom windows face east.”
“So?” He turned slightly towards her.
“So!” She laughed so hard she had to hold onto her sides. He waited patiently until she stopped. “I know you’re a morning person, but remember, in the summer months, the sun will be streaming in those large windows pretty early.”
“Then I’ll wake up earlier,” he said with a shrug, but she noticed the side of his mouth twitch.
“You’re messing with me.” She shoved him playfully on the shoulder.
“Whatever you do, just don’t hang those pink things up again.” He bent down and picked up the pile of material. “I’m going to haul these out to the trash now.”
“We can head to the store later to pick up some other ones. Something that goes with the color we picked for the walls.” She got back to work.
After she removed all the window coverings, she taped off the baseboards, and Simon helped her tape off the crown molding by using an old ladder he had in the garage.
“So, the people that lived here before just left all this?” She walked through the filled garage.
“Yeah, when the man’s wife died, the husband left everything behind and bought a yacht and is sailing around the world,” Simon answered with a shrug. “They had a difficult time going through and making sure there wasn’t anything personal left over.” He motioned around the mess in the garage.
“You know, you could probably have an estate sale and get rid of a lot of this junk.” She glanced around and spotted a few nicer pieces of furniture stored in the garage. “There’s better items in here than there are in the house.”
“When we’re done painting, maybe we can swap out some of the pieces,” he suggested.
“Great idea.” She helped him move the ladder. “Just don’t expect me to help lift that massive bed.”
By the time they started painting the main bedroom wall, she could already imagine the finished project. The steel blue color she’d talked him into going with in the room would modernize the space. They finished the first coat and took a break for lunch. She was happily surprised when he made them a fresh chicken salad and turkey sandwiches.
After the massive breakfast, she doubted she could eat much. Still, she was hungrier than she’d thought and finished both the sandwich and the salad completely.
“Maybe after the bedroom, we can start in this room next?” he suggested as she helped him clear the dishes from the table.
“Once the furniture starts arriving next week, I have a feeling we’re going to be busy getting the facility ready. That is if you’re going to be open by Christmas.”
“This place can wait until after.” He stopped her and pulled her into his arms. “I’m just thankful you agreed to spend this weekend with me.”
She smiled. “You’re just thankful you no longer have a mauve bedroom.”
“That too,” he agreed, and kissed her.
She felt her toes curl at the simple touch. Then he pulled back and shook his head. “Come on. If we don’t get in there and finish painting, I’m going to find a way to uncover the bed and take you again.”
She smiled. “There are four other bedrooms in this house.”
He kissed her again. “Later,” he promised. “After we’ve had a shower. We’re covered in paint.”
She glanced down at the old pair of jeans and the old T-shirt she’d changed into. They had stopped quickly by her apartment to grab an overnight bag, and she’d made sure to grab clothes to paint in.
“Fine,” she agreed. “Paint now, shower, then sex.”
“Then dinner,” he added as they stepped into the bedroom. “Wow, it’s already looking a million times better in here.”
She ran her eyes over the space and nodded in agreement. “I’m thinking white curtains.” She tilted her head as she imagined the space. “You have such great hardwood floors throughout the house, but what you need are some area rugs. Something that will bring in a lighter shade of blues and browns. There was a nice chest of drawers in the garage. Hopefully, it’s in good shape. If not, it can be repaired, sanded, and stained.
If we’re lucky, there are matching nightstands to go with it.” She turned slightly. “There’s room for a writing desk.” She motioned to a spot between the windows. “Or a small sofa.” She turned to him and realized he was watching her. “What?”
He shook his head and smiled at her. “You are amazing. You can take this… mess and see something else.”
She shrugged, feeling silly, and turned away from him. “It’s just stuff. You move it around until it looks good.”
He walked over and laid his hands on her shoulders, then turned her back towards him. “Don’t knock it.” He lifted her chin slightly with a finger. “I can tell you love your job.”
“I do.”
“But I can also tell you’re unhappy working for your brother.”
She sighed. “I am.”
“What do you want to be doing instead?”
“This.” She motioned around him, her heart racing suddenly. “Full time. I want to step foot into a place and make it a home for someone. I want to transform the old and hideous into something sleek and sexy.”
His smile grew. “Then do it.”
She felt her heart sink. She shook her head. “I… can’t.”
“Can’t or won’t?”
She thought about it and shrugged. “My brother—”
“Can hire someone else.”
“Yes, but…” She thought about all the reasons she’d been holding back over the past year. “I don’t have the money saved up to start my own business.”
“I can help with that,” he offered.
She straightened her back. “I don’t need a handout.”
He frowned. “That’s not what I’m offering.”
“What exactly are you offering?”
“I’m not sure. But I believe in you and want you to have everything you want.” He ran his hands up and down her arms. “If you’re willing to take my help, it’s there,” he said softly.
“Thanks,” she said after a moment. “Now…” She bent down and picked up the paint roller. “Let’s get this second coat done. If we hurry, we can head into town and find some curtains to hang up after it dries.”