These Foolish Things

by Thatcher, Susan

  “Liz, Darling, I don’t have a detailed plan for us. Hell, if you’d told me 24 hours ago that I’d be spending the day combing Hyannis, I’d have suggested, politely, that you were crazy. If you’d then said I’d be spending the night in Elizabeth Gardner’s arms, I’d have said, ‘It’s a lovely thought, but I doubt it.’ Yet, here I am and here we are.” His voice caressed the word “we.” Ty smiled at Liz.

  “I don’t know what’s going to happen next week or even this afternoon. We could go back to Vincenzo’s for dinner or the roof could collapse on us while we’re making love. You’re just going to have to trust me.” Ty kissed Liz. Under the blanket, his hand slid down her body, fingertips skating across smooth skin, lightly brushing across her vulva. She caught her breath. He pulled her closer, his erection rubbing against her belly.

  “Right now, Liz, I want to go back to sleep.” Liz arched her eyebrows as she stroked him under the blanket. Ty sucked in his breath. “Okay, well, back to bed right now. Sleep later.” They both laughed softly. Ty looked into Liz’s face and kissed her forehead. Her eyes were glowing as she looked back into his.

  “One thing I’ve been dying to do,” he whispered, “Besides make love to you, was to wake up next to you. I almost couldn’t sleep. It was like being a kid on Christmas Eve again.” Ty brought up one hand to cup her face. “By sneaking out of bed, you denied me that pleasure. I think you owe it to me, Love.”

  Ty leaned in again and kissed her again, deep, slow, erotic as hell. When he spoke, his voice was husky and rough.

  “I want to wake up next to the love of my life, Elizabeth Gardner and you’re not going to stop me. We’re going back to bed and do it right this time.” Ty scooped up Liz and carried her back to bed.

  When she woke again, Liz found herself facing Ty, her head pillowed on his shoulder, their limbs in a lover’s tangle. His eyes were closed and she couldn’t tell if he was awake or asleep. Liz lay still, not wanting to disturb him. She heard a chuckle and saw his eyes open.

  “I know you’re awake.”

  Liz smiled as she studied his face. “How do you know that?” This time, he laughed. “The snoring stopped.”

  Oh, God. Liz tried to burrow under the covers, but Ty stopped her. “Get back up here.”

  He pulled her back so that they faced each other again. Ty pushed some stray hair out of her eyes and said, “I was right. I want to wake up seeing you like this every day for the rest of my life. This is not a one-night stand.”

  Despite snoring, he was still there. Liz smiled at the thought and tangled her fingers in Ty’s hair.

  “Well, it’s true you’re still here, but there’s a snowstorm outside. You couldn’t go very far if you wanted to, Big Boy.”

  He leaned forward and pressed a deep, soft kiss on her. “But I’m exactly where I want to be and that’s with you,” he said at last. Ty traced Liz’s face with his fingertips, just smiling. She continued to stroke his hair, loving the vital, springy feel of it.

  The mood was broken abruptly when Ty farted. Liz looked at him, “So much for magic.”

  She rolled onto her other side, her back to Ty now, giggling. Not exactly Prince Charming.

  “Turn back over. I don’t want to look at the back of your head,” Ty said, laughing. Liz complied. He propped himself up on one elbow so that Liz was looking up at him.

  “Gonna ditch me now, Liz?” Ty said teasingly. “Got your T Pass ready to go?”

  Liz touched his face and he turned to catch her fingers with his teeth. He caressed her back, fingertips lightly sliding down to her hip then up to her breast. She slid one leg along his in response, stroking his toes with hers. “No. If you’re still here after listening to me snore, I think I can deal with the gas.” He laughed as he was nibbling her fingertips.

  “What were you thinking before I, ah, interrupted?” Ty asked, still holding her hand to his lips.

  “You’ll think I’m ridiculous.”

  “Please. I told you to trust me. What were you thinking?” Ty took her hand and put it around his neck, then positioned himself so that he was directly over Liz.

  Liz bit her lip, partly from hesitancy and partly from the erotic effect of their position.

  “I was trying to remember some poetry.”

  “Poetry. I see. Yours?”

  “Good Lord, no,” Liz said.

  Ty asked, “Okay, whose poetry? Please don’t say John Milton. I hate that bastard.”

  “Oh yeah. Paradise Lost, very romantic,” Liz replied sarcastically. “No, I was trying to remember something by John Donne.”

  Ty looked thoughtful. “‘No man is an island’ and ‘for whom the bell tolls.’” He shifted his weight so that his legs were holding one of Liz’s legs between them, working his thigh in tight.

  “He also wrote some beautiful love poems,” said Liz. “I was trying to remember ‘The Sun Rising.’ It’s the one where he says something about his love like ‘she is all princes and I, all states’ and nothing exists outside of their bedroom.” Liz pulled Ty down and kissed him with all the passion she felt for him, her hand sliding down his neck, down his chest and lower to caress him. He rolled slightly and pushed himself against her hand. When she spoke again, she could barely speak above a whisper.

  “I know how he feels.”

  * * *

  Liz was semi-conscious when she heard the bedroom phone ring. Before she could locate it and shut up the infernal ringing, Ty had it. Liz thought, as she looked at him, even with his hair rumpled, sleepy eyes and unshaven, Ty made it worthwhile for a girl to open her eyes.

  “Hello? Yes, Angie, it’s the Kissing Bandit.” Ty was smiling. Liz groaned and buried her face in the pillow. “No, Ma’am, I don’t think your girl is some kind of puttana.” To Liz, he whispered, “What’s a puttana?”

  “It’s Italian for ‘whore.’” Oh, shit. Liz squeezed her eyes shut.

  “Definitely, not, Angie,” Ty reiterated. “I love her.” Liz smiled into the pillow. “My intentions? Well, Ma’am, we’re going to stay in our room a while longer. It’s snowing outside, so… What? No! Angie, I swear to God I wasn’t being fresh.” Ty was pinching the bridge of his nose.

  Liz heard a “Tyrone! No blasphemy!” from Angie’s end.

  “Sorry, Angie.” Ty handed the phone to Liz. “Save me.”

  Liz sat up, clutching the sheet to her breast. “Angie? Good,” Liz checked the clock. “morning.” Barely.

  “Lizabetta? Are you all right?” Angie was worried.

  “Angie, I’m fine. Really.” Ty was trying to tug the sheet out of Liz’s hand. “Stop it, Ty,” she hissed. He just grinned and kept tugging.

  “Tell Tyrone to turn off the hormones for 5 minutes or else.” The voice of authority. “I don’t know what to think of him, taking a girl to bed on the first date…”

  Liz interrupted, “Actually, Angie, it’s our third…”

  “Fourth,” Ty corrected.

  “Fourth,” Liz stated, “and, well, we’re not teenagers and these days…”

  “I don’t care!” snapped Angie, “It’s not proper. Stop for 5 minutes already.”

  Liz turned to Ty, “Cool it. Angie says.”

  Ty obeyed. “Yes, Ma’am,” he muttered. He contented himself with pulling Liz close to him and kissing her shoulder.

  Liz collected herself. “I’m listening, Angie.”

  “Listen, whatever the two of you do the rest of the afternoon, I don’t want to know. But, you are here for dinner tonight, capice? The snow is supposed to pick up and I need you in the kitchen again. The Kissing Bandit can bus tables or peel potatoes. I’ll find some use for him.”

  “Yes, Mama Angie.” Liz didn’t mind.

  “Okay. You kiss that man for me and Honey,” Angie’s voice suddenly got serious. “I’m praying he’s good enough for you. I don’t want to see you with someone who’s gonna end up hurting you. You’ve waited too long and been through too much.”

  “Angie, this is why I love you. See you la
ter.” Liz passed the phone to Ty for him to hang up, trying to ignore Angie’s concerns. “Here,” she kissed Ty. “That’s from Angie.”

  “Really,” Ty was grinning. “I’ll return it later.”

  Liz shook her head. “Don’t even joke. You do not mess with Vinnie DiNardo’s woman. Angie’s not the only one in that family willing to use the big knife.” She kissed Ty and pulled out of his arms. Liz slid to the edge of the bed, safely out of his reach, gathering a blanket around herself as she did. Ty watched her tuck it in, sarong style. He leaned over, grabbed the corner of the blanket and tugged.

  “You don’t need that,” he said.

  “It’s time to get up,” she said. “Snow or no, I have things to do in the outside world. It seems a good idea to be presentable. Therefore, a bath is in order.” She tried to pull her cover out of his grasp, but his grip was firm.

  “Fine. Why are you covering up?” Ty asked. His tone was even, but Liz could hear the steel behind it. She gave one hard tug and he released the blanket.

  Liz said nothing and looked away. She tucked the blanket more securely around her. She heard Ty move behind her and felt his hand on her waist. He made a move towards untucking the blanket, but Liz held it tightly. Ty turned her to face him, his eyes locking with hers.

  “You have nothing to be ashamed of,” he said quietly, “and nothing to hide from me.” His fingers trailed from the side of her face and downwards.

  “It was dark. You didn’t see anything,” Liz finally said. He hadn’t seen her body in full daylight.

  “Maybe not with my eyes,” Ty agreed, “but I know you have a mole on the back of your left thigh. Your skin is as creamy and smooth as it looks, your body feels wonderful against mine and I do not give a damn about your scars.” He touched her face again. “C’mon. You don’t need the blanket.” He tugged at it. “I’ll show you where the goat bit me.”

  Liz smiled, but held firm. “Right buttock, near the Great Divide,” she said as she evaded his grasp. Liz rummaged in her suitcase and produced a bottle of bubble bath. She hesitated a moment before turning back to Ty. “I’m sorry. Did you want to get into the bathroom?”

  Ty rolled onto his stomach and gave her an unfathomable look. “You know, I hear the latest thing is for couples to bathe together. What the hell, let’s find out what the big deal is.” He started to get out of bed.

  Liz shook her head. “No. Please. Daylight’s not very kind and I’m not ready for you to see everything at once.”

  Ty smiled, “Okay, I can wait.”

  Liz made her way to the bathroom, nearly tripping over the blanket. As she filled the tub for a bath, Liz told herself that she was right in not letting Ty see her. Not yet, she thought. Let me lose some weight. Let me look better for him. She washed her hair while waiting for the tub to fill. Liz turned off the taps and eased herself into the fragrant water. She closed her eyes and leaned back.

  “Move over.”

  Water sloshed as Liz jumped. Ty was already stepping into the tub and Liz looked away from him. He settled himself into the water and sniffed appreciatively.

  “Mmm. Smells like that perfume you wear. I like it.” He rested his arms on the edge of the tub and grinned at Liz. A series of bubbles broke the water’s surface midway down the tub. Liz stared at him, crossed arms shielding her breasts.

  “You said you were going to wait,” she accused.

  “True,” he pulled her close, “I just didn’t say how long.” He kissed her as he gently pulled her arms away from her body, putting them around himself. They washed each other from head to foot, frequently exchanging kisses or just lying in each others’ arms in the warm, soapy water.

  Liz was still drying her hair when Ty excused himself with another kiss, towel around his waist, to get dressed. She remembered how much she had wanted to share the shower with him in October and had denied herself the pleasure that time. She smiled dreamily at her reflection in the foggy mirror. It had been worth the wait.

  Wrapped in another towel, Liz followed Ty into the bedroom, looking around. She frowned. No suitcase.

  “Ty, where are my clothes?”

  “Safe and sound,” he answered casually. He was dressed and sitting in a chair. Liz could see mischief in his eyes. She clutched her towel closer.

  Liz hated being naked or nearly so. It made her too vulnerable. Ty was looking at her and smiling. All of a sudden, the towel was far too small for her comfort.

  “Ty, may I please have my clothes?” she asked sweetly.

  “You don’t need them,” he replied. Gesturing at the towel, Ty added, “You can even get rid of that.”

  “No, I can’t.” Liz answered.

  Ty reached over and tugged at the towel. Liz tightened her grip. “I said you had nothing to hide from me. Give me the towel.”

  “No. Please give me my clothes.” Liz tried to maintain her temper. “Ty, Sweetheart, it’s December in Massachusetts. I can’t leave the room without risking hypothermia. May I have my clothes?”

  “You want your clothes?” She could tell by his tone that something was definitely up. He released his grip on the towel. “Yes, Darling. May I please have my clothes before I find it necessary to kill you to get them?”

  Ty grinned, “Here’s the deal: See, you’re trying to hide behind that skimpy little towel. This tells me that, despite everything, you don’t trust me completely yet. Therefore, if you want your clothes, you’re going to have to learn to trust me with everything. And I do mean everything. I could pull that towel off your body, but I want you to trust me enough to do it yourself.”

  Liz clutched the towel tight for a moment, then took a deep breath and let the towel drop.

  “Much better.” Ty leaned back, now grinning broadly.

  Liz hugged herself, shivering a little, partly from nerves and partly from the cooler air in the room.

  “How long do I have to stand here like this?” Liz looked at the bed. He had stripped it of linens. Maybe the curtains, she thought.

  “You’ll get your clothes back when you realize that scars and stretch marks and the things you’re hung up on don’t matter to me.” His tone softened. “You are more than a body to me, Liz. If you don’t believe that, then how can you believe in my love for you?”

  Liz bit her lip and said nothing. Ty continued. “Actually, there is one more thing you can do to get your clothes back.” Liz saw the glint in his eyes. She tried unsuccessfully to bite back a smile.

  “I’m almost afraid to ask.”

  Ty chuckled. “I want you to read me one of your stories.”

  “No.” The answer came so fast, she was surprised.

  Ty got serious, “Fine, then. No reading, no clothing.”

  Liz felt panic building. “Be reasonable.”

  “No.”

  “Let me have my underwear, at least,” Liz bargained.

  “No.”

  Liz sighed, “Why can’t I have my clothes?”

  Ty leaned back and put his hands behind his head. “Because for once in your life, you are going to have to drop all that emotional armor. It’s crap,” He cut her off as she started to protest, “I mean it, this crap that you believe about yourself. My God, Liz, you have armored yourself so well I can almost see it. Because I want you open to me, in body and in mind. You are glorious and I want to bask in it.”

  Liz ducked her head. Nobody, not even former lovers, had ever called her “glorious” or complimented her body. It would take some getting used to. “Okay, you win, but please, may I have something to wrap up in? I’m getting cold.”

  Ty looked pointedly at her breasts. “I see that.” He handed the towel back to her and she wrapped herself as before. “Thanks. You win.”

  “You’ll see. No losers in this one.” Ty pulled Liz into his lap. “I like what you do for that towel. Here,” he handed Liz her notebook with a kiss. “Read.”

  “Don’t expect Andre Dubus or O. Henry,” Liz opened her book. Which story? Turning towards the back of
the book, Liz began to read what she’d been writing when he found her. They relived the Barrister’s Ball through her words, felt the magic again.

  “…and under the mistletoe, in the quiet corner, his kiss set her heart free.” She closed the book.

  Ty put his hand to her face. He kissed her cheek, “What are you doing practicing law? You should be writing and publishing.” Liz turned her head to kiss the palm of his hand, “Well, Ty, right now, law is paying the bills and creative writing is not. I have the rejection letters to prove it.”

  “How can it pay the bills if you quit your job?” He asked. Liz stared at him. “That’s right, I heard.” He chuckled. “Dan gave me an earful pretty much as soon as you left his office. Seems to think I stole you away.” He kissed her face. “I just might at that.”

  “Sorry, Sweetheart. Judge McCafferty offered me a clerkship and I accepted.” Liz kissed him back, but Ty was frowning.

  “That’s kind of a step back, isn’t it, Liz?”

  “Not from my perspective,” Liz said.

  Ty frowned. “Let me set you up at my firm. This clerkship doesn’t seem like a good idea to me.”

  Liz sat up, “Maybe not to you, Ty, but you thrive on the law firm experience. I hate billable hours, I hate going into court, I hate the gotta-make-partner-before-5-years mentality. Those kinds of pressures are going to have me back to compulsive eating. Plus, I can just hear the whispers about you hiring your girlfriend. No. I like the research, I like the writing and I really like Frank McCafferty. So, it seems like a very good idea to me. Now,” she kissed him and put her forehead to his, “may I have my clothes?”

  Ty laid his head against her shoulder and Liz closed her eyes. Just touching him made her heartbeat race. She felt his hand slide along her leg and under the towel.

  “Not just yet on the clothes,” Ty murmured as he started to rise from the chair. He had nearly succeeded when there was an ominous creak and a section of the ceiling crashed onto their bed, collapsing it to the floor.