"I think I would like that." The words left her mouth breathlessly, her eyes locked with his.
"When you speak like that, and look at me the way you do, I lose my mind." He closed the distance, claiming her lips.
She leaned into him and grabbed the back of his shirt as their tongues tangled softly. He took his time exploring, tasting, mingling with her. A moan escaped as he moved his hands from her face, dragging them to her back and down her body where he pressed her into his hard body.
She met each stroke of his tongue, their movements increasing in desire as their hands explored each other just like their lips. She started to giggle into his mouth when the coldness hit her more prominently as he backed her into the wide-open fridge.
"I forgot to close the door," she said with a chuckle. She pushed him slightly away. His sweet smile weaved its way to her heart as she closed the door.
"I want to keep kissing you, but I think I'll go shovel the snow now. If I start kissing you again, it'll definitely lead to the bedroom. That's not what I want yet. I don't want this, whatever's between us, to be about sex. I want it all, Lynn."
His eyes held hers intensely, conveying what he really meant by those words. It scared the hell out of her, yet delighted her beyond her wildest imagination.
"Slow is good. And just because you kissed me like that doesn't mean I forgot about our conversation. I'm still going to pay you back for my car."
***
He snatched a quick kiss, because he just couldn't help himself, nor had any good response to her comment. It'd be a cold day in hell before he let her pay him back for the car. All he wanted was to start something new, something great, and something a little exciting with her. Yet, all he seemed to be doing was arguing back and forth with her about money. He didn't want her money. Spoiling her sounded so much better. Life would be much easier if she would just let it go.
"The snow's calling my name." He grabbed another kiss, needing another small taste of her, and left the kitchen. Any other response would've created a new argument.
Forty minutes later, he came back inside to a fresh pot of coffee and the warmth of a gorgeous woman. He had shoveled the entire driveway and her sidewalk. His muscles ached from all the exertion. His snow blower would've come in real handy. Imagining Lynn shoveling the driveway herself almost made him break the shovel. Talk about another argument occurring if he inquired who shoveled the driveway all the time, or even a simple offer of doing it for her regularly. He knew the answer to everything. So damn independent. But what an amazing woman.
He promised to let her know the progress of the car when he knew more, arguing with her a few minutes about the issue, but standing firm in getting it fixed out of his pocket. "Call it a Christmas gift," was his argument the entire time. "I'm paying you back," was her annoyed response. He had kissed her to dispel the argument. That seemed to do the trick.
He then shifted the conversation. He still needed help in finding a gift to donate to the church. And the sooner he could see her, the better. She didn't have to know he just needed a good excuse to see her again so soon.
Yet, she gave him a sweet smile as if she knew what he was doing. She told him whenever he wanted to, to which he said, tomorrow.
As he drove away, he decided tomorrow couldn't come soon enough. Would she still want to see him? Who knew what his fate would be when she walked back into the kitchen. He just couldn't help himself. He had to do it covertly. Otherwise an argument surely would've started.
***
Lynn's smile never dissipated as he pulled out of her driveway. It died as soon as his truck disappeared. Suddenly, she missed him. He had brightened her day more than she experienced in a long time, small arguments included. Not that her daughter didn't make her happy, because she did. This was a different sort of happy. A desirable happy, that made her heart beat madly, her face flame with longing, and her body intensify in cravings. Tomorrow would take forever to come.
She walked back into the kitchen and grabbed her mug from the counter, refilling it with more caffeine that she probably didn't need. Taking a small sip, she picked up Elliot's empty mug and nearly dropped the hot coffee all over herself.
With a trembling hand, she set her mug down and swiped the twenty that had been hidden underneath his cup.
Damn him!
This was still too much of a tip for that simple coffee and pie he ordered yesterday. Why couldn't he let it rest? She didn't need or want this much money from him. A few dollars, like a normal customer, would be fine.
Half crumbling the twenty in her fingers, she released a slow breath. Elliot was just trying to be nice. That's it. Continuously going back and forth over this tip would get them nowhere, especially if she really wanted to start a relationship with him. And she did.
He won this small battle. A twenty she could accept with more ease than a fifty.
She shoved the twenty in her purse and called Debbie before her anger swept in and she called Elliot instead to cancel plans. Perhaps she would later. Keeping that money would be a difficult thing to do.
She updated Debbie on everything and almost cried with relief when she offered to drive Laura home. How did she find such a wonderful friend, or such a wonderful town? She knew without a doubt most people in this town would stop what they were doing and help her out if she needed it. Not that she would ever ask.
Laura came home, gushing over the huge gash and stitches adorning her forehead. She had already looked in the mirror several times, cringing each time at the horrible wound. She looked like a monster out of a horror movie. What in the world did Elliot see in her? Nasty gash, old clothes, worn shoes, no money. She sounded pathetic.
Then she almost slapped herself for thinking such thoughts. That's the only thing that was pathetic, thinking such depressing thoughts. He obviously saw something in her because he wouldn't keep coming around if he didn't. Or arguing about money, hiding money underneath a cup, mimicking her earlier actions when she did it to him. That, of course, made her laugh. She should be mad at him for it, except all she could do was laugh.
She dismissed all crazy thoughts and decided to cheer herself up by baking.
She had already pulled out the flour and sugar when Laura came into the kitchen. "What are you making, Mom?"
"Sugar cookies. Do you wanna paint them with fun colors?"
A wide smile formed on Laura's face as she ran to grab an apron out of the drawer near the kitchen sink. She slapped on a red and white checkered print apron that Lynn had sewn last year for her. She loved baking just as much as she loved eating what they baked. Cookies never lasted long in their house, or any other delicious treat they created together.
"What's the occasion?" Laura asked as she started measuring the flour.
"I just thought cookies sounded good. Are you telling me you don't want any?" Lynn asked with a goofy grin, knowing quite well Laura would never say no to cookies.
Lynn pulled the vanilla extract from the cupboard to stop herself from squeezing her daughter tight. She had missed her. She rarely spent a day away from her.
"Of course, Mom," Laura drawled with a voice that sounded incredulous, like she would ever deny wanting cookies. "You've had a funny look on your face since I got home. A sort of glow or something."
Lynn paused in her steps, holding an egg she needed for the recipe. "A glow? I don't have a glow." She laughed as she joined Laura back in front of the counter.
"I don't know, Mom, there's a glow. I heard Aunt Debbie talking to you, asking about some guy named Elliot. Who's Elliot?"
Heat flamed Lynn's cheek. Talking about Elliot to Laura didn't seem like a wise step. What would she say? She rarely dated. Of course, she had been asked out before, but she normally declined. A few times, she accepted, wondering the entire time she was out with them why she even did. They were dull, boring, and never measured up to Trent.
With no chance of stopping the impulse, she always compared every other man to Trent. She knew that wa
sn't right, but she missed him. She didn’t think of him as much as she did in the beginning, but enough where he would always have a place in her heart.
Elliot's face suddenly flashed before her. Comparing him to Trent hadn't officially overwhelmed her yet.
Odd. It always happened right away.
Now, it was finally happening.
Voicing it out loud that he could almost surpass Trent pricked her heart as a betrayal. But she couldn't deny the truth. While Trent had treated her right, he didn't always give her his full-attention. Elliot had, since the moment she met him, given her his full undivided attention. His concern for her as well, so endearing that she couldn't help but smile anytime she thought about it. Trent never displayed that level of concern. They were also young teenagers in love. Now she was like an old woman with too much experience behind her back.
"Mom, earth to Mom. What are you smiling about? Who's Elliot?" Laura asked, waving a hand in her face.
Lynn ruffled Laura's hair with a silly smile. "He's the one who found me in my car."
"Oooh, you like this Elliot dude. Don't you?" Laura crooned.
The heat rushed down her body as she turned away from Laura. In the limelight with her own daughter. What did she say to her? Of course, she liked Elliot. A lot! But would it be good to let a man enter their lives? Laura never, not once, met any man she dated.
"Maybe a little." Whew! Crisis averted. That should be enough to pacify her and keep her out of the danger zone of dating talk.
"Mom has a boyfriend. Mom has a boyfriend. That's so cool!" Laura jumped up with excitement, knocking the flour bag over, spilling the contents onto the counter.
"Laura, be careful, please," Lynn said as she gently picked up the flour bag and started to scoop the spilled flour back into the bag. "And he's not my boyfriend. I said maybe I liked him a little."
"Mom, you have a glow. You got bright red in the face when I said his name and a goofy smile. You totally zoned out on me." Laura rolled her eyes. "Seriously, Mom, it's about time you went out on a date. I'm a big girl. I can handle it."
Lynn wiped her hands on her apron, at a loss for words. When did her seven-year-old get so big, so mature? "You can, can you? I don't need to date. I don't need a man. I have you. You make me the happiest."
"I know, Mom. But you deserve a little more happiness. You work too much. And are these cookies for him?" Laura asked playfully.
"No, of course not." Lynn turned around, cracking the egg open. "It's Christmas time. We always make cookies."
"Did he ask you out?"
"Laura, really, when did you get so mature on me? You're seven, not eighteen."
"Mom, even I have a boyfriend."
"What! Since when? And who?" Lynn asked, turning to her with surprise.
"Tim, in my class. He's always giving me some of his fruit snacks at lunch," Laura said with a small blush forming on her face this time.
"Well, no kissing. You're too young to have a boyfriend. Oh, geez, stop growing up on me. I can't handle this stuff," Lynn said as she grabbed Laura by the shoulders and pulled her into a hug. "Just stay my little girl forever, okay?"
Laura laughed as she started to measure the sugar. "So, did he ask you out?"
"Ugh! Yes, he did. Sort of. He needs my help picking out a gift to donate to the church. I really wouldn't call that a date." Geez! Her own seven-year-old daughter was strong-arming her into spilling her guts on Elliot.
"You need to date more often, Mom. He's so making an excuse to hang out with you."
"Oh, really, since when are you a love expert?" Lynn laughed, nudging Laura playfully on the shoulder.
"Uh, since I have a boyfriend and you don't."
"You got me there." Lynn laughed harder, loving her daughter even more. Maybe letting Elliot into their lives wouldn't be as hard as she originally thought. The idea sounded more appealing as the conversation went on.
"When are you shopping with him?"
Lynn looked at her daughter, the light shining brightly in her eyes. Laura was truly excited for her. Did that mean she displayed she wasn't happy around her? She hadn't thought so.
"He suggested tomorrow. Obviously, after my shift and you get home from school. Would you like to help pick out a gift?"
"Yeah, totally. Can we go to Wacky Wowza's? I bet we can find something super awesome there."
The excitement in Laura's voice had Lynn shaking her head yes. Wacky Wowza's, a silly, creative shop that surprisingly did well in their little town. They sold anything and everything you could think of: prank gifts, clothes, food, books, toys, and even one aisle held sexual toys. Lynn had actually braved that aisle one time just to see what it entailed, but after about five seconds of looking around, her nerves took over from the ludicrous notion of standing there. What happened if someone saw her?
The heat swirled around body, igniting her desire.
The sex toy aisle.
Oh, boy, she could just imagine walking down that aisle with Elliot.
Building her own large walk-in freezer would come in handy with all this need to cool herself down continuously. How long would Elliot keep heating her up like this?
Forever sounded like a good possibility.
With vigorous strokes, she stirred the mixture. Doing it fast should hide the shivers wracking her body.
Because forever sounded just nice.
Chapter 7
"This is so cool, Mom. Watch it talk," Laura exclaimed as she talked to the monkey on the shelf and laughed hysterically as it talked back.
"Pretty neat, I agree," Lynn said with a smile.
Elliot leaned into her. Holding it in wasn't possible anymore. "You haven't said anything about the money yet. I actually expected you to cancel on me today."
"It crossed my mind, Elliot. I don't want to argue about that blasted tip any more. Twenty was still way too much." She sighed heavily as her eyes glazed with happiness. "Look how happy she is. It's really hard to be mad at you when that twenty you gave me helped me buy that exact monkey."
She nudged him in the stomach with a playful smile. "I'm paying you back for my car, though. We're not even arguing about that."
"I hate arguing with you. That's why I'll just pay for it." He smiled back as he wrapped an arm around her. Perhaps teasing wasn't wise, but he would win that battle. She just didn't know it.
"Have you ever been here, Elliot? Look at all the cool stuff. Did you see the toy aisle? Did you want to donate a toy? Or maybe a nice sweater? What about those cans of peanuts? I'm sure some people need food for Christmas," Laura rattled off in one breath.
Elliot laughed. Her excitement was infectious. Amazing that Lynn didn't cancel on him for hiding that money and that she felt comfortable enough to bring Laura along. He knew how some parents, single parents, could be very protective of their children. He fell under Laura's spell just as quickly as he had for her mother. They were both perfect. Best Christmas present he could've asked for. Not that he had asked for a present this year.
"I've never been here. I don't venture to Mason often, but this is a very interesting store. Love the monkey." There went another clink to the lock on his heart as her eyes lit up at his words.
"But you'll come more often now that you're dating my mom, right? She needs a man," Laura said, placing a hand on her hip with a sassy look that said she knew everything.
"Laura! I don't need a man. Don't embarrass Elliot. Or me, for that matter," Lynn said, blushing a bit at her daughter's outspokenness.
Elliot wrapped his arm tighter around Lynn. Her softness, the delicacy of holding such a beautiful, sweet woman, wove its way straight to his soul. "If your mom lets me, I definitely plan on more visits. Is that okay?"
"Yeah, I like seeing my mom happy. Oh, wow, what's that?" Laura said, rushing over to another area in the same aisle.
"Sorry about that. I've never really let her meet anyone I've dated before," Lynn said, walking down the aisle slowly with Elliot as Laura continued bouncing from one
thing to another with excitement. "You shouldn't have come into the diner today and left another big tip. And I'm paying for my car, Elliot."
"We agreed not to argue about the car." He placed a finger over her lips when she started to open her mouth. "I can't help myself. I just have the urge to spoil you. I don't think that's going to change. And I only left a small tip today."
Elliot frowned as the anger still simmered in her beautiful brown eyes. He seriously couldn't control the urge to spoil her. Making her mad was the last thing he wanted to do, especially this early in the dating game, but he just couldn't help it. He liked spoiling and taking care of her.
He dropped his hand from her lips and prepared his heart to be booted out of the store.
"I've been alone a long time, Elliot. It feels like charity. And you left five dollars for a coffee that barely cost two dollars."
He grabbed her cheeks in a gentle manner. "I just enjoy spoiling you. I would never insult you like that. Trust me when I say I wanted to leave more than five dollars."
He lightly kissed her to stop any more angering words. A light touch normally did the trick. So very evil of him, but he refused to hear or see any more anger from her. The tension between them held firmly for about a second until she gave in, leaning into him with a sweet sigh. He started to slide his tongue in to capture a more delightful kiss and erase all of the discord between them when a giggle erupted.
He pulled away from Lynn. Laura stood there with a box of candy and a smile that spoke volumes.
"Mom said I can't kiss. How come you two can?"
"Uh…well…uh…."
Lynn laughed at Elliot's discomfort. "Because we're adults and you're not. You shouldn't even have a boyfriend at seven."
"What do you think, Elliot? I should be able to have a boyfriend, shouldn't I?"
Elliot ran a hand through his hair as the panic swelled to epic proportions. How did Lynn do this parent thing? "That's a hard question. Does he treat you nice?"
"Yep. Tim shares his fruit snacks. One time he even picked up my notebook that fell on the floor." Laura looked away as her face said she was reminiscing those wonderful times.
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