Sugar Springs

by Kim Law

  “Good morning, babe.” His voice was husky and that made him chuckle. He liked what she did to him. He’d forgotten how much fun it was to get up every morning knowing he had the right to hold her in his arms. “I missed you.”

  Rosy-kissed lips smiled back at him. “You were only here last night.”

  “Yes, but you kicked me out too early.” He pressed another quick kiss to her mouth, fighting the urge to linger. “So I came back.”

  “I noticed.” She giggled, then turned a serious eye on him. “Though I’m pretty sure you can guess that I didn’t give you that key to let yourself in while I’m at home.”

  He held his breath, praying they weren’t about to argue. It was too good a day to do anything but enjoy being with her. Seeing her before he had to go to work was the way it should be. “I did knock first,” he said. “A lot.”

  After several long seconds and another squinty-eyed look, her face cleared and a smile bloomed across it. She was beautiful. “I’m glad you came on in.”

  She rose up on tiptoes, her mouth seeking out his, and he kissed her again. He could do that all day. When she pulled back—far too soon for his taste—he remembered what he’d been looking at and pointed to the screen.

  “Seriously, this is amazing, Lee. Why aren’t you out there selling these?” And then he remembered the site he’d perused before coming back to town. “Or do you? Was there a page on your website where you have photos up for sale?”

  “I have some old ones up. I haven’t had the time to really pursue selling anything but portraits over the last few years.” She leaned down and pulled the computer mouse to her. “I’ll print you a copy.”

  “No.” He reached to stop her, resting his hand atop hers. “Get me an eighteen by twenty framed and let me know what I owe you. I want to put it in Dr. Wright’s office.”

  She frowned up at him. “I imagine Keri already has all the art she needs in the office.”

  “She’ll love this,” he stressed. His thumb caressed the soft skin covering the back of her fingers, and he wondered if she realized just how talented she was. She was a smart girl, so how could she not know? Or was it merely, like she said, a lack of time? Possibly a lack of connections. “I have a friend in Nashville who owns a studio,” he told her. “I’ve no doubt she’d be interested in taking a look at your work.”

  She pulled her hand out from under his and stood up straight. “I’m not your charity case, Cody. I’ll get you a copy made, but other than that, let’s drop it, okay? Someday when I have more time, I’ll do more with these photos.”

  “But I want you to do more now,” he insisted. He grabbed her hand as she headed back to the darkroom and gave it a little squeeze. “You can do it now.”

  She turned to him, then lowered her gaze to his mouth. “Are you about finished lecturing me? I have a couple more photos I want to finish this morning. You can either come in while I finish or go away.”

  He wasn’t going away.

  Lee Ann didn’t wait for Cody to follow but knew he would. They’d shared good times in this room. She flipped on the red light and went back to the chemicals with which she’d been working before he arrived.

  “This used to be one of the places I could always find you. Either here or on the softball field.”

  He moved to stand beside her, and she caught his eye in the darkened room. She pictured the younger version of him watching her third-base plays from the fence. He’d rarely joined the others on the bleachers. “Not much has changed, though in the summer instead of softball I can now be found watching a mean game of street hockey.”

  Shock registered on his face and then he laughed out loud. “My girls are tough, aren’t they?”

  “That they are.” She grinned at him, happy he’d shown up at her house that morning. She had missed him last night, too. He’d stayed for dinner, watched a movie with all three of them and then lingered only long enough to sneak in a quick kiss before he’d left.

  Though she’d agreed to let the kids in on the fact they were going to give this a try, she’d been wary to do it last night, so had kept him at a distance. But she had agreed that they would have the discussion today. And then they were going to spend some time together, just the two of them. She wanted to get her hands on him. In a very bad way.

  It hadn’t occurred to her until she’d seen his handsome face on the other side of her door that they could sneak into the darkroom any time they wanted. Though Candy sometimes came in with her, it was mostly her sanctuary.

  Before she went after what she really wanted for breakfast, though, she did have a few prints she needed to finish. She nudged him in the stomach to move him out of the way. “Scoot. I need to finish.”

  He took a step to his right, but not before Lee Ann acknowledged to herself how the light touch of him burned through her sleeve. Oh, she had it bad.

  “Knocking you off schedule, am I?” he teased.

  She gave him a smirk. “There is nothing wrong with adhering to a plan.”

  Though she was learning that she did like him occasionally messing with her schedule. Like this morning. It brought a feeling of excitement to her life that she hadn’t experienced in a long time.

  She went back to work. Cody scooted in beside her to watch as she dipped a picture in the chemicals. It was one she’d taken of the girls, their faces turned up and laughing while Cody had proudly held up one hand indicating where a fake bird should have been. He’d been telling them a story about his short foray into the world of magic.

  “You took that at the mall.”

  “Yes.” She’d taken many more with her digital camera, but had hoped these black and whites would turn out well.

  “It’s great.” He reached toward the picture as she moved it to the next tray, but stopped. It couldn’t be touched until washed. “Roy taught me that trick my senior year.”

  His foster parents had been some of the best people Lee Ann had ever met. The way Cody had left town had hurt them as much as it did her. She dipped another picture. When she had the photo hung, she said softly, “They were hurt, you know. When you left town.”

  “Nah.” His tone was easy and casual, but Lee Ann saw the tightness in his expression from the corner of her eye. “They might have missed me working on the farm, but they were happier to see me go than to have to worry about me sticking around after graduation.”

  She turned to him then, and propped her hands on her hips. She waited until he squared up with her. “You do not believe that for one second. They were the sweetest people I’ve ever met.”

  He started to look away, but she reached up and put a hand to his jaw. The movement was enough to keep him in place. “They worked me like a slave,” he said, sounding a bit childish.

  “You tried to pretend that’s all it was then, too, but even as a dumb kid you didn’t believe it.” She smoothed her hand over his jaw, loving the strength she found there. “They worked you to give you a sense of responsibility. And to keep you out of trouble.” She lowered her voice until she was almost whispering. “And you were a jerk for leaving and never even saying good-bye.”

  Sad eyes roamed over her face before he gripped her hand, almost desperately, and pressed a kiss to her palm. “I was a total jerk to all of you.”

  She closed her eyes briefly, the past and the pain all rolling into one, as she remembered her own hurt. They needed to have another conversation about it before she could completely move on, but she didn’t want to do it right then. She just wanted to feel. It had been too long.

  She tilted her face up to his. “Kiss me, Cody.”

  He hesitated only long enough to decide how to start.

  Large hands settled down over her shoulders, and he lowered his lips to hers. At first he just set them there. He touched her lightly—a nip on each corner of her mouth—and intense pleasure exploded behind her breastbone. She felt like she was home.

  And she felt love.

  Oh, no...She almost dropped back out of his r
each. She still loved him? Oh, crap. It was going to kill her if he left again.

  She vibrated in his hands when a low animal growl came from his throat, and he shifted his head for better coverage. He kissed her then, like a man barely hanging on to his control, and for once the past didn’t come crashing back but the possibilities of the future. She wanted this with him. She wanted to wake up to a kiss every morning, go to sleep with the same at night—and have it all during the days.

  She wanted forever.

  And she wanted it to start now.

  Her groan mimicked his and she stretched, reaching higher, wanting more. She wrapped her arms around his neck as his tongue played over hers, lighting her on fire and making her think of other places he could use that particular body part.

  “Cody,” she whispered. She tunneled her fingers into his hair. His hands slid along the curves of her rear, and he pulled her into him. He wanted her; there was zero doubt.

  He backed against a counter and lifted his head. Dark eyes seared into hers. “I’ve missed you forever, Lee.”

  Pressure squeezed her from the inside. No—she shook her head. She didn’t want to think about the past this morning, she just wanted to feel. With another quick shake of her head, she brought his mouth back to hers. “Kiss me,” she begged. “We’ll talk about everything else later. Right now just kiss me.”

  That did the trick.

  In the next instant, his hands were everywhere, his mouth hot. He scraped his teeth over her lips before roaming down to her throat, his fingers leading the trail along the way, and she came to life in his arms.

  Wanting more, she gripped the bottom of his shirt and shoved at it. Her fingers landed on hot skin and she had the brief idea of shoving chemicals and pans aside and making room up on the counter. He yanked his shirt the rest of the way over his head, pulling her attention back from what they could do on a countertop to what she could do with her hands. She was now free to explore what she’d only gotten a good look at earlier in the week. The man was built.

  She roamed palms and fingers over him, enjoying the hot gleam in his hooded eyes as he watched her do it. When she reached his shoulder, a tingle raced down her spine as she traced over the pattern permanently drawn there. She saw it clearly now. The outline of an eagle was embedded in the center, and it struck her as so perfectly him. Alone and proud yet full of strength and courage. He’d had a rough childhood, and he’d made his own share of mistakes, but the man was strong enough to overcome. Strong enough to become the man she’d always thought he could be.

  Gazing up at him, she saw the vulnerability he tried so hard not to let others see. He was wondering if she got the symbolism. If she’d figured out that he’d needed that permanent reminder to keep himself moving forward. Of course she did. She knew him.

  With shaking fingers, she gripped the hem of her shirt and tugged upward. She wanted to be there with him, as vulnerable as he was, to show him that she thought no less of him for it.

  Once she had her shirt off, she stood before him, jittery with nerves. He’d seen her breasts when they’d been younger. They’d made out as far as you could go without going all the way, but she was older now, and she knew he’d seen and done a lot more since those early years. She couldn’t help but wonder how she compared to past women in his life as she stood there in her white cotton bra.

  She also couldn’t help but wish she’d invested in a few pieces of sexy underwear over the years.

  Strong hands moved to span her waist as he took her in. His dark eyes went black. “You take my breath away, babe.”

  She smiled. Good response.

  When she reached out her arms to him again, a noise sounded from another part of the house, and she remembered with clarity that they were in her own home on a Saturday morning, and her children were separated from them by mere walls.

  What was wrong with her?

  Before she could do it herself, Cody was pulling her shirt back down over her head and smoothing it into place. His hands lingered only briefly before he grabbed his own shirt off the floor and covered himself as well.

  “Boss is in the house,” he said, his voice tight enough she couldn’t help but smile. She liked that she got him as worked up as he did her. “They’re going to know I’m here.”

  She nodded. “And that won’t take long.”

  As the words finished coming out of her mouth, Kendra yelled from the other side of the door. “Mom? Is Dad in there? Boss is out here, and there’s syrup on the kitchen counter.”

  She looked up at him. “Syrup?”

  “I brought pancakes.”

  “Then let’s go have them.” She forced a smile when what she really wanted to do was finish what they’d started. Looking longingly at the counter she had already determined to be the best spot, she sighed and answered Kendra. “We’re coming out.”

  As she passed him, he reached out and snagged her hand. His gaze burned hot. “There’ll be plenty of time later,” he whispered. He cupped her jaw and laid another scorching kiss on her. “We’ll make sure of it.”

  She nodded, giddy inside. He was darn right they would. “I’ll get Joanie to keep the kids tonight.”

  “Then I’ll take you out.” He pressed his lips to the palm of her hand. “We’re going out of town, though. I want you to myself, not sharing our time and everything we do with everyone who lives within a five-mile radius.”

  She grinned. “As long as we end up someplace horizontal.”

  She opened the door and walked out, leaving him gaping after her. He may have suspected she was ready for something more physical, but telling him outright was apparently a shocker. She couldn’t keep her laughter inside. There were so many emotions running through her that some of them had to come out or she would combust before they got through breakfast.

  “These pancakes are delicious.” Candy gave Cody a smile. He stood at the microwave, waiting for the last of the syrup to heat, but his daughters were already digging in. Lee Ann sat at the table beside them, watching him with quiet blue eyes. She’d been doing that since they’d all trooped into the kitchen. He was pretty sure she was as sorry as he that they’d been interrupted, and if her parting comment was anything to go by, they would remedy the situation that night.

  “You think so?” He glanced around the table, forcing himself not to stand there staring at the woman he couldn’t get out of his mind, and took in all of them. He then winked at Lee Ann. “Better than Supermom, here?”

  “Hey!” She narrowed her gaze at him but did it without fire. “I don’t do anything different than other moms. I do cook my own pancakes instead of bringing them from the diner, though.”

  He chuckled and lowered himself to the seat beside her. “You wouldn’t want me to cook pancakes.”

  They’d come out of the darkroom earlier, doing their best to look as if they’d been in there working on photos only, but neither of the girls seemed to completely buy it. They’d worn the same suspicious gaze he’d seen Lee Ann turn on him more than once in the last few weeks. Yet they hadn’t seemed upset at the possible conclusions they’d drawn. He’d taken that as a good sign to proceed with the discussion they’d planned.

  “Let’s see,” he began, forking three pancakes and plopping them in the middle of his plate. “What do you do different than other moms? You work two jobs, volunteer for everything you can, and if I understand the gossip right, you’re who everyone calls when they just need some advice.” He slid an arm along the back of her chair. “I think it’s time you quit the diner and focused more attention on your photography.”

  “Yeah, Mom,” Candy piped up around a mouthful of sausage, and he couldn’t think of anything he’d rather be doing on a Saturday morning than this. She slipped a bite of pancake under the table to Boss. “You’re always saying how you don’t have enough time to make pictures. You should do it.”

  “We’ve had this discussion already.” Lee Ann gave him the evil eye, this time with intent. “Making picture
s doesn’t pay the bills. And as you can see, we do like to eat.”

  Cody dug into his food as he watched Lee Ann attack hers. “Do I need to give you more money?”

  She jerked her head up. “That’s for the girls.”

  “And providing a home and food is for them.”

  “I’m putting it into a savings account.”

  “If you’re worried about savings, I’ll set up some extra.”

  “I’m saving it for their college.”

  He fought the urge to grit his teeth. She was so intent on controlling every situation. “I’ll still be around when they reach college. That money is for today, for all of you.”

  “I can’t—”

  “Quit your job, Lee, I’ve got you covered. Focus on what you really should be doing.”

  She lifted her chin. “Raising my daughters is what I should be doing.”

  Out of the corner of his eye he’d watched the girls’ heads ping-pong back and forth, watching them as they’d argued. Neither had uttered a word, but he knew they could sense the difference in his and Lee Ann’s relationship. There was a sharper edge now. He decided it was as good a time as any to tell them. Plus he needed to change the subject or he and Lee Ann really would start arguing, because he had a point. She needed to quit. She could rely on him now.

  He focused on Candy and Kendra. “I asked your mom out on a date tonight.”

  Lee Ann gasped and jerked up straight in her seat. He probably shouldn’t have caught her so off guard by putting it out there so bluntly, but there was no pulling it back now.

  Kendra faced him, her eyes wide. “Really? A date?”

  “Yep.” Cody smiled and nodded before popping a bite of spicy sausage in his mouth.

  Kendra high-fived him. “Way to go, Dad. Mom needs a boyfriend. She hasn’t been on a date in years.”

  “Kendra Gayle,” Lee Ann snapped, but Kendra didn’t look her way. Good for her. She was independent enough to barely flinch as her mother tried to force her will.

  “You agreed, Lee Ann. We’re going to see where this can go, remember?” He winked. “See if you’ve still got the hots for me as bad as I have for you.”