She pulled her hair back and bent forward to smell his lilies. He liked the way the lilies grew in careful, well organized rows—lined up like little soldiers. They were as strong as he wished he could be, fragrant, and beautiful to look at. He loved coming in here whenever he had a hard time erasing the image of the girl whose name he never knew and her mother from his head. He was in here a lot.
“You must spend a lot of time in here,” she marveled, clearly reading his mind.
“A fair amount.”
“I would, too. You’ll have to teach me how to garden so successfully. I’ve had some success with growing vegetables in a container garden, but I’ve never mastered flowers.”
He didn’t know how to express his thoughts, but when he looked at her he saw the most lovely flower garden in the world.
“I want to take you somewhere.”
“You do?” She nuzzled her nose to his chin, scrunching her face at the roughness of his facial hair.
He pulled her hips to his, wishing he could hide the growing proof of his attraction to her, but knowing it was a futile effort, anyway. She had seen right through him since the very first meeting.
“Yeah. I have this place. Used to be my grandfather’s, and he left it to me. I haven’t been there since, you know. I want to take you there.”
Her face grew brighter as a flush covered her cheeks and upper body.
“I would love that.”
“Don’t you want to know where?”
“As long as you’re there, I don’t care.”
No longer able to fight the urge, Ethan lifted her up. Her legs wrapped around his waist, teasing him relentlessly. Her hands and mouth ravished him, and he savored every single sensation.
He carried her to a small stone bench positioned near the pond he had built. She straddled him and slid onto his length as he sat, drawing a sharp intake of breath from him.
He’d never tire of the way she made him feel.
The stone bench cut into his ass, but with her softness beckoning his release, he didn’t give a damn.
As they climaxed together, he swore the lilies grew taller.
If the roads didn’t clear soon, he was afraid he’d be a goner.
Who the hell was he kidding? He was already long gone.
Chapter Eleven
Working side by side in the kitchen to prepare a basic breakfast of toast and tea had Simplicity hoping the storm would never slow down. When the roads cleared, she’d have no more excuse to be at Ethan’s house. With Ethan.
She desperately wanted to be with Ethan.
She wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her face against his naked back while he spread peanut butter on the toast, loving the way his muscles tensed against her cheek with every slight movement of his. Too bad he had slipped back into sweatpants—she enjoyed the beauty of maximizing their skin-to-skin contact. She kissed a scar that looked like it would have been painful when it was a fresh wound.
She didn’t ask him the origin story of the scar. She simply wished the memory of the pain away.
She lifted her ear away from his skin at the distinct sound of an animal in distress.
“Did you hear that?”
He grunted.
“Sounded like a cat’s meow.” She pulled away to follow the sound. “Do you have a cat?”
He rested the knife in the jar of peanut butter and turned to give her a droll look.
“Do I seem like the kind of guy who has a cat?”
“You didn’t seem like a florist, either, but…”
“Point taken.”
He pulled a giant blob of peanut butter out of the jar and brought it to his mouth.
She laughed at his man-ish habit.
“I hear a cat,” she said. “It’s out there somewhere.”
“There’s no cat.”
She ignored him and looked out the window. She didn’t see anything.
Another meow—louder this time—drew her attention to the door.
“Simplicity—a cat wouldn’t be out in this storm.”
Pretending she didn’t hear him, she opened the front door, shivering as the cold air branded her skin and a pile of snow fell on her feet.
“Close the door—you’re going to freeze yourself.”
Simplicity squealed as a fluffy black and white cat strolled in, rubbing against her bare legs as if they were long lost companions.
“Oh, look!” She made sure to exaggerate the glee in her voice. “I think I recognize this creature from the books… what’s it called again?”
He sighed as he shoved the jar of peanut butter to the back of the counter and began to slice the pile of toast in half.
“Yeah, yeah. There’s a cat.”
Simplicity bent to pick the cat up, and barely registered the fact that Ethan had crossed the room and slipped a wool blanket over her shoulders.
“Isn’t she the sweetest?”
She brought the cat close.
Ethan cocked his head to the side, studying under the cat’s tail.
“Don’t think it’s a she.”
Simplicity snuck a peek.
“Oh my! Well aren’t we well-endowed, Mr. Kitty?” The cat meowed and pushed his head against her chin. “You’ve never seen him before?”
Ethan shook his head.
“Are you hungry, Mr. Kitty? We’ll have to come up with a new name for him. Any ideas?”
Ethan shook his head again, staring at her as if she cuddled a gargoyle rather than a sweet, soft cat.
“He’s not staying.”
“Shh, don’t make your guest feel unwelcome, Ethan.”
Her admonishment resulted in a raised brow and twisted lip.
“I know this is your home, Ethan. But we can’t send him out into the snow again. Please can he stay for a little while? To warm up?”
Ethan sighed again—he seemed to do that a lot around her—then threw his hands up in the air.
“Of course he can. Why wouldn’t I let the bag of fleas stay?”
“It’s okay, Mr. Kitty. He doesn’t really think you have fleas.” Simplicity whispered into the cats perky ears, but she stared at Ethan as she did so. “What’s that? You’re hungry? Of course you are!”
“Of course he is.” Ethan muttered to himself as he shuffled back to the kitchen. “I suppose you want me to get another chair so he can sit.”
“Don’t be silly. He doesn’t want to impose.”
Ethan rolled his eyes and returned to the kitchen. She buried her face in the cat’s cold, wet neck, laughing as his purr vibrated against her nose.
“Do you have tuna or something?”
Ethan bit into his toast, leaning against the counter with his feet crossed in front of him.
“You do my shopping. Has tuna ever been on the list?” Another bite.
“Snarky, aren’t we?” She peered at him over the cat, who accepted her invitation to join her under the blanket quite willingly. “I forgive you. I know I worked you hard before you even had a chance to get some food into you.”
She winked at him and she could tell he fought the urge to smile. She and the kitty strolled into the kitchen to join Ethan. He held the toast out to her mouth. She took a bite.
He leaned forward and gave her a chaste kiss on the lips as she chewed, licking her lip before pulling away.
“You had some peanut butter there.”
“Thank you for your service, my sweet.”
He stiffened at her choice of words, and she wished she could rewind the moment to take them back. She hadn’t meant anything by the phrase “your service,” she had simply wanted to continue the play.
“I didn’t mean…”
He turned away and opened his fridge, rummaging through the few things on the shelves.
“Think he’d like some leftover pasta?”
He didn’t sound angry. Didn’t give off a negative vibe. Maybe she was overthinking the situation.
He looked over his shoulder for an answer. She shook
her head, willing the sudden prickle of tears to evaporate.
“Me neither,” Ethan said, switching to the freezer. “Ah, here we go. Frozen meatballs. Think he’d be game?”
Simplicity kissed the cat’s head and continued scratching under his chin, reveling in the joy of his purr.
“I suppose since cats have no choice but to be carnivores I can forgive it.”
Ethan dumped the meatballs into a container and shoved them into the microwave.
“What’s your deal with meat?”
“I have a moral objection to eating animals.”
“You have moral objections to a lot of things.”
She gulped because his voice turned all velvety and his face hovered over her, making her forget her own name, let alone any morality.
She forced a breath into her burning lungs.
“I don’t have a moral objection to you.”
He grinned and took the cat from her arms, placing him on the floor behind her.
“But I’m rich. And I love to eat animals.”
“I didn’t say you were perfect.” She splayed her hands out on his chest.
He grabbed her damp, fur covered hands in his, blowing warm air on them.
“Did you absorb all of the snow off the damn cat? Your hands are soaked. And they smell like cat.”
She nodded. Why did she have such a hard time thinking when he was close to her?
The microwave beeped. She mentally slapped herself for being so selfish as to want to keep him there with her, warm and safe, while the poor cat was meowing to express his displeasure with having to wait for his meal.
“Your visitor awaits his banquet.”
“You’re so hospitable.”
He scowled at her, but retrieved the container of meatballs, cut them with a fork, then placed them on the floor to the delight of Mr. Kitty while she washed her hands in the sink.
Ethan crossed his arms over his chest and stared at the cat as he ravaged the meatballs. “I can’t believe I cooked for a cat.”
She threw her head back and allowed all of the joy she felt to come out in a musical wave.
“You’d better not breathe a word of this to anyone.”
Playing again? She adored all sides of this man she had recently met, but she absolutely loved this side of him.
Love had never proven to be her friend, but she sure did love the feeling.
“Your secret is safe with me.”
“Not like anyone would believe you, anyway. Now come here. You owe me.”
His words created a whirlpool in her belly, and she was in danger of drowning in it.
Worst part was that she wasn’t even worried.
He pulled her to him and she allowed the blanket to drop.
She loved the way his eyes lit when he looked at her. The way his lips lingered as if wondering if she’d welcome his kiss. The way his body reacted to hers in the same ancient way animals of all species had reacted since the beginning of time.
The cat meowed insistently as he swatted his now empty bowl across the floor, banging it against her shins.
“Damn cat,” Ethan mumbled.
Simplicity bent down, casually brushing against his erection on her descent. Didn’t want the mood to die altogether, after all.
“I think I’ll call him Oscar.”
“Oscar?” Ethan’s tone was of disapproval. “That’s not a name for a cat.”
Simplicity laughed, stroking the cat from his head to his tail.
“He reminds me of a cat I had when I was little. He came to me in a similar way, actually. The day my dad ran away, a big boy like this showed up on my doorstep. My mom told me he was my spirit animal, sent to help me through the emotional journey.”
“Your father ran away?”
“Yeah. Mom pulled through quickly, though. She was always one to believe that all things happened for a reason.”
“Yeah, the reason is likely that the guy was a dick.”
“Maybe,” she conceded. “Or maybe we were just meant to be raised with a strong female guide. Either way, the cat did help me heal faster.”
“What are you healing from now?”
His voice, soft and inquisitive, but not demanding, made her want to open up. To tell him of her internal struggles. To show him who she really was.
But then the bubble would burst and all the progress they had made would be undone in a burst of fireworks and confetti. He’d push her away, ashamed of the real her, afraid of what society said she could be capable of.
She couldn’t risk it.
So she did what she often did to protect others from her reality. She put on a smile and shared a giggle. Life was better that way, anyway.
“You should have seen my sisters’ faces when Oscar started bed hopping. He loved to wake everyone up crazy early. They were not big fans of his, especially Paisley. She was crankiest in the mornings.”
They settled into a comfortable position on the couch as she shared tales from her childhood. He rubbed her legs, she punctuated her stories with hands waving in the air.
“Tell me about your mother.”
She didn’t know why he asked, but she couldn’t resist the urge to talk about one of her favorite people who had ever walked the planet.
“She was the most loving, free woman you’d ever meet.”
“Like you.”
“Oh no. Way better than me. She had deeply held beliefs that she never wavered in. She made it her mission to change the world, and though she wasn’t granted the right to live on the planet in that body for as long as we would have liked, she changed the world in so many ways. She was an activist before it was the cool thing to be.”
“I didn’t know your mother, Simplicity, but I think you just described yourself.”
“No.” Her voice lowered as she tried to contain the negative emotions. “I’m a poor copy of her.”
“Seem pretty authentic to me.”
“That’s because you didn’t know her. All of my ideals are her ideals. I’m not faking them—I believe in my principles, too. I just sort of felt like when she passed on, it became my job to help her live longer. Most of the clothes I wear are her clothes. The thoughts I think are her thoughts. The passionate drive I have for making the world a better place—all her.”
“You wear them well. The clothes, the ideals. I’m sure she’d be proud.”
Simplicity allowed the tears to roll over her cheeks. Oscar climbed up her chest and started licking them away.
Ethan continued rubbing her legs.
“My sister Harmony is more like my mom than I am, even though I try. She doesn’t live the hippie life, but she’s strong. Like my mom. And she hates all of us because we allowed our family to grow apart. We all went our own ways, and Harmony was left behind to pick up the pieces.”
“Where is she now?”
Simplicity shrugged. “No clue. Haven’t had any contact with her for years. I keep hoping, though. I wish on every shooting star, blow every dandelion puff. Mostly because I miss my sister. But also because she’s holding my mom hostage, sort of.”
“I thought your mother was…”
“Oh, yes. She left this world. But she asked us to scatter her ashes wherever we felt her most deeply. Her only request was that we all be together. Harmony took the ashes and left. We haven’t yet memorialized my loving, giving mom. That hurts almost as much as Harmony turning away from me.”
Ethan didn’t respond. What could he say? And who was she to complain? She had her other sisters. And a great new town. And him.
He knew lonely more than anyone else. He could be the spokesperson for pain.
“Anyway—that’s my story. Bet you’re wishing the storm would stop so you could kick me out now.” She smiled to add levity, to disguise her very real insecurities.
“No.”
He shooed the cat away to the floor and pulled Simplicity to his lap. He brushed the hair out of her face and kissed her with a sweetness that no one would have
believed he was capable of. He took her sadness and, like a skilled magician, turned it into acceptance.
He didn’t make any other moves sexually, and though she would have willingly accepted, she was just as content to have him hold her in his strong arms.
She drifted off to sleep like that, and when she finally opened her eyes, it was dark and she was cuddling with a pillow on the couch rather than Ethan’s shoulder.
She called out for him. He didn’t answer.
A knock sounded at the door. Had he gone out for something?
She whipped the door open, eager to be sure he was okay.
A police officer stood at the door.
“Jeez, woman.” Officer Jenkins shielded his eyes and turned his head.
Only then did she realize the blanket on her shoulders only partially covered her.
She adjusted it so she’d be more modest.
“Haven’t you ever seen the nude female form, Officer?” She smiled. Her body was the one thing that had never brought her embarrassment.
“Haven’t you heard of not answering the door in that, uh, state?” Officer Jenkins stammered, still blocking his eyes. “Are you covered?”
She shifted the blanket to cover her more fully.
“I thought you were another cat.”
“Since when do cats knock on doors?” Exasperation colored his cheeks.
“You’d be surprised what cats can do.”
Ethan stormed into the room, fists clenched and appearing ready for a fight.
“What the hell are you doing here?” he demanded.
Officer Jenkins puffed up to his full, somewhat impressive size. He always seemed so… unassuming to her. Clearly his time spent with that pregnant lady he had been protecting had brought out his machismo.
“Stand down, Witherford. I was asked to come out to check on Ms. Peterson.”
“Who sent you?”
“My sisters, I’m sure.” Simplicity sighed. “Thank you for driving out here in this horrible storm. I’m sorry you had to be so inconvenienced. As you can see, I’m fine. Here by choice.”
Officer Jenkins nodded, taking in the scene before him.
“The roads are fair, but still being worked on. We’re advising motorists to stay off the roads unless absolutely necessary so the road crews can do their thing. Best to stay put, unless you’d like me to deliver you safely to your home.”
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