Love, Always and Forever

by Alexis Morgan

  “Should I be worried about why you’ve wandered out into the middle of the street?”

  He’d been aware of Amy’s approach since she’d stepped through the gate Tino had built for her. “I was admiring the stake and string decorations in your yard. It adds a certain, um, whimsy to your landscaping.”

  She lined up next to him, mimicking his wide stance and crossing her arms over her chest. “Whimsy, huh?”

  “Yeah, whimsy. I was wondering if it’s the newest trend in landscaping.”

  Amy shoved her elbow into his ribs. “That’s me, always ahead of the curve. Next, I thought I’d buy a flock of plastic pink flamingos and stick them all over the place. Play your cards right, and a few might land in your yard, too. What do you think?”

  “Pink birds aside, I think you’ve got a good eye for landscaping. When you get done, it will look great.” He fought back a grin as he nudged her back. “I’d be jealous, except for the fact that it means I’m going to have to do something to my yard, too. I’d hate to be ostracized by the entire neighborhood for single-handedly dragging down the property values.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll still like you, weeds and all.”

  “Nice to know.”

  Another project might be just the ticket to give him something physical to do to help keep his moods on a more even keel—and his hands off his pretty neighbor. “Think you could help me lay out some flower beds in my yard in exchange for some slave labor digging up the sod in yours?”

  She didn’t hesitate. “Sure thing. Any idea of what kind of plants you’d want to put in?”

  Something else he hadn’t given any thought to. “Ones that won’t die easily or need watering or pruning on a regular basis. In short, whatever thrives on total neglect.”

  Amy took him seriously or else she was doing a great job of hiding her amusement. “Do you have time to go look at a nursery with me? I’ll show you some options that meet your criteria. Once you have an idea of what you want, I can lay out the beds so that there’s enough room to make sure the plants won’t overgrow the space too quickly.”

  “Sounds good.” As they walked toward his yard, he said, “You seem to know a lot about this stuff.”

  Her smile dimmed. “I loved watching my mother work in her greenhouse, and she let me help whenever I could. She also has a huge country-style garden, which is frequently included in the garden tours in my hometown. Gardening must be in our blood, because I’ve always wanted to design my own, even if it’s on a smaller scale.”

  Funny, but her comment about helping her mother seemed a bit off somehow, although Mikhail wasn’t sure why. Maybe Amy simply meant she’d helped when she had time, but he wasn’t convinced. From several things Amy had let slip, there was some tension between her and her family even though it was obvious that she adored her brothers. He had to wonder why she’d moved away from her hometown and why they hadn’t come to visit since he’d known her.

  Amy wandered away before he could decide whether he should ask. Maybe it was for the best. If she’d wanted to share, she would’ve done so by now. He watched as she prowled his front yard, pacing off distances, and studying a handful of dirt. After dusting her hands off on her jeans, she rejoined him. “Even if we go with all low-maintenance plants, you’re going to need to enrich the dirt, which isn’t hard. Just bring in some better soil, add compost, and then maybe some fertilizer to give everything a kick-start.”

  Great. There goes another hit to the budget, but so be it. He’d bought this place with the intent of making it into a real home, not just a place where he crashed between shifts at the firehouse. Come to think of it, maybe his mom would have a few plants she could share with him. Something to ask her when he went over for dinner tomorrow. For now, he’d take Amy to the nursery and see what they had to offer.

  Maybe the two of them could have a little fun along the way. “Since this is an exploratory mission, we can take the Harley if you’d like.”

  Her reaction was immediate and all he could’ve hoped for. “Give me a minute to get changed.”

  She took off across the yard like a shot. He watched until she disappeared into her house, already regretting his offer to take the bike. Having her sit tucked up tight behind him, her arms around his waist, her front pressed up against his back—none of that was a good idea. It was too late to retract the invitation though, not that he would anyway.

  A man deserved a little temptation in his life. How else would he ever know if he was strong enough to resist it? That kind of twisted logic would have his late father shaking his head, but he figured Joe Lukash would also have understood. While Mikhail and his two brothers sometimes kidded their mother for still talking to their late father, Marlene didn’t care. She said it made her feel closer to the man she’d loved so much. To be honest, Mikhail also talked to Joe and for the same reasons.

  Now was one of those occasions. “Dad, I think you’d really like Amy. She gives as good as she gets, not to mention she’s sexy as hell. I wish you could’ve met her.”

  And speaking of meeting her. He’d better get it in gear if he was going to be ready to leave when she came back. His conscience was still acting up, but he ignored it, telling himself that looking at a bunch of plants didn’t count as a date. It was one neighbor helping another. Adding in a stop for lunch along the way might be pushing the boundaries, but a man had to eat, didn’t he? Yeah, right. He knew a poor excuse for doing something he shouldn’t when he heard one.

  That didn’t mean he wasn’t going do it anyway.

  —

  Amy bit into the thick sandwich and almost moaned. She had to give Mikhail credit. The man definitely knew where to eat in this town.

  She realized he was watching her rather than diving into his own lunch. “What?”

  “I like watching a woman enjoy her food.”

  Her face flushed hot as she set the sandwich back down on the plate. “I guess I was pigging out, wasn’t I?”

  Mikhail immediately frowned. “I didn’t mean to embarrass you, Amy. I meant that as a compliment. I’ve been out with a couple of women over the years who would order a meal and then barely eat a bite. I never could figure out if they were really that worried about their weight or if they thought guys actually like watching someone starve herself to death.”

  Okay, then. She had no right to hate the idea of him being with someone else. A man that good-looking was bound to have had his share of women in his past.

  “It’s a crime to let food this good go uneaten even at the risk of adversely affecting the way my jeans fit. I’ll make up for indulging myself by spending extra time on the treadmill when I get home.”

  Mikhail finally picked up his own sandwich. “Those jeans fit you just fine. If you don’t believe me, ask that guy in the corner who was checking out your ass when we walked by him on the way in.”

  Resisting the urge to glance over her shoulder to see who Mikhail was talking about, she settled for saying, “Thanks. I think.”

  Mikhail laughed and waggled his eyebrows. “It was meant as another compliment, not to make you self-conscious about your, um, damn fine assets.”

  “Jerk,” she said with no real heat. “Why don’t we change the subject unless you’d rather we talk about the fit of your jeans, too? I’m sure I could round up some women who wouldn’t mind voicing their opinions on the subject.”

  It was really cute that Mikhail actually blushed as he held his hands up in surrender. “Okay, a new subject it is. What would you like to talk about?”

  There was one thing. She only hoped he didn’t laugh at what she was about to ask. “Do you think I should buy my own motorcycle? Not one as big as your Harley, but one more my size.”

  At least he didn’t start laughing or choke on the French fry he’d just eaten. Maybe he was taking her question seriously. “Are you sure you want one? You’ve only ridden on one twice.”

  She took another bite of her sandwich to give herself some time to think before she ans
wered. “I have to admit that it is a spur-of-the moment idea, but I’m at least halfway serious about it. Between school and work and other things, I’ve never had much chance to do anything even remotely adventurous, and the idea holds a lot of appeal for that reason. If you don’t think I should, tell me why.”

  Again, he took her request seriously. “Well, it goes without saying that riding a motorcycle in heavy traffic is a helluva lot more dangerous than driving a car. It’s worse when it rains, and we both know how often that happens here in the Puget Sound area. You’d also have to take lessons before you can ride out on the road. The classes aren’t prohibitively expensive, and I’ve heard they even do sessions designed especially for women.”

  “I was hoping that was the case. Maybe I’ll see what I can find online after I get back to the house.” She gave him a hopeful look. “Any chance we can take the long way home? You know, because it’s such a nice day.”

  “Sure, why not.” Then he sighed as if much put-upon. “I’ve created a monster.”

  “Yep, it’s all your fault. But to pay you back, I’ll start working on plans for your yard this afternoon.”

  “It’s a deal.”

  For the next few minutes, they both concentrated on finishing their meals. As they were gathering up the trash, Mikhail frowned. “I meant to ask what you were doing out in your backyard this morning. I could tell you were busy, but not what you were up to back there. Something for the puppy?”

  “No, I bought a greenhouse kit at the building supply store, and they delivered it yesterday while you were at work. I was laying out all the parts and trying to make sense of the directions. I’ve assembled things like bookcases before, but nothing the size of this greenhouse or as complicated. It also came with shelves to hold the plants, so there’s lots of pieces to the puzzle.”

  “I’ve got a couple of things I need to do when we get home, but then I’ll have time to help you figure it out. If we end up needing extra muscle, I’ll call Jay or Jack to help out. Better yet, I’ll draft Ricky.”

  “Tell him that I’ll pay him. That would only be fair, and it will contribute a little more to his car fund.” She took her helmet from Mikhail. “I feel like I’m really imposing on you and your family, but I have to admit that I bit off more than I can handle on my own this time. I can’t see how one person can put it together without having someone else there to hold the pieces in place. If Ricky isn’t available but one of the other guys can help out, I insist on paying the going rate for his time.”

  “Here’s the thing about Jay and my brothers,” he said as they headed toward the door, leaning in close as if about to divulge top secret information, “they can be bought for a home-baked pie or even a batch of cookies.”

  The heat from the sun overhead had nothing on the warmth radiating from Mikhail’s big body. She knew she sounded a bit breathless when she asked, “And what do you charge for your services?”

  His blue eyes twinkled with a touch of wickedness as he brushed the pad of his thumb across the corner of her mouth. “Something just as sweet, but doesn’t involve you having to bake anything.”

  How could such a small touch reverberate through her entire body, leaving an achy hunger in its wake? The promise in his smile had her curling in toward him, wanting to bask in the growing heat between them.

  “And that would be?”

  For a second the rest of the world faded away, her reality shrinking down to the small space between them filled only with her breath intertwined with his. Then Mikhail blinked and jerked back as if he’d been burned, the moment over before it ever really got started.

  “Sorry about that, Amy. I know we promised we wouldn’t do this again.”

  He turned away, staring off into the distance. He muttered something under his breath. It sounded as if he’d said, “This is going to be harder than I thought.”

  “What is?”

  “Keeping my distance. Like I said, I’m sorry.”

  Her temper flared hot, fueled by frustration along with more than a hint of embarrassment. “And once again, you’re shouldering all the blame, Mikhail. It takes two to tango. While the expression might be dated, that doesn’t make it any less true.”

  Aiming for a calm she certainly didn’t feel, she jerked her helmet on. “Let’s get back home, so I can work on the plans for your yard. And don’t worry about my greenhouse. I’ll manage on my own. I wouldn’t want to tempt you with all my feminine wiles.”

  Whatever response she’d expected, him kicking a rock and sending it flying across the parking lot wasn’t it. When he turned back to face her, his eyebrows rode low over his eyes. “I said I’d take care of the greenhouse, and I will. No arguments. Got that?”

  She offered him a mock salute. “Got it. And since you don’t want to be paid with kisses, you’ll have to let me know what kind of cookies you like.”

  He swung his leg over the Harley and held out his hand to assist her climbing on behind him. After revving the engine, he twisted his head back long enough to say, “Surprise me.”

  Then he gunned the motor and tore off down the road. The man had a temper, but then so did she. He also had a knack for showing her a good time despite himself. Rather than worry about how to handle their increasingly complicated relationship, she held on tight and let herself simply enjoy the excitement of riding double with the sexiest man she’d ever met.

  —

  The timer chimed, dragging Amy away from the back window. After taking the last tray of cookies out of the oven, she set them on the counter to cool. In the three hours since Mikhail had brought her home from their outing, she’d baked four different kinds of cookies. She hadn’t started out to make that many, but evidently when Mikhail had sent out the call for help, he must have sounded pretty desperate. Not only had Jack shown up with his son in tow, but both Tino and Jay had dropped by, too.

  Ricky and Mikhail were doing all the work while the other three lounged around and watched. They weren’t shy about offering advice mixed with an equal share of insults. It reminded her of her dad and brothers whenever they worked on a project together, which had her feeling more than a little homesick.

  While she waited for the cookies to cool, she dialed Chad’s number and waited for him to answer. After half a dozen rings, she hung up without leaving a message. Most likely he’d call her back anyway once he noticed he’d missed her call. She could try one of her other brothers, but the twins were probably still at work. Will, too, for that matter. No use in bothering any of them when all she really wanted was to hear the sound of their voices.

  Calling her parents was another option, but she limited those calls to once a week on Saturday morning. That had been part of the deal when she’d broken the news to them that she’d put a down payment on her own home. They’d been all right with it until she’d told them that the house was located over a hundred miles away from theirs. There was no telling if their anger had resulted from her only telling them about her decision after the plans were already set in motion or from the fact that she felt the need to put so much distance between her and the rest of the family in the first place.

  She hoped time would repair the damage to their relationship, but for now she needed to maintain the boundaries she’d established the day she’d moved out.

  Another round of laughter drew her back to the window. The greenhouse looked almost finished. Amazing. Maybe she could’ve assembled it on her own, but she had serious doubts about that. Ricky was busy picking up the plastic bags that had held the screws and other small parts and tossing them in the trash. He’d already cut the huge cardboard box into manageable pieces and put them into the recycling bin. All of the tools had been put away except for the screwdriver in Mikhail’s hand.

  Time to pack up the cookies. She’d made enough to give everyone their own supply. Not knowing their preferences, she’d made chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, and sugar cookies for Jack, Tino, Jay, and Ricky. After dividing the goodies up evenly, she covered
the paper plates with plastic wrap.

  That left the ones she’d made especially for Mikhail. The decision to make a separate kind for him might just come back to bite her on the backside. She’d been unable to resist the impulse when she’d happened to see one special ingredient on her quick run to the store for supplies.

  Opening the back door, she called Jay’s name. “Can you give me a hand?”

  “Sure thing.”

  He set his beer on the ground by the lawn chair he’d dragged over from next door and pushed himself up to his feet. Mikhail had been tightening a row of screws on one of the corner pillars but stopped when he’d heard her voice. Maybe it was her imagination that he gritted his teeth a bit that it wasn’t his name she’d called, but she didn’t think so.

  The laugh lines around Jay’s eyes deepened enough to let her know that he’d noticed his friend’s reaction. “What can I do to help?”

  “Can you give these to Jack and Tino while I bring out the rest?”

  “Hey, guys, we just scored big-time. The lady baked cookies for all of us.”

  After making the first two deliveries, Jay came right back. Amy held out two more. “This one is yours and that one’s for Mikhail. I’ve got Ricky’s.”

  She kept an eye on Mikhail as she crossed the yard to deliver Ricky’s cookies and his check for helping out. As she was about to thank him for working so hard, Tino’s voice rang out from across the yard.

  “Hey, how come Mikhail got a different kind of cookie than the rest of us?”

  The man in question stared down in puzzlement at the plate Jay had just handed him. Then a slow grin spread across his face as he peeled back the plastic and picked one up. “Because she knows how much I love peanut butter cookies.”

  That was an outright lie. She knew no such thing. Besides, that wasn’t the reason for the wicked, wicked smile on his handsome face as he slowly bit into the cookie, holding her gaze captive from across the yard. No, the reason for that was the chocolate kiss she’d baked into each and every one. He’d made it clear he didn’t want one kind of kiss from her, so she’d given him another.