by Vivian Arend
Lisa twisted toward him, eyes widening as they danced over his body. He stepped under the water and pulled her against him.
Her soft skin was a present that helped chase away his fears.
She pressed a kiss to his chest, fingers playing in the light dusting of hair there. “Hello, gorgeous.”
A rush of pleasure struck. “That’s my line.”
“We can have a mutual admiration society. Founding members.” She leaned back, stroking her fingers over his waistline and toward his hip. Admiration on her face, and something more.
Heat.
She glanced up and her tongue snuck over her lips.
“You’re killing me,” he warned her. “This is killing me.”
“I want to touch you everywhere. I want to kiss you everywhere.” She slid her fingers toward his groin and wrapped strong fingers around his erection. “Everywhere.”
The windows were not fogging up because of the hot water.
Josiah closed his eyes as she stroked softly, with barely enough pressure. He reached down and wrapped his fingers over hers, increasing the tightness of their joint grip until it was right. Until each stroke of their hands was like a row of thumbtacks being applied along his spine. Pleasure and pain wrapped up and forced upon him until far too soon, he lost control.
Semen spurted over their hands. He eased his grip and slowed their motion. Lisa followed his guidance. Touching him. Rolling her hands over his body until the shaking stopped. Until he wasn’t sure what force was holding him vertical, because neither his leg muscles nor his brain seemed to be functioning.
Lisa draped her arms around his neck, and he leaned back on the tiled wall behind him, adjusting the showerhead to pour over them while they stood together. Perfectly naked.
She stroked his cheek. “I liked that.”
He hummed happily. “Obviously, I did too.”
His attempt to lighten the situation failed as Lisa examined him closely. “Something on your mind?”
Josiah took a deep breath and considered his revelation that in this moment it was important—vitally important—to be honest. “I don’t do this. Not with anyone.”
Lisa tilted her head, considering. “Have sleepovers? Have showers together?”
“Get naked,” he admitted.
Her brows went up.
“Don’t give me that look. Yes, I have sex. I make women feel good, but I usually do it with as many clothes on as possible or in the dark. I’m not always comfortable stripping down.”
Lisa opened her mouth then gave a very firm nod. “Gotcha. That’s why…” She glanced down for a moment and back at his face, a little curiosity but mostly caring in her expression. “You’re naked right now. Which, I have to say, makes me very happy.”
“Making you happy is why I’m here. It’s why I’m doing it, even though I’m uncomfortable.” He caught her fingers in his hand and nibbled on her knuckles, finally letting his amusement show through. “I refuse to be stupid again and miss this opportunity, and figured you’d probably notice if I walked in with all my clothes on.”
“I might’ve,” Lisa agreed, lips curled upward.
She stroked the back of his neck with her free hand, almost as if she were petting him. Whether she was waiting for him to say something more or she was thinking about what to say herself, it didn’t feel uncomfortable.
It felt like an inhale. A moment to get ready to do the next thing.
Which made it easier for him to continue. “Growing up, I was a pretty pudgy kid. That affected a lot of my early years, what with being on the stage so much. Or more like not on the stage. I always got the understudy roles. Or the sidekick, not the star.”
Lisa made a face. “The best friend in Anne of Green Gables?”
He snorted. “Guys playing girls is traditional in theater. That part wasn’t what hurt, but the fact far too many people pointed out how perfect I was for the role since I was on the ‘dumpling’ side of the scale. My family weren’t mean about it, but between my weak acting talents—and yes, my skills truly are three or four levels below the rest of them—and being heavy, I was always less than acceptable. Never quite what they were looking for.”
She watched him closely, her words a gentle tease. “Well, five hundred points to Gryffindor, because you grew up rather spectacularly.”
It was easy to laugh at that and it helped lighten his mood. “Thanks, but I didn’t lose the weight until I went away to veterinary school, and it took a heck of a lot of work. Still does.”
“Thus, the morning routine.” Lisa stroked him again, hands running along his forearm and between his fingers. “Thus, the old, worn belt?”
Damn, she was good. “There’s a sense of power when you move a notch on a belt. It’s a warning sign, as well, if you have to go the opposite direction. I took a hammer and a nail to make new holes when I needed to.”
“Thank you for sharing with me.” She had meshed her fingers with his and she squeezed, glancing up. “You need to do what you’re comfortable with, but, Josiah? I do like how you look. Very much. I appreciate the muscles you’ve gained, but I also like you. The man who is caring and smart and funny. You don’t have to worry that I’m judging you.”
“I know.” He tipped her chin and moved in for a slow kiss. “It’s me judging myself, but I’m working on it. But pigs would fly before I’d strip down and go Magic Mike in front of a gathering.”
She caught him by the back of the neck and tugged their lips together. Their tongues brushed leisurely before she nibbled on his bottom lip. “I’m not much for sharing publicly,” she admitted between kisses. “But if you want to put on a private floor show at some point, I won’t say no.”
He turned her in his arms, grabbing the soap and proceeding to have a wonderful time getting her squeaky clean. If he left a trail of water across the floor to grab a condom from her present, he’d deal with it later.
He was taking one more step on the road toward forever and a few puddles were totally worth it.
15
Lisa pulled on clean clothes, catching herself grinning as she headed back to the bathroom to finish getting ready for the day.
Josiah had already left the room after giving her a peppermint-fresh, tooth-brushed kiss that sent her toes wiggling.
It had been a magical night. No doubts about it, and despite everything she needed to decide and the huge things her family had to deal with, the spot of happiness inside her was real.
She mentally shoved everything aside and laid that happiness down like a foundation. There were going to be tough things to face, even that day, but deep inside where it mattered? She was happy.
Lisa stepped down the hallway to the kitchen with Ollie at her heels. The scent of bacon in the air mingled with rich coffee. Finn and Zachary were poring over the maps spread across the entire kitchen island.
Finn glanced at her before smiling into his coffee cup without saying a word.
Zachary’s appreciation was a little more blatant. “Morning, sunshine.”
It only took two steps for Josiah to walk past the other man, “accidentally” nudging him backward so Zach had to catch his balance or flail into a wall.
“Sorry about that,” Josiah claimed bluntly. “Two eggs or three?”
Finn chuckled. “Don’t give the man a reason to hate you,” he warned Zach. “It’s a little cold to sleep in the barn.”
“I wasn’t going to touch,” Zachary muttered.
He was just charming enough to not be annoying. “Good thing,” Lisa offered. “I have Wookie in my background.”
At the stove, Josiah broke another set of eggs into the pan. “That explains so much.”
“Hey,” Lisa complained, whirling on him, but she matched him grin for grin.
“In other news, I have a question for you.” Finn grabbed a couple of maps and dropped them on the table. He pushed aside the chair beside him and patted it. “Come here. I need your opinion.”
She made her way
forward, sliding into the chair and looking over the maps as Ollie settled on her feet. “I don’t know the area that well. If you have specific questions, I can find someone else to answer them.”
“Awesome, and if I need it, I’ll ask. I’m wondering which looks like a better view.” Finn tapped two different areas of the map where there were red circles at different elevations. “Existing buildings are here and here.”
Lisa eyed the roads and mountains and considered what she’d learned from her short time in the region. She tapped one of them. “This one would have the view, but I don’t think you’d want to live there unless you’re a kite-flying enthusiast.”
Josiah glancing at them, nodding in agreement. “My place is pretty protected because of the crown land to the west of us. Those tall trees absorb the wind when it gets roaring, but the farther south you go, the higher the gusts.”
“And by gusts, think hurricane-force. Last fall, Caleb said a big rig flipped. It was headed north and the winds from the west were strong enough to shove it right over.” Lisa pointed at a circle. “Where is this on your land?”
He drew a rectangular-shaped box around the circle. A big one.
She slid her fingers slightly north and west. “Unless the house is in really good shape, you’d be better off building here.”
“What if this was a place for people to visit, not live all the time?”
“That could work, but it’s still going to be windy.” She glanced at him, curiosity rising. “Karen’s in town,” she told him.
“That’s nice. Arenas on this side of the barn?”
He was going to play it like that, was he? Lisa pointed again. “Here. I bet you twenty bucks you end up running into her sometime in the next week.”
“With or without you interfering?”
“I don’t cheat,” Lisa declared indignantly.
Finn grinned and held out a hand. “It’s a bet.”
Well, that was easy. “Want to lose some more money?”
“How about making me spend money, period?” Finn offered. “Josiah says the new animal rescue could use some cash. Whatever you help raise, I’ll match.”
Lisa stopped dead in her tracks. The suggestion had come out of the blue and it took her a moment to realign her brain.
“Really.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “What do you get out of it?”
“Personal satisfaction at having contributed to a worthy cause.”
In the background, Zachary made a gagging noise.
Lisa snickered. Yeah, it had sounded like bullshit to her as well. “Really?”
Finn met her gaze straight on. “I’ve got a project I’d like to start in town that will take off better if the animal rescue is already in place. I don’t want to say more because until it’s a done deal, I can’t. But mostly, the personal satisfaction, on more than one front, isn’t a lie.”
Lisa thought about it. She was still in that nebulous “not sure what to do with herself” place, no matter that her family was facing interesting chaos. Tamara would be settled into a routine with Tyler soon enough, and that was her main deadline for doing the next thing.
For all Lisa knew, this was going to be her last free night in a long time. “I like the idea, but I can’t do it by myself.”
In the background, Josiah dropped something. A lid, rattling on the counter as he swore softly.
Oh.
Oh.
There was an idea. Lisa glanced over to examine him for a moment. It might be another strange kind of date, but maybe this was what she needed. One final project to help other people, and then she could move on and do something for herself.
She made her way over to him at the counter, Ollie contentedly leaning against them both. “What do you think?”
“About what?” Josiah pushed aside the pans and turned the heat down to give her his full attention.
As he watched her, the strangest sensation struck. Lisa stood there, completely unable to say anything for a moment.
She’d just realized she very rarely asked other people for help.
Oh, she ordered people around. She cajoled, she wheedled, and when it came to working behind the scenes to get done what she thought needed to happen, she was invincible.
In her world, though, standing in front of someone and straight up asking for a favour never happened. She knew she could have with her sisters, but she hadn’t. And this wasn’t them.
It seemed both she and Josiah were having to stretch some new muscles today. “Would you help me? The two of us could set up some kind of fundraiser for the rescue center.”
He examined her carefully. “That kind of project would take a while to organize, you know. It’s not something we can have happen in a week’s time. Not if we want it to be successful.”
“May Long Weekend is a good time for a special event,” Zach offered. “By that time of year, people are looking for something to do, yet it’s far enough away from the holiday season so you might be able to get them to open their pocketbooks.”
“There you go. Third week of May and the long weekend.” Lisa nodded firmly. “Work for you?”
His lips twitched before unfurling into a beautiful smile. “Love to help you. By the way, you owe me a hundred bucks.”
She blinked. Damn, he was right. She was going to be here past her original estimate of spring. “It’s a double or nothing kind of day. Want to let it ride?”
“If you’re here by the end of summer, I get two hundred dollars?” Josiah thought for a moment then nodded. “Deal.”
He stuck out his hand, and they shook briefly before he ignored the fact there were two others in the area and a dog at their feet. Josiah tugged her against his body and stole a kiss hot and demanding enough to leave her breathless before he offered a wink then moved to load food onto plates.
The day was just beginning, but it seemed at least one of her questions had been answered. How long was she staying in Heart Falls?
At least until the end of May.
Josiah dropped Lisa off at Silver Stone and headed straight into his day. He left Ollie at the veterinary clinic where she obediently settled on the dog bed beside his receptionist’s feet, but sadly lowered her head to her paws as if she were being betrayed.
“Poor doggie.” Sharon bent down to rub Ollie’s head. “You’re stuck without your favourite people.”
Ollie whimpered, milking sympathy with everything in her, weepy eyes fixed on Josiah.
“Sorry, pup, but I have places to go today, and you can’t come,” Josiah explained as he hid his amusement. Lisa’s day at Silver Stone was going to be unusual enough without tossing a love-sick dog into the mix.
The last thing he heard as he left the office was a long, heartbroken sigh.
Josiah wasn’t surprised when Finn and Zach both answered his request to join him at Buns and Roses midmorning.
Zach stood in the doorway between the coffee shop and the flower/knickknack store. He leaned a shoulder against the doorjamb as he chatted with Rose Fields, owner of said flower emporium.
The dark-haired beauty was nodding vigorously, gesturing back into her shop. The two of them disappeared from sight around the corner.
Josiah dropped into the seat opposite Finn. Curiosity and a wild streak of protectiveness struck out of nowhere. “What’s Zach up to?”
“He’s still playing with that local craft-brew idea. Getting some of the local businesses onboard might help when he wants to apply for permits.” Finn pushed a plate of doughnuts toward Josiah. “Help yourself.”
Automatically, Josiah waved off the offer. “More importantly, what are you up to? I thought you were thinking on it when it came to fundraising for the rescue.”
“I did think on it. I thought it would be good to get some local people involved.”
Josiah glared at him briefly. “You pretty much steamrolled Lisa into agreeing to run a fundraiser.”
“With you. Remember that part—” Finn cracked a rare smile. “You’re we
lcome, by the way.”
Yeah, Josiah had noticed that part. “Thanks. I guess. She’s not sure if she’s planning to stick around, so I was hoping to spend quality time sweet-talking her and making Heart Falls seem like a destination. Not using that time in meetings and shop talk.”
“Then delegate. You don’t have to do everything. Any successful event needs a good, strong figurehead at the top, though. Having the local veterinarian offer support goes a long way toward the community pitching in.” Only then did Finn wrinkle his nose in a modest apology. “Didn’t know her timeline was so tight. Sorry about that.”
“That’s fine. Just means when I ask for a favour at some point in the next six weeks, I hope you’ll open up your schedule.”
“I wouldn’t miss it.” Finn picked up one of the doughnuts and took an appreciative bite, glancing around the Buns and Roses shop. “This place is nice.”
“They don’t need any backing,” Josiah drawled.
“Everyone can use backing to get to the next level,” Finn corrected.
“Not everyone wants to get to the next level.”
The other man winked. “I like your style, Josiah Ryder. Don’t worry, I’m not planning on stirring up Heart Falls too much. I just have a tendency to see things that could be done. I’m working on the part where I remember to decide if they should be done.”
Conversation changed to a discussion of menu ideas for the following week. Finn promised to hit the grocery store and stock up, which left Josiah with one less thing on his to-do list.
Which was good, because the day exploded after that, with the office calling to tell him to kiss his afternoon and evening goodbye.
He headed out to the first farm to take care of a project, following the farmer in his tractor as he pushed the snow aside to make a route to the old barn where Josiah’s patient waited.
His phone rang with the distinctive tone he’d assigned his brother. Josiah answered it. Distracted driving rules didn’t apply when you were going five kilometres an hour and one of two vehicles headed across the field.
Also, calling Micah back was always hit and miss. If he could get him on the line the first time, it was a miracle. Same with his sisters, Kelsey and Lenora.