by Zoe York
“Want to show me?” she whispered.
He didn’t need prompting to accept the invitation.
Lily couldn’t stop grinning. She could barely walk straight and yet felt like she was floating on a cloud of happiness. She’d been wrong. Ethan wanted her. Crazy levels of want.
In other words, it was all good in her world. Life was exquisitely beautiful.
She wanted to sing, wanted to dance.
She was making lunch and humming to herself in the kitchen while Gramps read his paper at the table. Buttermilk pancakes from scratch and a homemade whipped cream and brown sugar sauce to pour over them. She’d had to zip into the restaurant for a bit after Ethan had illuminated her on all the reasons he was an awesome husband. A husband she planned to bed again and again if at all possible.
The way he’d moved so tenderly made her dream of a real marriage based on love.
A real husband. A large family.
Igor rubbed up against her and she automatically reached down to stroke his back. As she did so, the question of the turned-off restaurant fridge jumped back into her mind. Last night had someone walked in, turned off the walk-in fridge, then left again? She’d distracted Ethan from checking the footage earlier, and she wondered if he’d had a chance to watch it when she’d gone in to work.
She found herself smiling again as he entered the room. Lily didn’t know whether to look at him and expect a kiss, or pretend his presence didn’t affect her. He’d said he didn’t do one-night stands, even with his wife. So where did that leave them, now that they’d crossed that line of physical intimacy?
She switched the pancake flipper from hand to hand, waiting for a cue.
“I think I’ll go read in my room,” Gramps muttered from his spot at the table. He scooped up the cat. “Call me when there’s lunch.” He hoofed it into his bedroom, cat under his arm, closing the door behind him.
Lily bit back a grin and sneaked a glance at Ethan. She was going to miss Gramps when they found him a room in the nursing home and he moved out.
“Hey.” Ethan planted a kiss on her temple as he moved around her. He looked limber, spry almost.
“Hey yourself,” she said softly, flipping a pancake and sending it over the side of the griddle she’d unpacked from her storage container which was still parked on the lawn. Her hands were shaking. He’d kissed her! Unnecessary, and done because he’d wanted to.
She plucked the pancake off the counter and seeing she’d ruined it, tossed it in the trash.
“You making lunch?”
“I’m breaking the stir-fry spell with a few carbs.”
“The sauce looks good.”
“It is good.”
“Can I try it?” He lifted the spoon to his lips, burning his tongue and wincing.
“It’s hot,” she warned.
“Thanks for that.” He gave her a wry look.
She turned to face him more fully, suddenly at a loss over how to talk to him. The morning had changed things for her, but what had it meant to Ethan? Did he finally accept her as a woman, as a wife, and not just a tagalong?
“It’s good, though. Really good.” Ethan dipped the spoon back into the pot to take another sample.
“Hey! We’re all sharing that.” She wrinkled her nose at him double-dipping the spoon after licking it.
“We’ve shared worse,” he said in a low voice, leaning closer, his tone suggestive.
“Will we again?” she whispered.
His lips hovered above hers. “I’d like to.”
“Right now?”
“You’re burning the pancakes.”
“Who cares?”
He reached around her, plucking the pancakes from the griddle with his bare fingers and tossing them onto the nearby plate. “Nice griddle.”
“Is that a euphemism?”
He chuckled and ducked his head to dart a kiss against her neck. She sighed, finding the feel of his lips against her flesh so gratifying.
She waved at her throat, angling it toward him. “Again, please.”
He complied, and before long the entire lunch was forgotten.
Ethan was the man.
He’d satisfied his wife not once, but twice in one day.
He spun in his office chair. Even his joints were feeling pretty good.
Sex was the best cure for whatever had been on that MRI.
Or maybe it was just the Lily Effect kicking in once again. He’d been feeling increasingly decent ever since she’d come his way, joined his life.
Lily was incredible. It was the only way to describe her. He wanted more. So much more. She was patient, funny and encouraging. And oh-so-responsive in bed.
They’d skipped lunch and gone straight back to getting acquainted on a more intimate level. They’d resurfaced in time for him to take a conference call with Burke Carver’s tech guy, and Lily’s pancakes—the ones that had actually made it to the griddle—had been stuck in the fridge after Gramps had scored a few.
Lily had gone straight in to work and was likely feeling hungry by now, even though she worked in a restaurant. Ethan didn’t see her as the type to stop and feed herself when others were hungry and jobs needed to be done.
He checked in on Gramps, who was doing his stretches in the living room, made sure the cat had found the litter box and food he’d picked up for him an hour ago, then packed Lily’s uneaten lunch into one of her picnic baskets. There were little signs of her throughout the house now, giving it a cheerful, lived-in feeling.
As he searched for paper plates—he didn’t have any, it turned out—he scrolled through the restaurant’s fridge camera footage on his cell phone. Beyond what he’d already viewed last night, there was nothing of note, other than some interference that had created gaps in the last twenty hours or so of motion-activated recording. Useless—that’s what his footage was.
He called Logan, who said interference was fairly common, particularly when there was construction occurring nearby. With the store that shared a wall with the restaurant undergoing renovations they either needed to temporarily suffer through the interference or upgrade to a multifrequency unit. He opted for the latter, asking Logan to also ensure that the new fridge camera caught more hallway as well as the switch. Logan said he’d track down a new camera and get it installed by nightfall, freeing Ethan to go woo his hungry wife.
Whistling to himself, he decided to walk, since the weather was beautiful. He honestly hadn’t felt this good in years.
“Either!”
Ethan turned to see Devon, the usual hated nickname not managing to dampen his good mood. Devon could sing the whole “either or, Ethan snores” chant he’d made up when they were kids and not get a rise out of him. Not today.
“What’s up?” Ethan asked.
“Is that…?” Devon leaned closer, his tie waving in the light breeze as he peered at Ethan. “Is that a smile?”
“Go take a hike.”
“Got some skin-on-skin time with the wife, did you?” Devon fell into step beside him, jauntily swinging his briefcase. Olivia had given him a makeover during his mayoral campaign and it suited him, although it still sometimes surprised Ethan when he remembered his romantically allusive brother had married.
“How’s Olivia?”
“Morning sickness is hard, but the food Lily cooked up for her helped.”
That sounded like Lily—always looking out for others.
“And Olivia aced her fashion design project for her online class.” Devon was studying him and Ethan felt his defenses go up. “You seem different. It’s like…someone oiled the Tin Man.”
“Shut up.” He couldn’t hide his grin.
“And is that a picnic basket? Very romantic.” Devon laughed at Ethan’s fake scowl as he walked backward down a side street, parting ways with a wave.
Ethan continued on, letting himself into Benny’s through the main door. The place was busy with the midafternoon coffee crowd, people waving hello as he walked through the restaurant
to the back, feeling silly for carrying a picnic basket. It was too romantic for a guy like him. Too obvious he was smitten with a woman who planned to move on in a year.
He ditched the basket and found Logan Stone standing outside the kitchen, looking up at the camera Ethan had installed in the hallway. So much for subtlety.
Ethan waved him into the office—Lily’s now. It smelled like his closet, and the old couch that had lined the wall was gone, freeing up an impressive amount of space. Lily had a good eye for what a room needed and he was going to miss the cozy touches she’d added here and there to his home when they parted company. Maybe there was a way he could convince her to stay.
Ethan sat on the edge of the desk, while Logan filled the doorway. The man immediately spied the camera above the desk, aimed at the safe.
“I guess I should have hidden those better,” Ethan said, as the PI stepped inside, shutting the door behind him.
“It’s not bad to show people you’re watching. I could add a few more cameras if you’re concerned.”
“Maybe one in the kitchen. Just a subtle one.” He felt uncomfortable with the idea of spying, but he’d been worried about Lily last night working in here alone, unable to see her. He was turning into a worrywart. All the oddities that had occurred lately could be explained away. The fridge turning off a glitch in the appliance’s computer, the missing float a mixed up accounting error, the back door just the cat taking advantage of a not-quite-latched door.
There was no reason to be paranoid.
Logan scrawled a few words on a notepad.
“The back door is secure, as is the front, although you could upgrade the rear one with a stronger lock. However, if someone really wants in they’ll just destroy the jamb—it’s a common work-around for thieves when entering older buildings.” Logan crouched in front of the safe and tried its handle. Locked. “This is a decent safe. Honestly, for Blueberry Springs your security is not bad. Do you have motion notifications set up on the cameras for after hours?”
Ethan nodded.
“How much more security do you think you’d like?”
“Enough that I don’t have to worry about Lily.”
Logan let out a huff of amusement. “Honestly, Ethan? There’s never enough security to make a man not worry about his wife.” He stood with a half smile, his gray eyes sparkling.
“You’re probably right.”
“Want a tracer on her car?”
“A tracer?” That felt…invasive. As if he didn’t trust her. He shook his head. “It feels like this place has had a lot of bad luck and weird things going on. I just want to keep her safe. I want that ex of hers to stand down, too.”
“Any further contact?”
“Not that I’m aware.”
“Good. I’ve issued a watch with the local police.” Logan frowned in displeasure.
“What?”
“It’s hard for one officer to keep a town safe.”
“Welcome to Blueberry Springs,” Ethan said with a chuckle.
Logan gave a small smile that almost belied his serious expression. “I’ll make sure Tanner is taken care of if he decides to grace our town with his presence.”
Ethan nodded, not wanting to know what all was implied with that statement.
“I’ll add a camera above the back door to watch the alley, and a few more IP cameras around the place.”
The camera above them was an IP camera—connected to the internet, allowing him to check in remotely, as well as view uploaded footage from anywhere.
“Maybe we’ll skip the kitchen for now,” Ethan said. “I don’t want Lily’s staff thinking we’re spying on them.”
“I can hide one.”
“I’d better run it by Lily first.”
“Sure. Just let me know. And if Zach Forrester—a buddy of mine—comes by to look in on things, don’t worry, he’s sound.”
“Thanks.”
Logan left and Ethan stayed put, thinking.
A few minutes later, Lily appeared in the doorway. “I heard you were here.” She took a few steps inside her office. “Acting like you own the place?” Her tone was teasing.
He swung himself off the desk. “I asked Logan to install more security.”
“How much is it going to cost?” She crossed her arms, chin lifting. She was serious now, the teasing gone.
“I’ll pay for it.”
“I don’t want to be spied on. If you don’t trust me, tell me.”
“This is for your own security. The back door? The missing money? Your ex? All valid reasons to up the security around here.”
She gave him a dark look. “You’re overreacting.”
“You’re underreacting.”
They faced off for a moment and all Ethan wanted to do was step forward and claim her mouth with his own. He decided to go for it, moving slowly, cupping her head, letting her anger soften before kissing her.
“I brought lunch,” he said, tipping his forehead against hers. “It’s the stuff you made, but I thought you might be hungry.”
“Are you trying to change the subject?”
“No, I am changing the subject. There is no try, only do.”
She rolled her eyes at his Star Wars Yoda impression.
“You coming?” he asked from the door.
“You already know I’d follow you anywhere,” she said with a smile, and Ethan felt it slip all the way into his soul.
Lily knew she was looking for hints that this might be real, and felt the picnic here in the town square had to be a pretty good one. He had finally let her in, not shutting her out. And he was adding security to her restaurant, which, even though it felt a bit over the top, was a protective move, securing her under his wing.
Ethan sat on the blanket he’d laid out in the square, his body a powerhouse that made her mouth water.
“You’re handsome, you know that?”
He paused, his arm deep in the picnic basket. “And you’re downright sexy.”
She giggled, feeling suddenly shy in her jeans and sweatshirt. She smoothed her messy braid. “Thanks.”
“Let’s see what you made us.” He began unpacking the basket, his knee pressing against hers as they sat side by side.
Lily inhaled the moment. The warmth from the autumn sun, the mountains around them looking so large and unreal, but most of all the man beside her. The man she was utterly, hopelessly in love with. She leaned against his shoulder and he gave her knee an affectionate squeeze. Little gestures always felt so much larger coming from him.
He smiled. “You look happy.”
“I am.”
The cream sauce she’d made was thick from being in the fridge, and they used it like a spread on the pancakes before devouring them.
“Mmm. I was starving,” she said, finishing off her first one and licking the stickiness from her fingers.
Ethan was watching her and she froze with awareness as a hot current pulsed between them. He gently brushed a crumb from the corner of her mouth, then slowly leaned in, kissing her deeply. She lost track of the world around her as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, scooting closer. He pulled her into his lap, his arms strong and sure. She moaned into his mouth as they kissed in the middle of town, not caring who saw them, who saw her loving her husband. This was what she’d been waiting for. This moment, right here, right now.
“Did I tell you I got a new contract for the catering company?” she said as they came up for air. A gray jay was hopping closer, angling toward the forgotten food. Ethan flung a piece of pancake across the grass, feeding it.
“I’ve been hearing good things about the changes you’ve made.”
“Really?” She’d taken a lot of ribbing over her garnishes, the roast beef special and the like.
“Alvin said he liked the new lasagna.”
“Who’s Alvin? And I only added more seasoning.”
“He’s the town’s biggest curmudgeon.”
“Nice.”
“You have
a way of winning people over, Lily.”
“And have I won you over?”
“Since day one.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“And have I won you over as your wife?”
“I’ll be lonely when you leave me.”
“What if I stick around?” She felt her heart racing, expecting rejection for dancing over the line of their commitment, suggesting he give her more than what either of them had signed on for.
He shrugged, a small smile playing at his lips.
She was still in his lap, his eyes so blue in the sunshine, his focus solely on her. It was heady and overwhelming. He kissed her again.
She wanted to sing, she wanted to dance.
“Are you busy tonight?” she whispered.
“Not in the least.”
“Good. I’m going to make you fettuccine Alfredo and then…”
“And then…?”
“I promise we’ll do something just as fun as this morning.”
Chapter 11
Ethan massaged his tight thigh muscle, wishing he’d felt up to hiking with Lily today. The physical crash he’d been anticipating had arrived in full force, just hours after the picnic in the park and the wonderfully rich pasta dinner Lily had made for him.
He struggled not to feel sorry for himself, to focus on the fact that Lily and Mandy had gone together, taking time off, renewing their friendship.
But yesterday…yesterday had been incredible. He’d felt amazing. Strong and alive. Fully human. He’d made love to his wife twice, then again in the evening, and it had simply, hands down, been the best sex he’d ever experienced. She’d suggested sticking around after their commitment and he’d been too choked up to reply.
He wanted that. Wanted to take it for granted as the ending of their story. But today his joints ached and his stomach was in knots from the constant clenching and worrying about pain. His brain felt foggy and he couldn’t concentrate on work or anything around him.
