“Sure do. A man’s man.”
“Yeah. He’s built, Jenny. Muscles like you wouldn’t believe and his hair is dark, nearly black, and hangs down to his shoulders. At first glance he looks intimidating but he isn’t.”
“Where’d ya find him?”
Oops, she hadn’t thought that through. “He stopped by the house looking for directions, we talked and, you know, we’re friends.”
“Friends.”
“Yes, friends. That’s all.” The little bell on the front door tinkled. Chance took a relieved breath as Jenny hustled to greet the new customers. Damn, maybe she shouldn’t have said anything.
To her surprise, Jenny didn’t bring up the subject the rest of the day. Either the woman’s mind slipped or she decided not to push the issue. At the end of the day they closed up and Chance took Jenny home. The older woman loaded her up with two weeks’ worth of precooked meals and then waved goodbye.
Chance stopped at a roadside stand and grabbed two pumpkins. Oddly she found herself anxious to get home. Not because she had work to do but because she actually wanted to see Hayes. He kept himself scarce all day and she found she missed seeing him. A curious apprehension lingered, as if she’d open her door and all evidence of him would be gone along with his fine self.
When she pulled up in front of her house, there he was, splitting more wood. Chance allowed herself a few moments to watch. He really did seem to enjoy the physical work and it liked him. She couldn’t imagine being confined to a bottle, never being able to live the way she wanted to.
Hayes turned. Their gazes locked. That peculiar feeling of being transported to another time and into another body settled over her. Hot and consuming need filled her. She wanted him. Now. She wanted to touch him, taste him and have her body filled to overflowing with his. A miniscule fiber of common sense floated through her fuzzy brain. They both agreed this morning couldn’t happen again. She needed to stop this and act like an adult. In an attempt to salvage her dignity, Chance gave a fake yawn, opened the door and slid from the car. Hayes tossed the axe down, pulled on his shirt and came strolling toward her.
“If you give me a few moments I’ll help stack it,” she said, hoping it would cover her pathetic, teenage, out of control, raging hormones.
“Okay. Anythin’ I can help carry in for ya?”
“Yes there is, as a matter of fact.” She opened the back door, proudly displaying her purchases before handing them over.
“Are you gonna make a pie?”
She snorted at that thought. If it couldn’t be taken out of a box and shoved in the oven, there was no pie. “No, we’re going to carve them tonight.”
“Carve them?”
“Don’t tell me. You never carved a pumpkin before.” How sad.
“Can’t say I have. But if you’d like to, I’m game.”
“Good.” She gathered the containers of food and they both walked into the house together. “Set them down on the floor. Jenny fixed me up with food again for a while. Take your pick. I’ll throw it in the oven on low. It’ll give us time to get the wood stacked.”
“It’s your food, Chance. You should choose.”
“Don’t be silly. You’ve been breaking your back with all the wood. The least I can do is let you pick our meal for tonight.” When he didn’t move, only stood there silently, she turned. He looked different. Slightly confused, mixed with wonder and panic. “What’s wrong, Hayes?”
He ran his hands through his hair and then pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’ve never met anyone like you.”
His words rocked her back on her heels. “Excuse me?”
“In a hundred years of bein’ shuttled around the earth, I’ve never met anyone like you and I don’t know how to…” He spread his hands and shrugged. “I just don’t know what to do.”
“It’s only food, Hayes,” she told him with a chuckle. And awesome sex.
“But it’s not, Chance. Don’t ya see?”
He seemed agitated. His strange reaction confused her, leaving her uneasy.
“I’m gonna go start stacking the wood.” With that he all but ran out the door.
Okay, maybe two straight days without sleep started to get to him. Nothing he said made sense and that’s the first time she saw him have a mini breakdown. Interesting. Maybe they’d visit that little episode later. Right now she needed to get dinner started.
They both worked at stacking the wood until she didn’t want to see another stick. She had enough to get her through the winter and spring. Hayes made it enjoyable though. He teased her about her weak arms, showed his strength by picking her up and toting her around like a feather. Best of all, they both laughed. He asked questions about current day events and she did her best to explain them.
Occasionally he would tell her a distant memory about his life before, but then got aggravated because he couldn’t remember clearly. She felt for him. Her memories weren’t the best but she still had them. A blank slate had to suck.
When they sat down to eat, he waited. She couldn’t refrain from asking, “Why do you do that?”
He shrugged.
“Nope, you don’t get to skirt around the question. Answer me or we both sit while the food gets cold.” It might not matter to him but she was starving.
“I have to, Chance. I can’t help it.”
“You mean it’s part of the genie thing?”
“Yep. You’re my master and I can’t do anythin’ without your permission. You eating first gives me permission to follow. Simple.”
“Simple but stupid. And don’t call me ‘Master’. I hate it.” The word grated on her nerves. She didn’t see herself as anyone’s master. She quickly took a bite and he followed.
“How long do you have before something bad happens if I don’t make a wish?”
He tensed, put his fork down and sat back in his chair. “I’m not sure but I’ll know it when the time comes.”
“Come on. A month, two months, ten years?” She secretly hoped it would be much longer.
“I honestly don’t know. Why?”
This time she shrugged. “Curious.”
“You have a wish ready?”
Did she detect a note of disappointment in his tone? “No. I don’t want you vanishing into oblivion either. If it comes to that I’ll make some silly wishes.” He nodded but said nothing further. Over the next couple of days she’d pump him about how to wish him free.
“Well, I’m full. Let’s give you a crash course in carving pumpkins.”
Hayes did his job with the dishes as she prepared the pumpkins. “First you have to draw a face or whatever on it and then gut it.”
“Gut it?”
She marked out a simple face, grabbed a knife and cut the top open. “Reach down in there and start ripping out the insides.”
Hayes plunged his hands down inside and froze. “Well, that’s unpleasant.”
Chance lost it. The look on his face, the tone of his voice all made her burst out laughing. “Are you kidding me? A big, strong genie and this grosses you out? Come on, Hayes, dig in.”
“Bein’ big and strong has nothin’ to do with not likin’ the feel of this.” Still, he yanked out the stringy insides and seeds.
The disgusted look on his face kept her laughing. He came from a time where you killed your food and gutted it. How could feeling pumpkin guts be worse?
“Okay, ya big baby,” she chuckled. “Move over, I’ll save you.” Hayes gladly pulled his hands out and ran to the sink to wash them off. While he had his back turned she grabbed a handful of gooey guts. Hayes never knew what was coming as he carelessly returned. With mischief tingling her belly, Chance flicked them at his face.
One dangled from his nose as another plastered to his cheek. A seed sat plain as day on his chin and the rest molded to his neck. The sheer terror on his face had her busting out in breath-stealing laughter. Could he look more adorable?
“You think that’s funny?” he asked, peeling the seed away.
“Yes,” she said on a gasp. Her stomach hurt from laughing so hard.
Hayes reached inside the pumpkin, got a handful of yuck and with his free hand pulled the neckline of her sweater out. In one quick, disgusting move he plopped the mess down inside. The cold goo made her yelp as she scrambled to get it out. Hayes stood there laughing, a rich, robust sound that spurred her to retaliate.
A pumpkin-guts tossing feud ensued. By the time they had it emptied, they both stood there covered in smelly strands of orange and panting for breath. It occurred to her somewhere in the midst of giggling that she hadn’t laughed this hard or had this much fun in ages. Reaching out, she peeled some of the icky strands from Hayes’ face and hair, wiped them on a towel and sighed.
“Ready to cut the face now?”
He peeked down inside the hollow pumpkin and frowned. “Anythin’ else in there you’ll be decoratin’ me with?”
“Nope, all cleaned out.” Chance picked up a knife, pierced it through the thick skin of the pumpkin and cut.
Hayes watched and if she wasn’t mistaken, was ready to bolt at any moment. Chance carved a goofy, lopsided face and when the last piece came free she laid the knife down. “What do you think?”
He studied it, picked up the pumpkin and inspected everything. “That’s it? This is all you do? Now what?”
“Now we put a candle in it and set it on the porch.” She went to her junk drawer, grabbed a small tea light and set it down inside. They went to the porch, placed it on a step and lit the candle. “See, a face that glows at night. It’s fun.”
Hayes stepped down in the yard for a better look. “I like it. Can I do the other one?”
“It’s all yours.”
He hustled back into the house. Chance laughed at the sight of him covered in stringy orange pumpkin guts and seeds adorning his hair. She advised him through the process of cutting the top. When he reached down inside and cringed, she snickered. Hayes shot her an annoyed glance seconds before pulling out a gob of guts and plopping it on top of her head.
After the initial shock of what he’d done faded, Chance reached up and slid the mess out of her hair. “Didn’t get enough the first time?” Taking a play from his dirty game, she tugged the front of his jeans out and stuffed it down.
The look of astonishment on his face thrilled her, but when he dropped his gaze to where her hand was tucked in front of his jeans and then shot her a hot, now you’ve done it look, she melted. For her, it went from good-natured play to make me pay for it. Make me scream.
“Oops.” Before she could make an escape, Hayes snagged her around the middle with one arm and scooped her up. “Play nice,” she squealed, sure her punishment would be underwear full of pumpkin.
“I should make ya dig it out,” he whispered in her ear.
Next thing she knew her sweater was full of the cold, slimy mix. Hayes released her as she squirmed, trying to get it to drop out. “Foul on the play,” she shouted, reaching up inside her shirt.
“I don’t know what that means,” he chuckled, “but I’ll clean you up if you clean me up.”
Sudden heat washed through her body, making her shiver. Her gaze locked with his. They stood there, both a complete mess and sending off waves of desire. All it would take was one movement, one touch of the button on his jeans, and they’d be all over each other. She knew that just as she knew she wouldn’t stop it from happening.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “Out of line.”
To her disappointment, Hayes turned and busied himself with cleaning out the pumpkin. Chance closed her eyes and fought to rein in the raging need and desire for this man that plagued her. The throb between her legs took longer to tamp down but after a few moments her head cleared. At least Hayes had enough sense to stop it before it started. Yeah, once was enough and if she kept telling herself that she might hold off for another fifteen minutes before attacking him.
Holding her head high, she walked around the other side of the table and checked out his progress. Hayes made quick work of the inside and had begun whittling away at the face. His large hands worked with skill, holding the knife like a pro and cutting small slivers at a time.
“I thought you never did this before.”
“I haven’t. My first time.”
“Coulda fooled me. What are you making?”
His grin came quickly as he continued to work. “It’s a surprise. Be patient.”
“Okay,” she replied and shrugged at the same time. Patience wasn’t her thing. “I’m gonna go clean up while you,” she pointed at the pumpkin and twirled her finger, “finish up.”
He grunted a response, still fully focused on his task. Chance strolled back to the bathroom and slipped out of her sweater, tossing the gobs of pumpkin guts into the small trash can. She hit the shower and cleaned up quickly and then wiggled into a comfortable pair of yoga pants. With the house so warm from the fire burning all day, yes, thank you Hayes for that, she slipped a tank on and made her way back out.
Hayes rushed out the door as she entered the kitchen. Curious, she followed on his heels. When he magically lit his pumpkin and his sexy smile glowed from the candlelight, the suspense got the better of her. With a childlike leap off the porch, she landed in the grass next to him and felt the world tilt. It couldn’t be.
“Oh. My. God.” Hayes had carved a perfect likeness of her into the pumpkin. With the light flickering, it made her hair seem to dance.
“Do ya like it?”
“It’s, it’s incredible. How did you do all that so fast? Did you use genie voodoo or something?” He had to. No one could carve like that so fast.
“No magic. I must have been able to carve before. Once my hands got started I couldn’t stop. I knew what I wanted to make and it happened.”
She couldn’t look away. He’d shadowed and angled every bit of it so the light inside emphasized certain features. People would pay good money for his carvings.
“I don’t suppose I could talk you into doing a few more so I could sell them at the shop.” Her hand went to his arm, resting gently against his muscle.
He put his hand over hers and smiled. “For you, anything.”
Chance shivered again. Not from the cold but from the sincerity in his eyes and smile. What did that mean and why did he say it? Who the hell cared?
“You should go inside. It’s cold out here.” He rubbed both her arms, his hands gliding up and resting on her shoulders for a second before he snatched them away as if she scalded him. “Come on. I’ll help you clean up the kitchen.”
She followed him inside, reeling from the mess of emotions churning in her stomach. Quietly they cleaned up their mess. Hayes took the pumpkin innards outside and tossed them far away from the house while she wiped down the table and cleaned the knives. When he returned they sat in the living room and watched mindless television for a while.
The tension between them seemed to grow. At least she felt it anyway. What did he feel? Did he want her as badly as she wanted him? Did he feel the connection between them, or was he reacting like a man who’d gone one hundred years without a woman? How did he handle that anyway? Wait, she didn’t want to know. Or did she?
“Can I ask you something?”
Hayes turned his head and smiled. “Sure.”
“What’s the longest time you ever spent with a master?” Ugh, she hated that word.
He shrugged. “Seven, eight days maybe. Why?”
“I guess you’ve had plenty of female masters.”
This time he looked away. “Yeah, I guess you could say that.”
Awkward silence filled the room as she worked up courage to ask the next question. Put it out there, just blurt it out, get it over with. “Did you sleep with any of them?” Once the words left her lips she regretted them. If he said yes, then what? If he said no?
“No.”
That was it. One single-word answer and she couldn’t be happy with that. Nope, not her. “Why?”
“Until
I met you, I wasn’t sure decent, nice people existed anymore. Besides, people are genuinely more preoccupied with their greed. I’m just the guy who gives them what they wish for.”
He sounded sad as he spoke. She knew how it felt to be unseen and forgotten. He pushed to his feet, ran his fingers through his hair and smiled down at her.
“If it’s all right with you, I’m gonna go stroll around outside for a bit. Maybe I’ll bring more wood out and get started chopping it.” Hayes rounded the couch, standing behind her, hesitating.
“I’ve got enough for the winter,” she replied. “And the spring. You don’t have to do that.” She stood, walked toward him and pulled another piece of pumpkin off his shirt. “You could shower, get all this sticky off you.”
“I don’t need a shower to do that.” His voice dropped an octave, rumbled over her nerves and pushed her into that place where she couldn’t stop herself. As if another person emerged, taking the lead.
“Yeah, but it wouldn’t be as much fun as me helping you shower.” Brave as ever, Chance released two buttons, allowing her knuckles to skim over his chest. He allowed her another two buttons before he gripped her wrists and magically dispensed of the pumpkin remnants.
“Chance, we said it shouldn’t happen again.”
Yeah, and he sounded as sure of that as she felt. “Didn’t you like what I did for you?” She leaned in and kissed the bare skin between the flaps of his shirt, letting her tongue lap softly. He released her wrists and she quickly continued to unbutton his shirt as she kissed her way across his chest.
“Why didn’t you have sex with your female masters, Hayes?” she asked, working her tongue around his nipple.
“They weren’t you.”
“And who am I?” With the buttons free, she pushed the material over his shoulders and down his arms until it fell to the floor.
Hayes grabbed her by the arms, shoving her back a few inches, and stared down at her for long moments. He searched her face, drilled his gaze into her eyes and frowned. “You’re the only woman who makes me feel like a man.”
“I can make you feel so much more.” She could, wanted to. All evening she fought the burning need for him but she couldn’t fight it any longer. Chance cupped his cock through his jeans.
WhiskeyBottleLover Page 10
