Page 9 of A Lifetime of Afters
“I thought I wasn’t allowed in the truck,” I teased hesitantly.
He side-eyed me, a small smile threatening his beautiful mouth. “Don’t remind me.”
Retrieving Bruce, he carried him like a football and handed him to me so we could warm up in the truck while he hooked up the car. Up at the house, he ushered me inside before going back for my bags.
So caught up in the thrill of his proximity in the close confines of the cab, I’d barely taken a glance at the outside of his house. The inside, however, would not be ignored.
Rich wood, solid pine beams, a wall of windows along the back and one entire side overlooking miles and miles of open space.
Breathtaking.
Large couches and ample chairs the perfect size for his big body beckoned. And the fireplace. Gah! Wood-burning and still smoldering.
I headed straight for it and held my hands out to the heat. It stung as I flexed my fingers and shook them to dispel the discomfort.
Instead of feeling warmer, I began to shiver in earnest. The cold I’d barely noticed while the adrenalin pumped through me began to make itself known as it seeped into my bones.
The front door slammed shut but I ignored it, intent on getting as close to the heat as I could.
A heavy blanket dropped on my shoulders. “I’ll build up the fire and then we’ll get you into the bath to warm you up.”
I nodded. Having lived up here most of my life, I knew the drill.
“Let me see your hands?”
“They’re okay,” I assured him.
“Noelle,” he reprimanded. “I want to see for myself.”
I opened my mouth to deny him when he continued, softer now, “I need to see for myself.”
I gave him my hands. As the oldest of the five of us, well, the four of us now, he was well used to taking care of all of us.
And we were well used to following his lead.
He gently examined each finger. His beautiful face tipped down in concentration, his mouth pursed in disapproval. I could still read his expressions as easily as I knew my own.
“We can take care of this at home,” he finally decided. “And good thing too because the roads are impassable. What were you thinking?”
Pushing me back toward the chair, he dropped to his knees and began to remove my boots.
I hissed in a breath, and he looked at me sharply, growling my name.
“I’m sure it’s fine!” I quickly reassured him as he gave my feet and toes the same attention he gave my hands before stuffing them into his groin.
I froze, exclaiming, “What are you doing?”
His mouth quirked, the first hint of the boy I knew. “Not getting off on your icy toes, that’s for sure.”
Chapter Five - Cold
I’m so cold.
Too cold to get out, too cold to stay in the now tepid water of the bath. The only thing that burned was the knowledge that this bathroom was designed with a woman in mind.
Deep, clawfoot tub. Rainfall shower. His and hers sinks.
The thought of her choosing all of this while planning a life with him poked at a wound that had never closed. Even the fact that they divorced years ago didn’t change the fact that he chose her.
