Restless Spirit (7 page)

Chapter Eleven

We had our feet up on the backs of the chairs in front of us. All you could hear at first was us munching – we’d worked up quite the appetite.

‘So why were you up here anyway?’

‘Taking a break.’ He popped a chip in his mouth, chewed. Shepherd shut his eyes like he felt bliss and that made me happy. ‘I hate that they’re painting these seats. I hate that they’re then coating that paint, sealing in the damage as it were. But it’s a job and they’d hire someone else to do it if I didn’t.’

‘So you prefer the old school seats up here,’ I said, patting the curved iron arm of my seat.

‘Yes, I do. Much more character, don’t you think?’

I nodded. ‘I prefer worn in and a bit used – it means character,’ I agreed.

‘Ah, now I get it.’

‘Get what?’ I swigged my soda and let it fizz in my mouth for a moment.

‘Why you like me.’

I punched his arm. ‘You’re not old or worn in.’

‘Older than you.’

‘How old?’ I countered, finishing off my sandwich and licking the olive oil off the tips of my fingers.

‘Thirty-nine.’

‘Oooh,’ I sighed. ‘Ancient.’

‘What? Seven years on you.’

‘About. So?’

He shrugged. ‘So nothing.’

‘Since we’re sharing.’ I patted his leg and he took my hand for a moment. A hot flash sizzled through me and I ignored it. ‘Why do you hate Reed?’

He ran a hand through his hair. ‘Why do you care?’

‘Because I know him and I know you and I’m nosy.’

‘A girl thing. We were together, but not for much longer if I’m honest. But then Reed Green showed up and she got stars in her eyes and I guess it ticked me off is all. But we were on the outs as it was, anyway. That relationship would have died a natural death had he stayed out of the picture.’

I nodded. ‘Reasonable. Did he end up with her?’

He roared laughter. It echoed loudly, ricocheting around the auditorium like an invisible ball of sound. ‘For like … a week,’ he said.

‘Ah, short lived.’

‘Yep. Long enough to fuck her and then give her the boot.’

‘She lives here?’ OK so I was prying and I was sort of jealous. Whatever.

‘Nah. She lived here because of me, left because of him.’

‘Now, why does Adrian not like you?’ I asked boldly.

He stared at me and I could see, even in the dim light, him considering whether or not to tell me the truth. Finally, he said ‘Similar scenario. They were on the outs, she ended up in my bed. He didn’t like it. It’s a small town.’ He shrugged. ‘It can be a bit incestuous, if you will.’

I handed him a cookie. ‘Thanks.’

‘For what?’

‘For telling me the truth. You could have told me it’s none of my business.’

‘True.’ He ate the cookie in a single bite so I handed him another one. ‘But then you probably would have withheld cookies, right?’

‘Right.’ I laughed.

‘Not worth it,’ he said and then dove over me to grab another.

Then it was my laughter bouncing around the big old auditorium.

I spent that night at home. I made myself some of Nan’s tuna casserole that I found in the freezer. I figured when I ran out of her food, I’d mourn her all over again. Somehow eating her cookies and casseroles and treats from the freezer and talking to her all the time kept her alive.

When they were gone, so would she be. For real …

I dialled the boarding house. Annie was about Nan’s age. Maybe a bit younger. She had been the closest thing to family I had back home. I needed to hear a familiar voice and feel loved.

‘Annie here. We have two rooms available,’ she said on pick up.

‘Do you, now? That’s odd. You’re usually booked solid.’

‘Tuesday!’ she crowed. I heard the rustle-bang of her shutting herself and the phone in the pantry. She refused to get a wireless phone so she prowled the downstairs of the house with a regular wall phone on an insanely long cord. Which everyone who lived there was constantly on alert for so as not to trip.

‘Hi, Annie. How’s tricks?’

‘Fine, fine. All the men folk still walk around all sad that our resident hottie is gone.’

‘They’ll thank me when they find hotties of their own.’

Annie snorted and I could almost hear her roll her eyes. ‘And what are you up to?’ Her voice grew softer. ‘How are you holding up?’

‘I’m fine. I still have moments of staggering guilt and regret … but I must say. The scenery around here is distracting.’

‘Oh … men. Do tell.’

So I did tell. I told her about Adrian and meeting Shepherd. I told her about my bad behaviour between the two. About Reed and how he intrigued me and yes, attracted me. And I confessed to my klutzy fall. I even dished about my impromptu encounter in the auditorium.

‘Whew. Girl, sounds like you are a busy bee. And it makes me wish I was 20 years younger.’

‘Oh come on,’ I said putting my feet up on the arm of the sofa. I wriggled my freshly painted toes and wondered what else I could eat. It had started raining again and I could hear it tapping on the slanted windows which I’d shuttered for the night. ‘You could totally manage to get up to no good.’

‘Yeah, yeah.’

There was a pause. ‘You know Phil came sniffing around here for you.’

‘You didn’t tell him where I was, did you?’

Didn’t matter, though. I would do that same thing all over again if he showed up looking for me. In fact, Nan owned a gun; I’d use one of those damn things if I had to.

‘No. We didn’t. No one said a word beyond you were gone. But you know he started pondering that. Saying the only place you had to go was your grandmother’s and she’d been sick, and gee he wondered if you were up there at that fancy lake house.’

I took a deep breath and reminded myself to not get upset.

‘Well, just let him try anything,’ I growled.

‘I know it. Don’t worry. If I heard anything about him headed that way, I’d call your cell. And by the way, young miss, do you have a house number and an address you’d like to share with me?’

‘Sorry,’ I said and recited them.

‘Got it. I miss you, kid,’ she said a bit wistfully.

‘I miss you too, Annie,’ I said and realised it was true.

I didn’t miss the city or the bullshit or the ghost of Phil, but I did miss her. She was my family. ‘You should come visit me soon,’ I said. ‘Take a little vacation.’

‘Are you kidding!’ she cried. ‘These fools would rob me blind.’

I laughed, but sadly, she was probably right.

‘Maybe Joey could come babysit the house for you,’ I suggested.

Her brother was five years her junior and had watched the house when she’d had to go in for ankle surgery. Between me and him, we kept the house under control.

‘Maybe. I’ll think about it.’

‘No, you won’t,’ I laughed.

‘I will!’

We both knew she was lying.

Chapter Twelve

Who the frig was that?

I turned onto my belly and pulled a pillow over my head. I’d had too much food, too much wine and not enough sleep. And someone was banging on my door.

Hard.

I sat up.

‘What?’ I shouted, shaking my feet with frustration.

The banging stopped. ‘Thank you,’ I sighed and flopped back down. Noise rose straight up from the great room and slipped over the loft railing into the hall. From there it insinuated itself into my room and my brain. Normally, it was no big deal. It was just a truck going by or a lawn mower or some boat out on the lake. But now it was … I started to doze.

Banging. Again.

I sat up and pulled my crazed hair into a messy knot. Whoever it was at my door was going to pay. I mean, what the fuck time was it anyway?

I glanced at the clock and blinked to clear my vision. 10:01 in bright green numbers. ‘Well, shit.’

It was late in the morning. Late enough to reasonably knock on someone door. But they weren’t knocking. They were banging. And as if provoked by the thought, the banging started again.

I pulled on an eggplant coloured sweater robe and tied it off. I rushed down to the main floor and wished for socks or slippers or something. Winter was coming and the damn floor was cold.

I hit the bottom step, my ankle giving a twinge, and almost fell on my ass. I stagger-limp-hopped to the door and pulled it open. ‘Jesus on a cracker! What?’ I yelled before the door was even open.

On my stoop stood one very irate looking Reed Green with a bundle of mangled flowers and one pissed off, red faced, bullish looking Adrian.

‘What the hell!’ I yelped.

‘Tell him to let me go. Or I swear I’m not responsible for what I might do.’ Reed said this with a straight face and gritted teeth.

I flapped my hands around and gaped. ‘What are you doing?’ I growled at Adrian who had the good sense to look suddenly worried. ‘Why are you … manhandling him?’

‘He was prowling around.’ Adrian shook Reed by the scruff.

For some reason I found myself inappropriately amused and I bit down on the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing.

‘Prowling around?’ Reed said, his voice somehow dangerous. My nape prickled from the sound and I crossed my arms in front of my breasts to hide the fact that my nipples had just spiked. ‘I looked in one window when no one answered the bell or the knock. And I was carrying these!’ he said, shaking the flowers violently.

And there was the laughter again, bubbling up in my throat so I had to swallow hard. I stepped back. ‘Let him go, Adrian.’

Adrian pressed his lips together and his face got even redder. I felt bad for him, I mean the day before I’d been sucking his cock. But he didn’t own me and he couldn’t run around assaulting my visitors. Jealous or not.

‘Come on in, Reed. I’m sorry.’

Adrian released his prisoner, tossed his hands in the air in agitation and promptly turned on his heels and stomped off. He was grumbling angrily under his breath as he went.

‘Sorry,’ I said again leading him into the kitchen. ‘We used to … well, when I was younger we dated. And he’s a bit of a worrier and he um … is the caretaker.’ I was carefully avoiding the whole casual-sex-like-rabbits-since-I-arrived scenario. ‘I’m making coffee,’ I said. ‘Want some?’

I nervously patted my hair and realised I had to pee and I hadn’t brushed my teeth. I bent to plug in the machine and my robe gaped, showing a fast but full flash of naked breast. I hurriedly stood and clutched the robe shut. ‘Actually, I just got out of bed. I need to … um, use the facilities and then I’ll come make coffee. I haven’t even …’ I rushed out. ‘Be right back!’ I yelled hurrying before I wet myself.

Upstairs I ran to the bathroom. Then I brushed my teeth, smeared on a little blush, and made sure to tie my robe a bit tighter. I never rushed to get dressed in the morning – in fact, I put it off as long as possible. But part of me wondered if this was a seduction thing, too. If it was, so be it.

In the kitchen, he was putting my bent flowers in a giant cookie jar he’d rescued from the top of the fridge. I hid a smile behind my hand.

He turned, chocolate hair swinging gently against his firm jaw. My God, he was so … pretty. And I rarely went for pretty men. But he wasn’t pretty as in precious. He was pretty as in something you’d find in a painting by one of the Masters. Someone angelic and fierce but stunning to look at.

‘Finding everything OK?’ I asked. I opened the fridge to assess my food situation. I’d really have to actually go to a grocery store soon. I didn’t trust the eggs but I found a hunk of cheese and some cured bacon and a can of mandarin oranges getting cold in the back. I remembered that about Nan, had to have her mandarin oranges cold.

‘I did. I have put your lovely but assaulted, “hope you’re feeling better” flowers in a cookie jar, as you can see.’ He smiled big when he turned to me and my heart did a floppy little fish dance in my chest. ‘And I put your coffee on. Kona. Nice. Nan had good taste.’

I cleared my throat, moving past him but brushing him with my arm just the same. ‘And how do you know that’s Nan’s?’

‘Well, there is zero fresh food on the counter or in the fridge. No fresh milk, no juice, no fruit, no bread. But there is a pantry fit for an alien invasion should we all have to hunker down here to stay.’

I put my head down covering a laugh. ‘She was well prepared, my Nan.’

‘I’ll say.’ Reed caught my hand up in his, tugging me gently. My entire body went on red alert and I turned to him, cool air rushing over my skin as my robe gaped.

I made no move to cover my breast. He made no move to hide his stare. ‘Are you?’

‘Am I what?’ My mouth was dry with nerves but my pussy was swollen and thumping in time with my heart.

His eyes on me made me want to fidget. Squirm. Move like some restless creature.

‘Better today? The ankle?’

‘Oh, the ankle!’ I blurted. ‘Yes. A bit tender if I come downstairs too fast. Like when you were being …’I chewed my lip.

He grinned at me. ‘Go on, give it to me.’

The dirty double entendre only served to make my belly and cunt that much warmer. That much more eager.

‘Held hostage. For trespassing.’ The repressed laugh turned to a giggle. ‘I’m sorry about that. I think he–’

‘Thinks he owns you for God’s sake,’ Reed finished.

I shook my head and moved to get two mugs. The motion only served to gape my robe a bit wider and Reed very slowly, very gently – giving me plenty of time to stop him – slid his hand inside and touched my naked skin.

‘He doesn’t.’ I managed.

Something about him touching me made me think about Shepherd touching me. I had a brief exotic fantasy of them both touching me and blinked it away. ‘Why does Shepherd hate you?’ I asked to see if he would tell me the truth.

Reed froze, but his fingers didn’t. They swept back and forth over the tender skin of my breast, teasing my nipple to attention and making my cunt tug empathetically at the stimulation.

‘I stole his girl.’ He smiled. ‘I don’t think she was really his girl, though. I think he was done with her.’ He took his time leaning in to kiss me and right before he did he breathed in my ear. ‘I’m not taking his girl again, am I?’

‘I’m nobody’s girl.’

His kiss was entirely different than Shepherd’s. Softer and more courteous but no less aggressive under the shiny veneer of manners. I turned into his touch and he slid his other hand inside my robe to cup my unattended breast. Plucking my nipples, he kissed me harder and I gasped into his mouth. Reed swallowed my sound and backed me to the counter.

‘Nobody’s girl. I like it. You only belong to you, right Tuesday?’ His voice soft and teasing and I could hear his smile.

Without thinking, I parted my legs and he felt it, pushing his thigh into the gap I’d provided. His hip banged my pelvis. His cock, hard from the feel of things, brushed my thigh. My robe now swam around my upper arms, my chest completely bare but for his hands.

‘I’m just mine. I don’t like to belong to anyone.’

Phil used to mutter, “Nobody. You’re nobody,” when he’d been too in the bag to control himself and decided it would be fun to take a swing. Before I stopped all that bullshit. When I moved into Annie’s and considered dating again, I’d changed that mental soundtrack to nobody’s. I was nobody’s but my own.

‘Good girl. You shouldn’t. Maybe that’s why she chose me over Shepherd. Me, I don’t care, do what you want. Him … possessive. Needy if you ask me.’

I kissed him to shut him up because I realised when he spoke that way about Shepherd a red knot of hot anger woke up in my chest. I didn’t like belonging to anyone, I didn’t like feeling I had to defend anyone. That was too close for comfort for me. I shut Reed up by rubbing the knuckle of my thumb along the ridge of his erection.

He stopped, biting my tongue gently and humming deep in his throat. I shivered at the sound. That was the sound of a man losing a tiny shred of control. Because of me. I loved it.

‘Under it all he’s a good man, so I’m glad I’m not taking his girl,’ Reed said. There was a flash of that TV smile and then his hands on my robe belt. The tie whispered when he worked it and the robe slid down and free of me as I stood in the sunny kitchen.

‘Dear Lord, woman.’ His gaze felt palpable. The way he looked at me made me tremble. Reed stroked up my arms and then down my sides. My skin flushed hot and then I shivered again from the wacky change in internal temperature.

‘Kiss me,’ I begged.

He did. Another soft kiss that somehow turned hard and claiming toward the end. One hand tangling in my hair and yanking me to him with a surprising strength. He didn’t look so strong as to pin me to him, almost powerless to move. But he was.

He stroked between my legs with his free hand, almost petting me with that soft touch, until I whimpered. Then his fingers delved in deep, curled and withdrew. ‘You’re really fucking wet, Tuesday Cane.’

‘It’s because of you Mr Green Jeans.’ I tried to laugh but he plunged his fingers deep again and I lost the joking lilt. It was nothing but an exhalation and a silent request for more.

He didn’t give me more. Of that. Reed kissed my shoulder and surprised me by pinching my nipples so that I cried out. Then he dropped to his knees, tucking that beautiful soft hair behind his ear as he went.

‘Let me see you.’

I blushed. I always blush when men say things like that. But it’s not just blushing I do, I also grow wetter and more plump when they talk to me with dirty courtly words of praise.

I spread my legs and let him see. His breath hot and moist on my erect clit. His fingers commanding on my inner thighs as he held me wide. He dipped his head and touched me with this tongue. A phantom touch – so light I was sure I’d imagined it – until he licked me hard with the fullness of his pink tongue.

‘God, I might come immediately.’ It was a confession, short and brutal and self deprecating.

‘That’s OK. If you do, we can start all over again,’ Reed said.

The coffee pot gave one more jovial burble, belched and then beeped to tell me it was done.

‘Did you want to stop for coffee?’ he asked, then shoved his tongue, rigid and slick into the wet slit of my cunt. He brushed my clit with his fingertips and my knees gave a little dip.

‘No!’ I chirped.

‘Good. I was hoping you’d say no.’

Reed Green, TV star extraordinaire, berry picking farm owner, set his mouth to me and started eating me for real. My body splayed against the counter. One hand bracing myself, the other threaded through his silken hair. Watching his face as he went down on me, the elegant sweep of his dark lashes on the very tops of his cheeks, the arch of his cheekbones – it all became overwhelming.

So when he thrust three long fingers into my pussy and fucked me with them, I came. And I wasn’t quiet about it.

Light warmed my belly and the tops of my thighs. Outside wind howled. At a glance, it was a sunny summer day. If you paid attention there was a crisp chill in the air and light wisps of cool air as the wind buffeted the A-frame.

‘Very nice,’ he said, praising me for an orgasm no less. ‘Now–’ He yanked my arm and I buckled. Folding easily down onto the pretty area run beneath my counter. ‘Do you have any condoms, Tuesday?’

I was on the pill. I was clean. But I was also getting a lot of action and though thrilled, I wanted to be careful. I glanced around. ‘Purse?’

He spotted it first, going to the kitchen chair and handing me the oversized plum coloured leather satchel. I fought my wallet and a rush of other nonsense to find my make-up case. Inside were several condoms and I handed him one.

Reed promptly grabbed my purse, tossed it and pushed me back so that I lay sprawled on the cool kitchen floor. He put his mouth back to work between my legs, muttering things I could not hear but the cadence of his voice turned me on. He got his cock free of his jeans and stroked himself long enough to make me feel irrational and urgent. And then he sheathed himself before crawling up over me, reminding me again of a giant gorgeous feline.

‘Are you ready? Because I’m ready. I’ve been fucking ready to drive into you since you brought me my dinner at Irv’s. If I could have, I would have driven into you while you served me my dinner at Irv’s.’ He grinned and I touched his lip.

Reed sucked my finger into the hot velvet of his mouth and I felt my pussy clench up tight. ‘Fuck yes, I’m ready,’ I said.

‘Part those legs for me, then,’ he ordered.

My legs fell open and I took him in hand, guiding him to me. Letting him in, I arched up and gripped him tight with my cunt. The jolt of pleasure from flexing those muscles stilled us both for a minute. And then Reed started to move, hard and fast at first but eventually slowing to an almost lazy rocking motion. Our own personal boat of fucking in the middle of a chilly floor.

I would have laughed at the mental image but he kissed me – my lips, my eyes, my nose. He tugged a bit of my hair between his shiny famous-person teeth and the unexpected spark of pain rushed through me and I came with a rush of noise and fluid.