Soldier of Love (10 page)

Suzanne tossed the jewellery beside her cell phone, then pressed her hand against the man’s bulging upper arm. She dipped her chin and looked up at him through a fringe of pharmaceutically enhanced lashes.

“Oh, Billy, I just knew you’d be able to get it!”

Without removing her hand from Billy’s biceps, Suzanne turned towards her guests to explain. “I dropped it in the sink this afternoon. I didn’t even bother calling our regular plumber—he wouldn’t have come out right away. But this was an emergency and I just knew I could count on Billy. John found him downtown doing some work on an old house. He’s turned out to be such a treasure! He can fix absolutely anything!”

Suzanne’s voice dropped a full octave when she dragged out the word ‘anything’.

Deena was vaguely aware of the shifting and giggling around her, but she was more focused on the awesome creature in front of her. She watched his masculine face carefully. He seemed embarrassed by Suzanne’s obvious flirtation and forced a small, closed-lip smile that looked more like a grimace. Deena saw a ball of muscle gather at the corner of his square jaw and guessed that he must be clenching his teeth.

Suzanne stared at him for a long, awkward moment. The handyman cleared his throat and took a half step backward, breaking Suzanne’s grip on his arm.

“How rude of me!” Suzanne exclaimed. “Billy, you’ve met the girls,” Deena noticed half a dozen fingertip waves in her periphery, “but I don’t think you’ve met our neighbour, Deena. She lives in the old farmhouse behind us.”

Billy swivelled his head to find the newcomer in the group. His blue eyes locked on Deena and the grimace dissolved. It was replaced with a broad smile. His full lips framed white, even teeth and a matched set of dimples appeared on his stubbled cheeks. He set down his toolbox and took a step forward, his right hand extended.

Deena suddenly realised that her jaw had stopped moving the moment he’d walked in and she still had a mouthful of cookie. She chewed quickly and swallowed hard, then reached out her hand to meet his. His hand covered hers completely and she was enjoying the warmth of it when Suzanne’s fake laugh pierced through the moment. Everyone turned towards the hostess.

“Cat got your tongue, Deena?” Suzanne asked. “Or should I say, ‘cookie got your tongue’?”

Suzanne cackled and the others joined in.

Suzanne reached up and patted the handyman on his shoulder. She stage whispered to him, loud enough for even those in the cheap seats to hear, “Deena’s so lucky. She never gives calories a second thought. We’re all totally jealous!”

With a self-satisfied grin on her flawless face, Suzanne spun around towards the cupboards and reached up for a fresh wine glass. The other women had stopped laughing, but Deena felt the heat creep up the sides of her neck and rush into her cheeks. She knew she must have been blushing deep red. She dropped her eyes to the granite island top and tried to pull her hand away from Billy’s. He held it for another moment and then gave two quick squeezes before letting her go. Deena was confused by the tiny, secret exchange. She looked up and saw that Billy was still watching her. He gave her a covert wink. She wondered if the others had seen it, but, when she looked around, everyone but Suzanne had dropped their gaze, seemingly engrossed in their fingernails.

Suzanne set a wine glass in front of Deena and held out a half-empty bottle of wine.

“Something to wash down your treat, Deena?”

Deena started to nod her assent, but suddenly found her voice. She covered her glass with one hand then nodded towards the bottle she’d brought.

“Thanks, but I prefer the good stuff.”

A couple of the women covered their mouths to stifle giggles. Billy let out a single chuckle that conveyed delighted surprise.

Suzanne’s eyes widened, then she blinked. She put down her bottle of wine, and forced a smile. “Of course,” she managed.

Deena snagged the corkscrew and deftly opened the bottle, filled her glass, and took a sip. She closed her eyes for a moment, savouring the rich Cabernet. When she opened her eyes, Billy was still watching her.

Suzanne slid up beside him until they were touching. “Billy, I hope you’ve changed your mind and you’ll stay for a beer?”

Billy looked down at Suzanne, then back across the island. “Not much of a beer drinker. But I would like to sample that ‘Cab’, and one of these. If you don’t mind,” he said, reaching for an oatmeal raisin cookie.

Billy had actually moaned as he ate the cookie and was popping the last bite into his mouth by the time Suzanne returned with his wine glass.

“Incredible! Nothing like homemade,” he said.

Deena saw Suzanne’s eyes narrowed as she poured Cabernet into Billy’s glass. “Yeah, Deena’s quite the baker. I can’t even let that stuff into the house or I’d positively blimp out!”

Billy shook his head and gave Deena another wink. This time, Suzanne caught it. A look of surprised disgust crossed her face.

“Oh, God, Deena! What did you get all over yourself?”

Deena followed Suzanne’s gaze to the front of her shirt. She pulled the dark brown cotton away from her body and saw an uneven, horizontal trail of tan splotches just below her breasts.

Bleach. Shit!

“My washing machine,” she began. “It started banging around and I had to lean in and redistribute… Damn it, there must have been bleach on the edge…”

Deena felt her blush returning.

“You don’t still have that hideous old green thing, do you? You go and spend a small fortune remodelling the kitchen but you still do your laundry in that antique? I mean, really, Deena, why don’t you just—”

Billy interrupted, “Unbalanced during the spin cycle?”

Deena looked up and nodded.

“Have you had the belt replaced, or tightened?”

“I don’t think so,” Deena said.

“It’s an easy fix. Should probably try adjusting it first, then order a new belt if you need to. I could check it out if you’d like?”

Before Deena could answer, Suzanne dropped her hand on top of Billy’s, then traced a path up his thick forearm.

“So, Billy, how’d you like the wine?”

Billy’s smile broadened and, never taking his eyes off Deena, he said, “Perfect. Just the way I like it, full-bodied and unpretentious.”

He laughed and the hair stood up on Deena’s arms, there was something familiar about this big, beautiful man. Deena was drawn in by his eyes. She followed the faint laugh lines that fanned out towards his temples, stopping at an inch-long crescent moon scar framing the outside corner of his right eye like a parenthesis.

Deena focused on the scar. She looked into Billy’s blue eyes, back to the scar again, then scanned every inch of the handsome face. Recognition inched up on her until there was no denying it. She laughed and shook her head.

“Bill Swenson!”

Bill laughed. “Took you long enough, Dee,” he said as he shook free of Suzanne’s grip and walked around the island.

Deena was aware that the kitchen had grown silent, but, beyond that, she lost sense of her surroundings and who, besides Bill, was in the room. By the time he was standing in front of her, she had complete tunnel vision. He dropped his big, warm hands on her shoulders. “You look amazing, Dee.”

Deena looked into his blue eyes and wished she could believe him.

He wrapped his arms around her and, when he pulled her against him, she returned the hug. Bill bent his knees until their cheeks touched. Deena breathed in deeply. He smelt wonderful, masculine. She felt a chill zip up her spine. As if he’d felt the electrical surge beneath her skin, Bill pulled her in closer. He gave her one final squeeze, then backed up, taking her hands in his and looking her up and down. The sweep of his eyes over her body was as exciting as hugging him had been. Deena felt the tingle that had run the length of her spine gather again at her throat, then travel down over her breasts, making her nipples push outward against her shirt the moment his gaze passed over them. He continued to look over her and, when he got to her full, round hips, one side of his mouth tugged up in a devilish grin. Her pussy responded by growing warm and wet.

“I can’t believe you recognised me,” Deena said. “I was fifteen the last time we saw each other!”

Bill tapped the scar beside his eye and then winked at her. “What can I say, Dee? You made quite an impression.”

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About the Author

Gabrielle Holly lives in the Midwest United States with her husband and two enormous, world-class-shedding dogs. She has worked as a freelance journalist, newspaper humour columnist, stand-up comic and morning radio show host. She has a short attention span and enjoys reading, cooking, crafting, hunting for antiques, attending live theatre, watching movies, spending time outdoors, and coercing her husband into being her “research assistant.”

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