Willows, Jennifer - Lust for Life [The Moreland Brothers 2] (Siren Publishing Allure) (8 page)

* * * *

Deven listened to her amazement, could feel her excitement. It made him smile, and he spoke to her through the headset in their helmets.

“So you like it?”

“I love it.”

Both were silent most of the ride through the canopy, Dev navigating the chute to land them gently to their feet. He disengaged the tandem harness so he could strip the chute and repack it. They walked a short distance maybe half a mile to a road, where Stu waited in a classic Ford truck. The aging vehicle could be a beauty, but it needed some work. The truck was wearing half the original paint, the other half pure rust. He lifted Charli into the bed of the truck, climbing in after she was comfortably seated.

They stripped the hot jumpsuits off before the truck pulled away from the grassy curb. Along the ride Deven just watched the scenery pass him by. He was coming off a hellacious adrenaline rush. Usually, he jumped at least once a month but Charli took something routine, and gave it new life as if she brought the colors and sensations of wind back to him. He wondered if she enjoyed today enough to paraglide with him. Normally, he wouldn’t go with another person, hadn’t done that in years. But he would love to show her the world from the back of a kite.

They were back at the landing strip in ten minutes. Dev hopped out and lifted Charli out once he was standing. They grabbed the gear and put it all away, repacking the chute and jumpsuits. By the time he packed the last of it, she had been to the bathroom and was waiting for him at the Tesla. He opened her door then strode to the driver’s side and climbed in, once again in his board shorts. They hit the road back home, but this drive was much slower than the first. He wondered why he took his time on the drive back, but didn’t have the courage to delve deeper in his psyche. When they arrived at her house fifty minutes later, she grabbed her small purse and made to open her door. Deven stopped her, speaking for the first time since they landed.

“I hope you enjoyed yourself today. It’s been a long time since I’ve done a tandem.”

“I did immensely. I would never have done that on my own. Thanks for the jump, Dev.”

“Welcome. I just wanted to see if you would like to have dinner with me tonight.”

Charli’s face showed him that she was stupefied. “Are you asking me on a date? Or is this Mickey D’s? Not that I have a problem with either, but we’re not really dressed to go out.”

“Well, I guess we could call it a date. What I have in mind doesn’t require anything fancy. Just steaks and potatoes at my place.” Deven couldn’t care less what they did, or what they called it, so long as she would spend even five more minutes with him tonight.

Chapter Five:

Guess Who’s Coming After Dinner

Charli appeared to mull over her response for just a moment, but he wasn’t going to accept anything less than “yes.” She must have seen he was dead set on dinner as she responded with, “Okay, but since you’re supplying the food, let me grab a bottle of wine.”

She didn’t wait for him to speak, just hopped out of the car, taking her keys in hand. Deven waited in the car, amazed at the fact that he asked Charli out. Even more shocking, she accepted. He never knew what she would say or do, keeping him on his toes. Charli walked back out to him, locking her door less than five minutes after she entered the house. The first thing he saw was that she changed clothes.

He wondered if that meant what he wanted it to. That she wanted to look nice for him. Or did it mean she just wanted some not-grimy clothes on? He wished he knew what made her tick, so he would know or could attempt a logical hypothesis. But only time would tell. He would just go with the flow and let her show him what she wanted.

The drive to his house in Ogden didn’t take much time, only twenty minutes or so. Along the way Charli played with the radio and his MP3 player. His selections were varied, and she picked some of everything. First she played Gorillaz, then T.I., next she played Jill Scott. The last song was Sade, and they both sang along.
 
Deven spent the ride attempting to calm his libido, so he didn’t jump her the moment she entered his house.

* * * *

She was grooving as he turned the corner, to a subdivision. There were several houses in a small cul-de-sac, his at the farthest side of the circle. It appeared none of the houses were occupied, since all were in varying stages of construction. One looked almost complete, just lacking cleaning of supplies in the yard. Another had a foundation only and the third had wooden skeleton walls erected. Deven’s gray, bricked house appeared to be the smallest, at only one floor and maybe an attic space above. The yard was neat, manicured, and had Japanese cherry blossom trees mingling with dogwoods in front. The yard itself was fairly large, and the drive and walkways were paved with cobbled stones.

There was the ubiquitous Southern porch complete with rocking bench and small table. When she walked in, the house was a hodgepodge of things, like it was at war with what it should look like. She saw a brown leather sectional, green, round, patterned floor cushions. His brown curtains were simple, pooling to the floor at each outer wall. His floors were parquet and covered in homespun rag rugs, some large rounds, in other places square. He showed her through the hall to the kitchen.

Along the nickel tour Deven explained the significance of the suburban development.

“It’s an entirely green neighborhood. All the homes here are powered off the grid using solar and other technologies. All houses are outfitted with driveway power plugs for electric cars and have self-regulating water heaters with switches.” Charli was immediately intrigued with the concept and Deven seemed more than happy to brag on his newest project. From what she could see, it was his baby, and he was certain the idea was the new wave of the future.

“How did you come up with the idea?” Charli was curious.

“When you have travelled as much as I have, your eyes are opened to many possibilities. In Japan, they have mastered the concept of dealing with energy issues and use the hot water switches in most homes. Other countries use natural fibers such as hemp and jute to insulate. When I helped Charyn with his remodeling he had already started his house off the grid with a wind-powered turbine to reduce the house’s usage, and had a schematic made to add solar panels later the following year. Most likely, Marques will be off the grid when we get him out of the condo and in a house.”

The kitchen was all modern, with a concrete island and counters, and heavy stainless appliances. There were crisping drawers and two freezers built in the cabinets. He had the same taste in cookware as she did, copper pots and pans. Charli did spot a cast-iron skillet and the same stand mixer she had in her own kitchen. He preferred heavy woods and darker tones than she had in her house, however. But it was still any chef’s dream. The curtains here were bright yellow gingham, and she guessed they let in a lot of light during the day. She liked his home, the fun mix of items and styles giving her much to look at.

* * * *

Deven watched Charli’s reaction to his house. He never brought any woman home, opting for theirs or barring that, a hotel room. His house was his sanctuary, and he didn’t like intrusions into his personal life. The only reason he lived here was the fact he was primary investor in the subdevelopment. He wanted to watch over the building phases as they progressed, trusted no one with his money, and anyone in business with him knew it. Any contract allowed him full access to any and all transactions or areas he decided to look into on a whim. Living in the only completed house was a good way to see what products were used, and that everything done in the area was up to code.

Deven pulled steaks out, already marinated in a Ziploc bag. He looked at Charli, wanting to ask her what she thought about him. No, he meant the house, Dev told himself.

“What kind of potatoes do you want?” Deven asked instead of what his inquiring mind really wanted to know.

“I don’t want to change any plans you have.”

“It’s fine. No matter what we do, it would take about the same amount of time.” All night if he got what he wanted, Deven thought.

“I have a good recipe for loaded mashed potatoes if you want,” Charli suggested and he wished she would offer herself on the side in lieu of food. A steak and pussy sounded damn good right about now.

“Sounds good, you’re welcome to make yourself at home. Just ask if you can’t find something. I need to get the grill fired up to get these on.” He held up the bag, several steaks inside swimming in spice rub and vinegar.

“I’ve never met a kitchen that I didn’t like.” Charli turned her back, rummaging in cupboards, digging in the fridge. Deven left to get the grill started. It was gas powered, and didn’t take much work to get going. He sat a few pieces of hickory chips on first and by the time Deven had the steaks grilling, Charli had peeled potatoes and chopped them into boiling water. He was amazed how well she multitasked, a busy bee. Looking over, he saw her blanching asparagus, and smiled. They would be the perfect complement to the meal.

She even chose the same preparation for the stalks that he’d decided on after seeing them at the farmer’s market a couple of days ago. He went back out to flip the steaks after he set the table. When he came back, Charli was still rolling at a fast clip, now mashing potatoes with butter and a touch of sour cream. When they were perfect, he watched her fold in the remaining ingredients, using a pepper mill and diced green onion to grace the finished dish.

“How in the world did you make that in less than twenty minutes?” Dev had to know.

“The potatoes take the longest to cook, so I just chop them really finely, and it cuts the time down by a third,” Charli remarked as she checked on the finished asparagus spears. Earlier she placed them in a nesting set of dishes, the outer one holding hot water to keep them warm until serving.

Deven brought in the platter of steaks and placed them on the table. When he stepped in the kitchen, Charli was kneeling on the counter, trying to reach the stems on the top shelf. He stepped behind her, and when she felt him behind her, jumped back. She almost fell off the counter, only his body behind her saving her from a potential face-plant. Deven shook his head, unbelieving. Why the hell would she climb up there when all she had to do was ask him? He would have gotten them for her. He picked up the petite minx, setting her on the floor.

“What the hell were you thinking? These are concrete, and you’d be lucky to only knock your teeth out on these counters!” His volume crept up with each word, and he couldn’t calm himself enough to lower his tone. Deven saw that Charli took exception to the way he spoke to her before she even opened her mouth.

“Deven, I am a grown woman, thank you very much. I’m not a child, and there is no way you are going to talk to me as if I am. If you hadn’t come up behind me and upset my balance, I would have been perfectly fine.”

“Yeah right, you were a foot short of what you were looking to do. Don’t take stupid risks, Charli. You could have been seriously hurt.”

“Whatever, Deven, you didn’t have to come at me like you did. So what if I’m not a giant? I can still get things done, and just as well if not better than you.”

“Charli, I don’t think of you as a child. The hard-on I get with you is for a real woman, not a prepubescent. But you need to learn to ask for help. It doesn’t make you weak to need it.”

“Okay, Dev, this is too heavy a conversation and I’d rather not have it right now. Can we just eat?”

His breathing was heavy and hers was shallow as they sized each other up. She looked away first and left him in the kitchen alone. Deven grabbed the goblets from the hanging rack and followed her. Even after the small spat, the meal was delightful. Creamy rich potatoes, thick, perfectly cooked steak and all balanced well with the woody tones of the merlot. The pair was totally silent, just eating and sparing covert glances at the other. Deven finished first and excused himself. He wanted to spend more time with her and didn’t want to appear eager. So he did the next best thing. He decided to perk a pot of coffee. It would go with a molten chocolate cake he’d baked yesterday for his solitary Thanksgiving dinner. He didn’t want to bother the newlyweds and Marq was in Japan until the week before Christmas.

When he arrived back Charli was already standing, her plate and goblet in hand which he took from her back into the kitchen. She followed him and smelled the warming cake.