Chapter 7
LANCE
Two days later,all the ‘romance her’ thoughts were shoved to the side of Lance’s mind as exhaustion gripped him. Man, it had been a hard night full of issues. A car had slid into the creek, four other car accidents, three house fires, and one cat stuck up a tree.
“Why were they worried about a stupid cat in a tree at three in the morning?” Lance muttered, putting his key in the door lock and bracing himself. As he opened the door gingerly, trying not to wake or scare Blythe, he paused as he noticed her resting in the recliner.
She was sound asleep and breathing evenly. Her breath didn’t rasp and rattle like it had at the hospital that first evening he was there. Gosh, that sound would haunt him for years. Shutting the door silently behind him, he carefully set down his keys, kicked off his sneakers, and hesitated.
She cleaned his place.
Gone were the socks, the debris, and his magazines and at this point, he really didn’t care. Swallowing, he felt a twinge of embarrassment and saw the new soft-looking throw on the couch. Her flowers were sitting on the counter in the kitchen. It was almost ‘homey’ in his apartment… and he liked it.
Instead of waking her, he took advantage of the moment and simply plopped down in exhaustion. Sitting on the edge of the couch, he glanced at her once more. He didn’t care if he was still covered in sweat or soot – he just needed to rest.
Closing his eyes, he collapsed.
Hours later,Lance winced as the sunlight streamed directly in his face and he sniffed the air. He smelled something fresh and fragrant, and then heard a slight buzz in the distance. Cracking open a bleary eye, he glanced at his watch and hesitated. Blinking, he rubbed his eyes, and then looked at his watch again.
It was three in the afternoon.
He winced. So much for going on a date and spending the day with Blythe. The entire morning was already gone and he slept the entire time. Sniffing himself, he rolled his eyes and hesitated. He stunk, which means that even if he got a shower right now, it would be four or five o’clock before they headed out.
Sitting up quickly, he looked toward the recliner where Blythe had been sleeping only to see it was empty. The throw was folded neatly, and he could hear someone moving around in the distance.
“Blythe?”
Her head appeared in the doorway of the laundry room.
“I’m almost finished in here. I made coffee if you’d like some and a pizza, but I can’t find the cutter,” she said hoarsely.
“You made coffee? How? I don’t have a coffee pot or…”
“You do now,” she chuckled, disappearing again into the laundry room. He couldn’t fight the smile that touched his face. It was surprisingly nice to wake up knowing you weren’t by yourself and that she’d taken the time to make something for him.
Getting up, he threw off the blanket and hesitated. Picking it up, he folded it carefully and draped it over the arm of the sofa. He didn’t want to mess anything up since she’d obviously cleaned. Walking into the kitchen, he wasn’t sure what to expect because he only had one coffee mug – and it was in the sink. As he looked at the brand-new coffee pot on the counter, he couldn’t help but make a small noise in his throat.
There were two coffee mugs on the counter – each had a tiny mouse face sticking out of one of the holes on the block of cheese. Beside it was a ceramic yellow spoon rest with a tiny grey mouse perched on the edge, along with gray salt and pepper shakers – one was a grey mouse on all fours and the other was sitting up on its haunches.
Mice.
Blythe bought kitchen items… with mice.
“Problem?” she chuckled from behind him, and he braced himself.
“This isn’t funny.”
“Funny? What do you mean?” she said innocently, smiling and reaching past him and grabbing the carafe as he stepped back, allowing her to do so. “Do you like the coffee mugs I picked up? Aren’t they adorable?”
“Obviously, you went shopping,” he began carefully, eyeing the mug warily. “Why on earth are there mice on them? I mean, we could have done little cheese blocks only, and that would have been cute.”
“They are cute,” she protested, and her lips twitched.
“Are they ‘His’ and ‘Hers’ mugs?”
“Certainly not.”
“Well, why not?” he blurted out, eyeing the mug again as he filled it from the carafe. Honestly, even though he hated the mice, it was cute that she’d picked out something obviously to goad him. “I thought we were going shopping together?”
“Well, um, I suppose we still can, but I didn’t want to wake you.”
“I wanted to take you shopping so you could get some stuff for your place.”
“I did,” she chuckled, holding up her mug. “I bought a set of matching coffee mugs…”
“Get your shoes on – oh wait – uh, do you have any shoes?”
“Yes, Maya had me get some things, shoes, and a few necessities.”
“All right, then, let’s head out,” he said distractedly, glancing at his watch again and downing the coffee in large, scalding gulps. “We’re losing time and…”
“Aren’t you tired or hungry?”
Lance hesitated and looked at her. Just that simple question caught him a little off guard because it was almost like she was trying to watch out for him, and it was nice. No matter how much she might have fought him, there was something within her that was looking out for his well-being.
“You’re right,” he admitted. “Let me get a quick shower and a change of clothes, then we can head out and grab something for dinner. Let’s talk about plans, make a list of what you need, and…”
“Everything,” she interrupted flatly, causing him to smile. “I made a pizza. Remember? I’m looking for the cutter and potholders.”
“That drawer,” he began distractedly, getting it out and reaching into the oven without hesitation. “I know, but you are starting over. This is a chance to pick what you want instead of just buying the first thing that actually works – like me.”
“Like you? I suppose it looks like I bought you because I paid for that photograph, but I assure you it was…”
“I got what I needed when I moved in,” he said gently, sweeping his hand toward the living room behind her. “I never picked any of this because I loved the pattern or shape – it was ‘Hey, I need a chair, and you’ve got one. Here’s ten bucks’ at some random yard sale. When you have nothing, and you need something, you settle for whatever functions. This is your chance to get what you want and what makes you happy.”
She stared up at him with this strange look on her face, silent and solemn. Her large dark eyes seemed so huge.
“I never thought of it like that,” she whispered hoarsely. “That’s actually a very optimistic view of starting over… and it’s sweet.”
“That’s me. Completely sweet, optimistic, and utterly filthy,” he smiled. “Let me get a quick shower, and we’ll head out. Surely, we can find a coffee cup without a mouse on it.”
“I like the mice. They are cute and on the new towels.”
Lance chuckled as they shared a smile.
“You bought towels with mice on them?”
“And a soap dish,” she admitted sheepishly. “Plates, a waste basket, and sheets… and don’t look in the bathtub. I need to go get Mickey Mouse.”
He laughed heartily, realizing that she had taken it upon herself to play jokes on him, but at the same time, she was practically decorating things around his apartment – and he liked it.
“You went all out, didn’t you?” he smiled. “Are you expecting me to get upset, scream, holler, or get mad?”
“Are you?” she asked openly, almost in a challenge… and his heart staggered in his chest. Gosh he loved that lofty, bossy, arrogant look on her face because there was something in her eyes that said differently.
“I should,” he began and leaned toward her, causing her to take a step backward. He immediately put a hand on the countertop, on either side of her, effectively trapping her. “Do you want me upset? Are you trying to make me mad, or do you just want a reaction out of me, Blythe?”
“No,” she whispered, not looking away from him.
“No… what?” he invited softly, waiting. That husky voice did a number on him, almost like an angel’s fingers were racing up his spine. It was hoarse before the fire, but now it was almost a little more intense. She was standing there, not intimidated by him in the slightest, yet holding her ground almost as if it were a dare.
“Why would I want a reaction out of you…”
“I think you might…”
“Why? I don’t. Remember? I might have at one point, but you certainly weren’t interested. What makes you think that I want a reaction out of you?”
“Because we left things unfinished between us,” he murmured, dipping his head slightly. “You can’t leave things unfinished, you know. In a fire, if you leave a spark, a single ember, unattended, it will grow and consume you.”
Her eyes shot to his again and he heard her breath catch in her throat at his words. Her reaction was everything, and his own body was responding to the subtle signals.
“Nothing is… unfinished,” she choked out breathlessly.
“I think it was,” he breathed, leaning closer and smelling her. “You smell so sweet, like flowers or baby powder.”
“Deodorant…”
“My favorite perfume…”
He was mindless, wrapped in the faint floral scent that seemed to belong just to her. Taking a step closer, he heard her gasp, feeling the intake of air against his chin as he was so close to her, hovering in her personal space. He wanted to press himself against her, kiss her senseless… and hesitated.
There, among the sweet smell tickling his nose – he could smell himself. Acrid, sharp, musty. No, when he kissed her for the first time, he didn’t want her to remember the smell of burned wood, plastic, creosote, or other items. He wanted to smell fresh so she could breathe him in just like he was doing right now.
“Can you get the mouse out of the shower?” he whispered against her cheek – and treasured the nervous laugh that slipped from her as he backed away, smiling softly.
He moved an arm, allowing her to exit his embrace. He watched her walk away, marveling as she glanced over her shoulder toward him when an idea suddenly struck him.
If she was going to play with him, teasing him with the mouse, then the game was afoot. He had a few ideas of his own that were blossoming within his mind, and the next few weeks were going to be fun.
He walked toward the restroom, passed her in the hallway, and chuckled as he noticed the stuffed rat sprawled across his pillow on the bed. Yeah, the gloves were coming off, and it was time to have a little fun.
“Let me get a shower, and we’ll head out.”