Chapter 9
BLYTHE
“Sooo?When’s my little Killer coming back?”
Blythe rolled her eyes as she answered her new cell phone the next afternoon. Instead of going to look at furniture, she had requested a few other minor things first. A cell phone because she needed a paycheck coming in – and really needed to call in and speak to her boss. Her PTO had to be used up by now, and she didn’t have anything else to fall back on. No, the house had cleared out her savings.
Thankfully, Lance didn’t argue with her.
But she didn’t expect her boss to track her down and hound her.
“You know we need our girl back in her office, right?” Jack was saying openly on the phone, and she caught Lance’s sharp glance as he looked at her from where he was sitting on his couch. Instead of saying a word, he got up and headed into the kitchen, giving her a moment of privacy.
“Hey Jack,” she began, feeling a wave of guilt for missing so many days and recognizing that no one else was really trained for her position – which was good! “I was actually going to come in tomorrow because I need the work.”
“You’ll be back tomorrow? That’s fantastic! I knew you had it in you and…”
“I might be hoarse or need a break,” she interrupted.
“Break, schmeak…” he blew her off. “I know my little Killer, and once you get going and step back into your old role – you’ll be just fine.”
“Jack, I was thinking that maybe I could work a half a day and see how I feel…”
“You’ll be just fine. Besides, it’s not taxing to sit at a desk all day. Just bring your release note from the hospital and sharpen that pen, my girl!”
“Jack, I…”
“See ya tomorrow, Blythe!”
And the twerp ended the phone call.
She stared at the phone for a moment, only to look up and see the ceramic mouse coffee cup in front of her. Lance was standing there, waiting politely. He’d made her a cup of coffee.
“So you are going back to work tomorrow?”
“I need to,” she admitted. “I need the money, and I can’t afford to have him replace me.”
“Your job is protected by FMLA, or it should be…”
“Dealerships work differently – and not on paper,” she began and saw his skeptical look. “My position will be protected, but that doesn’t mean that they won’t hire someone else or train them to replace me. It’s all about the bottom line. If they find someone else who can pull my numbers but costs less to employ, then I’m suddenly not needed.”
“That’s not legal.”
“On paper, it is.”
“Blythe…”
“Look, I really don’t want to discuss it because I need a check rolling in. Besides – Jack is probably right,” she whispered nervously, avoiding Lance’s eyes. “I’m sure once I get back into my office, everything will fall back into place, and it will be just fine.”
“What about getting furniture for your place?” he asked openly before taking a seat on the couch nearby, looking at her.
“I can just work on it slowly over the next few weeks or months – and I can stay there so I’m not bothering you here.”
“You’re not bothering me, but I thought maybe we’d work on this together.”
“I need to get a few outfits for work first, and I’ll get a sleeping bag so I can…”
“Blythe, you are welcome to stay here as long as you need. It’s nice having you around, and we’re dating,” he said quietly, causing her to look up and meet his eyes. They were so warm, so understanding, and so full of concern for her. He wasn’t upset that she was going back to work or taking longer to get settled, but rather, he was worried about her.
“You don’t mind?”
“Not at all.”
“I promise not to be a bother.”
“You haven’t been yet,” he smiled softly. “Besides, it gives me a chance to put a few surprises in your home, kinda like you put in mine,” he murmured, holding up the mouse coffee mug in a mock salute… and she laughed easily at his playful side.
“I need to get some clothes today…”
“Clothing is overrated,” he interrupted, grinning.
“Clothing is necessary at work, funny man,” she retorted, rolling her eyes.
“Fine, we’ll get you some clothing, and I can help select your underwear…”
“Nooooo,” she chuckled nervously in horror. “You most certainly cannot.”
“Ugh, tough crowd,” he mocked, but his lips were twitching. “Fine, I’ll leave you to pick out your own clothing and go shopping for other goodies that you might need at your place.”
“Now that sounds like a deal.”
“A ‘deal’ is a bargain – so once it’s in the cart, we buy it.”
“Fine.”
“Fine,” he replied, holding out his hand to shake. She put her palm against his and felt his fingers start to curl around her hand, noticing the differences between them almost immediately. He was tanned, and his hands were a little rough… and just as she was about to withdraw, he pulled her hand upward to his lips, kissing her fingertips gently.
Her breath caught as she stared at him.
“We’ll take it easy today,” he murmured, not looking away from her eyes. “Clothes, and then we’ll head back over to your place, unload the goodies, and grab something easy for dinner.”
“That sounds wonderful,” she whispered as he released her hand.
Hours later,Blythe had four pairs of slacks picked out and six blouses. She had to get a shopping cart since Lance had taken off with the other one, giving her some space and privacy to look around. Her cart had a few different bras inside, socks, underwear, knee-highs, and two pairs of sturdy, serviceable pumps that would be comfortable to stand in all day long if needed.
Are you trying on undergarments yet?
Blythe laughed at the outrageous text from Lance. She actually had been in the dressing room but trying on pants and blouses to make sure it fit appropriately.
You don’t TRY ON undergarments…
You simply buy your size.
What’s the fun in that?
Exiting the changing rooms, she pushed her cart forward and heard a man’s easy laughter nearby, only to see Lance standing there with his cart. He was leaning forward, his elbows propped on the handle of the cart, typing away on his cell phone, distracted. It gave her a moment to look at him, smiling and marveling that they were actually building something between them.
Lance was so handsome, so easy going and wonderful, that it was really nice. His dark blond hair fell onto his forehead, his dark eyes were breathtakingly beautiful, and he had a wide jaw that made him look extremely intense or masculine at times. Chiseled, all the dirty historical romance books would call it – but what exactly was ‘chiseled’ anyhow? Wide, sculpted, strong, and angular. A-yep.That description fits nicely, she thought.
And she heard her cell phone ding, causing him to look up, meeting her gaze. They both stood there for a moment, and she somehow knew she had been caught gawking at him. His smile melted, growing gentle as he looked at her.
“I found a few treasures,” he said huskily. “And just laid eyes on the prize.”
Me?
She swallowed nervously and glanced down at her phone, simply to avoid his intense gaze, before bursting out laughing nervously at his text.
You sure? I can unfasten a bra with one hand— not bragging, just a fact you should probably know.
“You’re ridiculous, you know that?”
“Absolutely – and I’m not even bothering to hide the fact.”
“No, I know you aren’t,” she retorted and then peered at his cart. “What did you pick up?”
“A few goodies.”
“Like what?”
“Well, if you insist on ruining the surprise, then I suppose I can spoil a few things,” he muttered, digging around in the basket before holding up a wooden cutting board. “Lunchables for adults.”
“It’s a cutting board.”
“No, it’s one of those fancy charcuterie boards… see? There’s a divot in the center for the pudding pack,” he grinned, pointing – and she burst out laughing, not even bothering to try to smother it. “What?”
“That’s not for pudding – you put brie or a bowl of dip in the center.”
“Or pudding.”
“Oh my gosh, Lance…” she chuckled, shaking her head. “What else did you get?”
“A spice rack… to keep things spicy at the house, of course.”
“I don’t really cook much. I use a crockpot or an air fryer – both of which I need to purchase.”
“But your man cooks all the time at work,” he bragged, winking. “I’ll just make sure we have enough for leftovers. In fact, if you are up to it – I can make us some fried pork chops, sauteed veggies, and…”
“Lance,” she interrupted, looking at him and trying to piece all of this together. “I don’t get it. One moment you are telling me you don’t want a girlfriend - and quite bluntly too. The next, you are trying to get me into your bed…”
“Still am,” he interrupted, winking at her, causing Blythe to roll her eyes.
“Then you are telling me you don’t want a relationship, but now you suddenly do? I mean, are you just wishy-washy like that? Should I be expecting this weird pendulum to swing in the other direction, resulting in you ditching me?”
And before she could say anything else, Lance was there. He took a step toward her, pulling her close to him with one hand on her lower back and the other cradling her face as he looked at her, his eyes intense.
“Things happen,” he admitted softly. “And I want us to find our footing along the way. I might trip, stumble, or step on your toes, but it’s not just having you in my bed that I want anymore.”
Her eyes searched his, unsure of what to say at that moment as they stood there together in the middle of the store with clothing racks all around them. His thumb caressed her cheek, treating her like she was almost fragile or precious, making her feel feminine.
At work, they called her a Pitbull, a shark, a Killer— but always something vicious because she did her job selling products and closing the sale, making her feel awful deep down inside.
The way Lance was looking at her made her feel special.
“What do you want?”
“I want us,” he whispered intimately. “I want you – all of you.”
“A r-relationship?” she stammered and saw his tender smile as he nodded.
“You can label it whatever you want, Boop. You and me, we are a couple, and you aren’t going to shake me.”
“I want a relationship,” she repeated, not backing down. “If we are doing this, then you aren’t seeing or talking to anyone else.”
“Agreed,” he whispered, nodding. “You neither.”
“No, of course not,” she sputtered, not expecting him to agree so easily. “That means that we do all the couple things, like talking, texting, going out…”
“Moving into your place, holding hands, kissing…” he invited.
“Um, well… yes,” she whispered, her eyes dropping to his lips as they stood there together. “Couples… do that.”
“They laugh together, tease each other, and plan special moments…”
“Oh, that sounds nice,” she whispered faintly, realizing he was leaning closer toward her.
“Should we practice being a couple?”
“Practice…?”
“Talking, holding hands,” he invited softly, closing the gap between them. “And kissing?”
Only to feel his lips brush against hers ever so softly. He hadn’t kissed her before during the photo shoot and had come close once or twice, but this was everything. She heard his slight intake of breath as he paused for a second before pressing his lips to hers again.
Her hand slid up his arm and curled around his shoulder as she reacted to this. This was a kiss she had wished and dreamed about from the moment Lance had walked into her office to sign the papers for his truck. She wasn’t about to let this opportunity slip through her fingers if he suddenly changed his mind… again. Nope, she was going to make sure she got her emotional fill of this – and give this kiss her all, to guarantee that he didn’t backpedal again.
Blythe practically threw herself at him, curling her arms around his shoulders and slanting her mouth against his. She was the aggressor between them and taking over… and his mouth opened in a shocked reaction as he melted, tasting her at the same time she sighed with her entire soul.
That miraculous spark between them ignited with a flash… and Smokey the Bear was NO WHERE NEAR HERE. A blazing forest fire was going to be cooler than this kiss, even the surface of the sun, or… hellooooo - nuclear fission! In her mind, she could see the old reels of what nuclear fallout looked like: the trees ripped from the ground, windows shattered, and debris wiped from the face of the earth.
Lance’s hand moved from cupping her cheek and touching her lower back to suddenly both of his arms were wrapped around her, meeting her kiss after kiss. She could not get enough of him and it was like all the walls between them were pulverized into dust, cascading around them… and heaven help her.
He was just as intense of a participant. Only for him to break the kiss, pressing his forehead to hers as they stood there together in an embrace, both breathing heavily.
“I can’t think…”
“Oh heavens…”
“Yup. Heavens…”
“That kiss…”
“Oh man, you tasted…”
“So good…” he finished her sentence, both still breathless and neither moving as they stood there – only to feel him tense slightly, and she braced herself for the oncoming let down. “We’re dating.”
“I thought we established that.”
“No, I mean we are dating dating… exclusive. You’re mine, and we’re in a relationship,” he whispered huskily, his voice trembling as his breath touched her lips. “We’re a thing.”
“A thing?” she whispered softly, smiling at how rattled he was – and how incredibly feminine it made her feel to know she actually had an effect on him.
“We’re things… I want to do things, but later, when things are really things and… oh heck, I’m not making sense. Am I? I want things, but when things happen later. When I’m ready for us to do the thing, all the the things together. I mean, oh heck, what do I mean? Um. I’m trying not to think with my thing about thinging until after we do things. You know… things. Does that sound right?”
His nervous chuckle was utterly adorable, combined with his sheepish, shy smile as he looked at her. He looked so rattled, so happy, and so utterly bewildered like a man stepping into a new world and that it was precious.
“Boop… we’re gonna do things in the right order of things, but all of the things, okay?” he repeated, still not making sense as he let out a small chuckle again. “Lots of things will be thinging with us.”
Her fingertips touched his neck, and he shivered bodily before giving her a goofy grin that made her smile.
“Did I mention I’m comfortable with you picking girly stuff?”
“Yes,” she chuckled as he was shaking his head again – only to lean forward and kiss her again. This time, he was taking control of the kiss, holding her close against him, only for their kiss to end with him completely taken aback.
“Pink plates… mouse coffee cups… flowers,” he whispered.
“Things?” she asked, almost teasing him.
“Oh gosh, so many dang things,” he groaned aloud. “I’m up to my eyebrows thinking of all the things.”
“Let’s just leave it at this, take a break for a few moments, and take a step back so we can make sure we are discussing the same things.”
“Things can mean so many things,” he agreed emphatically, rubbing the back of his neck and looking her up and down. “Oh man, those things and the flowers, my things, so hot… I cannot function.”
“You are struggling,” she chuckled. “Why don’t we head out?”
“You’re right,” he agreed. “I’m not all there, and I can come back tomorrow.”
“For the things…?” she teased.
“Oh man, things are killing me, and I can’t stop thinking about things.”
“Shhh,” she laughed openly, putting his hands on the handle of the cart like he was a child. “Just push. I’ll drive. You can think about the things.”
“You don’t mind?”
“It’s kind of flattering,” she admitted, blushing.
“Oh mercy and thank you…” he began, turning his face upward, catching her by surprise. “I think my toes are permanently curled in my shoes… and things will never be the same.”