Chapter 7
The clouds from the previous day had cleared, sending rays of sunshine streaming in through the kitchen window. Amanda unloaded the dishwasher, her hands moving quickly and putting everything in their place without her having to think about it at all.
It was a good thing, too, because her mind was completely preoccupied with Lars.
He’d pulled her into those strong arms and kissed her, daring her to admit that their first kiss wasn’t just a result of the mistletoe.
There was no tidbit of greenery that could make her feel what that man did last night.
Her body flooded with excitement all over again just remembering the way he’d touched her.
Something about those big hands against her ribs, her backside, her breasts, had made her feel sexy in a way she hadn’t experienced in a long time.
As she cracked eggs into a bowl, she relived the thrills he’d given her over and over again.
It hadn’t been easy to wake up this morning, leaving that handsome hunk sleeping in her bed, but there were things to do.
Two arms slipped around her waist, and a broad wall of chest and abdomen pressed against her back. “Good morning.” Lars kissed the side of her neck.
For a brief moment, she let herself relax into his embrace.
It wasn’t just that he was tall, strong, warm, and incredibly male.
Amanda found an inexplicable amount of comfort in him.
Being in his arms felt like coming home, a place where her mind, body, and soul could truly rest. She was tempted to just stand there, swaying slightly, and let him hold her, but the skillet was hot and ready.
“Good morning,” she replied as she quickly scrambled the eggs and poured them into the pan. They sizzled as she added some smoked paprika. “I hope you like eggs, and I’ve got some muffins in the oven.”
“You didn’t have to go to any trouble for me.” He slowly and regretfully pulled back, his hands lingering on her hips for a moment and then sliding down her backside.
She turned slightly to look at him, and she was caught in a wave of desire all over again at seeing that ruggedly attractive face.
Lars was built big and strong, and she could see exactly why Beck teased him about being a Viking.
His features looked as though they could’ve been carved from stone, but they quickly softened every time he looked at her.
Controlling her breath, she went back to the eggs. “It’s no trouble. We’ve both got to eat, right?”
“Especially after burning all that energy last night.” He dropped a kiss on the back of her neck.
Her insides quivered. Amanda contemplated turning off the stove, letting the partially cooked food go to waste, and throwing her clothes on the kitchen floor. Caution and logic prevailed, and she grabbed the salt with shaking fingers.
“You could at least let me help you,” Lars suggested.
“There’s nothing you need to do,” Amanda insisted.
The coffee pot beeped loudly. He pointed to it. “At least let me pour us each a cup. How do you like yours?” Without giving her a chance to say no again, he took two mugs from the rack on the wall.
“Honestly, I pour just enough creamer to fill the bottom of the mug and then fill the rest with coffee. Then I don’t have to use up a spoon to stir it with.”
“A clever trick,” he commented as he found the creamer in the fridge. “You’re an efficient woman.”
From anyone else, that might’ve sounded like an off-handed comment that suggested she was too uptight.
From Lars, it actually felt like a compliment.
“It’s just something silly I started doing when I was first living on my own and I didn’t have a lot of silverware. I try to keep my life fairly simple.”
“Simple is good. It means you have time for the more important things.” He moved past her to get back to the fridge, trailing his free hand across her lower back as he did.
“I guess that means you don’t mind that the muffins are from a mix,” she joked as she took them from the oven.
They brought their plates to the small kitchen table.
It felt incredibly intimate to be sharing their first meal of the day, sipping coffee and letting the world wake up around them.
It looked as though he’d only slightly tamed his hair with his fingers, and she liked the way the short blonde strands stuck out a little.
“Do you have appointments today?” he asked.
“I don’t, actually.”
He lifted a brow. “So you do let yourself have a day off every now and then.”
“Well, no,” she admitted. “Not exactly. The heating and air guy is coming to do maintenance on the furnace. My patients don’t really get the experience they need if someone is rattling around in there, so I also scheduled a contractor to fix a drafty window at the same time.
If they get done quickly enough, then I might be able to sneak in a few phone calls. ”
“You’re a very busy woman,” Lars commented.
“Someone very wise referred to me as efficient, not too long ago,” she reminded him with a smile.
He laughed and lifted his mug. “Someone very wise, indeed.”
“What about you? What are you doing today?” Most days, she needed to rush to work right away to get set up for the first appointments. Amanda was glad things had timed out this way, so that at least she hadn’t had to fly out of bed and dash to the office.
“I’m not sure. Beck and the others haven’t been feeling very well.” He frowned a little as he picked up his muffin.
“What’s the matter with them?” This was the first Amanda had heard of this, and the dragons didn’t usually get sick. They were incredibly resilient creatures.
“It might have something to do with the ley energy here.” He told her about going to the pub with them and discovering that the nearest conduits were severely lacking in power.
“That’s odd. I thought they moved here because the ley lines were so strong.” She finished her muffin and considered grabbing another.
“Absolutely, and I was the one who helped them decide that.” Lars looked truly concerned as he contemplated the streusel topping on his muffin.
“They told me not to worry about it, since there are always some fluctuations in these energies. They’re good friends, though, and it’s difficult to just set that aside. ”
So he was good-looking, smart, great in bed, and generous and caring. Amanda didn’t need any more traits stacked in his favor, not if she was going to keep this as casual as she intended. “I’ll check in on them later and see if they need anything.”
When they’d finished eating, Amanda refused to let him even rinse his plate.
She put everything in the dishwasher and quickly got dressed while Lars waited for her.
Pulling her hair up into a clip, she grabbed a pair of corduroy khakis and a dark teal sweater.
The V-neck made her chest look bare, so she added a simple gold chain.
Checking the clock, she dabbed on a bit of eyeshadow, mascara, and lip gloss.
There were plenty of days when she didn’t even bother with makeup, but today she felt different.
“You look lovely,” Lars said when she came down the hall.
“Thank you. I just need to get my purse and coat, and I’ll be ready to go.” She turned toward the hall closet.
“You know, I could align your energies for you.”
Her hands froze. Only a second ago, she’d been thinking about how oddly easy it was to spend time with Lars. They were practically strangers. She didn’t even know his middle name, yet having him in her house felt natural.
But somehow, he’d managed to take all the intimacy they’d already found and take it a step further. She turned back around to look at him. “What?”
“We were talking last night about your energies being off-balance,” he reminded her.
He didn’t need to. She knew exactly what he was talking about. Amanda just needed to buy herself some time while she figured out what to say.
“I got to thinking about it again after we’d talked about the problems the Alexanders are having,” he went on. “I don’t know as much about the energies in a person as the ones in the ground, but I can still sense them.”
Amanda remained still and stiff as he moved closer. She talked about energy, alignment, and chakras all day long at work, but those were always regarding someone else. It was never about her.
Lars stopped about a foot or so away and lifted his hand. He reached out and hovered his fingers just below the center of her ribcage. “Here, and up here.” His hand moved slightly upward to the middle of her chest.
“You—you can feel that?” In her experience, those who were new to energy healing couldn’t pinpoint the chakras that quickly.
“Yes. I never realized it until I met you, but it’s like a miniaturized ley system. It’s kind of fascinating, really. I can’t guarantee that I could help, but I’d like to try.” He lowered his hand and looked into her eyes. “If you’d let me.”
Amanda knew that he truly wanted to help. From what she knew of him, that was just the kind of guy he was. It was kind and sweet and wonderful. It was also absolutely terrifying.
Lars had identified her solar plexus and heart chakras, her centers for love, healing, wisdom, and power. This wasn’t the first time she’d had issues with them, either.
Unwillingly, her mind raced back to Dale.
In a flash, she relived those sleepless nights, long phone calls, and wistful hours of longing.
Those weren’t even the worst parts, though.
It was the heartache when all of her efforts had been proven to be a complete waste of time.
It was the doubt that she’d ever deserved a good love in the first place, the uncertainty that anyone would find her worth it.