Chapter 9
NINE
Elias flipped four strips of bacon over in the skillet, thinking of the woman he’d left sleeping soundly in his bed. If she hadn’t left in the wee small hours of Saturday morning, this would be the second breakfast he’d made for her.
Happily.
He couldn’t remember the last time he’d spent more than a few hours with a woman, let alone an entire weekend. Or how good it made him feel to know she was still in his house. Plus, they had the entire day ahead of them.
And Monday .
Elias wasn’t due back at work until Tuesday.
Dude, she’s not gonna want to stay. She’s got her own life .
But what if?
He glanced down at the two beggars sitting patiently at his feet. Penny sat just ahead of Chuck, in charge as always.
“What do you think?” Elias asked them quietly. “Would you like having Wren stick around?”
Both dogs had perked their ears up at the first sign of attention. Penny wiggled her entire body and Chuck’s tail thumped against the tile floor.
“Yeah, I agree. Or are you just wanting bacon?”
Penny tilted her head and Chuck licked his lips.
“Uh-huh. Thought so. You guys are no help whatsoever.”
Elias’ phone buzzed on the countertop. He poked at the bacon before setting the fork down to pick up his phone. A group text from Gabe read:
Need you down at the rec center at ten.
Dammit .
That could only mean one thing. Gabe wasn’t texting as Gabe but as Timberwolf. And he’d included Ram, Bear, Elk, and Moose.
Someone needed their special brand of help.
It wasn’t like Lyons was some lawless little town. They had a great sergeant who kept things quiet and peaceful, plus people were pretty damn good all on their own around there. But sometimes people fell through the cracks or had a problem the law couldn’t handle. That’s where Mountain Division came in.
It wasn’t an emergency—if it had been, Gabe would have texted the number 6 and his location. This sounded like a meeting to discuss someone who could use their help and they would decide whether or not they could give it. Elias didn’t hesitate to answer with a thumbs-up. The work they did often meant protecting an innocent. Sometimes it meant busting heads who wouldn’t listen to reason or to a restraining order. Either way, he didn’t hesitate to help. None of them did.
But dammit. Why did it have to be today?
He glanced toward the bedroom then forked the bacon out of the skillet and onto a plate lined with paper towels and turned off the burner.
“Ah- hem .” Behind him, Wren pretended to clear her throat to get his attention.
“Hey, Sleeping Beauty,” he said as he turned. The second he saw her, he stopped.
Wren cocked her hip forward, giving Elias a cheeky grin. “What do you think?”
Elias took in the sight of her wearing his scrubs top. The oversized shirt hung loosely on her, the hem brushing against her thighs, but the way she wore it made it look like it was made just to caress her curves.
He leaned back against the counter, crossing his arms as a slow smile spread across his face. “I think you wear it better than I do.”
Penny let out a small, impatient whine, clearly annoyed that they were too distracted to drop fistfuls of bacon on the floor. Chuck, meanwhile, wagged his tail in a slow, steady rhythm, eyes locked on the plate of bacon.
“Sorry, guys, I’m distracting your chef,” Wren said, laughing as she walked over and scratched Chuck behind the ears. Penny, not to be outdone, nudged Wren’s leg with her nose, demanding equal attention. “Yes, boss,” Wren said as she switched her attention to Penny who turned and sat facing away so she could get back scratches.
Elias grinned, watching the way Wren interacted with his dogs. Something deep inside him warmed and a little voice in his head whispered this is right .
When she stood up inches away from him, she grinned and plucked at the scrubs collar.
“You don’t mind, do you? I recall you saying something earlier about wanting to see me in it again.”
“Mind? Not at all.” Elias uncrossed his arms and pulled her closer by the waist. “I’ll be stealing it back later though.”
“Oh really?” She mock-pouted. “I hope you don’t mean for work today.”
Damn. She did want to spend the day with him. His heart flipped over in his chest.
“I meant when I take it back off you after breakfast.”
Her eyes widened and her lips curved into a smile. He kissed that smile until her lips parted and let him in.
“Deal,” she breathed, her eyes still closed.
“How’s your back?”
“So much better.” She opened her eyes and gazed up at him through a fringe of lashes. “You did a great job. I’m hiring you as my personal masseuse. All you have to do is carry my things and rub my shoulders twenty-four seven.”
Elias grinned. “Is that all?”
Wren glanced at the stove. “Breakfast is nice, too. I’ll let you do that.”
God, he loved her banter.
Wren dropped her act. “Seriously, thank you for making breakfast. It looks like you went to a lot of effort.”
Elias shrugged. “It’s just some breakfast. Eggs, bacon, toast here in a sec. I wanted to wait until you got up. Nobody likes cold toast.”
“Very true.”
Elias gave her a squeeze before letting her go and dropping two slices of bread into the toaster. “Figured you’d be hungry after last night.”
“Starving, actually.” She glanced back at the breakfast table beside the kitchen, noticing the two places he’d set up, complete with glasses of orange juice and steaming mugs of coffee. “Seriously, you really thought of everything, didn’t you?”
“Just trying to take care of you,” he said, giving her a soft kiss on the forehead.
Her eyes went soft and she looked away. “Thank you.”
“Hey.” Elias slipped his thumb under her chin and turned her face back to him. “I like this. Taking care of you.”
“It’s the EMT in you.”
Elias shook his head. “Yeah, okay, you’re right. That’s why I need the scrubs top back. It’s my last one since I give them out to all my naked patients on the regular.”
Wren giggled.
“First point of the day goes to me.” He made a tick mark in the air.
“Dang it!”
“And none of this, ‘oh I didn’t keep track so I win’ BS.”
“I didn’t say I’d win. I said we’d be tied.”
Elias grinned and started for the toast when it popped up but Wren beat him to it.
“Let me help at least a little bit,” she said as she plated the slices and looked around for the butter.
“On the table, babe.” The affectionate term rolled off his lips without thinking. He noticed her cheeks pinken along with her sweet smile and wondered if she wasn’t used to being called babe.
That’s gonna change .
Elias carried the rest of the food to the table and set it down. He held out her chair for her then spread a cloth napkin across her lap as soon as she sat down.
“Fancy.”
“What do you mean?” He blinked at her as he sat across the table. “I spread napkins across Penny and Chuck’s laps for every meal. Anything less is just savage.”
Wren rolled her lips in and her shoulders shook while she sliced off a square of butter for her toast. “Right. Savage.” She glanced down at Penny who’d parked herself beside the chair. “Did I steal your chair, too?”
“You did, actually, but she’s playing the long game.”
“Long game?” Wren took a bite of her toast as Elias plated up bacon and eggs for her. “Yeah. Letting you sit in her chair will lull you into becoming her minion.”
“I see.”
“Yeah. After that, we’re the ones eating out of bowls on the floor.”
Wren casually shrugged. “You maybe, but I’ve already talked her into table rights as well as stock options. Enjoy your kibble.”
Thankfully, Elias had just finished sipping his coffee or he would have spewed it across the table when he laughed.
“Tied.” Wren ticked off a point in the air.
God, I love you .
The thought stopped his brain. Shut it down completely.
Love? I can’t love someone this quickly .
“Oh, shit, are you all right?” Wren asked, her voice full of concern.
He gave her the warmest smile he could. “Yeah, yeah, I’m just a sore loser.”
“Oh. So you’re already admitting defeat today? Excellent.” She leaned over and mock-whispered to Penny, “You’re right, that was easy.”
That got her another laugh. “Apparently so.”
They spent the next few minutes eating breakfast and during those minutes, Elias had never felt more comfortable with a woman. He wondered how Wren felt. Watching her, she seemed comfortable with him, too.
She picked up her glass of orange juice and looked at him over the rim as she drank. She set it down with a mischievous little smile then dabbed at her lips with her napkin.
“So. Dishes before or after you steal your scrubs top back?” She batted her lashes at him.
He looked her up and down, letting his gaze linger on the teasing bit of her cleavage showing thanks to the V-neck before meeting her eyes again. “I’ll get the dishes later.”
“I’ll help.”
“Eh, we’ll see.”
Wren crossed her arms. “Nope. That was the rule growing up in my house. Whoever cooks, the others clean.”
“Good rule.”
“It kept the peace.” Her voice sounded light, but her eyes dimmed for a fraction of a second and she sucked in her cheeks. “ Do you have work today?” she asked, abruptly changing the subject. “I can get a lift service to take me back to Lyons for my car.”
Elias shook his head. “Nope. I’m off today and I’ll take you to get your car, no problem.” He paused. “I don’t have work, but there is something I need to take care of. Kind of an errand at the rec center.”
Wren raised an eyebrow, curiosity sparking in her eyes. “Oh? What kind of errand?”
He couldn’t tell her outright. Elias leaned back in his chair, letting out a low sigh. “Well, I’m meeting a friend or two there, but I was also thinking. Your back seems a lot better after the massage last night, but I was wondering if maybe you’d want to try something more regular.”
Wren’s brow furrowed slightly as she set her fork on her empty plate. “What do you mean?”
“I was thinking that if I brought you along, we could get you signed up,” he suggested, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. “They’ve got weightlifting and workout classes that might help strengthen your shoulder. Plus, they’ve got some equipment that could work wonders for your back. Stretching, strength training, that sort of thing.”
Wren looked intrigued. “You’re really into this whole personal trainer gig, huh?” she teased.
Elias shrugged, grinning. “Just trying to take care of you. And hey, if you want to try yoga, they have classes.”
“Yoga sounds good.” She hesitated, then smiled at him. “But only if you promise not to laugh when I fall over trying to balance.”
Elias touched his fingers to his chest and gave her a look of pure innocence. “Me? Never.”
“That’s because you’ll be too busy looking at my ass in the air, right?”
“Do I have to answer that?”
Wren snickered. “Is this the same rec center where Stephanie works?”
“It is.” He wondered what else if anything Ellie had told her about Stephanie the day before.
“Hmm,” Wren mused, tapping her finger on her lips. “I might ask her about her yoga classes.”
“Perfect,” Elias said, maybe a bit too quickly, but he covered it with a grin. “Though I have to warn you about Stephanie.”
“Oh?”
“She’s… a little quirky.”
“Quirky’s good.”
“I need to walk Chuck and Penny this morning, too. Do you mind?”
“Not at all, as long as I can come along.” Wren stood with her plate in hand and reached for Elias’ empty glass.
“Uh-uh. Dishes later.” He took the plate out of Wren’s hand and set it back down on the table. He looked her up and down. “First, I have a scrubs top to steal back.”
“No. First, you have to catch me.” Wren spun on her heel and took off running down the hall straight to his bedroom.
Elias couldn’t hold back his laughter as he chased after her.
“Woo-hoo! More points for me,” she shouted.
Wren was already on the bed when Elias got to the bedroom.
“Come get the top…if you dare.” She made a funny-fierce face at him.
“Oh, I dare.”
Eyes flashing, he stalked around the bed as she scrambled to the opposite side, laughing. Elias crouched to spring, locking his gaze with his prey—who didn’t seem very prey-like as she licked her lips. He launched himself onto the bed and grabbed Wren, then pinned her under him.
“Gotcha.”
“Oh dear. Whatever am I to do?”
“Hmm. You don’t seem that worried.”
“Hmm. I don’t. Maybe because I’m not.”
Elias looked deeply into Wren’s playful gaze while the salty, peachy scent of her skin rose from the sheets.
How would it feel to wake up to her like this every morning?
Good. Really good .
“You caught me. Aren’t you going to kiss me?” she breathed.
Elias grinned. “Nope.” He swept her into his arms and got to his knees on the bed while she giggled. He backed off the bed until he stood with her cradled in his arms. “Because if I kiss you, I’m going to want to strip you. And if I strip you, I’m going to want to eat you out. And if I eat you out, I’m going to want to bury myself inside you. And if I bury myself inside you, I’m going to want to stay there a good long time. Until I’ve gotten you to come for me at least three times.”
“Three?” She pursed her lips and covered them with her fingertips, pretending to be shocked.
“Mmm-hmm. And then it’s all going to start over again. And I’ll end up missing my meeting and you won’t get signed up for classes.”
“But I will be thoroughly and enjoyably fucked silly, so there’s that.”
“Ohhh…don’t tempt me.”
“So you’re not stealing the scrubs top back, is that what you’re saying?”
“Never said that.” Elias turned and carried Wren into his bathroom. He set her down, grabbed the hem of the top, and pulled it over her head when she lifted her arms. She hadn’t bothered putting on panties, so she stood stark naked and gorgeous.
“Dear God,” he murmured as he looked her up and down. Waylon’s words came back to him— way above your pay grade .
“Let’s shower, then we can go from there.”
“Fine by me.” She rolled up onto her tiptoes and kissed him. Elias was facing the mirror and he couldn’t help but peek at their reflection.
Perfection .
Not just her, but them. Together.
Elias stripped down while Wren got the water going. She stepped under the water and became his fantasy made flesh. Water coursed down her gorgeous body, which he soaped up almost reverently as his cock hardened. She stroked his length, teasing him with her soap-slicked hands until she went to her knees and took him inside her mouth. When he was close, he tried to stop her but she shook her head gently and sucked harder. His orgasm left him almost dizzy.
Elias pulled Wren to her feet and pushed her against the shower wall while he trailed kisses down her torso. She gripped his hair while he nuzzled, licked, and ate her out. He held her up when her knees threatened to give out.
They didn’t—but the hot water did.
“Gahh!” Wren yelled “Cold-cold-cold-cold-cold!”
Laughing, Elias reached around her and turned off the shower. “Stay put.”
She wrapped her arms around her torso and exaggerated her teeth chattering. Elias got out of the shower, grabbed a clean towel off the rack beside the shower, and wrapped Wren up.
“Oh! Nice.” She snuggled into the towel. “Heated rack?”
“Yeah. The guys gave me shit for it, but it gets cold up here in the winter and I’ve spent enough time in the cold.”
“I for one will never give you shit for a heated towel rack.”
Elias wrapped a towel around his waist and opened the vanity drawer. He pulled out a pack of toothbrushes and handed it to Wren.
“I’ll give you a minute. Anything else you need?”
“I’m good, thanks.”
He closed the door behind him as he went into the bedroom. A glance at the bedside clock told him they’d better hustle.
Still wrapped in her towel, Wren stepped out of the bathroom as he finished getting dressed.
“Running a little behind. Not sure where you live, but I figure you want to go home for a change of clothes. I could drop you at your car and then you could meet me at the rec center.”
“I don’t want to make you late, so I have another idea.” Wren turned to his closet and opened it. She pulled out one of his tees and a pair of jeans and held them against her front. “I’ll need to roll the cuffs quite a bit, but I think these’ll work.”
“Do you like stealing clothes in general, or just my clothes?”
Wren stuck her tongue out at him as she draped the clothes over one arm. Then she pulled off her towel and tossed it at him. He caught it, laughing.
“Now get out. I need my privacy while I get dressed. I’m very modest that way.”
Elias studied Wren when she came out of the bedroom. She was right—his clothes worked on her. She’d knotted up the bottom of his tee and it slouched just right.
And when I get it back, it’ll smell like her .
Yeah, he could afford to never wash that tee again.
She was shorter than Elias, but her legs were long enough that she only had to turn the bottoms of his jeans up a couple of times, though she had to cinch her belt tightly.
Wait… Is she going commando?
Okay, never washing the jeans again, either .