Chapter Eight
When she woke up, it was bright, and she sat up, her bed swaying.
Never stretched and smiled. She loved getting as much rest as she needed.
It made her feel calm and balanced. She got up and went to the closet.
Her clothes were hung there, and she found a drawer with underwear.
She got dressed and headed downstairs to make breakfast.
When she opened the fridge, she paused. “Damn. The perfect house has an Achilles heel.”
She lifted the hem of her short-sleeved sundress and sprinted up the stairs for her phone. There were quite a few texts, but she ignored the ones she didn’t know and answered Cora.
I can come home today. Late afternoon.
Cool. We will get a ride share.
I think we can get a ride. Cora’s amusement was nearly audible.
Oh, right.
And we will be going to my actual house, which is down the street from yours, FYI.
Why did you do that with the houses?
They were a single property with two houses for a set of siblings who didn’t want to live too far apart.
Neighbours?
Neighbours. You don’t hear me; I don’t hear you.
Never smiled and bit her lip. What time should I be there?
Four. You have two hours.
Right. I just have to get something to eat, and I will be on my way.
Answer the door.
There was a brusque knock on the door.
Never walked to the door and opened it. Tam-or was standing there with a bag of groceries in the crook of his arm. He grinned and pushed past her.
Why did you send him?
Because Abel-ur is confident in his housekeeper skills, and he is on loan to you as long as you are willing to have supplicants in the back yard. There’s an English-style walled garden if you would like to watch what he does there.
Why are you being so unsubtle about this?
It’s time for it.
You are a dope. Wait, is that your house backing onto the forest?
Yes. That’s my house.
Cora... He’s making waffles.
A stream of laughing emoticons ran through the text.
Tam-or asked, “Do you want blueberries in your waffles?”
“Do you have chocolate chips?”
He snorted but answered. “Yes.”
She bounced on her heels.
Her phone pinged. Are you dressed for home?
Yup. Hair is just down, not fancy.
I am amazed he’s moving.
Never looked at Tam-or. “Can I do something?”
He looked at her and said, “Stand where I can see you. I confess, I could not have imagined exactly how girly you were in your time off.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Cora thinks it’s funny.”
“What?”
She waved a hand over herself. “I am comfy. How long do waffles take?”
He smiled. “About ten minutes, start to finish.”
She nodded. “Do you mind if I go and look at my back yard? Cora said she was going to let you use it, but I am not sure why.”
He smiled. “I need a formal space for taking requests. The garden is private and fenced, so it is suitable for the purpose.”
“Oh, the naked thing.”
“Yes, when I am asked for a favour, the petitioner has to be naked.”
“Has to be?”
He grinned. “If you want anything from me, I will insist on it.”
She snorted and walked out the back door, across the deck, and down the porch.
The walk through the garden was marked with thick flagstones that were warm under the sun.
The back yard was enormous, surrounded by eight-foot fences.
Privacy was assured. She looked at the trees, shrubs, and banks of herbs, and her mind had plans for all of it.
This was setting the bar high for Cora’s present.
The shapeshifting brown leathers that she had had made seemed inadequate in comparison to a house.
She might have to hunt for a better present.
There was a round bench near the back of the garden, and she hopped onto it, walking around the stone and twirling slowly before walking back to her house. She walked across the deck and noticed that the table was set for two.
She walked inside and asked, “I don’t suppose you got coffee?”
He smiled. “The pot is nearly done. I thought you might need a bit of a boost.”
“I actually got enough sleep for once.”
“Can that bed really hold two thousand pounds”
“It’s screwed into the joists and reinforced. I used to have nightmares and would shift, so my beds need to be sturdy.” She walked over to the coffeemaker and leaned on the counter, watching it.
He cleared his throat. “You don’t wear shoes or sandals?”
“Not on dirt, grass, or stone. Only on concrete. So, what did Cora have to promise you to send you over here with food?”
He smiled. “She was acting as your proxy.”
Never turned toward him, and he was staring at her backside. “Really? What did you demand in return for your assistance?”
“Nothing much. Just another kiss.”
“Any specifics?”
“I would prefer you were naked.”
She grinned. “That is oddly specific. Any particular reason?”
“Well, I would be in my speaker garb at the time, so I think it would be interesting.”
“Isn’t speaker garb just leather pants?”
He grinned and got the finished waffles out of the iron. “You are very smart, Never.”
“Thank you. So, nudity and making out is the price of waffles?”
“Ideally. Yes.”
“No. I am countering that you can have the nudity but no contact?”
“What? Why?”
She crossed her arms. “Where’s the bacon?”
His eyes widened, and he said, “Can you watch this while I run to the chief’s house?”
“Nope. Every bit of work I have to do adds a piece of clothing.”
He laughed. “Fine. I will take looking at you as the price of breakfast and the other groceries.”
“So, do you have a day job?”
He paused. “I am a coach at the local high school.”
“Oh, right. And right now, it’s summer break.”
“Yup. I have a few weeks left.”
“So, you have a nine-to-five plus evenings and weekends.”
“Yes.”
“That sounds nice.”
“It can be.” He added to the stack of waffles and turned the unit off.
He got the syrup and honey out of the bag and smiled. “Grab the coffee and meet you out there.”
She grabbed the coffee, the cream, mugs, and coffee carafe. A flick of power got her door opened and closed behind her.
They sat down, and she glossed the chocolate chip waffles and blinked when whipping cream sprayed down. Laughing, she ate some whipped cream first and then gnawed her way through the waffles.
The coffee was good, and she drank more than she should, but when she was full, she sighed and sat back. “Thank you. I have half an hour. Did you want the nudity now or later?”
He looked like she just shorted him out.
She grinned and got the plates together while his brain chewed on that. She brought everything inside, and when she walked outside, he was still sitting there, and the expression on his face was hungry.
“So, did you make up your mind?”
He looked at her. “Nudity, please.”
Never looked at him and shrugged, unbuttoning the top of her dress to her hips. She shimmied out of her panties and unsnapped her bra, pulling it out through one sleeve at a time. “Dude, are you sweating?”
She walked to him and reached toward him.
“No. Don’t touch me if you want to leave here in half an hour.”
Never blinked, shrugged, and slipped her arms out of her dress, and then she pushed the fabric to the deck. “There. Naked.”
“Turn.”
She smiled and did a slow turn. “Any particular poses?”
He chuckled as she came around. “Do you have a blade? That would be the only way you could be hotter.”
She rotated her wrist, and her defense dagger was in her palm. “There we go.”
He shuddered. “I don’t suppose you would kiss me now.”
She smiled. “Just to get it off my ledger.”
She walked to him and put her hand on his chest. She leaned forward and watched his hands clench.
She looked, gauged how sturdy the chair was, and settled on his thighs. “Consider this a request in advance. You can touch.”
His hands smoothed over her as she kissed him, and he followed her lead.
He tasted like blueberries, and she smiled as the meeting of mouths went on and on.
His hands roamed over her back, flexed on her butt, and she shivered when he slid two fingers between her thighs.
He groaned and slid his fingers against her while his thumb sought her clit and rubbed gently.
Her hips jerked, and he eased a finger into her and then another.
She gasped into his mouth, and he kept steady movements while his body was rock solid with tension.
She leaned away from him. “This doesn’t feel fun for you.”
His gaze was intense. His voice was a thick rumble. “Oh, it definitely is. The only thing that would make it more fun would be unlimited time.” As he spoke, he moved his fingers and got a third inside her.
She clenched her jaw, and his thumb helped arouse her to the tipping point. He leaned forward and caught her lips with his as she gasped and shook as her sex gripped his fingers and everything pulsed.
Never held onto his shoulders, and when the slow contractions inside her thudded to a halt, she pulled back and pressed her forehead to his.
He slid his fingers, and aftershocks rippled through her.
She kissed him softly again and said, “I have five minutes to get dressed, and you have five minutes to wash your hand.”
He eased his fingers out of her and hugged her with his dry arm. She eased away from him, cleaned herself up with fire, and then put her underwear and dress back on.
Never didn’t have any idea why she expected him to wash up. He slid his fingers into his mouth and slurped. Wincing while she tidied up the rest of the dishes was done with a slight smile. Right. Orc. She had forgotten.
Her shoes were where they should be, and her purse was waiting.
Cards, cash, identification, and her phone went into it.
She walked out to where Tam-or was texting, and she snapped her fingers, arranging her hair into a waterfall of ponytails that linked together to get her hair up to just above her hips.
“That’s... turn around.”
She turned and let him snag and tug at her hair.
“I have seen that somewhere.”