How to Liv (12 page)

“
Rooby like you.”  Chelsea giggled.  “She squishying your foot.”

“She is, isn’t she?” I replied to the sweet girl with the big blue eyes.  She was quite possibly the most adorable little girl I had ever seen. 
“How you liking your pancakes?”

“They
is very yum!”  She smiled at me, showing her dimples before taking another bite.

Joel placed a plate stacked high with pancakes on the centre of the table.  Adam and Raelene immediately helped themselves.  Joel put his hand on Chelsea’s head and then squatted beside her to whisper in her ear, loud enough for us all to hear.

“Chels do you think maybe we could share that chair?”  All four seats were occupied.

“Okay
Unkoo Jojo,” she said as she got off the chair, pulling the toy rabbit from her lap.  “Bah whah about Bunny?”

“Can Bunny sit with me?” I asked her, realising that there would only be so much room between Joel, Chelsea and the table.  The girl eyed me suspiciously then looked back at Joel for reassurance.
“I promise I will look after her,” I said.

“You can trust
Liv,” Joel said nodding.

“Okay then
Wiv,” Chelsea said with a shrug and handed me her Bunny.  I placed the toy carefully on my legs.

Joel sat and pulled Chelsea up onto his lap.  He cut into his pancake and started munching away.  Chelsea did the same.  They both looked extremely comfortable sitting together like that, as if this was a regular occurrence for them.  He was so much at ease with her that it was obvious they had spent a lot of time together.  Seeing the way he interacted with
Chelsea, and Ruby for that matter, it was easy to imagine that he would make a great father.  Joel noticed me watching them and he gave me a wink followed by a sexy smirk, the exchange was not missed by the other adults sitting at the table.  I blushed with embarrassment as Adam and Raelene exchanged looks with each other. 

They had called into Joel’s on the way to Raelene’s parents’ house.  Chelsea was very excited about going to swim in their pool today.  It was going to be another hot one and as Joel’s house started to heat up I began wishing I was going with them.  Other than the initial embarrassment that Raelene had bestowed upon me I found that she really was a lovely person.  She liked to tell it like it is and didn’t care much for the consequences.  I liked it, she was refreshing and fun.

Adam was a bricklayer and worked for himself.  He was an overly joyous and loud man.  There must have been about twenty year’s difference in age between Adam and Raelene.  You could clearly see he loved his wife so much in every gesture he made.  He was also a great father to Chelsea continuously making the girl laugh and say ‘daaaAAaaad’ while rolling her eyes.  It was very entertaining to watch the two of them.

Raelene worked at a deli in an industrial estate, making smoko and lunch for all the workers of the area, that’s how she was able to get the caterer’s size Tim Tam pack.  She had reduced her hours to only two days a week, since having Chelsea, but had worked there for years.

Once the last of the pancakes had been eaten and Chelsea had left the table to play with Ruby and Bunny, I started stacking the plates to take them to the sink.  Joel’s hand stilled mine.

“You cooked, let me wash up,” I said, standing beside him and pulling my hand away to collect the plates.

“Oh no you don’t,” Raelene spoke as she stood up from her chair.  “The boys can wash up, us girls can go outside.  Come on Chels, Ruby…”

She looped her arm through mine and pulled me in the direction of the back door.  I offered Joel a shrug and he smiled at me before giving Raelene a warning look.  Chelsea and Ruby ran on ahead and were already out the door.

Raelene and I sat down on the lounge chairs Joel had placed in the backyard and watched Chelsea and Ruby chase each other around on the grass.  It was hot out but the backyard was mainly sheltered from the sun, shadowed by trees and the side of the house.

“That dog is just great with kids,” Raelene eventually spoke. 

“Yeah,” I agreed.  “How old is Chelsea?”

“She’s two and a half,” she replied before turning to me with a smile.  “So what is your intention with my boy?”

“Seriously?”  I laughed.  Her smile vanished.

“I’m serious.  I may be a lot younger than you but Joel is my family and I’ll always look out for him.  So?”  She spoke harshly and it stunned me.

“Um, I- I don’t know what to say… I really like him?” I stuttered, suddenly a bit shell-shocked at the conversation.

“Relax.  I’m just fucking with
ya.”  Raelene’s smile returned.  She placed a hand on my knee.  “I was only half-serious.  I can see that you really like him.  I’ve been watching the way the two of you interact.  It’s obvious you are both really into this.” 

It is
?  I suppose it is.

“To be honest with you I was
kinda shocked to find you here this morning though, Joel hasn’t- NO CHELS, PUT THAT STICK DOWN!"  Chelsea did so immediately, Raelene’s motherly tone was a little scary, even Ruby looked stunned for a moment.

“You were saying?”  I prompted Raelene to continue.

“Huh?”  She looked away from Chelsea and back to me.

“About Joel?”

“Yes, what were you saying about me?”  Joel spoke as he leant down over Raelene’s shoulder.

“I was saying you should mow your grass.”

I looked out across the yard that did not need mowing.

“Yeah right, there’s nothing wrong with the length of my…
grass
.”  Joel snickered making his words sound dirty.

“Well I wouldn’t know about that and I don’t want to know about it either!” Raelene laughed and jumped away from the chair.  “Come on
Chels, let’s go to Nanna and Poppy’s!”

“
Yay!” Chelsea squealed and ran back inside with Ruby hot on her heels.

I got up from my chair and followed her inside.

“Dad, Dad, we go swimming now?” Chelsea chattered excitedly as Adam lifted her into his arms in the lounge room.

“Sure thing
munchkin!”  Then he turned to me, “It was nice to meet you Liv.”

“You too, Adam.”

“Catch ya next time.”  He smiled and then headed out the door with Chelsea.

I noticed Raelene and Joel whispering in the kitchen, but they stopped when I turned in their direction.  They both smiled at me, making me think I was the topic of their conversation. 
Well I probably was.

“We were talking
about
you, not
to
you!” Raelene teased me, confirming my thoughts.  She turned to give Joel a hug.  “See ya, spunk!”  She then walked over to me and surprised me by pulling me into a hug too.  I hugged her back.  “We only said good things I promise,” she whispered.  “I’m so glad to have met you.”  It felt like she really meant what she was saying.

“You too.”
  I pulled out of her embrace, but not before I noticed Joel watching me over her shoulder.

“See you next time.”  She winked and then headed out the door.

Adam and Raelene were a really down-to-earth couple and it didn’t take long for me to feel completely at home with them (besides the inquisition outside).  I even felt a little reluctant to say goodbye when they were leaving.

That reluctance disappeared as soon as Joel closed the door behind them and immediately pressed his body against mine.

“I thought they’d never leave,” he murmured against my neck before pressing a hot kiss against it.  “I finally get you all to myself again.”  He nipped at me, sending shockwaves through my body.  He backed me up against the wall and pushed his hard body against mine.

“Joel…
mmm.”

“It’s hot in here.  You should take this off.  You don’t need it.”  He pulled my dress over my head.  His eyes wandered over my body.  “I want you so bad.”

I sucked in a breath when his body crashed back into mine, my hands flying into his hair.  Then I heard tapping at the door.

“
Ahh, what now?” Joel groaned.  He tugged the door open a fraction, essentially squishing me between the door and the wall wearing nothing but my knickers.  “What is it Raelene?”

“
Chels left Bunny behind.”  Raelene pushed against the door but stopped when she felt the resistance (namely me).

“Stay right there, I’ll get it.”  Joel cautioned her holding up his palm before he scrambled to the lounge room, picked the toy rabbit off the floor, and raced back to the front door.  While I stood trying not to breathe too loudly so that Raelene didn’t hear me on the other side of the door.  My hands came up to cup my breasts unnecessarily, while I cowered.  “Here you go.”

“Thanks Joel.”  She leaned against the door and lowered her voice, “Sorry to interrupt Liv, I’ll let you two get back to it now.”  Then she laughed, and spoke louder, “Couldn’t even wait ‘til we drove away…”

Joel and I both froze at her words.  I watched Joel’s face morph into an
embarrassed red scowl as he looked down at my yellow sundress still in his hands.  The yellow dress that Raelene would have seen him holding this whole time.  Raelene was laughing loudly as she walked back down the driveway.  I could still hear her even after Joel slammed the door shut.  I squeezed my eyes closed, feeling my face flush with humiliation.

“I’m sorry,” Joel apologised.

I opened my eyes to see Joel biting his lip to hide the sexy smirk that was trying to form.  His eyes raked over me, intensifying in heat.  When he looked back at my face his smile dropped a little.

“I’m
sorry, I should have given you a chance to get away from the door before I opened it.”

“Yes, you should have.  I… Do you mind if I have a shower?” I asked, snatching my dress away from him.  I was furious.  He stepped back, the smile completely vanishing from his face.

“No, not at all.”  He had that sudden look of nervousness on his face again.  “Ah, let me get you a towel.”

I wandered off towards the bathroom before he had even finished speaking.  I turned on the water and removed my knickers as I waited for it to heat up.  I climbed in and turned around to shut the shower door when I found Joel standing there holding a towel.  I shut the door in his face.  I wanted him to know I was not amused at being put in that position.  But as I watched his distorted shadow, through the bubbly shower glass, place the towel down on the edge of the bath and then slink out of the room, I felt ashamed at my behaviour. 

I wasn’t really that mad at him, it’s not like it was his fault.  I had allowed him to take my dress off seconds after saying goodbye to his family.  I know that Raelene couldn’t have really seen much of anything through the small crack of the door I was hiding behind.  I was overreacting.  I was just about to ask if Joel would care to join me in the shower when I heard the bathroom door close.  He’d left me alone.

For an old house it sure had good water pressure.  I lapped it up, it felt so good.  I washed my hair for the first time since I’d had it cut.  I wasn’t used to having such short hair and I used way too much shampoo and conditioner, I felt bad for wasting Joel’s stuff.  I lathered myself up in Joel’s liquid body wash, probably using too much of that as well, but it just smelled so good. 
Like Joel
.  After a considerable soak, I got out and dried myself with the large soft navy blue towel that Joel had left for me.  I noticed that he had also emptied his pocket placing my bra beside it.  As I didn’t have any fresh, clean underwear, I decided to forego it all and just put on my dress.  I was towel drying my hair when Joel knocked lightly on the door.

“Come in.”

“I have some new toothbrushes if you’d like one,” he offered, moving past me to open the cupboard under the sink.

“Thanks, that’d be great.”  I tossed the towel over the side of the bath then took a toothbrush from him.

“I’m gonna have a shower,” he said, pulling off his tank top.

It was impossible not to watch him in the mirror as I brushed my teeth.  He was so toned and delectable.  He caught my eye and a smug grin appeared. 

“I’m sorry about before babe.”

Keeping his eyes on me, he tugged his cargo shorts down, revealing that he had been going commando again this whole time.  My body instantly heated and I quickly tried to look anywhere else.  I spat and rinsed, dropping the toothbrush on the bench, before turning to him.

“Don’t worry about it.”  My eyes involuntarily wandered his body.  “I… uh… sorry, I overreacted,” I muttered.

He let out a small throaty chuckle, snapping me out of my stupor.  He loved that I was checking him out,
cheeky bastard.  Two can play at that game!

I moved closer, wrapping my arms around his waist. 
Giving him a kiss on the lips.  I felt him twitch against my belly.  I pulled back and looked down for confirmation. 
Yep.  He was hard again.  I loved that I had that effect on him.
  A wide satisfied grin emerged on my face.

“Now get in the shower,” I said with a slap on his bare arse, causing him to groan.  He looked over his shoulder at me with a wicked grin before I shut the bathroom door.