Unexpected Love (6 page)

Fourteen

Four hours later, Taylor had put all the food stuff away, made the lasagna, and homemade garlic knots.  She had thought about making a limoncello fruit tart but she was not sure if Sean liked sweets.  She decided to make it and if he didn’t eat it, he could take it to work for everyone.

It felt good being in the kitchen again.  Even though she had to stop and sit frequently to rest, she was happy.  She rarely cooked much for herself so it was nice to cook for someone else too.  She had thought she might be rusty, but it all came naturally.

Her phone rang.  Sean.  “Hello?”

“Hey.  This is the first chance I’ve had to call.  Busy day.  How are things going?”

“Good.  Maggie and I went shopping.”

“Are you finding everything you need?”

“Yes.  I had a little trouble with the door code but it was the operator, not the door.”

He laughed, “I had trouble with it at first.  I have to go, I’ll talk to you tonight.”

“What time will you be home?”

“Around 5:30.” 

“Okay.  I’m making dinner.”

“Wow.  That’s great but you didn’t have to.”

“I know.  I like to cook.  See you later.”

“I’ll be there.”

She laughed, “Of course you will.  It’s your house.  Bye.”

She forced the big smile off her face and went back to cooking.

She glanced at the kitchen clock.  It was 4:45.

Half an hour later, she heard the front door open and Sean walk in.  She stayed in the kitchen but he soon appeared, “What is that amazing smell?”  He was grinning.

“Dinner.  It’s almost ready.”

He walked over, taking in the aromas of the fresh bread, the lasagna in the oven.  “Wow.  I’m going to run up and change.  I’m starving.”  He gave her a huge smile and left.

When he came back down, he helped her get the table set and took the lasagna out of the oven.  “I feel like I’ve died and gone to heaven.”

“I hope you like it.  Maggie said you liked Italian.”

“Oh, been checking up on me, huh?”  He grinned again.  He saw color in her cheeks as she looked down and watched her shrug.

“Well, for the record, I do like Italian. I also like Mexican and steak and most other foods.  I’m not too picky.” 

She cocked her head slightly to one side.  He had noticed that about her.  When she was thinking or trying to decide to do something, she did that.   

“Well I have to warn you that one thing I don’t like most seafood.  You’ll have to go out to eat for that.”

He smiled, “I’ll remember that.  What else happened today?”

“Just shopping and cooking.  How was your day?”

“Typical.  Pulled over a stroppy man hiding drugs, gave out some tickets, and helped an older woman change her flat tire, the usual stuff.”

She gave him a puzzled look and then he realized what he had said, “Sorry, the language thing.  I haven’t made a conscious effort to stop using it.  Stroppy means a man with an attitude.”

“Oh, I think you shouldn’t try.  I was listening to the radio this afternoon and I heard a song and it reminded me that I wanted to ask you what vegemite is?”

He laughed, “That song.  It’s kind of like a paste made from a few vegetables and spices and yeast.  It’s salty, a little bitter, and malty tasting.  It’s used on bread or crackers as a paste.”

“Yummy.”  She made a face.  “Do you like it?”

“No, not really.  I can eat it.  My mom made me take it for lunches at school sometimes when she didn’t want to pack me something I liked, but I tried to trade it for something else.”

“So a vegemite sandwich is paste between two pieces of bread?”

“It’s usually spread on buttered bread and sometimes it has cheese on it.”

She wrinkled her nose at him and he laughed, “It’s not an American thing that’s for sure.  But it’s popular in European countries I think.  So I get to educate the chef on another food item.  Who knew?”

She laughed, “There’s a lot of things I’ve never tasted or used.  Especially ingredients from other countries.  I know some but there are a lot out there.  I saw a Thailand drink called Tango seed drink on the food channel today.  It looks like it has a bunch of tiny tadpoles in it but they are seeds.  I thought it was weird.”

“That is weird.  Not sure I would want to try it.”

“This from a man that comes from a country that eats kangaroo.”

He laughed, “I have never eaten it.”

After they had eaten, he told her he could clean up, but she insisted on helping.  He looked over at her while he was putting dishes in the dishwasher, “That was an amazing dinner, thank you.  And the tart is delicious.  I’ll take some to the station the day after tomorrow.  It will be gone fast.”

“I liked doing it.  I was wondering if I could pay you for staying here.  I would have had to pay if I was at a hotel.”

“Absolutely not.  That dinner was payment enough for a month.”  Relief washed over him.  She was staying.

A month?  She wondered how long her stay really would be.  It seemed as if she had known him longer than a couple of days, but there was a lot about him she did not know.  And she had to admit, she wanted to know.

They went into the living room and sat on the couch in front of his big screen TV.   He sat on the end and she sat on the far side of the middle.  He picked up the remote and handed it to her.

They watched a game show and both of them bantered back and forth about the answers. On one peculiar question, he gave an answer and she threw him a strange look, “Seriously?”

“Sure, it’ll be up there.”

“Won’t.”

“Will.”

When all the answers were revealed, his was one of them.  He grinned at her.

She shook her head, “Who would come up with an answer like that?”

“Two people did.”

She laughed, “Well, you’re one, now we have to find the one other person in the country who would have said it.”

It was close to eight o’clock when she looked over at him, “Sean, do you watch any cooking shows?”

“I haven’t but we can watch whatever you want.”

She grinned, “We have to watch this show.  It’s a cooking competition and they eliminate someone every week.“ She turned it on. 

During a commercial, she glanced over at him and caught him watching her.  “What?” she asked.

“Nothing.  Is he always cursing and yelling at the cooks?”

“Yes.  I think it makes for good TV.  He’s on another show and he’s really nice.”

“Did the cook you worked for yell?”

“Sometimes if we were really busy and the kitchen was running behind.  But not that often.”  She did not mention the time he almost made her cry.

The show came back on and in a tirade of yelling and foul language, Sean shook his head, “Why do they come on this show if they know they are going to get treated like this?”

She laughed, “He’s nice if you do a good job.  And everyone wants to win the big job of being head chef at one of his restaurants.  It pays really well and you have the prestige of working for one of the world’s best chefs.”

When the show was over, she handed him the remote.  “Thanks for letting me watch it.  I’m tired, I’m going to bed.  I never used to go to bed at nine but these days,” she shrugged.

He followed her, “Yeah, it’s been a busy day.”

When she went upstairs, he gave her a push on her back to help her negotiate the steps.  Halfway up he said, “You know I could carry you up a lot faster.”

She shook her no.  “I need the exercise.”

Before he went to his room, he said, “I have tomorrow off.  Do you want to go to town?”

“Sure.”  She suppressed the big smile she felt inside. 

When she awoke from a steamy dream involving the man down the hall, she sat up and got a drink of water.  She hugged her pillow and wondered if he was sleeping.  Of course, he was.  It was only 2 am.

Down the hall, Sean was having trouble sleeping.  He tried to force himself to relax and not think about her.  It was hard when all he could picture was the day they had met and she had fallen down on top of him in Walter’s house.  He still remembered the feel of her soft body pressed into his, his hand on her bare skin, and the amazing soft eyes he had gazed into.  And those goose bumps were interesting.  He shifted.  He had to stop or he wasn’t going to any sleep. 

Fifteen

At seven o’clock the next morning, she arose and took a shower.  She put on her favorite royal blue lace bra and panties.  She loved the color and the undergarments were comfortable.  It always made her feel feminine.  And she remarked to herself, it had nothing to do with the vivid and sizzling dreams she had last night.  Or the man she was spending the day with.

It had been an indulgence that she had allowed herself and she had not been sorry.  Even though no one would ever see it, she knew she had it on. It perked her up and she could use it after the days she had been through.  She had worn it under her work clothes the day after the chef had almost made her cry.  That day had been challenging and the chef had not been in a good mood.  Someone said they had heard that the chef and his wife had been arguing heatedly and there were rumors of a split up.  It made her feel more like a woman and less like a punching bag that day.

She peeked out of the bathroom.  No one around.  She heard Sean banging in the kitchen so she made a b-line to her room. 

When she picked up her shirt, she realized she had left her deodorant on the bathroom sink and of course, she had failed to put it on. She rolled her eyes at herself.  Great.  She didn’t want to get dressed without it.  Since she had heard Sean moving around downstairs, it would be safe.  The bathroom was right across the hall.  A very short trip.  Grab the deodorant and back here in a flash.

She peered out of her door and checked the hall, no noise.  No Sean.  She hurried across the short distance, at least what was a hurry for her, and grabbed the container.  She smiled.  She had never had to consider anyone would see her in her small apartment.  It had felt a little risky to come in dressed like this, but Sean was downstairs.  She giggled to herself. 

When she came out, Sean was standing at the top of the stairs, staring.  He looked frozen in place.  She flushed a bright red, there was nothing to hide behind.  She held the deodorant up to her chest.  Yeah, like that was going to hide anything. She tried to reason that at least she wasn’t naked.

Neither of them moved.  She realized finally that she was still standing there, half naked.  She bolted into her room and closed the door, leaning back on it.  She hoped she had looked more casual and less like a scared rabbit running for cover.  Or a deer caught in the headlights of a car on a dark road.

She sighed.  How awkward.  She was feeling that stare into the very depths of her body.  He had a different look on his face.  First it was stunned and then something else flickered across his handsome features.  She decided it was better not to think about it.  But she shivered, the goose bumps were back and he hadn’t even touched her.

What if he thought she had done it on purpose?  She was not extending an invitation.  Would he take it that way?

She dressed in jeans and a medium blue V-neck t-shirt.  Blue was her favorite color and she owned a lot of clothes in some shade of blue.  Maybe she should start wearing more colors.  She pulled her damp hair back into a ponytail.  She considered putting on a touch of make-up, something she rarely did.  She used the pink lip gloss she had worn to dinner at Maggie’s and a smattering of powder on her face.  Her lashes were naturally long and thick so she skipped any mascara.  Besides, she didn’t want to give him the wrong impression, especially after the hall scene.

What if he said something?  What could she possibly say back?  What if he gave her a weird look or worse, leered at her?  What if he saw that as a sign that she wanted him?  Well, she couldn’t stay upstairs forever.  She dampened down her fears, gathered her courage and went downstairs.

Sean was still thinking about the hall incident when Paul arrived.  He had been stunned and then he felt an all-male reaction, his body definitely reacted with heat.  He had to remind himself to breathe when he realized he was holding his breath in the hall.  She looked so damn sexy in that skimpy blue underwear.  Seeing her like that was more than he had even imagined.    It was an image he was going to remember for a very long time.

He knew she hadn’t done it on purpose, her red face and slight gasp had proven that.  He thought about the amazing body he had just seen, all curves and soft skin.  He swallowed hard and pushed away the stirrings in his body and concentrated on what Paul was saying.

When she got downstairs, she looked around hesitantly.  She was not sure how to face him.  She was relieved to see Sean was outside with a stranger.  The big man had a truck full of firewood and they were piling it on the back deck.

Sean was handling the wood with more get-up-and-go than usual.  He needed the exercise and to forget the hallway.  It took less time than usual.  Paul even remarked that he had unloaded and stacked faster than he normally did.  Sean was trying to decide how to handle going back into the house.  She would be there by now.  Play it like nothing had happened.  That would be best.  It would not embarrass her and he didn’t need to keep thinking about it.  Or he was the one who was going to be embarrassed by his body’s reactions.

She made some hot tea and sat sipping it while they worked.  When the man left, Sean came in.  She stared at the tea leaves.  What would they tell her if she believed in that sort of thing?  A handsome Australian American would enter her life?  What else would it say?  He would sweep her off her feet and fall madly in love with her?  She would like to know, but the future was unknown.

“Are you ready to go?”  He asked her casually.  He had heard her giggle, but decided he would not pursue it.  Maybe it was a nervous reaction.

Relieved that he was going to act as if nothing had happened, she asked with a big smile, “Where are we going?” 

“Several places.  You’ll see.”

“Oh, a mystery, huh?  I like mysteries.”

“More like a go with the flow to see what we feel like doing.”  He smiled at her.

“Okay.”

He took her out to the car, not the truck she noticed.  When he got in, he looked at her with a smile, “I thought we could take the car since the truck is so tall.  I never realized how tall it is.”

Until she had to get in it, she thought.  She was disappointed that she was unable to hop in and out of the vehicle.  It was obviously the vehicle he liked and used the most. 

She must have had a look on her face because Sean said, “I didn’t mean it the way it sounded.  I wasn’t trying to make you feel bad.”

She gave him a small smile.  “That’s okay, I understand.”

He was silent.  He was kicking himself for reminding her of her weakness.  Her smile was not convincing and he guessed it had hurt at least a little bit.

When they got into town, he stopped at a building next to a police precinct.

“Do you work there?”  She pointed at the police station.

“Yeah.  Most of the time we are out on patrol though.”

She followed him into what she quickly realized was a gym.  “There is always someone here that can help you.”

“Do you come here?”

“Yeah, most of the cops come in here to work out.”

“I hate exercising you know.”

He gave her a curious look.  “Really?  Why?”

“I think it’s boring, just walking and going nowhere or sitting on a bike and just peddling and still going nowhere.”  She shrugged.

He grinned, “It’s not that bad and you’ll like it more when you start seeing results.  I like it.”

She looked him over and then blushed.  She cleared her throat, “I’m sure you do.”

He laughed at her.  He had seen the look she had given him.  He was encouraged.  Did she like him?  Was she interested?  “You can always listen to music while you work out.  It makes the time go faster.  I do it for the job mostly.”

She simply murmured an um-hum.

He laughed at her again and led her over to a treadmill.

He showed her how to use it, but he put it at the lowest speed level.  “Take your time.  You can increase later when you get stronger.”  He stayed and watched her carefully, “Let’s do five minutes and quit.”

“I think I can do more.”

“Maybe, but it’s better to go slow and build up.  You have one more machine to use.  You’ll be surprised how weak you’re going to feel when you are done.”

He stood watching her and once in a while asked if she was still doing okay.  She liked it because he distracted her by talking to her the whole time.  She loved his accent.  He was interesting and she liked to listen to him. 

When she had reached her time, he held out a hand and she stepped off.  Her thighs were talking to her but she was stubbornly not going to admit to it.  They were feeling the workout.  She watched him wipe the machine with a cleaning wipe, as he explained that everyone was required to clean the machine before they moved on. 

She followed him over to a sitting machine with pedals and arm rods.  He told her it was called a recumbent bicycle.   Sean had her sit and then he showed her how to adjust the machine for her legs and arms and set the workout level. When he reached between her legs to get to the seat adjustment, he cleared his throat.  He took her hand and put it down to where she could feel the adjustment bar.

It was awkward, him holding her hand between her legs.  His head was bent and she smelled that spring rain smell again.  His hand between her legs, even though he was not touching her made her giddy, but she kept quiet.  The room was starting to feel very warm. 

She felt the bar he was talking about and he held his hand over hers as he showed her how to adjust it.  Whoa, she thought as the seat slide forward too fast and his hand ended up very close to her crotch. 

He stepped back but did not look at her for a moment.  He sounded a little hoarse when he spoke.  “Do 5 minutes on this.  You want to work up to 15 minutes on each, but take it slow.  Okay?”

She nodded yes as she worked on the machine.  “Can I try the other machines?”

He nodded, “Sure, but later when you are used to these.  How are you feeling?  Too tired?”

She shook her head no.  When she was done, she gave him a big smile, “Done.”

He smiled back, “You ripped it.  If you can do this two to three times a week, in a couple of weeks you will be able to see a difference.  It will be slow, but progress is progress.  Don’t do these machines without supervision at least for a little while.”

Couple of weeks?  He was acting as if she was staying.  She was uncertain of when her car would be ready, but what if it was done soon?  How was she going to feel? 

When she stood up, she immediately understood why he had said to work up to longer times.  Her legs were shaking.

“You okay?”  He put an arm around her and looked at her with some concern.

He must have seen the shake in her legs.  She liked the feel of his arm around her waist.  He made her feel steady and stronger.  “I’m fine.  What does it mean that I ripped it?” 

He laughed, “Sorry, it means you did fantastic.  I say things once in a while that are not American terms, remember I was born in another country.”

“Thanks.  I like the terms you say, just be patient if I don’t understand at first.”

“It’s okay.  I can even stump my partner once in a while, but he’s gotten used to me.  He even likes to look some up and try one on me.”

She wanted to will her legs into submission but she knew it was not possible.  She had tried it before.  Neither of them moved for a moment, he was holding her against his side and she was enjoying it.  But it was getting hot in here now.  She didn’t like to sweat and she felt as if she could start at any moment.  She did not start to sweat but those goose bumps were back.

He cleared his throat and broke the contact.  He glanced at her arms. 

Darn it.  What was wrong with her body?   Couldn’t it have some sense of dignity?

Sean led her over to the desk and introduced her to the gym attendant.  “Derrick is here during the week.  Steve does weekends.”

She whispered to him, “Do I have to pay?”

He smiled, “No, we get to come here for free.  I think the department pays for it.  Besides, I told them you were with me.  We can bring one person.”  He avoided the term guest.  It didn’t feel right to him.

“Oh.”  She wasn’t sure what to say.  She was the person he was going to bring?  Had he brought other women here?  She didn’t know him well enough to ask.  But she wanted to.  She was curious.

“Promise that you won’t get on the machines without having someone keeping an eye on you if I’m not here?”

She nodded yes.

“I can meet you before or after work sometimes, but my hours can change and I am going on night shift soon for two days, so you might have to come yourself.”

Night shift?  She would be in his house all alone at night?  She shook off her growing tentative feelings.  She was a big girl, she could handle it.  She had been alone in her apartment hadn’t she?  Still, it was nice knowing he was there in the house.

“Okay.  I’ll do it.”  She was all for doing something to get stronger.  But she added under her breath as they left, “I still don’t like exercising.”  He must have heard her because he chuckled.