Willow (12 page)

“
You need to leave, Jared. This isn’t going to work. We both know—”

The sounds coming from down the hall startled her. The dogs. Marta didn’t tell her the dogs were in the house and she didn’t have time to open the door now. She hopped off the counter and stood in front of Jared as they came barreling into the kitchen.

“
Stay,” she said sternly as the door slammed open. But it was too late, they had missed her. And before she knew it, she and Jared were tumbled to the floor and two full grown labs where on top of them.

~Chapter 12~

Jared couldn’t believe the dogs. When they had come full tilt into the kitchen, he thought the house was coming down. And when the two of them saw Willow, they had nearly shaken themselves to death to get her to touch them. The three of them were on the back deck now and Jared was finishing up dinner. He looked out the door when he heard her whistle. Smiling, he wondered if he would ever not be surprised by something she could do.

The door opening had him turn. She came in first and then the dogs. She snapped her fingers and they immediately sat down, but were nearly vibrating to get up again. They didn’t move as she took off the huge coat that she had grabbed the minute they had untangled themselves from them and ordered them outside. Under the coat, she had on her flannel, the sexy little bra and panty set that he had discovered before they had been interrupted, and a pair of work boots. Jared wanted to peel everything back off her and taste.

“
They’re beautiful. What’re their names?” He looked up from the salad he was making to look at her. “Willow?”

“
I didn’t name them. I rescued them from a shelter when they were ten weeks old. And the lady there told me that it’s bad luck to change a dog’s name. She told me it would make them stupid.” They both looked over at the dogs who were currently trying to eat each other’s tails. “Okay, stupider.”

Jared looked at her staring at the dogs. She loved them, he realized. For as much as she called them stupid, she really loved them. But she still hadn’t told him their names.

“
So what are their names?” he pulled the skillet of curried chicken off the burner and dumped the pasta in a large colander. He looked down at her when she got on the floor with them again.

“
The chocolate one is Come Here and the golden one is Damn It.”

He nearly bobbled the pot of water when he figured it out. “Their names are Come Here, Damn It? You’re making that up.” But he could tell that she wasn’t.

The dogs, thinking he was calling them, leapt up off the floor and lunged for him. He knew he was a goner and braced for the impact. The shrill whistle brought them to a halt in mid jump. Both of them hit the floor and didn’t move. Neither did Jared.

“
Bed. Now.” And Jared found himself looking for one to climb into. The dogs must have understood they had pissed their mistress off because they left the room with their tails between their legs and heads bowed.

Jared looked at her and fell in love.

The feeling didn’t just hit him; it washed over him like a soft rain in a violent storm. He grabbed for the counter and leaned back against it as it came together. Christ almighty, he’d fallen in love. Fallen in love with Willow James. He’d fallen in love so quickly he had no doubt whatsoever that it was real. When he realized she was saying something, he looked at her.

“…
today. I don’t know why you didn’t just go—”

Pulling her to him, he kissed her, claimed her, and conquered her. Her mouth opened under his assault and he took the kiss deeper. When she moved against him, Jared picked her up and sat her back on the counter without breaking contact with her mouth. The buttons on the flannel didn’t stand a chance and scattered around the room as he took the barrier off. Sliding his mouth down her throat to her neck, he ran his tongue along her warm skin and laved it. Coming to the strap of her bra, he moved it down her arm as he kissed the skin as he went.

She was delicious, she was hot. Jared wanted her with all his being. Nuzzling her breast through the bit of lace holding her, he bit at the nipple straining hard against the fabric. Her back arched in his hands and he held her still as he moved to the other side, to the other strap, moving it down her, working to free her. When both straps were down on her arms, he took both her hands, put them behind her, and held them.

“
Don’t touch me. I want to savor you and when you put your hands on me, I lose control.” Even he barely recognized his own voice. At her nod, Jared lifted both breasts in his palms, buried his face between the bits of lace, and wrapped her scent around him.

A different kind of need took him. He wanted her, but not just her body. He wanted her. All of her. But even as he suckled at her breast through the cloth, he knew that telling her he loved her would make her panicky, make her bolt. So for now, right this minute, he was going to show her.

Opening the small tab at the front of her bra, he left the cups in place. Taking his time, he watched the heavy orbs fill his hands and he brushed his thumb under the lace just enough to touch her nipples. They were hard and peaked, begging him to take them. He lifted the bra out of his way and stroked them at his leisure. Looking at Willow’s face, Jared knew that loving her would make him happier than anything he’d ever done. But he had to follow through on his plan, more so now that he realized he loved her.

“
Jared, please. I need you to touch me more. I hurt for you, for your touch.”

She didn’t move her hands, but the rest of her body canted and rolled against his. Her panties were soaked and though he was still wearing his jeans, he could feel her heat. Moving his right hand down to her belly, he watched the play of emotions move across her face.

His fingers barely skimmed her muscled abdomen, but he could feel them there as they rippled and moved. He brushed his finger against her soft folds and her breath quickened as her legs opened wider. Jared wanted to free his straining cock and drive it into her, but he simply pressed hard on her clit with his thumb once, twice, and then the third time, she came. Before she could fully peak, he pulled away and stepped back.

His body was on fire. His need had tripled when he heard her whimper. His heart pounding hard inside his chest, he took another step back before he trusted himself to speak.

“
Dinner is about ready. Will that hold you until we’re finished?” he turned his back to her or it wouldn’t work.

With a great deal of concentration, Jared started to re-heat the chicken and then serve it onto platters. When he turned back to her, she was still sitting on the counter, her bra hanging at her arms and her panties in place. He had to say her name twice before she focused on him.

“
It’s time to eat. Are you hungry? If you want to put on another shirt, I’ll put things on the table.” he moved quickly, not sure what she would do.

The dining room, like the kitchen, was beautiful. The long table in this room had six chairs down each side and one at each end sat on a knotty pine floor. The bright walnut wood gleamed under the huge crystal chandelier that was nearly three feet wide. The walls were cream-colored and the border around the room was simply swirls of deep greens and blues. The built-in glass fronted china cabinet on the left wall was filled with blue and green plates and glasses that matched the set and there were enormous wine and champagne flutes as well. The other cabinet matched in all except the color of the china. In this one, the plates were a holiday pattern, snowmen and trees, Santas and sleds. The glasses were whimsical as well in not only color, but in shape. He had to smile when he saw the small cups and matching saucers that were shaped like snowmen made of marshmallows. Taking out a blue and a green place setting, he was just finishing the table when he heard her come into the room.

She had changed into a pair of sweats and a large sweatshirt. He nearly burst out laughing when he noticed that she had on heavy socks and her hair was pulled back tight from her face. He knew what she was doing and he was delighted that she thought bundling up her body would keep him from it.

“
I appreciate you making dinner,” she huffed at him. “But when we’re done, you have to go. I’ve got things I have to do tonight and entertaining you isn’t on the list.” he smiled and went into the kitchen to bring them dinner.

The kitchen was a cook’s dream. Not only because it boasted all the most up-to-date appliances, but it was big and open, airy and inviting. The refrigerator was a double wide with a small freezer beneath and an icemaker in the door. The stainless steel front matched the two dishwashers. The counters were a deep sea green tile with a darker green grout. Marta had told him that her mistress had put them in on her own and it had taken her nearly a week to do it. He would bet there were at least thirty feet of counter space along the walls and in the middle isle. The cabinets were glass fronted like the china cabinets in the other room, but these were frosted and well-lit. The stove top, a drop in, had six burners and a deep fryer, he discovered, when he’d removed the covering. He loved working with a gas stove and marveled at how much fun he could have creating.

There was skylight in the ceiling over the island that made the work area filled with natural light. When he’d looked up earlier, he could see that lights, several of them, had been put surrounding the opening, but not so intrusive that they blocked the natural light coming in during the day. The sink and garbage disposal in the counter and woven baskets on shelves beneath made working easier, as did the corner sink in the counters around the walls. Along the wall across from him was a set of built-in ovens, one standard, the other convection.

The other things were vast and unique, as were the decorations that he could see that Willow had added. A large sun dial hung on the wall above the sink; a large cauldron sat on the floor next to the door and held umbrellas. There was a bright painting on the wall that someone had painted there rather than hung and when he looked, it bore the name “James,” but nothing more. He picked up the two platters of food and backed his way into the dining room. He was about to start phase two of what he had called “Willowgate.”

~o0o~

Like everything else she did, Willow ate with gusto. She had planned to eat quickly and make him leave, but the meal was so delicious that she found herself lingering over it just to savor it. He drank a glass of wine while she had tea, and her salad had dark olives while his did not. How he had figured out she loved olives was beyond her, but she liked that he had gone to the trouble. When the dinner was over, she went to get the pups.

“
How long have you had them? They are very well behaved when they realize you’re staying, aren’t they?” She looked up at him from petting Here and he was giving the same lavish treatment to It.

“
About six months. They had been dropped off at the shelter with name tags on them and a note saying they were just too much. I contacted the previous owners before I took them and she said that she didn’t realize that puppies could be so much work and she lived in an apartment. And after her sleaze boyfriend had named them and dumped them on her, she couldn’t really afford to keep their care up anymore either.” She sat back in her chair and watched Jared do the same. “They were in good health and they aren’t that much trouble.”

“
Marta helps you, I suppose, with them, I mean. It’s a beautiful house, Willow. How long have you owned it?”

She looked around. Yeah, it was becoming a beautiful house. “Ten years. I bought it from the city when they were renovating this area. Several of the houses had been slated for demolition, but this one and three others came up to code but needed a…they said work, but it was more like a rebuild. But I’ve had fun. And in a few years, I’ll sell it and move to the next project.”

“
I’ll buy it. I don’t care what you’re asking, I’ll buy it. Hell, I’ll buy it now. It’s perfect for what I want.”

She laughed. “You’ve only seen this floor, Robert. For all you know, the rest of the house could be shit. I’ve got four of the bedrooms finished, but there are several more. Plumbing is complete, as is the wiring, but the walls aren’t. I work on it when I can now, and more later. The roof I hired out to finish. It was too high for me and I know very little about shakes roofs.

He stood up and held out his hand. “Show it to me.”

Did she want him in her house? No. Not really. Okay, she did. It was tempting to just tell him it was time to leave, but if he wanted to see it then she would show it to him, the things that only another person who worked construction might see. She didn’t want to admit it, but she wanted his opinion too.

“
All right, but then you leave. I mean it. I have to get things ready and you’re a major distraction.” His laugh made her realize how that sounded, but she left it alone.

They carried their dinnerware into the kitchen and put everything on the counter. He let the dogs out to play while she filled their dishes. When they all came back in, he had a dusting of snow on him.

“
It’s snowing? It’s only October.” She ran to the door and looked out. It hadn’t stuck yet, but it was coming down in big, fluffy flakes. Willow loved the winter more than any other season. Pulling herself away, she led him out of the kitchen from the door opposite of the dining room.

“
This is what my mom calls the family room. I call it my room. The walls aren’t finished yet, but I think in a few more weeks I’ll have them primed and ready. The wallpaper in here was hideous.”