Spiral of Bliss 02 Allure (6 page)

“So earlier today I was thinking.” Liv edges her leg between mine.

“About?”

“You know how it’s just us again? Like it was that first Christmas?”

“Yeah.”

“So I was thinking about how we both fantasized about each other when we were apart.”

My shoulders tense. I hate that phrase.
When we were apart.

“What were you thinking?” I ask, forcing my tone to stay even.

“Maybe we could tell each other exactly what we fantasized about.” She stares at my mouth, rubbing my lower lip.

“Uh…” I spread my hands over her ass and squeeze. “I fantasized about fucking you.”

She chuckles. “Well, I know that. I meant, maybe we could talk about the scenarios and stuff. Like I had this great fantasy of us doing it in the woods.”

“The woods?”

“Mmm-hmm, this grove of trees with the sun filtering through the branches, and you had me all spread out on a bed of pine needles that—”

“Scratched your pretty ass?”

Liv swats my chest. “It was very sexy and romantic.”

“Sounds uncomfortable.”

“You mean, you don’t want to hear how I was moaning and gasping in the throes of passion…”

I grasp the back of her neck and pull her closer for a kiss. “Why would I want to hear
how
you were moaning and gasping when I can just
make
you moan and gasp?”

She murmurs a low, husky sound that goes straight to my blood. She eases her lips from mine and squirms, rubbing her breasts against me.

“Because it would be exciting, you know?” she says. “Something different.”

I have no idea why we need anything different, but she’s looking at me with such expectation that there’s no way I can disappoint her. And if this idea means I can focus on Liv without anything else getting in the way, I’m all for it.

“Okay,” I agree. “Tell me your fantasies.”

She rolls her eyes. “Not all at
once
. I meant, like, over the next few weeks.”

“Okay.” I’m still a little baffled.

“And you do the same for me. Like a fantasy exchange.”

“Uh… can you write down the rules?”

Liv grins. “There’s only one rule.”

“Which is?”

“We both win.”

CHAPTER THREE

Olivia

January 15

rofessor Hottie alert.”

I glance up from the order invoice. Allie Lyons, my good friend and owner of The Happy Booker bookstore, is peering through the front window with a pair of plastic binoculars that came with a kid’s explorer kit.

“Quick.” She drops the binoculars back around her neck and comes over to the front counter, fluffing out her red curls. “How do I look?”

“Your nose is a little shiny.” I take her bag from beneath the counter and pass it across to her.

She digs around for her compact, powders her nose, and freshens her lipstick. She tilts her heart-shaped face toward me for approval. “How’s that?”

“Perfect.”

The bell over the door rings, and we watch as Dean enters the store. He’s handsome as ever with his dark brown hair ruffled by the wind, his cheeks flushed with cold. Beneath his open peacoat, he’s wearing a blue flannel shirt and jeans that hug his long legs. Although he spends much of his time in a lecture hall or at a desk, his shoulders and chest—his whole body—are hard and muscled from his athletic pursuits.

“Hi, Dean,” Allie says breathlessly.

“Hey, Allie.” His voice is like hot water sliding over a polished floor. “How’s that boyfriend of yours treating you?”

Allie smiles, her face getting a little pink. “Really well, thanks.”

“Good.” Dean reaches out to give my long ponytail a gentle tug. “And how’s that husband of yours treating you, Liv?”

I meet his gaze, my heart thumping at the potent combination of heat and tenderness in his eyes. “He does all right.”

“Guess he’d better work harder, huh?”

“Couldn’t hurt.”

“God, you two. Get a room.” Allie fans herself with a magazine and rolls her eyes.

Dean and I smile at each other before he pushes back his cuff and glances at his watch.

“Still off at four?” he asks.

“You can leave early if you want, Liv.” Allie glances around the store and sighs. “It’s not like I’m expecting a dozen people to come in during the next half-hour to stock up on New Year’s reading.”

The Happy Booker has had a tough year, what with a rent hike, customers who browse rather than buy, and a dwindling stock that has left several of the shelves bare. All of Allie’s efforts to increase business—kids’ parties, book clubs, educational seminars, Free Cookies and Milk Day—haven’t stopped the store’s downhill slide.

“Hey, a new biography of Darwin.” Dean hefts the hardcover up from the front display rack and gives it to me to ring up. “And a book about cosmic mysteries. And, um, a guide to aquaponic gardening. I’ve been wondering about that.”

He hands me a few more books. Allie shakes her head at me, her eyes bright with amusement behind her purple-framed glasses.

“Did you ever talk to Brent about finding a way to incorporate a café?” I ask her as Dean heads off to look at the history section.

“Too expensive,” Allie admits. “And I’d never get approved for another loan. I can barely pay off the one I already have, and my credit is maxed out. Brent is still paying off his student loans, and I really don’t want to ask my dad for more help.”

“What about opening the store to other events, like writing workshops?”

“I’d love to, but I don’t know how that will bring in much revenue.” She straightens up a few magazines with a discouraged sigh. “Heaven knows my children’s parties haven’t been much of a draw either.”

I glance to the back of the store, where Dean is browsing the shelves.

“What if I apply for a loan?” I ask Allie. “Like as a business partner?”

The instant the words are out of my mouth, my heart stutters. I’ve never even considered being a business partner before.

Allie blinks. “You want to invest in the bookstore?”

“I can try. If you want me to.”

“Are you kidding? I’d love you to be my partner.” The excitement in her eyes fades a bit. “But I don’t want you to feel obligated or go into debt just to bail me out.”

“If I’m a partner, I wouldn’t be bailing you out. I don’t think I would, anyway.”

“You’d be taking on my business debt, though, which is totally unfair. I can’t let you invest in a failing business.
You
can’t do that. It’s way too risky.”

“I’d rather do that than see you file for bankruptcy.” I hold up my hand to stop her from protesting again. “Honestly, Allie, I don’t know much about business. I don’t even know the steps in the loan application process. But at least let me look into it. If I can find a way to help you, then I really want to.”

She hesitates. “Okay, but promise you won’t do anything without talking to me first.”

“Promise.”

“New book about the siege of Leningrad too.” Dean approaches and puts three more books on the counter.

As I ring up the books, it occurs to me that I could ask Dean to invest in Allie’s bookstore. He would do it, too, without hesitation. But as easy as that would be, my exact words to Allie were,
“What if I apply for a loan?”
I did not say,
“What if I ask Dean for a loan?”

I swipe his credit card through the machine and slip the books into a paper bag. “Allie, are you sure you don’t want me to stay until closing?”

“No, Brent will be here any minute.” She waves us out the door. “Have a good afternoon. And thanks, both of you.”

I grab my coat from the back office and button it up as Dean and I go outside into the frozen, clear afternoon. Our breath puffs out in plumes of white.

“So where are we going?” I ask as we get into the car.

“You’ll see.”

He drives toward the university, but then detours into one of the residential neighborhoods that are populated by expensive, newer homes with views of the lake and mountains. When he pulls up in front of a Colonial-style house that looks as if it belongs in the glossy pages of
House Beautiful
, my breath sticks in my throat. There’s a For Sale sign in the front yard.

“Dean…”

“I haven’t made an offer yet,” he says. “But it looks great for us.”

“I don’t—”

He’s already getting out to greet a short-haired woman in a business suit who is walking toward us from a car parked on the street. They shake hands and speak as if they’ve met before.

“Liv, this is Nancy Walker with Regent Properties,” Dean tells me. “I contacted her for a showing.”

“I’m sure you’ll love it,” Nancy gushes as we head toward the front porch. “I told Dean it’s just the perfect family home.”

The house is gorgeous, everything so sleek and shiny that it reminds me of a museum. We take off our boots so we don’t muddy the floors. Nancy talks about the square footage (“almost five thousand!”), the size of the bedrooms (“perfect for every age child, from babies to teenagers!”), the quartz countertops (“maintenance-free!”), and the oak hardwood floors (“just refinished!”).

Then she and Dean launch into a discussion of the roof, the heating system, the warranty on the appliances, the property taxes, the size of the lot. Their voices almost echo in the vast spaces of the multiple rooms. The kitchen alone looks like it’s the size of our apartment.

“What do you think, Liv?” Nancy asks.

She and Dean are both looking at me expectantly.

“It’s beautiful,” I say truthfully.

“I’ll leave you two alone to talk for a few minutes.” Nancy digs her phone out of her purse as she heads back to the foyer.

“Do you like it?” Dean asks me. “If you like it, we’ll buy it.”

“Dean, love of my life, you don’t have to buy a house just because I like it.”

“I know I don’t have to. I want to.”

“Do
you
like it?”

“What’s not to like? We can’t live in that apartment forever. With the baby, we’ll need more space, a yard, another bedroom. This is a great school district. We wouldn’t have to think about moving anytime soon. It’s close to both the university and downtown. Not to mention it has an amazing view of the lake.”

The knots pull tighter in my stomach. “It… um, it must be terribly expensive.”

“We can afford it. The trust fund my grandfather left me has been sitting there for years, and I’ve gotten a great return on my investments. We wouldn’t even need to take out a mortgage, unless it makes financial sense.”

He looks through the large kitchen window at the backyard. “I like that it’s on a quiet street. Property values in this neighborhood have been stable for years, so if we did need to sell we likely wouldn’t have to take a loss. Good investment, in addition to being necessary.”

I run my hand over the gleaming quartz countertop. I’ve never thought of a house as necessary. Houses put you into debt and create a thousand worries. It’s hard to leave a place if you own a house. Or if you lose a house for some reason, you could end up with nowhere to go. When I was living with my aunt Stella, I was always afraid that she might kick me out of her house. Like my mother’s parents did to her when she got pregnant with me.

“Better that we buy now when we have time to get organized,” Dean says, turning back to face me. “Our apartment lease expires in July, so we can spend the next few months figuring out what we need to buy. We can stay at the apartment until the house is furnished and we’re ready to move in. There’s that huge furniture store over near Rainwood. We can probably buy everything there, including the crib. Plenty of time to fix anything that needs fixing, hire a cleaning service, get tools and a lawnmower, change our address on all our paperwork.”

“We don’t have to do all of that right now.”

“We’re not waiting until you’re seven or eight months pregnant before we buy a house,” he argues. “You don’t need that stress.”

“I mean… we don’t have to buy a house anytime soon. Babies are tiny, right? Our apartment is fine for now.”

“Liv, it’ll be a lot more hassle trying to close on a house when we have a baby.” He studies me. “Don’t you want this house?”

Although his tone is curious and not reproving, I feel about two inches tall and horribly ungrateful. What kind of person wouldn’t leap at such an offer?

I loosen my fingers from the edge of the counter. “I just don’t want you to think you have to be so extravagant.”

“It’s a necessity, not an extravagance. Yeah, we could get something smaller, but with this place there’s no worry about running out of space or having to move because of the school district. It’s a great, safe neighborhood too.”

“What about work?”

“What about it?”

“What if you get a better job offer somewhere else?”

“Then we’ll deal with that, if it happens. But I can’t imagine an offer that would be better than what I have at King’s. The conference is coming up, I have classes and papers, students to advise, tenure track, a top-level salary. There’s no good reason for me to look for another job. And now that you’re pregnant… what better place for us to stay than Mirror Lake?”

He’s got it all figured out. I have no counterargument, and I don’t want to think about my reasons for trying to come up with one.

“It’s a beautiful house,” I repeat.

He gives me a smile that makes his eyes crinkle at the corners.