Still (23 page)

She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this alive.

He made a hungry noise as she toyed with his nipple ring, twisting it slowly as their tongues stroked each other. The banked fire from their earlier encounter roared to life and she was suddenly frantic for his touch, trying to take off her shirt without moving away from him. Her tank top was halfway off when the front doorbell rang. With a muttered oath she pulled her shirt back into place and gave Wyatt a narrow-eyed look.

“Did you put on a pair of briefs?”

He grinned at her and squeezed the outline of his cock through the silky jogging pants. “Yep. Sorry, Domina, but running with an erection is painful without support.”

The doorbell rang again. “Stay right there. I’ll deal with you as soon as I’m done with whoever that is.”

She smoothed her shirt, grimacing at how her nipples stuck out. Wyatt chuckled and she shot him a death glare. After taking a deep breath she opened the door and saw a middle-aged woman standing on her steps. She had dark hair pulled back in a ponytail and around her eyes and bracketing her mouth were laugh lines. Dressed in a pair of faded jeans and a bright blouse she looked like the epitome of a soccer mom. Michelle looked into her hazel eyes and knew who the other woman was before she said a word.

She had her brother’s eyes.

“Let me guess, you’re here for Wyatt?”

“Yes. I’m his sister, Joy. He asked me to bring him some tools?” She pointed to a large black metal toolbox at her feet.

“Please, do come in. My name is Michelle.”

She held her hand out for a shake, but Joy surprised her by pulling her into a hug then kissing both her cheeks. “I know who you are. You’re the woman who saved my brother’s life. Thank you. Just…thank you.”

Michelle blinked back unexpected tears, her throat burning at the naked relief and gratitude plain her face. “I-you’re welcome.”

Joy blinked rapidly and fanned her face, looking back to what had to be her minivan. “Look at me, getting all weepy. Where is that brother of mine? If he thinks I’m hauling the rest of his stuff up from the minivan he’s crazy.”

Wyatt’s voice came from behind Michelle. “As if I would ever do that.”

“There you are!” Joy looked at his bare chest and frowned. “When did you get those done? If mom sees them she’s going to have a litter of kittens.”

Michelle watched Wyatt hem and haw, amused by his sudden bashfulness. “I don’t know, a while ago.”

With a sniff Joy put her hands on her hips. “Well that’s it. You can’t take your shirt off around my boys anymore. Bad enough they want tattoos like Uncle Wyatt, I’m not about to deal with them trying to pierce their own nipples as well.”

“Awww, you’re no fun.” He moved out onto the steps with Joy. “You want to come in and have a drink?”

Joy sighed and shook her head. “I wish I could but I have to pick up Adam’s band uniform before the game tonight and Jason has an orthodontist appointment and-”

“Okay, okay, I get it.”

“Your stuff is in the trunk.”

He nodded and meandered off towards the minivan, looking hot as sin in the full sunlight.

Joy moved next to her and lowered her voice. “Please don’t take offense to this, but my husband, Officer Phelps, let me know that you're aware of what’s going on with Wyatt. Did my brother tell you about the PTSD attack at the mall?”

Keeping a pleasant smile on her face, Michelle shook her head. “No, what happened?”

Joy spoke rapidly while Wyatt began to dig through the trunk of the minivan. “Something set him off, what I don’t know, but that’s not important. He was about to beat some guy's ass for bumping into him and I stepped between them to try and stop it.” Wyatt grunted as he lifted a red metal tool box out and set it on the ground. “He almost hit me.”

“What?”

“He didn’t see me. His brain checked out and I was another enemy. Thank God he came back to the real world. He’s coming. Look, be careful. He would never hurt you, he worships you, but if he did he’d never forgive himself.”

The trunk slammed and both women jumped. Michelle pulled Joy into another hug and whispered in her hear, “Thank you.”

Wyatt must have been coming near because Joy held her back at arm’s length with a smile that looked as fake as Michelle’s felt. “Well, he’s my little brother. As disgusting as he is we’d still love to have you both over for a bar-b-que next week.”

“Sounds great. I’ll check my schedule and get back with you.”

“Please do. You can get my cell number and email from Wyatt.”

He climbed up the steps next to them, the muscles of his shoulders bulging from carrying the heavy toolboxes. “Michelle, where can I put these?”

Joy started down the steps, her dark ponytail flipping behind her. “Have fun, you two. Call me if you need me. And Michelle, it was a real pleasure meeting you.”

Michelle waved and Wyatt sighed. “Sorry about that. Joy is a touchy feely person.”

Using both hands, Michelle lugged the third tool box as she followed Wyatt into the foyer. “She seems really nice.”

“Oh, she is. She’s just very nosy.” He gave her a speculative look. “What was she telling you on the steps?”

Giving him a sweet smile she said, “Girl stuff. Follow me. I’ll set you up in the man cave.”

“The what?”

“You’ll see.”

She led him down the hall to the right, past a small sitting room and to a pair of swinging doors. Using her butt, she nudged them open and Wyatt followed her inside. As she set the toolbox down on one of the massive slate counters he let out a soft whistle.

“Wow, Doc, I never would have pictured you having a man cave like this.”

She grinned and turned around, looking around the big room with its various cabinets, racks, and peg boards. “This used to be the hobby room for the previous owner. I was thinking about turning it into something else but hadn’t quite decided what yet.”

Wyatt ran his hands over the cupboards and smiled. “Now it makes sense.”

“What makes sense?”

“Well, some parts of your house are beautifully crafted…while others are…not so beautifully crafted.”

Her spine stiffened. “Like what?”

“Now don’t go getting all offended. It’s just that some of the work on your renovations is sloppy.”

“Sloppy how.”

He drifted past her, looking out the windows that faced Yuki’s cabin in the distance, then turned around and wandered back over to the peg board, running his hand down the uneven surface. “Have you figured out what you want me to build first.”

Heat instantly blazed through her and she had to resist the urge to clap with glee. “I have an idea. Do you need me to describe it or draw it?”

“It would help if you drew it.”

“Okay, one second, let me go get a pen and paper.”

By the time she got back to the hobby room he’d begun putting his tools away. Shiny chisels of all shapes and sizes hung from the peg board, their handles colored with the patina of use. Her heart constricted at how right he looked here, like this was his home. She tried to push that feeling away, telling herself that he was in no state to make such life altering decisions right now, but oh how she hoped that he would stay after his month was up.

“Here, let me show you what I’m thinking of.”

After she drew a rough sketch, he looked from her, to the paper, and back to her again. “Is this going to be used for what I think it’s going to be used for?”

She smiled and shrugged. “Maybe. You’ll have to wait and see.”

He frowned down at the sketch. “You wouldn’t happen to have an adjustable bench, like a weight bench would you? I can do the incline, but having it pre-built would allow me to get this done by tonight.”

Everything south of her belly button clenched in delicious anticipation. “As a matter of fact I do. Out in the garage is a weight set along with benches and a bunch of other crap. Eventually, it’s all going to go into my gym, but I’m more than happy to sacrifice whatever you need. Just make sure you put the hole where I want it.”

He leaned closer to the drawing, making notes and muttering to himself. “Do you have a truck I could use?”

“Of course I do. Really, how could I live in Texas on a ranch and not have a truck?”

He grinned, but his gaze was still distant. “In that case, I’m going into town. You need anything while I’m out? I mean, Domina, can I get you anything?”

She smiled and brushed his hair back. “Get a haircut, but leave it long enough for me to grab onto.”

He laughed and ran his hands through his hair. “Yeah, it’s starting to bug the shit out of me. Can’t stand it when it gets in my eyes.”

She leaned up on tip-toe, only the thought of the pleasure that would come once his project was complete holding her back from jumping him. “I’m going to go wash up. If you’re going to be playing in here for the rest of the afternoon I might as well get caught up on my work.”

“Might repurpose some furniture,” he said in a distracted voice. “Do you like pine?”

Laughing, she walked towards the singing doors. “You do whatever it is you do best, Wyatt. I can’t wait to see what you come up with. I trust you.”

She pushed the doors open and as they swung closed behind her she thought she heard him say, “I trust you too, Domina.”

*****

Michelle looked up from her computer screen, her eyes burning from staring at the monitor for so long. She’d spent the afternoon catching up on business with her financial planner, a dry, boring, long process that, nonetheless, needed all of her concentration. Her phone had buzzed a few times, but since it was just Yuki she let it go to voice mail. If it was an emergency her friend knew where to find her.

She pushed her chair back and stretched out her arms and legs, the tightening and release of her muscles making her sigh. A low growl came from her stomach and she wondered what Yuki was going to make for dinner tonight. She’d promised her friend that she and Wyatt would actually have a sit down dinner with her and James over at their cabin. While she knew that the meal would only sharpen her appetite for other things, she couldn’t wait to try out the queening chair Wyatt was making for her.

Standing, she smoothed her long turquoise blue skirt and slipped her sandals on from their spot beneath her desk. She grabbed her cellphone and strolled over to the window with a view of the pasture, watching Pants run around and try to get Goddess to play. The mare pretended to be indifferent, lipping at the grass while Pants raced around her. Then Pants got a little bit too close and she nipped at him. Well she didn’t actually try to bite him, her teeth were never even near his body, but Pants spazzed out like she’d taken a big chunk out of his neck.

Laughing at the horses' antics, she checked her messages. One was from her mother, one was from the plumber, and the next one made her pause. It was a message from Connie, double checking that Michelle would be able to make the wedding/collaring ceremony next week in Chicago. Connie then casually brought up that she’d talked to Yuki who'd mentioned that Michelle had a boyfriend and asked if Michelle would like to bring him as a guest.

Her heart took a sickening lurch and she closed her eyes, leaning her forehead against the glass. She and Connie had been good friends and she’d been one of Owen’s best friends. Irrational guilt hit her at the thought of bringing Wyatt to her wedding. It should have been Owen at her side, but he was gone and had been for a long, long time. Still, at times like this he felt close enough to touch, and a sickening knot formed in her stomach. Was he watching her right now? Was he mad that she’d given his place to someone else?

Trying to shake off her unreasonable train of thought she brought her phone back up to her ear and listened to the next message. It was Yuki, and she needed some ingredients from Michelle’s kitchen. Pausing the message, Michelle went over to her desk and grabbed her pen and notepad, restarting the message and writing down the list of stuff Yuki needed. She was glad her friend had called, because this would give her an excuse to go visit and let Yuki tell her what a dumbass she was for feeling guilty.

Maybe if she heard it enough times she’d actually start to believe it.

With the list in hand she made her way through the quiet house to the kitchen, trying to listen for Wyatt. She paused for a moment when she didn’t hear the muted rumble of power tools from the other side of the house. Then she remembered all the chisels and such he’d been hanging up in the hobby room and shook her head at her own foolishness. When Wyatt said he was going to make something by hand he’d obviously meant it. She wondered if he was one of those purists who wouldn’t use modern technology to make things.

Late afternoon sunlight streamed through the wide bay window in the kitchen and she felt a contentment that had been missing from her life for a very long time. That warmth seeped through her, easing the knot in her gut and letting her take a full breath. A flash of color near the sink caught her eye and she gasped in delight at the beautiful vase full of multi-colored roses. There had to be close to three dozen and the closer she got the more their scent perfumed the air.

A white notecard stuck out from the top and she put Yuki’s list to the side, eager to read it and shredding the envelope in her haste.

Michelle
,

I wasn’t sure what your favorite rose was; there is still so much about you that remains a mystery to me, so I got you one of every color they had.

Wyatt
.

A giggle escaped before she could stop it, a light, carefree sound that tinkled through the kitchen like chimes. She read the note and giggled again, glancing down the hallway to make sure Wyatt wasn’t there to see her acting like a besotted teenager. Setting the card to the side she brought the vase over into the sunlight streaming over the counter and slowly looked at each and every rose in the bouquet. After careful deliberation, she finally picked a golden rose with hints of baby pink and tangerine orange around the tips of the petals. It was so beautiful, feminine, and delicate. Something that reminded her of the way Wyatt made her feel.

She found a slender crystal vase in the cabinet below the sink and filled it with water before setting the single blossom in it. Her stomach growled again and with a reluctant sigh she left the rose in its puddle of sunlight and began to gather up the ingredients on Yuki’s list. When she reached her request for a bottle of white wine she looked for the one Wyatt had opened earlier. Unable to find it, she rationalized that maybe he’d poured it out, thinking it had gone bad.