Broken Open
Page 71
And then slid her hand down her belly to the place they were joined.
His gaze followed and then he devoured every move she made, watching greedily as she drove herself into another orgasm, taking him along with her.
She slumped against him, her head on his shoulder. He kissed her neck, picking her up and cleaning himself off before snuggling with her again.
“I’m never going to read up here again without having to jerk off.”
She laughed. “If you’d like, we can christen every room in your house this way.”
“What I’d like to know is who wouldn’t like that?” He kissed her again.
“There’s a sound that I think might be a cat trying to climb up a ladder.”
He didn’t have time to answer before Peanut bounded over the edge and landed, chittering a greeting as she hopped up onto the back of the couch and curled around Ezra’s head.
“Honestly, I can’t have you to myself anywhere.” Tuesday stood, pulling her panties back on. “Your other fans are not happy you’ve retreated.” She peered below. “Goldfish is pissed off. Loopy, well, I’m pretty sure she’d have that same sweet face no matter what.”
“Come on. We’ll go back. I’ll let you work awhile before we go for round two.”
Even better, she didn’t put her shirt back on the whole rest of the night.
* * *
ONE THING TUESDAY had discovered about Ezra was that he, too, seemed to have issues with insomnia, though his seemed less severe. On average she got about five hours a night. Sometimes she napped. Sometimes she tried not to nap to make herself tired.
She’d tried sleeping pills but they’d made the nightmares come back and she’d rather have insomnia than relive all the shittiest moments of her life over and over.
So she was up and working for several hours before the sun began to rise. She’d let Loopy out and she and the cats had come to an agreement that they’d be allowed in the room with her when she worked but only if they stayed away from her table. Most of the time they obeyed.
Ezra shuffled in at just before five. “How long have you been awake?”
“A little while.”
She moved to him, loving the sleep-warm embrace he gave her. “Morning. How long has it been that you’ve had trouble sleeping?”
“On and off since the accident when I was a kid. And then after Eric got sick it came back in full force. I’ve lived on three hours a night. It’s better now.” With him she rested.
He looked at her carefully and then kissed her forehead. “What helps?”
“It’s one of the reasons I like to be physically active. I sleep best after a really full day. Anyway, you don’t sleep much, either.”
He shook his head. “No. I spent a lot of time totally out of it. My chemistry is messed up even now. But like you, I sleep better after I’ve had a really hard workout. Which bodes well since a certain gorgeous woman has kept me very busy. Now, speaking of that, I owe you breakfast for several hours of incredibly fun playdate last night.” He kissed her and she laughed.
“Ooh good. I’m hungry. And I need coffee. I did make some tea so there’s hot water.”
She followed him out of the office, closing the door to felines who wanted to test the mettle of her resolve to keep them out if they broke her rules.
“She’s on to you,” he told the cats as he opened the curtains off the kitchen to flood the room in morning light.
Tuesday made coffee while Ezra made a huge stack of blueberry pancakes.
It was easy, this rhythm. It fit into her life without feeling intrusive.
“I’ll take you down to your gallery or to your house. Whichever you need,” he said after they’d cleaned up and were headed out to take her back to town.
“Home, please. I’ll drop this stuff off.”
* * *
“SO, HERE’S WHAT I was thinking,” he said as they parked in her driveway and he’d keyed the car off.
“Uh-oh.”
He grinned. “Hush. What time do you have to be at your stall in Portland tomorrow?”
“Nine. I leave here at seven-fifteen or so. It gives me time to find a place to park and get my stuff set up. I think Natalie and Paddy are driving up after she gets finished at the library. You can catch a ride with them and I’ll meet you at my parents’ house.”
“I was thinking I’d go with you in the morning. Help you set your stall up. I could stay if you needed it, but if you don’t I’ve got a number of things I need to do in Portland. My accountant is there and I have to pick up a jacket that you probably don’t even care about. Anyway, I have errands so I’ll do those and come back when you’re ready to go and head to your family’s place.”
“Is your accountant open on Saturday?”
“My accountant is open whenever I need him to be.” He shrugged.
“When you get all arrogant like that? It makes my nipples rock-hard.”
“Why do you tell me this stuff when my brother is standing on your porch and I have to get back to deal with alfalfa and alfalfa-related issues?”
She leaned over, kissing him soundly as she ignored Paddy, who was indeed on her porch. “Because I’m a villain. Okay, you can come with me to Portland if you really want to. Thank you.”
“It’ll be easiest if you sleep at my place, don’t you think? Then we can head out from there? How about I come over after work and we can load whatever you need into my truck? I’ll have it in the garage all night so it’ll be safe.”
His gaze followed and then he devoured every move she made, watching greedily as she drove herself into another orgasm, taking him along with her.
She slumped against him, her head on his shoulder. He kissed her neck, picking her up and cleaning himself off before snuggling with her again.
“I’m never going to read up here again without having to jerk off.”
She laughed. “If you’d like, we can christen every room in your house this way.”
“What I’d like to know is who wouldn’t like that?” He kissed her again.
“There’s a sound that I think might be a cat trying to climb up a ladder.”
He didn’t have time to answer before Peanut bounded over the edge and landed, chittering a greeting as she hopped up onto the back of the couch and curled around Ezra’s head.
“Honestly, I can’t have you to myself anywhere.” Tuesday stood, pulling her panties back on. “Your other fans are not happy you’ve retreated.” She peered below. “Goldfish is pissed off. Loopy, well, I’m pretty sure she’d have that same sweet face no matter what.”
“Come on. We’ll go back. I’ll let you work awhile before we go for round two.”
Even better, she didn’t put her shirt back on the whole rest of the night.
* * *
ONE THING TUESDAY had discovered about Ezra was that he, too, seemed to have issues with insomnia, though his seemed less severe. On average she got about five hours a night. Sometimes she napped. Sometimes she tried not to nap to make herself tired.
She’d tried sleeping pills but they’d made the nightmares come back and she’d rather have insomnia than relive all the shittiest moments of her life over and over.
So she was up and working for several hours before the sun began to rise. She’d let Loopy out and she and the cats had come to an agreement that they’d be allowed in the room with her when she worked but only if they stayed away from her table. Most of the time they obeyed.
Ezra shuffled in at just before five. “How long have you been awake?”
“A little while.”
She moved to him, loving the sleep-warm embrace he gave her. “Morning. How long has it been that you’ve had trouble sleeping?”
“On and off since the accident when I was a kid. And then after Eric got sick it came back in full force. I’ve lived on three hours a night. It’s better now.” With him she rested.
He looked at her carefully and then kissed her forehead. “What helps?”
“It’s one of the reasons I like to be physically active. I sleep best after a really full day. Anyway, you don’t sleep much, either.”
He shook his head. “No. I spent a lot of time totally out of it. My chemistry is messed up even now. But like you, I sleep better after I’ve had a really hard workout. Which bodes well since a certain gorgeous woman has kept me very busy. Now, speaking of that, I owe you breakfast for several hours of incredibly fun playdate last night.” He kissed her and she laughed.
“Ooh good. I’m hungry. And I need coffee. I did make some tea so there’s hot water.”
She followed him out of the office, closing the door to felines who wanted to test the mettle of her resolve to keep them out if they broke her rules.
“She’s on to you,” he told the cats as he opened the curtains off the kitchen to flood the room in morning light.
Tuesday made coffee while Ezra made a huge stack of blueberry pancakes.
It was easy, this rhythm. It fit into her life without feeling intrusive.
“I’ll take you down to your gallery or to your house. Whichever you need,” he said after they’d cleaned up and were headed out to take her back to town.
“Home, please. I’ll drop this stuff off.”
* * *
“SO, HERE’S WHAT I was thinking,” he said as they parked in her driveway and he’d keyed the car off.
“Uh-oh.”
He grinned. “Hush. What time do you have to be at your stall in Portland tomorrow?”
“Nine. I leave here at seven-fifteen or so. It gives me time to find a place to park and get my stuff set up. I think Natalie and Paddy are driving up after she gets finished at the library. You can catch a ride with them and I’ll meet you at my parents’ house.”
“I was thinking I’d go with you in the morning. Help you set your stall up. I could stay if you needed it, but if you don’t I’ve got a number of things I need to do in Portland. My accountant is there and I have to pick up a jacket that you probably don’t even care about. Anyway, I have errands so I’ll do those and come back when you’re ready to go and head to your family’s place.”
“Is your accountant open on Saturday?”
“My accountant is open whenever I need him to be.” He shrugged.
“When you get all arrogant like that? It makes my nipples rock-hard.”
“Why do you tell me this stuff when my brother is standing on your porch and I have to get back to deal with alfalfa and alfalfa-related issues?”
She leaned over, kissing him soundly as she ignored Paddy, who was indeed on her porch. “Because I’m a villain. Okay, you can come with me to Portland if you really want to. Thank you.”
“It’ll be easiest if you sleep at my place, don’t you think? Then we can head out from there? How about I come over after work and we can load whatever you need into my truck? I’ll have it in the garage all night so it’ll be safe.”
