Chapter Sixteen
Susan dropped her purse and bag into the oversized chair in the living room and then plopped herself into the loveseat. It had been a long day.
She smiled, though, when she thought of breakfast with Eric. That had made the day go by perhaps a little better.
“You’re home late,” Bethany said as she walked through the doorway with two cups of tea.
Susan was sure she jumped a bit. She was still getting used to another person living in her house.
“Some night’s classes just go a little longer.”
Bethany handed her a cup of tea. “I did my bedtime yoga and I was still too awake. I thought this would help.”
“You do yoga before bedtime?”
Bethany nodded as she took a sip from her cup. “Yes. It’s wonderful. I could teach you some if you’d like.”
“Maybe someday.” Susan sipped from her cup. “Let’s see, you run, you do yoga, and you sip tea. Is this all Hollywood stuff?”
The question had flustered Bethany a bit, that was obvious by the tightening of her lips and then the forced smile. “You always have to look your best.”
“You’re not in Hollywood anymore.”
“Can’t let go of myself. What if I get a call tomorrow?”
“Will that happen?”
Bethany eased down on the loveseat next to Susan. “It might. I have some contacts.”
“Do you want that to happen?” she asked, reading more into Bethany’s answer.
“I don’t know. Right now what I’d like to do is get to know my family.”
“It sounds like you’ll get to do that at Sunday dinner.”
Bethany nodded. “I’d like to get to know my brothers and sisters though. I’m sure we’ll work into that.” She sipped her tea again and then looked up with wide eyes. “I did get a call from Dane today. He said he was at the hospital.”
“What happened?”
“Got kicked in the face by a scared horse or something. Ten stitches across his jaw.”
Susan winced. “That’s horrible. Is he okay?”
Bethany shrugged. “I’m sure he is. It was nice he thought to tell me. It made me feel like a part of the family.”
“You are a part of it. I suppose in this time of loss everyone is just a bit out of sorts. I know when my grandfather died it took me a while to get over it.”
Bethany smiled. “I suppose that’s it.” She took another sip of her tea. “I think this is working. I’m going to head to bed. See you in the morning,” she said as she rose from the loveseat and walked out of the room.
Susan leaned back, tucked her legs up under her, and cradled the cup in her hands. She thought about her grandfather. She missed him still. They’d had many adventures together. He was the first one to ever eat something she baked. She’d baked him a cake in her Holly Hobby oven.
Perhaps that was what Eric was going through. What memories did he have of his grandfather that made him who he was?
Susan let her head fall from side to side stretching out the muscles in her neck. Maybe she would let Bethany show her some of those yoga moves after all. The tea had seemed to calm her and she too was ready for bed.
Kicking her feet out from under her she stood and walked to the kitchen. She rinsed out the cup and set it in the sink. She turned off the lights and as she walked toward the stairs she noticed someone walking up the front steps. The figure looked like a man through the frosted glass.
She glanced at the clock. It was eleven. There was no reason anyone should be at the door that late.
Fear crept into her throat as she contemplated yelling for Bethany.
The person tapped on the door. “Susan. Are you in there?”
She tiptoed closer to the door.
“It’s Eric if you can hear me.”
She quickly moved to the door and pulled it open.
He was leaning with his hands on either side of the doorjamb. His head was down and his face shadowed by the porch light behind him.
“What are you doing here? I didn’t expect you.”
He didn’t speak but slowly lifted his head.
The moment she saw his face she covered her mouth to stifle the gasp. “Oh, God! What happened to you?”
She reached for his hand and pulled him through the door. Lifting on her tiptoes she pulled off his cowboy hat and studied him in the dim light.
“Did you get kicked by a horse too?” she asked as she reached her hand to his face.
“I wish. How did you know about that?”
“Dane called Bethany today and told her. He was checking in on her.”
Eric nodded. “Can I stay for a bit?”
“Yes, yes.” She pulled him in further and shut the door behind him. “C’mon, let’s get something on that eye.”
She hurried to the kitchen and pulled a frozen bag of peas from the freezer. Gathering the dishtowel from the handle of the oven, she wrapped the peas inside the towel. “Sit.”
He let out a small chuckle and did as she said. “I have a lot of people telling me what to do today.”
Susan moved to him, positioning herself between his long legs, and pressing the bag to his eye. He winced again. “Does it hurt?”
“Only when you touch it.”
She should have let him take the bag from her and hold it, but she didn’t want to move. Deciding to stand there, very intimately in front of him, she placed her other hand on his shoulder.
He looked up at her with the uncovered eye. “You look beautiful.”
That made her laugh. “My hair is in a knot on my head and I have flour on my clothes. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Eric lifted his hands to her hips and she sucked in a breath. “Thanks for letting me in. I’ve had a crappy day and about an hour ago I realized that I didn’t want to wallow in it any longer. I wanted to see you.”
Susan licked her lips and gazed down into his dark eyes. “What happened to you today?”
Eric raised his hand to the bag and pulled it from his eye. Laying it on the table, he turned back and took her hands in his. “I lost my horse today.”
“Oh, Eric.” Her voice cracked as she said it. “I’m so sorry.”
He nodded. “Lost a mare too and four head of cattle by the time the day was over. My business officially is shut down since I had to move out the rest of the horses. I found out they’d been poisoned.”
“That’s horrible. Who would do something like that?”
“I have my ideas, but I’m told I’m wrong. Anyway, I met family I didn’t know about. Specifically my cousin.”
“That’s good, right?”
“Sure. I met him when he punched me in the gut, which obviously was the beginning of the fight I got into.”
Susan moved in closer to him. “I think you’re right. You had a crappy day.”
“It started nice though,” he said softly.
Susan pulled back and looked down at his swollen eye, and cut lip. “I was thinking that before you arrived.”
“You know what would make my lip better?”
“What?” she said breathlessly.
“If you kissed me—softly,” he added.
His hands were on her hips again and she steadied herself by placing her hands on his shoulders. “Are you sure about that? I don’t want to hurt you.”
“At this moment, I think it would hurt more if you didn’t kiss me.”
Susan gently cupped his face in her hands and tipped her head to press a soft kiss to his lip. “How is that?”
“Feels better already.”
She kissed him again, this time lingering a moment longer. When she pulled back, she gazed down into his eyes.
Eric nodded. “Yeah, that’s doing the trick,” he said smiling. He maneuvered himself so that now she was straddling both of his legs and he eased her down onto his lap so that their chests pressed against the other’s and their mouths were exactly even so they could deepen the kiss.
&
nbsp; Susan wrapped her arms around his neck and he wrapped his arms around her waist. It was so much more intimate than ever before and she found herself sinking into him, wanting more.
Eric’s hands slid up her back and she let the moan that stirred in her ease out.
Cupping her hands over his face she deepened the already heated kiss only to have him jerk away.
“Oh, God! I hurt you. I’m so sorry.” Susan pulled her hands back.
“I guess it’s sorer than I thought.”
“We should really put those peas back on your eye.”
Eric groaned. “Is that really where we’re going? My day was getting better.”
“You’re hurt. You should rest.”
Eric pressed his forehead to hers. “Sleep in my arms. Let me wake to you beside me and for a few moments in the morning I’ll have forgotten what transpired today.”
“You want to sleep here?”
The corner of his mouth curled upward. “I do.”
Susan nodded. If she wanted to take hold of her life, right now was the moment. She’d known him nearly a week and now she was contemplating him sleeping in her bed. Oh, who was she kidding? There was no contemplation of sleeping going on in her head and she was damn sure it wasn’t the only thought going through his either.
Was this what she wanted? After ten years of monogamous matrimonial sex, was she ready to move onto another man whom she’d only just met?
Eric skimmed his hand up her back again and she gazed into his wanting eyes. She didn’t know much about him. He was a bit standoffish and perhaps a little crabby. And look at him. His face was a mess because he’d gotten into a fight. All signs pointed to her needing to get off his lap and let him out the front door.
But she couldn’t do that. There was so much more here. Was this just letting go of her past? Would he be a fleeting moment in her life? No. She didn’t actually believe that. Eric Walker was something more—something she wanted to still discover.
Eric’s hands moved to her arms. “You’re shaking. Susan, we don’t have to do this. I can go home. I wouldn’t be walking out. I don’t want to pressure…”
“I want this,” she said and meant it. “I do.”
The smile now lit in his eyes. “I’ll take care of you.”
Nervously, Susan stood, and taking his hand, she pulled him to his feet. A million words filled her head, but none of them would string into the perfect sentence to explain how she felt. It would be better if she simply walked him up to her bedroom, shut the door, and let them figure out what they were feeling without the use of any of those words. Words were suddenly overrated. All Susan wanted to do was feel.
His fingers intertwined with hers as she led him up the stairs. With each step, she took a quick breath and willed her rapid heart to slow down, but it was no use.
Only moonlight glowed under Bethany’s door a she tiptoed by to her room. When she pushed open the door her own room was filled with brilliant light from the window.
It cast a silver shimmer over the room and she heard the door close and lock behind her.
Susan turned to see Eric leaned up against the door. His bruises and cuts were darker in the shadows.
“You’re beautiful in the moonlight,” he said, his voice in a low, sensual growl.
“Thank you.” She watched him grip the doorknob with his hands behind his back. “Aren’t you going to come in?”
She watched as the white of his smile gleamed in the dark. “I’m afraid that if I let go of this door I’ll want to touch you. I know you said you’d sleep in my arms, but…”
Susan controlled her breathing and calmed her mind. Then she walked too him and rested her hands on his chest. With slow, deliberate movements, she began to unsnap his shirt. When it hung open, she pushed it back. He moved from the door and his shirt slid off his arms and down to the floor.
“I guess you shouldn’t worry too much about it. I’m thinking maybe we should work on making ourselves tired,” she said as she slid her hands over his firm chest.”
She felt the rise of his breath as it caught in his lungs. “Are you sure that’s what you want?”
Susan nodded, perhaps a little to eagerly. “Yes.”
Without another word, Eric hoisted her to his hips. Her legs wrapped around him and his mouth took possession of hers.
Every part of her heated in response to him as he carried her to the bed and gently laid her down. “If you change your mind…”
She reached behind his neck and inched her face to his. “I won’t,” she promised as she pulled him back atop of her and let the course of the night lead them into passion, pleasure as they took their time undressing each other and learning every curve and every muscle of the other.
Eric pleased her with kisses in places she had never thought to be sensual. And when he took her under him and their bodies came together, Susan knew the night had become more than comfort for each of them. They had tumbled into bed and into something so much bigger.