“How do you do that on your own every night?” Leon looked around the bathroom in amazement as he spoke.
There was about an inch of water left in the tub with the twins. The rest was on the floor. Or on him and Flora. Even his eyelashes were wet. The twins had displayed a determination that was breathtaking. They took splashing to tsunami levels, hurling water at each other to the accompaniment of ear-splitting squeals. Somehow, Flora had managed to wash them despite the seismic activity.
“It was easier when they were smaller.” Deftly, she scooped Stevie up, wrapped him in a towel, and handed him to Leon. “I used to sit them in a plastic laundry basket and put that in the tub. The day they learned how to get out of the basket was memorable for all the wrong reasons.” She repeated the towel maneuver with Frankie but kept hold of him. “I must admit, having another pair of adult hands around is like heaven.”
Her gaze caught on his and held for an extra second or two. It had been this way all through dinner. Everything seemed to have taken on a double meaning. Eyes, lips, and hands were all overemphasized. If they accidentally brushed against each other, the air around them was so highly charged it was as if Leon could see electrical particles shimmering in the atmosphere.
At the same time, he was enjoying the change Flora and the twins brought to his quiet home. It took some getting used to. It was also set to the backdrop of some manic animal antics.
A long-suffering Bungee had come home and been greeted with fawning adoration by Tiny. None of Bungee’s usual tactics had worked. His “no touching” vibe never had any effect on Tiny, but this time the dog’s exuberance had gone into overdrive. He had missed his friend and he was determined to show him how much. The fact that the friendship was one-sided seemed lost on him.
Even with the relative peace that followed, the evening had been taken up with preparing dinner, then ensuring the twins ate it without a food fight. Once the ensuing mess had been cleaned up—a task of industrial proportions—and the twins had played outside for half an hour, the task of persuading them into the bath had begun.
Persuading? I meant “strong arming.”
Flora did this every night? It was like taming a lion in a hurricane. Crazy, mind-spinning, exhausting... Leon had already forgotten his former, peaceful existence. This was real life, and he was loving every minute.
Was this what his life with Karen would have been like? He had no way of knowing if this joyful domestic chaos would have been part of his future. He felt a tug of release, secure in the knowledge that, mayhem or not, they’d have been happy.
Once the twins were dried and dressed in matching pajamas that had been salvaged from Flora’s house, they were finally exhibiting signs of tiredness. Sitting at the kitchen table, they drank warm milk and ate rice cakes with peanut butter in unaccustomed silence. When Flora announced it was time for bed, Leon was expecting a fight. Instead, the two boys shuffled sleepily from their chairs.
“Want Tiny.” Frankie wrapped his arms around the dog’s neck.
“Want Dr. Leon.” Stevie latched on to Leon’s leg.
“Tiny and Dr. Leon can both come and say good-night,” Flora said. “But they will not be sleeping in your room.” She gave Leon an over-the-shoulder glance as they went up the stairs. “I thought I should make that clear now, before anyone tries to claim you as a teddy bear substitute.”
There it was again. That slight crackle in the air. Although...teddy bear? Where Flora was concerned, his thoughts were far from safe and cuddly.
Both boys were almost asleep by the time they were tucked into the twin beds in the smallest room. It was the one Leon had occupied as a child, and he ducked his head slightly to avoid the low beams, smiling as he watched Flora’s face. She was radiant with love when she kissed her children good-night, reminding him of the way his own mom had once looked at him. It felt good to have that family warmth restored to his home.
Flora switched off the overhead light, leaving a night-light casting a soft glow over the room. After a last look at the angelic faces on the pillows, they made their way quietly downstairs to the kitchen.
“Coffee?” Leon asked.
“No.” As if it was the most natural thing in the world, something she did every day, Flora stepped up close and wrapped her arms around his waist.
He gazed down at her for a moment, his mouth a fraction of an inch from hers. Her breath touched his lips, and Leon smiled. “I guess we’re not very good at this ‘keeping our distance’ thing.”
“I don’t want to be good at it.” She pressed closer, and he moved his hands up to grip her shoulders. “I want this. You.”
The initial brush of her lips against his was an instant hit of heaven. The time he had spent picturing this moment had ramped up his anticipation into the stratosphere. But nothing in his imagination matched the perfection of holding Flora in his arms. Starting slow, the kiss warmed up fast.
They melted into each other, the suppressed passion of the last hours and days rising as his lips pressed harder against hers and their tongues tangled eagerly. The feel, the taste, the scent of Flora...everything about her set him alight. Deep inside him, the heat intensified and spread like a forest fire, sending sparks shooting through his whole body. Had he really believed he could fight this?
Their movements were slightly clumsy. Both of them were out of practice, and they were almost strangers. Alongside the intensity, there was a desire to gauge each other’s likes and needs, to know when to speed up or slow down, and how far was too far. For Leon, the answer to that last one was simple. Never too far. He couldn’t get enough of her.
When they finally broke apart, he stared down at her. With her parted lips, flushed cheeks, and half-closed eyes, she took his breath away. He wanted to cling to this moment. Breathless, reckless, aching... All of those things were proof he was alive. More than that, they were about Flora. She was the one who had revived him.
Even so, the doubts crept in. “I’m still not sure either of us is ready—”
Flora shook her head. “For what? A walk down the aisle? Promises of forever? I agree.” She sucked in a breath. “But I don’t want to sleep alone tonight, Leon.”
He gave a soft laugh. “I don’t imagine we’d do much sleeping.”
“There’s only one way to find out.” Flora’s tilted chin and sparkling eyes were a challenge. One he wasn’t going to refuse.
He moved his hands down from her shoulders to her upper arms. “There’s just one problem.”
Her brow furrowed. “What’s that?”
“I’ve been celibate for the last four years. I’ve had no need of protection, and I’m clean out.”
“And I came off birth control.” She started to laugh. “So here we are. Two doctors who can’t get laid tonight because we have no access to protection.”
“We could improvise.” Leon moved his hands down to her hips.
“What did you have in mind, Dr. Sinclair?” Her eyes were teasing.
“Rather than stand around here talking, Dr. Monroe, why don’t I give you a demonstration?” With one swift movement, he scooped her up into his arms. Flora gave a little gasp, then wound her arms around his neck.
As Tiny bounded eagerly forward to follow them out of the kitchen, Leon shook his head. “Stay.” The dog slithered to a reluctant halt and, heaving a canine sigh, slunk back to his bed.
“My God,” Leon said. “The world just took a turn for the better. Tiny did as he was told.”
“Ahem.” Flora leaned back to get a look at his face. “The world took a turn for the better for that reason?”
He swung around, heading for the stairs. “I told you I was out of practice. Is talking about the dog not a valid seduction technique?”
Shaking with laughter, she buried her face in the curve of his neck. “You may be out of practice, but you’re not doing so bad.”
Leon set Flora on her feet and closed the bedroom door, the smile in his eyes warming every part of her.
The room was cozy, furnished in a traditional style with burnished wood and patterned rugs and throws. When Leon closed the drapes and switched on a bedside lamp, golden light illuminated the scene. He lost no time in coming back to stand before her.
“Sure this is what you want?”
“So much.” It was true. There was no more room for doubt. It was there in his eyes as well as in her words.
Slowly, she undid the buttons of the white work blouse she hadn’t found time to change out of. Holding his gaze with her own, she took her time. One by one. When the last button was undone, the garment fell open, revealing the swell of her breasts above her cream-colored lace bra. With a shrug of her shoulders, she let the blouse slip to the floor.
She hadn’t planned to put on a show, but the flare in Leon’s eyes as he watched her ignited an answering response deep and low in her core. She wanted to be on display before him, wanted to be responsible for the hungry look on his face.
Reaching behind her, she undid the clasp of her bra. Catching the lacy cups as they fell forward, she paused a moment before dropping her hands and tugging the straps free of her shoulders. Even though the room was warm, her nipples tightened instantly. Was it anticipation? Or the appreciation in Leon’s gaze as he drew in a ragged breath? Possibly it was a combination of both.
Flora turned half-away from him to ease down the zipper at the side of her skirt. When she stepped out of it, she was wearing only a pair of high-cut lace panties and her black heels. This time Leon’s sharp intake of breath was accompanied by a muttered half-curse. He took a step closer at the same time that Flora bent forward to slip off her underwear. Excitement thrilled through her as he leaned over and placed a kiss on her right shoulder.
“Oh.” She let go of a long sigh, leaning her head back against his chest as he lifted his hands to her hair. Fumbling slightly, he found the pins that held her chignon in place and removed them. Flora shivered as he swiped her curls aside and his lips whispered over the back of her neck. There was something incredibly decadent about being naked while Leon was fully dressed.
“You’re beautiful.” The smile in his voice, the husky warmth, the total lack of hesitation all added to her desire.
“Mmm,” Flora murmured dreamily as he ran his fingers through her hair. It was as if his touch released the tension of the day, and she savored the moment. Slowly, he turned her to face him.
With his hands on her hips he drew her in close and placed his lips on hers. The kiss was long, deep, and unhurried. When they parted, Leon looked as shaken as Flora felt.
She couldn’t begin to describe the emotions he aroused in her. She had never felt more alive than in this moment with his eyes on her body. Appreciating her. Wanting her. Needing her. This was their time, their place. Everything that had gone before meant they were able to value it more.
She reached out a hand for his belt buckle. “Your turn.”
Leon disposed of his clothing faster than Flora had. Shrugging out of pants, shirt, socks, and shoes at the same time as she kicked off her black heels. When they faced each other again, her eyes were drawn to the impressive bulge in his boxer briefs. How had she lived so long without this wonderful throbbing, clenching ache? As Leon moved toward her, the answer was simple. It wasn’t about wanting a man. She hadn’t felt this way until now for a reason. This was about him.
He pulled her close again, the determined expression on his face making her knees buckle ever so slightly. Placing a hand on her right buttock, he gave it a firm squeeze before letting his fingers gently caress her flesh and tease the divide between each cheek. Flora stood completely still, enjoying the intimacy of his caress.
“I love your ass.” He breathed the words into her hair. “From the first moment I saw you, I dreamed of touching you this way.”
The words were too much, and she squirmed against him, her imagination going wild. When she looked up, Leon was staring at her as if he was afraid he’d wake up at any second and find this was all a dream.
She kissed along his collarbone. “I’m real.”
Taking his hand, she led him to the bed. They lay on their sides, facing each other, and Leon ran a hand along the curve of her waist, stopping at her hip. “I feel as nervous as a kid doing this for the first time.”
“It is the first time.” Flora reached up and cupped his cheek. “For us.”
He slid one hard thigh between hers and she delighted in the contrast between their bodies. His strong, hers soft and yielding. As he tipped her onto her back, she gripped his shoulders, feeling his muscles bunch beneath her fingers. Slowly he made his way down her trembling body, kissing various parts of her as he went. The pulse at her throat, the small hollow between her neck and collarbone, then teasing the upper curve of each breast.
Flora gasped as his lips closed over a hardened nipple. His tongue teased the sensitive tip, swiping back and forth until she cried out and twisted as longing boiled through her. Emotion surged to the surface and her throat tightened. The tears that stung her eyelids were a result of the sheer force of her feelings and she blinked them away, not wanting to miss a single, perfect moment.
He moved lower, until he was holding her thighs apart with his shoulders. As he ran his fingertips lightly over her outer lips, Flora arched her back and opened wider. His movements were soft, slow, almost playful as he stroked and teased her sensitive flesh. At the first flick of his tongue, she whimpered.
Leon kissed, licked, and sucked, holding her hips down with his hands as Flora writhed against him. That first touch had brought her to the edge. Now, she was almost sobbing, her whole body shaking, hurtling toward the precipice. Her climax hit hard, flinging her into shuddering, gasping delight.
Leon continued with long, slow swipes of his tongue, even as her body jerked and spasmed. Her head was filled with color and light, normality returning gradually.
“Oh. That was...” She drew in a lungful of air.
He moved back to lie next to her. “Incredible? Amazing? I thought so.”
“But you haven’t—” She blushed. “At least not yet.”
He smiled. “I was hoping you might be planning to do some improvising of your own.”
Flora hooked her fingers into the waistband of his boxer briefs. “In that case, these will have to go.”
Leon reclined against the headboard and succumbed to the bliss of Flora’s lips moving down his body. He allowed his last few conscious thoughts to linger on how this felt. There was no guilt or pain. Only a sense of release and rightness.
He knew now that his feelings weren’t supposed to be locked away. His body wasn’t meant to be shut off from its natural urges. And this? Being with Flora? This felt like it was meant to be.
As Flora wrapped her lips around his straining erection, his concentration zeroed in on her, on her warm, wonderful mouth and her soft, fluttering fingers. In that moment, nothing else mattered.
Flora’s fiery mane was a tousled curtain, hiding her from sight as she slowly bobbed her head up and down. Leon gently pulled her hair back, giving him a clear view of the delightful erotic image.
Flora swirled her tongue around his sensitive head before running it up and down the underside of his shaft. The result was a pleasure so extreme it was close to torture. The sucking and flicking heated his blood to boiling point. As Flora perfected her rhythm, and that wicked tongue continued to dance a series of caresses over his throbbing flesh, one hand reached lower to gently cup and stroke.
Watching her through half-open lids, Leon groaned. “Yes. Just like that.”
In response, she purred with pleasure, the sound triggering a vibration that made him moan. He gripped her hair tighter with one hand, the other twisting the sheet almost into a knot. She looked up and he was lost in the vivid blue of her eyes.
The familiar tingle started deep and low. His groans became urgent and Flora responded by shifting position. Deprived momentarily of the delicious warmth of her mouth, Leon ground out a protest. “Don’t stop.”
He needn’t have worried. Using her hands in time with her mouth, she applied the perfect pressure. Leon’s toes curled as she moved faster, licking and sucking, while pumping with her fist. He was breathing hard, his back arching as he neared his climax.
The tip of Flora’s tongue lapping against the most sensitive part of his body was causing his hips to buck up and down, and he managed to give a warning. “I’m getting close.”
She stared right into his eyes and sucked harder. Leon gasped as his whole body tensed and his release hit. Flora kept her lips firmly planted around him as he cried out her name. Slamming his hand down on the mattress, he bucked and writhed as the world exploded around him.
Spent, he slumped back on the mattress. Flora crawled up the bed and curled into his side. From somewhere, he found the strength to pull the bedclothes over them.
“Tomorrow, we are getting those condoms.”
She chuckled, her soft breath tickling his ear. “I agree, but the improvisation was fun.”
“Fun?” He tightened his arms around her. “It was wonderful.”
The words were inadequate. He couldn’t begin to tell her what it meant to have her in his bed, their limbs entwined, her head on his chest. He didn’t know how to convey the peace their passion had brought him.
“This—” Flora lifted her head to look at him. He caught a glimpse of tears in her eyes and understood their source. She wasn’t crying because she was sad. She was crying because, like him, she was letting go. “It feels good, doesn’t it?”
“It feels perfect.”
Reassured, she nestled back into his arms. “Tell me what to expect at the animal sanctuary tomorrow.”
“Well, it’s a sanctuary and there will likely be some animals...” Flora dug an elbow into his ribs, and he laughed. “Okay. I predict it will be busy.”
“Why?” Flora stroked a hand lazily up and down his arm.
“Because people are still intrigued by Steffi and her story. Although she keeps out of the limelight these days, it doesn’t mean the attention has completely died down. There may even be some press there.”
“You’re talking to a newbie in town, remember?” He could hear the confusion in Flora’s voice.
“Of course. I forgot. You remember the Anya Moretti story?” Leon asked.
“The famous actress who went on the run when she was wanted for murder? Didn’t it turn out she was wrongly accused, and she married the guy who helped her clear her name?” Flora leaned up on one elbow. “Are you saying that Steffi Delaney is Anya Moretti?”
“That’s right. She gave up the celebrity lifestyle when she married Bryce, but, like I said, there is still a residual interest in her story.”
“Oh.” The glowing look faded from Flora’s eyes and she chewed on her lower lip for a moment. It was easy to follow her thoughts.
“You can’t let that social media page stop you from going out and encountering new people,” Leon said.
“My rational self tells me that, but there is a little voice inside me that wonders how many people at the animal sanctuary tomorrow will have seen that social media page. My picture was splashed all over it, so I’ll be easily recognized.” She looked pale and vulnerable with her hair tumbling about her shoulders. “I’m new in town. For many Stillwater residents, those lies will be the only thing they know about me.”
“Hey.” He drew her back down into his arms, holding her tight against him. “I’ll be at your side. Cameron and Laurie will be there, and I’ll introduce you to Bryce and Steffi. There’s also Cameron’s other brother, Vincente, and his wife, Beth. If anything, it’s a good chance for you to get to know more people. Trust me. It will be fine.”
Gradually, he felt her start to relax. “I do trust you.”
“Good. Because I have just had another innovative idea.”
Her chuckle vibrated through his chest. “You have? Tell me more.”
He lifted her hair and whispered in her ear.
Flora gasped. “Dr. Sinclair, you are a wicked man.”
“I hope to be. If you’ll let me, Dr. Monroe.”
She squirmed with pleasure as his hand moved down her body. “I’m all yours.”
They were the sweetest words he’d heard in a long time.