My fingers curl, the water sloshing against the porcelain as she arches under me. Her legs tremble and her nails dig into my forearm. I can feel her walls squeezing my fingers. I ease her through it until I feel the pulses stop. She comes down and I pull my fingers free, pressing my forehead to hers. Our breath mingles between us.
“Always gonna take care of you.”
My heart is pounding, my body taut with my own need. It takes every ounce of control I have to hold back. But she needs this, something soft, something easy without any expectations. And I’m more than happy to give it to her even if it means I’m going to bed frustrated as hell. She looks up at me, hazy and heavy-lidded, I swallow a curse. She’s the most beautiful goddamn thing I’ve ever laid my eyes on.
“Feelin’ better?”
She licks her lips, then nods. “Yeah, thank you.”
I leave to grab her a soft night gown from her room, coming back in, I help her out of the bathtub. I towel her off, rubbing her down enough to remove any lingering tension my fingers missed. I tug the nightgown over her head before bundling her up and pressing a kiss to her damp hair.
“Movie?” I grunt, herding her to the living room. I’m determined not to let today end with any shadows left behind.
I settle onto the couch and pull her down into the curve of my body. Tugging a blanket over us so the warmth doesn’t escape. She curls into my side. I find her hand beneath the blanket, weaving my fingers through hers as the opening credits of a movie flicker across the screen.
She doesn’t make it halfway through before she falls asleep. I can’t help the satisfied feeling blooming inside my chest. The knowledge that she feels safe enough to give into sleep in my arms, her head cradled in my lap. When the end credits roll, I reach out and flick off the TV. Scooping her up, I carry her into the bedroom. I tuck her in and pull her against me. I refuse to let myself think about anything else right now; the clinic, the future, the dangerous parts of my life. Right now, lying here with her as the moonlight creeps through the blinds, surrounded by the smell of her, is the closest thing to peace I’ve ever had.
~ Seriphina Joseph ~
GRIFFIN IS SLEEPINGpeacefully next to me. An arm tucked under my pillow, the other holding me to his side. He was ridiculously sweet and supportive yesterday. He didn’t complain about sitting with me at the clinic, or the melancholy mood I was in. He helped me through it like it was the most natural thing in the world. I’ve never felt more cared for.
The bed doesn’t make a sound as I unwrap myself and crawl out of it. I grab clothes from my closet to take to the bathroom. The shirt I choose is form fitting at the top and low cut but the rest hangs down in an asymmetrical handkerchief pattern, in deep purple and forest green. I pull on leggings and slide on flip-flops. The coffee pot whirs to life as I start it for Griffin. I almost drop my muffin when I grab my phone and my kindle to make my way downstairs.
I flick the lights on. The subtle changes that Jax installed aren’t as noticeable as I expected. Looking around, not much has changed except for the doors and windows. I navigate through the shop, preparing to open for the first time since returning from the cabin.
A short while later, the bell above the door rings as the first of the Biddies Gossip Club walks in. Darla gasps loud enough to be heard two blocks over. She’s holding a tray of pastries from the bakery down the street. Her coral pink tipped fingers flash as she sets them down on the nearest table and rushes over to me. Her arms are outstretched like she’s performing in an elaborate ballet not dishing out an aggressive hug.
“Well, look who decided to grace us with her presence!” She squeezes almost hard enough to crack ribs before pulling back to scan every inch of my face. I’m grateful the bruise on my cheek was light and only lasted about a week. “You didn’t return one call. Not even when I threatened to send Father O’Malley up there with his holy water and that dramatic Latin chanting he does.”
“I didn’t exactly have cell service on the mountain.” I provide, like it’s a logical explanation.
She squints at me suspiciously. “And what on Earth was wrong with calling me when you got back?” Darla has a sixth sense for bullshit and a nose for gossip. And right now she’s looking at me like she can smell everything I’m not saying.
“I only got back last night.” Butterfly pea flower tea swirls in the bottom of the teacup in front of her. “I knew you’d show up this morning.” I shrug as Marci and Helen walk through the door.
“I swear you’re gonna give me premature gray hair.” Helen’s knitting supplies thump on the floor, dropping them to wrap her arms around me as soon as she’s close enough. “Why didn’t you return our texts? We thought you’d been kidnapped and stuffed in someone’s basement.”
Esther rolls her eyes, strolling in and leaning her hip against the counter. “Oh please, like any of you actually thought she was kidnapped. The most exciting thing that’s ever happened in thistown was when the mayor got drunk and went skinny dipping in the fountain, in front of the courthouse, on the Fourth of July.”
I fill her teacup next to the other three, pouring their usuals while listening. When they find out about Griffin, I’ll never hear the end of it. And I can’t exactly say the Russian mafia tried to take over my store and the guy I’m sleeping with is tracking them down for me. With the five of them, it would be all over town before lunchtime. So I opt for silence and bare minimum details until they get distracted by some other gossip.
Darla points at Esther. “That’s beside the point. The fact remains that our little Seriph disappeared off the face of this town for two weeks with no explanation.” Her voice rises as Katherine arrives, clutching her pearls that she pairs with yoga pants.
“Seriphina Joseph! I had to hear from Loretta at the post office that you were missing!” Her designer tote thudding as she drops it next to Helen’s knitting supplies. “Loretta! The woman who thinks fax machines are cutting edge technology.”
Marci is peering at me like a detective examining a crime scene. She leans in conspiratorily. “You’re glowing,” she whispers, then louder, “You didn’t disappear! You were holed up!”
“I was not holed up! Not in the way you’re implying.” Embarrassment floods my cheeks, I finish pouring the last of their teas and begrudgingly follow them to the sitting area.
Darla takes her place at the center of their little gathering, her eyes narrowed like an investigator. Marci, Helen, Esther, and Katherine all take seats on the couches surrounding me, like I’m now part of their tribunal.
“And why should we believe you, Seriphina? You vanish into thin air. We contact the police to file a report on your absence and they’ve already been notified that you were leaving town,” Marci admonishes. “And now you come waltzing back in hereafter two weeks and try to deny the truth? You look flushed. You’ve got that rosy glow of a woman in love.”
“I am not in love!” I deny it a little too enthusiastically. “I just went away for a while. It was a...” I try to think of a way to explain it without giving anything away. “Spontaneous spur of the moment getaway.”
Esther nearly chokes on her tea, while Katherine puts a hand over her mouth. Helen shakes her head, and Darla leans forward in her chair, eyes glinting with predatory delight.
“Oh honey.” Darla smirks, her spoon hitting the sides of her teacup. She pauses like she’s about to reveal a secret. “No woman takes a spontaneous getaway and comes back looking like that unless there’s sex involved. You got dicked down.”
