Page 66 of The Forever Christmas Tree

Telling her, explicitly, what he liked, he also encouraged her to speak of her own desires, the things that excited her most.

“Do you still like me to stick my tongue in your belly button?” she asked.

“Only if you’re holding my cock at the same time.”

“Will you flutter your eyelashes over my nipples, like you did before? Oh, my God! That is so hot!”

“Remember the time I finger-fucked you behind the pool house at Jennifer Wilson’s birthday party?”

“And you had a bit of premature ejaculation into your swimming trunks when you thought Jennifer’s dad was about to walk in on us? The SEALs have a slang term for it: dishonorable discharge.”

“I don’t recall that,” he lied.

So, they played with each other’s bodies and laughed and moaned until Ethan stood and took her against the tiled wall behind the tub, with her legs wrapped around his hips. A couple times he almost slipped and dumped them into the tub. When they were done, they were both laughing and the floor was covered with water.

Once they were toweled off and heading back toward the bed, Wendy remarked, “Those are the nicest sheets! Do you hire someone to press them?”

He looked at her, shook his head ruefully, and said, “Don’t ask.”

It was three a.m. by then and Wendy said, “You need to take me home.”

“What? Why?”

“I am not going to do the Walk of Shame this morning among a gauntlet of senior citizens and military types. Believe me, Navy SEALs do not engage in political correctness. Hoochie Mama comes to mind. And those seniors of Aunt Mil’s aren’t any better. They have no filters whatsoever. I wouldn’t be surprised if they asked me how many orgasms I had.”

He grinned and asked, “How many did you have?”

“Four if you don’t count . . . well, you know what.”

“I definitely count that,” he said, then suggested, “How about you take my car and come back here for breakfast? We can go pick up Cassie and drive to the pool from there?”

She nodded, reluctantly.

Once she’d gathered her clothes, from their path through the house, she dressed and was about to leave. Ethan, wearing a pair of boxers and nothing else, kissed her and said, “Thank you.” That’s all.

She shouldn’t have been disappointed. She didn’t want him to say that he loved her. She really didn’t. But still . . .

He looked a little bit sad, too.

“What might have beens” sucked the big one.

Chapter 16

Feeding the hungry . . .

Ethan couldn’t go back to sleep after Wendy left. His mind churned with too many questions, foremost of which was: Will she return?

I love her, he thought. I never stopped. How did I not know that before? Have I really been that clueless?

He put a load of towels that had been used to mop up the bathroom floor into the washing machine, and replaced the sheets on his bed. No, the new ones are not ironed, thank you very much. He didn’t want his grandmother sniffing around and giving him “the look.” Not that she hadn’t planned it all, anyhow, or at least set it up.

I can’t tell Wendy that I love her. Whatever I do, I have to keep my mouth shut. She doesn’t want forever from me. Not now. Maybe she never did. But that’s okay. I’ll take today, and maybe the next few days.

Besides, I doubt whether Nana will be leaving the house like this again. No privacy in a small town. This is a one-shot deal.

Once he took a shower and dressed, he put together a bag with his and Cassie’s bathing suits, beach towels, her flippers and goggles, a change of clothes, and some toiletries. By then, he was able to toss the towels in the dryer and put the sheets in the washer. He couldn’t recall the last time he’d used either machine.

After starting a pot of coffee, he put some bacon on to fry and whipped some eggs and cream but set the bowl aside. He took out a loaf of whole wheat bread, and set it by the toaster, along with a dish of butter. Orange juice could stay in the fridge for now.