Breaking Perfect (18 page)

“Mase certainly has that.”

“Yes, but he isn’t snobby about it. He does a lot for
charity. Last month he spearheaded a fundraiser for one of his patients who
lost her husband and medical coverage all in one month and then was diagnosed
with cancer. He raised forty thousand dollars for her, ten of which he donated
himself.”

“Oh, I wasn’t making an accusation, just an observation. I
know Mason isn’t a miser or snob.”

They pulled into the superstore parking lot and Sean told her
to wait until he came around. He helped her down from the cab and she felt
another quiver run up her spine as his strong hands grasped her hips. What was
wrong with her? It was disconcerting to have such a reaction to her husband’s
friend. When he released her she again felt flustered once more.

“I’ll go grab a cart,” she quickly said and brushed past him
hoping he didn’t notice the flush she could feel crawling up her neck.

Sean followed closely behind her and perused the aisles much
like any man did, taking note of common household items and frowning as if he’d
never noticed such things before. Liberty led them to the detergent aisle and
casually began picking up small bottles of laundry detergent and sniffing the
liquid.

“Are you looking for one particular kind?” Sean asked as he
sniffed bottles alongside of her.

“No, there’s a specific kind I need, but I’m not sure who
makes it.”

“This one’s nice. Lavender blossom.”

Libby paused before scenting the next bottle and looked at
him. “Oh…do you like that one? If you like that one best that’s the one I’ll
get.”

“No, it’s your call. I was just saying it smells nice.
Girlie, but nice.”

She frowned. Did he want the kind he usually used or
something else? “Well, maybe you should pick.”

He put the bottle back after tightening the lid. “I don’t
care. Soap’s soap. Besides, it isn’t my place to tell you what to buy.”

She pursed her lips. Maybe it should be his place. If he
could just decide and tell her what to do she would feel a lot better. She
tapped her fingers at her thigh impatiently. “I think you should pick.”

Sean frowned at her then looked back at the never ending
shelf full of choices. He seemed to reach a decision in his mind. He leaned
close to her and she stopped breathing. His scent clouded her senses and her
heart began to race as he brought his face to the curve of her shoulder and her
neck. His lungs inhaled deeply and the heat of his skin radiated into her. When
he spoke, his breath fanned over her hair sending small wisps sweeping across
her exposed skin. “You smell nice. What kind do you use?”

Libby swallowed. Her throat was suddenly very, very dry. Sean
straightened up to his full height, seemingly unaffected by what just happened.
Had anything happened? Or was she simply overreacting? She was struck dumb for
a moment then uttered, “But that isn’t your kind.”

He looked at her and laughed. “Is that what this is? Libby, I
don’t have a kind. I’m a bachelor. I use whatever I grab. This is the longest I
have ever stood in a soap aisle. Just pick whatever you’d like and it’ll be
fine. I definitely trust a woman’s touch over mine. I’m lucky my clothes don’t
get washed in floor cleaner considering how much thought I put into reading
labels. Please, don’t go out of your way. Just get what you always do.”

“But…”

He looked at her, seeming to understand her struggle as silly
as she knew it was. Then he did exactly what she needed him to do. “Get what
you always buy. That’s what I want. Find it and put it in the cart.”

His instructions cut off her indecisive thoughts and an urge
to do exactly as he said kicked in. She turned and found the bottle of
detergent she usually used and placed it in the cart. Gazing up at him, he slid
the list out of her hands and read it. “Okay, looks like we need paper towels.
We’ll get them next.”

They went through the list much the same way all the way to
the last item. Sean instructed her on what to do and she followed his command,
feeling lighter because of his guidance. When they reached the end of the list
he said, “Now you need to find something pretty for yourself to put in the
cart.”

“It doesn’t say that.”

“Yes it does. It says Liberty will select something pretty
for herself which Sean the house guest will purchase for her.”

“Sean—”

“Liberty, let me buy you something nice as a thank you for
putting me up. Please. It would make me happy.”

She debated for a minute. “Okay, but something small.”

They walked around the store, meandering in and out of
aisles. Sean would pick up random items and play with them. It was slightly
embarrassing, but more humorous than anything else. Sean had a very youthful
quality about him that seemed contagious. It was easy to laugh with him, to
play. When they reached the toy aisle, which they had no business being in,
Sean decided they needed to have an all-out light saber duel.

He made swishing sound effects as he slowly sliced the
glowing saber through the air around her. “Choose your weapon and I shall show
you what a true Jedi can do.”

She fought a smile and gave him a look that said he was being
a child, but picked up a light saber of her own anyway. Pressing the button
with her thumb, the wand glowed red as opposed to his bright blue one.

“Ah, a rebel!” He made a sound effect and clashed his sword
against hers and began to circle her. “Aren’t you a little short for a storm
trooper?” She scoffed and tried to jab him with her saber, but he deflected the
motion and again made a clashing sound. “The force is strong with this one!”

She laughed and wished she knew lines from the movie. She’d
only seen Star Wars a few times. Sean quickly twisted and swatted her on the
butt with his light saber. She jumped and he laughed. It had been a mock joust,
but it came fast and swift, leaving a bit of a sting in its wake.

“Hey!” Liberty parried his next move and hit him in the leg
with her saber. She wasn’t as graceful as he. “Now I will have to destroy you,”
she warned, trying to sound as if she knew the lines.

“I find your lack of faith disturbing.” He swatted her butt
again, this time a bit harder. A thrill rushed over her. She laughed and swung
back, this time connecting with
his
behind. He quickly moved and pivoted
on his large feet. The battle continued and their voices grew louder as their
imaginations got carried away.

In one clumsy swing, Liberty accidentally knocked over a
small display of action figures. They clattered to the floor and made an
embarrassingly loud noise that attracted the attention of nearby shoppers who
gave them disapproving looks. Liberty sensed her cheeks turning as red as her
saber and went to clean up the mess.

Suddenly an employee entered the aisle and frowned at them.
“Excuse me, but unless you intend on purchasing those items I’m going to have
to ask you to return them to the shelf.”

Mortified, she quickly moved to put the toy light saber back
when Sean grabbed her and swung her into his grip. Her back pressed against his
warm front and his muscular arm wrapped around her shoulders just above her
breasts. What was he doing? They were going to get thrown out.

“She’s part of the Rebel Alliance and a traitor. Take her
away!”

Her stare shot over her shoulder at him, outraged, but when
she recognized the glimmer of humor in his eyes she lost the battle. Let them
kick them out. They were just having some fun. She smiled and looked back at
the store clerk and said, “My apologies, but you know how uncivilized a wookie
can be.”

Sean tipped his head back as deep laughter came bellowing out
of his mouth followed by an impression of Chewbacca’s howl. She laughed with
him. The clerk rolled his eyes and walked away. Apparently they had scared him
off.
 

Sean looked down at her for a moment and said, “I think there
is a naughty streak in you, little Liberty.” Their laughter faded away and they
stared at each other. The moment seemed to get heavier by the second and
finally Liberty looked away, the intimacy of their shared gaze having produced
an unnamable reaction inside of her. She extricated herself from his grip,
moving to pick up the toys she knocked over.

When she stood she found Sean waiting at the cart that now
had two light sabers sticking out of it. “Are we buying them?”

“Yes,” he said as if it made perfect sense.
 

The checkout process was uneventful, although Liberty found
herself wrestling with vagrant feelings that continued all the way to the car
and on the drive home.
 
Sean was
uncharacteristically silent.

When they returned to the house Sean carried in their bags
and Liberty quickly put the things away. She told Sean she needed to do some
things around the house and tidy up the DVDs in the entertainment room. He
disappeared somewhere and told her he would be back down in about twenty
minutes, so off to the linen closet she went.
 

Liberty immersed herself in the mundane task of sorting and
counting towels and washcloths into piles of six, turning the edges to face
outside, lining the closet the three piles per shelf, all equal in height.

* * *
*

Sean stepped out of the luxury shower and onto the earth
toned tiled floor. He reached for a towel and began rubbing away the drops of
water from his skin. When he finished drying, he walked over to the sink and
tossed his towel in the hamper. The sultry steam of the bathroom subdued the
chilled central air filling the sleeping quarters of the guestroom.

He looked around the room as he brushed his teeth. It
reminded him of a cave or some Chinese hut. Everything was stone and separated
with rice paper dividers. There was a fireplace in the bathroom filled with
various tapered candles and a medieval looking tray hanging from the ceiling
like a chandelier that also was covered with the pillar candles. He rinsed his
mouth out and wiped his face on the hand towel.

As he opened the door he caught a flash of white out of the
corner of his eye and turned. A white linen sheet parachuted over his bed and
Liberty’s form came into view. She gasped when she saw him and quickly covered
her eyes.

“Shit!” Sean quickly turned around offering a clear shot of
his naked ass rather than his cash and prizes. He focused on the juxtaposed
sinks he could still see through the bathroom door, but his vision filled with
the image of Liberty’s shocked expression.

“Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry! I thought you would have taken
longer. I just wanted to freshen up you sheets and make your bed.”

Sean actually felt himself flush. “Uh, that’s okay. It’s my
fault. Um…do you mind just stepping out for a sec so I can put on some pants?
Then you can do whatever you need to do.”

Her soft retreating footsteps were followed by the click of
the door closing.
Fuck
. He hoped this didn’t mess up her mood. They had
a good few hours with no incidents as far as he could tell. Cursing, he quickly
drew on a pair of jeans pulled from his bag and walked to the door. He opened
it and found Liberty standing there, face beet red, wringing her hands.

“I’m decent. You can come back in.”

She looked up at him then quickly looked away. She made the
bed with practiced speed and avoided making eye contact. Sean on the other hand
couldn’t tear his eyes away from her as she worked. As soon as the bed was made
he wanted to toss her down on it and mess it right back up.
Whoa! What the
fuck?

“I have to go practice. I’ll see you downstairs,” she mumbled
as she swiftly left the room. Sean told himself he was glad for her quick
escape.

He spent the next hour wandering around the house listening
to Liberty play the piano. At first the melody sounded frantic, but by the end
of the hour she seemed to have calmed sufficiently and fell into a soothing tempo
that climbed up and down the keys in soft brushing strokes that filled the
house in a spontaneous sort of melodic lullaby.

Sean found himself standing by the poolroom when the music
slowly faded away. The conclusion of her playing was so perfectly graceful he
almost didn’t realize she stopped. He stared through the glass wall at the flat
surface of blue water laid out before him.

The narrow rectangular pool fit between lines of white marble
columns. Seamless ivory tile made up the floor wrapping around the perimeter. A
glass wall across the room showed the fading afternoon sunshine and tall dunes
concealing the ocean in the distance.

On either side of the pool were two square cots made of
modern cut wood and squared off foam mattresses dressed in flat white linens
with a heavy white bath sheet folded neatly at each foot. Although the house
was a cool sixty-five degrees he could feel the heat penetrating the glass from
the other side, see the quivering beads of condensation in the crevices and
seams of the see through wall.

“Did you want to go for a swim?”

Sean started at the sound of Liberty’s soft voice. He turned.
She was barefoot and had removed her yellow cardigan. Her small breasts filled
out the top of her white tank top and he could make out the petite shape of her
nipples behind the fabric.
Little and not brown. Pink. Perhaps the same
color one would find in the center of a nectarine.

Fuck. He was such a
piece of classless shit. This was Mason’s
wife.
Checking her out was a
betrayal to Mason on so many levels he winced. But Liberty’s image stuck in his
head. He couldn’t shake the vision. Why was she affecting him like that? She
was married.
To his ex lover!

He slowly opened his
eyes.
She wore a bright turquoise beaded necklace that
intensified the blue of her eyes. “I don’t have a suit,” he rasped.