Divine Phoenix (25 page)

Del woke early and got breakfast started before Lily was even awake. He felt like he could take on the world, unable to remember the last time he’d slept the whole night through, which had to be before he returned to the States.

The bacon was sizzling in the skillet when he heard a sleepy yawn behind him. Lily, all rumpled and sleepy, was a gorgeous sight in her nightgown and long robe as she went on silent feet and looked out the back door. She was barefooted on the frigid hardwood floor, her toes scrunched up against the cold. “It rained last night.”

“Hey, Lily Bell.” He went to her, hugged her, and swung her around in his arms. “Where’s your house shoes?”

She giggled and blushed as he squeezed her to him. “I don’t have any. I usually just wear socks.”

He sat her on the chair at the table and went in the utility room and came back a second later with a pair of his socks and knelt to slide them on her feet one at a time, enjoying the view of her shapely calves as he did so.

“What’s got into you, Delbert Cook? You’re awfully chipper this morning.”

He picked up the spatula from the plate it rested on and said, “I’m celebrating. You fixed me.”

“Huh?”

He chuckled as he scraped at the skillet, loosening the bacon. “You fixed me. I haven’t slept a whole night through in months. I had some of your sweet tea and pralines and I slept like a baby. Even the rain last night didn’t wake me up.”

Lily yawned and then giggled. “So you’re thanking me for the sugar coma?”

“Yup,” he replied as he turned the bacon. “I mean it. It’s been months since I’ve slept that well.”

“Well then I’m glad to hear that it helped. Your mom made the best pralines and I was so excited when I found the recipe in her old cookbook. I thought it would make you happy.”

“You succeeded. Were you comfortable last night?”

“Very. So whatcha got going here?” she asked, gesturing to the stove.

“Just a simple breakfast. Bacon, hash browns, and scrambled eggs, if you like them that way.”

“Sure.”

“It’ll be a few minutes so you have time for a cup of coffee and a shower if you want it.”

Lily rose from the chair, and he grinned at the sight of her in his floppy socks as she reached for a mug in the cabinet and went to the coffeepot. He felt slightly goofy as he stared at her and wondered if this was what love felt like because he never wanted the morning to end, unless it was with a return to bed. She had work this morning and so did he, so he knew that couldn’t happen.

After preparing her coffee, she set the filled mug on the counter and went to him with a smile on her face. He kissed the top of her head as she wrapped her arms around his waist, and they hugged each other.

“This
is
a nice way to wake up, Del.” She let out a long, wistful-sounding sigh.

He looked down at her and asked, “You really okay?”

She didn’t look up, just nodded her head and said, “Yes, it’s just…a lot.”

“Missing Clay a little?”

Quickly, she looked up at him and seemed to gauge his reaction as she nodded. She bit her lower lip and laid her head back against his chest and said, “He seems to think we could…He thought perhaps we might be lucky, like…He hopes that you can…” She finally sighed and said, “I’m making no sense at all.”

He stroked the silky length of her hair. “I know what Clay wants. It’s unusual to be sure, no matter how common it may be here. How do you feel about it? You’ve had more time with him than me. Do you love him?”

Looking certain, she nodded. “I do love him. He said he loved me, too.”

“Given time, do you think you could love me, too?”

Lily gazed up at him. “Yes, but that’s not what concerns me. I know if the roles were reversed, I’d never share him or you with another woman, ever. I mean
ever
. How can I know that about myself and expect for you to share me? It’s not fair. It might lead to jealousy. I don’t want to risk our friendship. He seemed to think this time we have together could tell us if it would work.”

Del kissed the crown of her head and said, “Lily, I don’t feel jealous when I am around the two of you, even when you’ve shown affection to each other, or when he kissed you yesterday. It actually…”
How do I say it without sounding like a pervert?

“It actually…what?”

“It…turned me on to watch him with you like that. I wanted to sneak up behind you and kiss your neck and your shoulder while he kissed your lips.”

Her brows arched, and she smiled. “Really? You mean you…”

“Got hard?” he asked. His accuracy was confirmed when her cheeks bloomed in a pink blush. He could feel his cock hardening again at the thought. “Yes, definitely. I must have a voyeuristic streak.”

She sighed softly. “Oh, boy. This is going to be interesting.”

Del tilted her chin up and gazed into her warm amber eyes. “We’re not going to rush into anything. The most important thing to either of us right now is that you’re happy and kept safe if your ex is planning something.” He patted her ass. “Go take your shower before I take you back to bed. Work has to get done today.”

She looked up at him with big eyes, but he didn’t grin like he was teasing, and her lips parted a little in surprise. She grabbed her cup of coffee, and scurried from the kitchen. He could’ve sworn he heard a giggle as she went down the hall.

Twenty minutes later, he placed the last bowl on the table and was setting out utensils when he heard her footsteps in the hall. She breezed into the kitchen clad in a silky red top and a shin-length black skirt and black heels. She’d swept her hair up into a soft knot with a clip at the back of her head.

They were both startled by the sound of the utensils clattering on a ceramic plate. She ducked her head and giggled when he blinked and looked down, realizing he’d dropped the utensils when he’d set eyes on her.

There was a twinkle in her eyes, despite her blush. “I take it I chose well?”

He grinned when she struck a pose and nodded. “Hell, yeah. I think I could get used to you being around here, Lily Bell. You look beautiful. I can’t believe I did that.” He shook his head at his callow response to her appearance.

“I could get used to the compliments.”

“I think you’ve a deficit to make up for in that department.” He kissed her temple and breathed in her sensual, womanly fragrance. “I hope you’re hungry.”

“I’m starved. Thank you for going to all this trouble.”

“Knock, knock!” Clay called as he came in the front door.

Confused, Del looked up when his brother stepped into the kitchen. He was still wearing his cowboy hat and rain droplets covered the shoulders of his tan barn jacket. “Good morning. I thought you wanted me to bring her in.”

Clay ducked his head, looking a little sheepish. “I was up early and decided to save you the trip into town. Smells good in here.”

Del pointed at the cabinet. “There’s plenty. Get yourself a plate. So you were up early, huh?”

Clay nodded as he held open his arms for Lily when she rose from her seat to give him a hug. He kissed the side of her head, and Del noticed he closed his eyes and smiled in what looked like relief when he enveloped her in his arms. Del was struck by the fact that the moment felt good…right. “Yeah. The house was awful quiet this morning.”

Del watched as Lily released him and gazed up at him. “I missed you, too, Clay.”

She glanced at Del, hesitating for a heartbeat, and then gave Clay a soft kiss. The beautiful blush and smile on her face spoke to his heart when his brother released her. She looked happy. Aroused. He liked the combination, and when his brother caught his eyes as he sat down, Del nodded in approval. That seemed to satisfy Clay’s unasked questions.

The mood around the table was comfortable as they ate breakfast. It seemed to Del that the decisive moment had arrived. They were moving forward with this.

“I’m going to make chicken and dumplings for supper if you’d like to come out tonight, Clay,” Lily said, smiling when Del pointedly handed her the bowl of eggs. She dutifully took a bit more since what she’d had on her plate the first go-round wouldn’t have satisfied a hummingbird.

Clay shook his head regretfully. “I have to run into San Antonio tonight after work. I’m picking up the statue for Chance and Clayton Carlisle.”

“You are?” she asked, curiosity bringing the twinkle back to her eyes. “When are you going to break away the ceramic mold?”

“Anytime now.”

“I wish I could come, too.”

Clay glanced at Del and replied, “Nah. It’s a long drive. I’d rather you enjoyed your time with Del. I probably won’t get home until really late and you know I’ll wait until you’re with me to break the mold.”

After she was finished, Lily rinsed her plate and excused herself to collect her things and get ready to leave.

When she could be heard rummaging around in the bedroom, Clay asked, “Everything go okay last night?”

Del nodded and replied, “Yeah. She made like the Tasmanian Devil and got more accomplished in here than I have in weeks. She even cooked last night.”

Clay rolled his eyes. “Don’t tell me you worked all night.”

Del nodded, fighting the feeling of sheepishness that came over him. “Habit, I guess. She came out and spent some time with me while I ate.”

“You ate outside, where you were working?” Clay looked at him as though he were a dumbass. He felt like one, too.

“Yeah, but I did kiss her. She reacted well and seemed comfortable with me.”

“Well, she looked happy when I came in. You must not be fucking up too bad.”

“By the time I came in last night she was asleep in bed. Don’t worry, that won’t happen again.” He planned to spend the evening with her tonight because he didn’t ever want her to think he was ignoring her.

Lily hurried back into the kitchen with her coat on and her purse slung on her shoulder. Del reached out to straighten her collar and knew he’d miss her a lot during the day. “I’ll come and get you this afternoon, Lily Bell.”

She nodded and gasped when he gently pulled her to him and kissed her. Her surprise quickly changed to compliance as she returned his kiss and parted her sweet lips for him. He squeezed her and pressed her soft curves against his upper body. Her scent filled his nostrils, and he stroked her tongue with his, tasting her minty toothpaste and her own natural, clean flavor. Reluctantly, he released her and smiled at the desire shining in her eyes. After a moment, she glanced at Clay and then back at him, seeming at a loss for words.

Looking satisfied, Clay held out his hand. “Looks like progress to me.”

Del stroked her lower lip with his thumb and kissed her once again, just a light peck, and then released her. He wondered if the blush in her cheeks spread to other parts of her body when she was aroused as she reached out and put her hand in Clay’s and smiled up at him. “Don’t work too hard.”

He watched as Clay held the umbrella for her and helped her into his gray F-150. He willed the tingling in his cock down and turned to the kitchen. After all the hard work she’d done the night before, the least he could do was clean up the breakfast mess before getting started.

When he was done, he looked out the window at the rain pouring down. He looked around the kitchen then walked through the house with a critical eye. She’d obviously worked hard, eradicating the dust and grime that had accumulated over the last eight years, but he knew that a day spent making this house more livable was long overdue.

Rain or no rain, he went out to the barn to tend to Sargent and then backed his beat-to-hell ranch truck up to the back door and emptied the second bedroom of all the junk accumulated in it and then went room to room, clearing the tattered curtains and furniture well past their usefulness from the house. There was no point in having a house if it was too cluttered to live in.

All this time his focus had been the ranch, but if Lily was going to live here he wanted things to be nice for her. So he spent the day cleaning out, fixing up, and then made a trip into Divine to shop for things he thought she might like. By the time five o’clock rolled around, he’d done a pretty decent job and regretted not having done it earlier. It was the least she deserved.

Once that was accomplished and she arrived home, he showed her what he’d done in each room and asked her what she thought of his plans to fix up the house.

Later, he sat on one of the new barstools at the kitchen counters and talked to her as she rolled out the dough for the dumplings. She’d cooked and deboned the chicken the night before, so all she’d had to do when she came in was make the dumplings and let it simmer.

“I think it was sweet of you to work in here all day, but I like your house the way it is, Del. Don’t change anything for me.” Unsaid was that she still evidently looked upon herself as a houseguest.

“Lily, this could wind up being your home. I went out and bought things today to make it a little more comfortable, but I intend for it to be the way you’d want it. What if things work out for the three of us and Clay decides to sell the house in town? I thought we could make this into a home for the three of us.”

“Is that what you’d like, Del?”

Struck by the lack of hesitation, Del replied, “Yes. It is. I’ve been thinking about it. We’d need a little extra space. Room for Clay’s studio and a space for you, for whatever you want to use it for. A larger bedroom, maybe? With a connected bath.” He grinned when her interest was piqued by that suggestion.

“Wow, that’s an awfully expensive undertaking.”

“I’ve been overseas, accumulating an income that I didn’t spend very much of. Wouldn’t you like a gigantic tub to soak in? Big enough to soak in with one or two others?” When her jaw dropped, he grinned knowing that he’d hit a hot button with her.