Page 6 of His Little Pumpkin
I giggle again, poking his shoulder with my finger. “You’re a grandma.”
He scowls, but his eyes are sparkling. “Take that back.”
“Can’t make me.”
He clasps my hand as we laugh together, then his chin jerks up and he springs to his feet as a man walks in the door who is easily as big as Eldon. The reaction has a military precision to it.
“Evenin’, Boss. What can I do for you?”
The man looks back and forth between us with a sly smile. “I could have sworn I heard someone laughing, and a grouch like you has no sense of humor, so…”
Eldon’s hand lands on my shoulder reassuringly. “Boss, this is Laura. My unofficial assistant for a while.”
Boss shakes my hand gently, then steps back, looking between us again, putting two and two together. “Nice to meet you, Laura. Thank you for the help.”
I catch a look between the men that says they’ll discuss this privately later. Boss nods, then disappears again.
We hear chairs shuffling and general chatter from the next room, signaling that the meal is over. It’s easy to follow Eldon’s lead as he brings things into the kitchen, and I load the dishwasher and start scrubbing out the pans that are too large to fit.
I intended to help until the place is spotless, but he starts the machine and then leaves the rest of the pots to soak overnight. “I’ll catch up in the morning. You need rest, beautiful.”
On the way back to his house, walking extra slowly, Eldon takes my hand. We’re about halfway there when he stops and turns to me. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, Laura. But I think it would help me make sure you have everything you need if you felt like telling me why such a lovely young woman has no home.”
Well, I knew I’d have to come clean eventually. Maybe it’s best to get it over with.
“The short version is that my family kind of…took off on me.”
His eyes harden. “And the long version?”
I sigh. “Dad left when I was eight. Mom and her new husband – Jeremy – got married and acted like I was in the way. When I was sixteen they had a baby together, and I guess I was too much of a reminder of Mom’s previous relationship. I really like my little brother Davis. He’s four now. I thought I could stay with them and look after him while I was working from home, but they suddenly upped and moved to an area in southern Florida that often gets hit by hurricanes.” I shudder. “They know I have a phobia about big storms. And even if I didn’t, they made it clear there was no room for me there.”
His hand is warm against my shoulder as we begin slowly walking again. “What did you do for work?” he asks.
“A bunch of online jobs. Surveys, beta testing websites. Video calls with people learning English to work on their pronunciation, phrasing, timing, that kind of thing.” I look up at him with a smile. “I’m a hard worker. I was trying to make my way to Las Vegas – I figure they must always need a lot of hotel maids there, right?”
A grumble rolls through the bottom of his throat as his fingers tighten around my shoulder. “Hell no. You’re not goingto Vegas.” There’s a sharp inhale, then he shakes his head. “Sorry, I shouldn’t tell you what to do. I just can’t stand the thought of you in a place like that all alone.”
I love that his first instinct was to be so protective. I also love his second reaction was to be careful of his tone.
As soon as we walk in the door, Eldon scoops me up and sets me on the couch, then bundles me up in a blanket. “What movie shall we watch?”
I don’t deserve this kind of paradise, curled up under a blanket with his strong arm around me.
Half an hour later we’re openly snuggling, our fingertips gently roving over bits of exposed skin, the movie forgotten. I reach out to hit pause, then turn to Eldon just as he’s pivoting toward me.
A silent flicker of heat passes between us, then he clutches me to him.
He kisses me gently at first, then his energy picks up steam, lust overtaking us both. His hand tangles into the back of my hair as my fingers wander down the back of his t-shirt. His other hand slowly roams around my waist and hip, then down my thigh. As our lips part, drinking the other in, a low, deep hum resonates through my bones.
I want this man, and he wants me. Heck – he wants me more than anyone else ever has in my life. It’s as if we belong together.
And I’m positive it’s just a matter of time before we sleep in the same bed and doeverythingtogether.
5
ELDON
It’s a very long, very busy day, but that’s actually perfect. I pick up supplies from several local farmers and plan the menu for the next week in such a way that I can both balance my workload and keep things interesting for the men.
