Page 45 of Grouch-ish

She didn’t judge me when I worked on the dressers but encouraged me to fix them. Hell, she even had me building owl boxes, which was a good start to constructing furniture. And she appreciated the wooden snowflake I made her.

She didn’t scold me for making a mess when I canned pears, but simply helped me clean up, like she helped me with the fence posts, at first.

She let me have my fun with the snowmobile, going along for the ride even when she was nervous, and she wasn’t upset when I couldn’t complete a project, like sanding the runners on that old sleigh.

She’d been easy going at every turn and obstacle, and then good-natured and open-minded on the straight run, like kissing her all afternoon and night yesterday.

Like skiing down a black diamond, there’d been a risk, a vulnerability, but the rush had been worth every second our mouths connected.

When Pear remains silent, I reverse the truck out of the parking lot.

She shivers beside me, and she should have taken off her wet suit instead of wrapping up in a towel and tugging on her winter coat. With her feet in her boots and her bare legs trembling, she looks ridiculous but adorable.

Once we return to the house, she enters the front door but stops to open a closet just inside the small entryway. I hear the distinct flip of a switch.

“Shower.” I’m not taking no for an answer. She needs to get out of that suit and into warm clothes but first she needs to heat up her entire body.

“I have a better idea.” Turning toward me, she drops her winter coat and the wet towel at her waist. “Let’s hot tub.”

+ + +

I don’t know how I missed the tub other than it is tucked against the house in a corner and not easily seen from the back window which was shielded by the Christmas tree until only a day ago. Yesterday, we’d been busy during the wintery storm and before that I hadn’t had any need to circle around to the back of the house. The entire orchard was their backyard.

Shoved up against the house with a privacy screen on one side, the hot tub is bubbling and steaming in the cold January First air when Pear and I gingerly step into the liquid heaven and lower to our shoulders. She brought fresh towels outside with us, along with two lightweight blankets for added warmth once we are done.

For now, I only want to concentrate on the bubbles boiling around me and the jet stream pulsing against my lower back.

I sigh, closing my eyes and tipping back my head on the edge of the tub. “How did I not know about this?”

Pear laughs, but I don’t open my eyes, too entranced by how amazing the water feels.

“Dad added it a few years back. I imagine he likes to come out here at night and watch the stars light the sky.”

My eyes open. Another gloomy sky hangs overhead this morning and yet a day has never looked so bright, so promising. My gaze falls to Pear. She’s my promise.

We smile at one another, keeping silent with our thoughts, and relishing in the relaxation of the tub, but as I naturally run hot, it doesn’t take long before the bubbling pool is too much for me.

I slip up to the edge of the tub, dangling my feet in the water.

“Hot?” Pear questions.

The corner of my mouth curls upward as she knows the answer.

“Yes, you are.” Her eyes trail down my body and I laugh. Her gaze certainly makes a man feel wanted.

While we haven’t seen one another naked, Pear in that suit has left little to the imagination.

Her gaze stalls on my abs. A trail of hair runs below my belly button and vanishes into my boxer briefs. I’m not into making it all disappear down there but I do keep it well-groomed.

Pear crosses the small pool in one easy stroke before popping up between my spread knees. I lean back on my arms and watch as her hands cover my thighs, spreading my legs wider apart.

“It’s so unfair,” she whispers appreciatively, swiping one finger down my midsection, starting at my chest and bumping down my belly like a skier on moguls. When she reaches my waistband, she teasingly drags her fingertip back and forth against the thick band. “I was selfish last night.”

“Yeah, you were,” I tease, causing her head to shoot upright. “And I want you to be selfish with me again.”

Her fingers wrap around the waist of my underwear, and she tugs. Instantly, I catch her wrist with one of my hands.

“What are you doing?” My voice is rough, my mouth suddenly dry.