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Julie liked the idea. Still muzzy, she closed her eyes, using Des as a prop as she scratched Miss Thing's forehead and caressed her velvety soft nose. He chuckled indulgently and lifted her again.
"Gotta go to bed, Miss Thing. I wore my baby out." If I plan to take advantage of her again, I have to get her some sleep." He brushed his lips across Julie's forehead. "And I sure as hell plan to do that."
"Don't I get any say in it?"
"Sure. As long as it's an unqualified 'Yes, Des, that's exactly what I want.'"
He took them back up the path, reclaimed the tote and pack from the truck hood and ascended his small porch. He let her stand on her feet again as he fished out his key. She had a brief impression of a potted vegetable garden, tomatoes and some herbs to the left of the door, along with a folding chair and small table. A rusted set of chimes with a faded painted metal butterfly at the top offered a pleasant music.
Des opened his door and gestured her over the threshold. "It's basically a one-room apartment, but I'm fond of it, so be kind."
"I'm living in the back room of a theater. I'm hardly going to judge."
Though she was sleepy, she was curious about where he lived. When he snapped on a lamp, she saw he was right about the cozy size. The main living area space had a futon, easy chair and small flat screen TV. Several bookcases were stacked with magazines, books, notebooks. A file cabinet and a desk were tucked in a corner with a computer. The kitchen, separated from the living area by an L-shaped counter, had a compact set of the expected appliances. A two-seat bistro set was pushed against a pair of windows to the right of the counter, allowing a small passage to squeeze into the kitchen area.
As her gaze drifted back across the living area, she saw a double bed, partially revealed behind a standing wooden screen, hung with a variety of colorful ropes. One door behind the bed led to a small bathroom, because she saw a section of a vanity sink and a blue shower curtain with seagulls printed on it, diving and swooping. There was a second door she assumed was another room or closet, but it was closed.
Unlike most bachelors she knew, Des hadn't hesitated to bring her to his home without notice, but he didn't fit her single guy stereotype in a lot of ways. The living space was inviting, clean and well-ordered, not because he expected guests but because it matched the man's preferences. A brown, black and blue diamond pattern afghan was draped over the sofa, and the fabrics and accents of the living room meshed with that masculine but pleasing color scheme. The bed cover was dark blue with blue and green throw pillows against blue-cased bed pillows. He didn't care for knickknacks, no surprise there, but he had pottery pieces to hold several orchids and a cluster of interesting houseplant choices lined the bookcases. The room smelled faintly of peppermint, making her think of Christmas.
He had few possessions compared to most men his same age, but he had the things a man like him might need. Her gaze went back to the shower curtain. "Everything makes me think of forests but that," she said.
"Yeah. I like seagulls. I like the beach. And if everything matched, you'd figure I bat for the other team."
She considered. "It is true that straight single men rarely present such a well-coordinated interior decorating scheme, unless they've enlisted a professional designer to attract women to their lair."
"Yeah, I thought about it, but I already have to beat them off with a stick. I didn't want to cause myself more aggravation. I bought the mismatching shower curtain to thin out the pack."
"Of course." Her snort became a surprised sound as he lifted her again. He wasn't kidding; he really did like carrying her. He took her to the bed, put her on her feet to turn it down and untied her robe, sliding it off her shoulders. She held onto his biceps, blinking up at him as he stroked her hair back from her face and regarded her from head to toe.
"A fine-looking naked woman in my home. And not just any naked woman. You're the only thing my place has been missing."
He had a way of saying things that should sound hokey but made her knees weak. After he settled her in the bed, he seemed like he was going to leave her there, so she held onto his hand until he relented and sat down next to her.
"Where were you going?" she asked.
"Nowhere. I'm going to let you sleep while I do a couple things. I'm a little keyed up."
"Could I help with that?" She dropped her hand to his thigh and caressed him. Yeah, she could barely lift her head, but for the chance to give him more pleasure, she'd find some energy.
He smiled, clasping her seeking hand. "You sure can, but not right now. Not when I've asked so much of you. Sleep first."
"The shower curtain... It's not just because you like seagulls."
He cocked his head. "Even in a post-coital stupor, the girl is sharp."
"Not in a stupor. Get over yourself."
He grinned as she deliberately slurred her words, but as she trailed her fingers up and down his arm and fixed her eyes on him, he became more serious.
"When I was a kid at the boys' home, they took us to North Myrtle Beach one weekend. I was really looking forward to it, but I contracted a high fever and couldn't go. Betty, she was the nurse at the boys' home then. She bought a couple of shower curtains with seagulls on it and hung them around my bed in the infirmary. Bought me a tape of the ocean and played it so I could imagine I was there."
He glanced toward the bathroom. "That's not one of the original curtains, but having one like it reminds me there's something far more important than life not going your way. It's how you and those around you handle that, and knowing you can discover even better things than a beach trip because of it."
"Like friendship, and love. Loyalty." She supplied the unspoken words and thought one more in her mind. Kindness. She already loved this Betty, and was intrigued that his landlady was also his childhood nurse. "Did you ever get to the ocean?"
"No. I've never been." A hard-to-read expression crossed his face. "It's a bucket list thing."
Her brows raised. "It's only four hours from here."
