“I’m open to any ideas,” she said as he demonstrated how to adjust the flame and how to place the meat. “Samantha, Whiskey’s wife, owns the salon in town. She’s given up on me ever having nails for a manicure. She sometimes comes in to meet the other women for lunch.”
Passing her the tongs, Liam asked, “Do you ever join them? Try turning the meat over and give the veggies a stir.”
She flipped the chicken and gave the veggies a good stir with the long metal spoon. “I don’t like to intrude. They’re a very close-knit group.”
“Did it ever occur to you they invited you to join them, because they want to get to know you better?” he asked as he closed the lid and set the tongs and spoon on the tray.
“They invited me when I first arrived. It felt more like they took pity on the poor widow. After a while, they stopped asking,” she confided.
“Maybe because you kept refusing them. The street goes both ways, Addy. You have to meet them halfway,” he chided. “They showed up for you after the break-in, didn’t they?” he pointed out.
“Yeah,” she agreed, sitting on the bench. Liam joined her as he waited for the food to finish.
“Have you visited Samantha’s salon? Whiskey asked her to come to the hospital to have my hair trimmed. She does an excellent job,” he said, complimenting Samantha.
“No,” she admitted. “I drive into Seattle. I found someone there who does my hair adequately. Most of the time, I’m at work, and it goes into a bun.”
Sighing, Liam stood to remove the food and place it on the platter.
“Next time they ask, join the women. They’re a great bunch,” he encouraged her. “After my implant, Bryanna made me cookies. Tess sent me her famous breakfast burritos with Taco. Kassie and Catherine checked on me daily. As I mentioned, Samantha cut my hair. Even Michael’s wife, Lizzy, dropped in to see me. I saw Claire for a while to get my head on straight. Of course, Cole and Stormy visited me to update me on Apollo’s progress and gave me a list of commands to learn. I can’t wait to start working with him.”
“It sounds like you’re anticipating joining the security team,” she said, smiling as he handed her the platter and cleaned off the grill.
“Yes, I’m excited about the opportunity. Take this inside,” he instructed. “I’ll finish up here and will join you in a minute.”
Addy went inside, and he saw her set everything on the table as he shut everything off and cleaned up his mess. When he went inside, he set his lemonade on the table and went to wash up. When he returned, Liam noticed she moved his plate to the opposite side.
“You don’t want to miss the sunset,” Addy explained. “I get a spectacular view with the two mountains as the backdrop. You don’t want to miss it.”
Liam sat, placing the napkin on his lap. He passed her a piece of chicken while she scooped the grilled veggies onto his plate.
“Zeus will be excited to return home tomorrow. Do you want me to help load him into the SUV?” he asked.
“If you don’t have any other plans,” she said, getting up and bringing barbecue sauce to the table to dip her chicken.
Liam grabbed her by the waist and pulled her down into his lap. Her hand scraped along his jaw as she gazed into his eyes.
“This feels incredible,” he moaned. “You know, it’d feel better if your nails ran through it,” he teased, kissing her nose.
Addy leaned over, taking a piece of asparagus from his plate and feeding it to him. “But then I couldn’t feed you. Do you know all the germs living under your nail bed?”
“Then why do you bite them?” he countered, rubbing his scruff along her face, making her laugh.
“I guess you’ll have to break me of the habit,” she teased.
Liam scooted the chair away from the table and flipped her over his knee. “Do you really want me to show you how I break bad habits?” he warned her playfully.
“Yes,” she said, letting out a breathy moan.
Forgetting about the food, Liam rubbed her backside over her pants.
“Has anyone ever spanked your lovely bottom, Addy?”
She shook her head, balancing with her hands on the floor.
“I’ve only read about it in books. I didn’t think people really ever did it,” she confessed. “Of course, those women needed a man to tell them what to do. Some men even picked out the women’s clothes and gave them a list of instructions for the day.”
“They’re called subs,” he explained. “Don’t take them as silly little creatures without a brain cell in their head. In fact, mostsubs are highly motivated women who find it comforting and safe to cede control over to their partner. They get a chance to step away from a demanding job or life and let someone else make the decisions for a change.”
