“Hmm. I don
’t mind it.”
They sampled their way from the dark and bitter to the fruit flavored, and creamy centered. They finished with a salted caramel that he noted as his favorite.
“We made it and my stomach doesn’t ache,” Lilac said.
He laughed. “You got a little something right here.” He brushed the smudge off her lips, and sucked the sweetness off his thumb. Her lids lowered and her lips parted. “Even better when it comes straight from you.”
“Thorn?”
“We said nothing about touching being bad.” He leaned in and flicked the corner of her mouth with the tip of his tongue. “Don’t you like it when I touch you, Lilac?”
“Too much.”
“I just want to thank you for all you’ve done.” He ran over her lips with his tongue, coaxing her to open to him. She parted her plump lips and he dove in, cherishing her like a fine whiskey. He sampled, savored, and explored her mouth. She leaned in, and he framed her face, brushing his thumbs over the apples of her cheeks in an attempt to convey how much he felt for her. The words got lost from his mind to his mouth, but he didn’t mean them any less. She was a fresh breath of sunshine in a gray world.
He wasn’t unhappy with his life, but he’d felt something was lacking. He once thought it might be Alexa. Now he knew better.
Chapter Five
Lilac
A knock on the cabin door drew their attention from the chessboard.
“Are you expecting company?” Lilac asked.
“No. Ten to one, that’s my mother, though.”
“Ha. It’d serve you right if she gave you a piece of her mind after you ditched her.”
“You’re supposed to be on my side,” he grumbled.
She giggled. “You stay put, I’ll get it.”
“You know you’re a task master when it comes to caring for a sick person.”
“You’ll thank me when you heal properly.” She walked across the cabin floor, loving the feel of the hard wood beneath her bare feet. The days were mild and sunny as fall kicked into full gear. Soon the weather would cool. She opened the door and her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth.
Alexa narrowed her eyes and gave her a quick once over. “You think you’re going to win him over in this get up? Please.”
“For some people it’s not about looks.”
“Is that the lie you tell yourself to keep from feeling bad about your single status?”
Lilac bit her tongue. She would not stoop to this harlot’s level.
Alex huffed. “Thought so.” She brushed past her. “Oh my God, Thorn. I was so worried about you,” she cooed. “I just had to come and see for myself that you were okay and being taken care of.”
Sure, come on in. She closed the door behind her, gagging on the overpowering stench of vanilla musk.
“Alexa? What are you doing here?” Thorn asked. He sounded genuinely surprised to see her. It was a bonus.
“I told you. Once I heard about the snake bite I just had to come here,” Alexa said, laying it on thick.
“Funny, you didn’t want to do that for the report.”
“What? That wasn’t me, it was Peter and Lilac. She’s after my job, and she’ll do anything to get it.” Alexa glared over her shoulder and curled her upper lip. She turned to Thorn and pouted.