Secrets of the Tulip Sisters

Olivia nodded as she glanced toward the exit. “Ah, thanks. I’m going to go now.”

“Thank you for coming by. Could you let Dad know I won’t be home for dinner? I’m going to see Griffith later.” She giggled. “He’s my boyfriend.”

“So I heard.”

She made her escape, then paused by her car. To be completely honest, she wasn’t sure what to think about her sister. Either she should think about getting a vaccination or maybe start drinking the water. She just couldn’t decide.

*

Griffith figured that by any description, he was the man. He’d righted the ship, so to speak, pleased his woman in ways no one had before. He was good. No, he was better than good—he was a god among men—at least for now.

“You’re not listening,” Sven complained.

Griffith turned his attention back to the garden layout Sven proposed for the tiny house that was being delivered next week. They’d also agreed on some plants to spruce up the future showroom. He’d already decided to take the space. He wanted things to work out with Olivia, but even if they couldn’t come to terms, her idea about a dedicated showroom had been a good one. He liked the idea of having samples on site. The space would also give him a permanent area to discuss designs, rather than trying to fit his clients into his sometimes messy office.

“How tall will they grow?” he asked, pointing to several bushes in pots.

“Not more than five feet. They’ll flank the front door. I wouldn’t recommend them for a house on wheels, but this one is permanent. If your customers prefer, they can be planted in the ground, but the pots add a visual element to the front of the house.”

“I wouldn’t have thought you were a ‘visual element’ kind of guy.”

“I have hidden depths.” Sven grinned.

Maybe, but he hadn’t been able to please Kelly, Griffith thought, trying to keep from looking smug. That had been all him.

After the first time, they’d made love over and over again. Kelly had come more easily each time, and more vocally. His quiet farmer girl, it turned out, was a bit of screamer.

She’d been eager to try everything he could think of. Apparently figuring out how to have an orgasm had done the trick. From that moment on, she’d come pretty much every time they’d tried. Orally, with him inside of her, with her on top. He’d finally had to plead exhaustion, while she seemed ready to keep going forever.

It was, he admitted to himself, the absolute best problem ever.

“Hey, we’re out of some of the plumbing fixtures.”

Griffith turned and saw Ryan standing in the doorway to his office. His brother looked sullen and unhappy, as if being forced to speak.

“Leo’s not here,” Ryan added, his tone grudging. “I figured someone should know.”

“Thanks for telling me. I’ll find out what happened with the order.”

His best guess was the replacement parts had arrived, but hadn’t been unpacked yet. They were experiencing yet another increase in production and were at that awkward place of needing to hire more people. Yet another reason to get the showroom. He could move a lot of things over there, including his office. That would free up more space for building.

“Whatever,” Ryan muttered, then left.

“Someone’s not happy,” Sven said. “He resents that he needs the job.”

“He was meant for better things, at least in his mind.”

“He has to find his way.” Sven closed his laptop. “Is he still seeing Autumn?”

“I have no idea. Why?”

His friend avoided his gaze. “No reason. Just curious. Did you sell your tickets?”

“Jeez, yes.” He held up his hand. “All of them.”

Sven had insisted Griffith get rid of twenty tickets to the fund-raiser for the craft mall. Rather than deal with trying to find people who were willing to shell out the money to go, he’d bought them all himself, then given them away.

“Good. Olivia wants every seat full.”

Griffith started to ask why Sven cared that much about Olivia, only to put the pieces together. “You and Olivia?” he asked.

Sven shook his head. “We’re just friends.”

Griffith thought about the question about Ryan’s dating life. “It doesn’t sound like friends.”

“I can’t help that.”

He had another, less pleasant thought. “Does Kelly know?” he asked, only to realize it wasn’t a question he wanted answered.

“There’s nothing to know, but she wouldn’t care. We should never have stayed together as long as we did. It wasn’t right for either of us. How are things with the two of you?”

“Ah, good.”

Better than good, but a gentleman didn’t kiss and tell...so to speak.

He and Sven finished their business and the other man left. At five, the crews packed it up and headed out. Close to five thirty, Griffith closed his spreadsheet program and reached for his phone. He wanted to find out if Kelly wanted to get together tonight.

Before he could start his text, he heard footsteps in the warehouse. He left his office and saw Kelly walking toward him.

She’d come directly from the farm. She had on jeans, a short-sleeved T-shirt and work boots, all of which made her the sexiest woman ever. When she saw him, she smiled and quickened her step. He grinned and rushed forward. They met by the display home and hung on to each other.

“I missed you,” he told her.

“Good, because I’ve been thinking about you all day.”

“Me, or just my penis?”

She laughed. “Both.”

They stared at each other. He felt the familiar heat explode inside. Her eyes darkened, even as she dropped a hand between them and rubbed his rapidly hardening erection.

“Is everyone gone?” she asked.

“They are.”

“Good.”

His mouth claimed hers as his mind searched frantically for the best place. His office? Acceptable but not overly original. Plus, the desk was a mess and the floor was too dirty. The front seat of his truck might work but it was still daylight outside and pulling it into the warehouse would take too much time. As it was, Kelly already had her shirt off. Her bra followed.

He put his hands on her breasts and stroked the way she liked. Her head fell back and she moaned.

He caught sight of the tiny house display and decided it would work. There was a small sofa and—

“Griffith, I really need you now,” Kelly whispered. “Seriously, I’m dying here.”

He pushed her to the tiny house. She stripped off the rest of her clothes faster than he would have thought possible, then helped him with his. At the last second, she pulled a condom out of her jeans pocket.

“I stopped at the store on the way here,” she told him.

“Pretty and smart. Have I mentioned there’s not one thing I don’t like about you?”

“Thank you. I feel the same way.”

They tumbled onto the sofa. Griffith sent up a mental apology to all the people who would sit there later, then slipped on the condom before finding his way home.

As he filled her, she wrapped her legs around him and pulled him in deeper.