“All the time. We even put Sara in a different school, and yet when they are home, she’s the boss,” said Ginny. She stood up and handed him the washcloth.
Patrick soaped up the washcloth and started running it over Ginny’s breasts. He was enjoying how her nipples responded to his touch. “Any reason why those three are so tight?” he asked.
It was Ginny’s turn to have trouble talking. “Ppprobably because their mother Penny was too wrapped up in the older children and Duke’s an idiot,” said Ginny at last.
Patrick moved the washcloth between Ginny’s legs and washed slowly. Ginny moaned. Patrick smiled. He washed her back and ass then put down the washcloth and moved Ginny under the water to rinse her off. “So how long have you and George been parenting them?” he asked.
“On and off since they were born,” she said. “You know, you sure are nosy.”
“Yeah, I like to know the people around me and why they act the way they do,” he said leaning down to kiss her. They kissed until the water began to run cold. Ginny turned it off and as she stepped out she grabbed two towels. She handed one to Patrick and then wrapped herself in the other. From a hook, she grabbed one for her hair.
“Which brings me to a question,” she said.
“Yes,” said Patrick.
“Is this one hell of a good scratch of an itch and one night stand? Or, are you interested in something more?” she asked.
Patrick looked down at Ginny standing there with her hair turbaned in a towel, another one wrapped around her body and her hands on her hips. He didn’t dare say how much she reminded him of Sara, but he smiled. “Let’s go sit down in the bedroom,” he said.
They dried off and headed to the bedroom. Ginny was surprised to see the damaged sheets gone and the bed remade.
“Wow, did the wee pups do that or George?” asked Patrick.
Ginny looked at the corner of the bed that had sagged earlier and saw the text books under the mattresses. “George. The kids wouldn’t have used text books,” she said.
Patrick looked and nodded. “Damn, I knew the sex was good, but didn’t realize we’d broken the bed,” he said. Turning to Ginny, he took her hand and brought her around to the head of the bed. They crawled in and she snuggled up to him.
“I have to admit that when Cal called me a few weeks ago and asked if I wanted to come out here to job hunt, I turned him down,” Patrick started.
Ginny began to interrupt and Patrick silenced her with a look.
“Then he said that not only was there work out here, but there was a woman I had to meet. Said I’d be crazy to not come out. Oh, and when was the last time I’d had sex? As I mentioned, I lost my wife a few years ago, and I had sort of crawled into myself,” he said. Ginny nodded but didn’t interrupt.
“Then I got to thinking. No mate, no work, what the hell. I’d been living with friends, so all I had was already in storage. I called Cal and said I was thinking of coming out. He said about time, and gave me the address to where he worked. When I got there, I just about turned around until I got in the door. I couldn’t see you at first, because I was still sun blinded. I could smell you though. All I could think was ‘please let the smell match the woman’ and then I could see you.
“And how disappointed were you?” she asked.
Patrick sat up and took Ginny by the chin. “Stop that,” he said and the sub-vocals rolled over her skin.
“Uhh…” was all Ginny got out.
“I wasn’t disappointed, because I wasn’t sure what I was smelling was you. And in all honesty, you’re not a disappointment. Yes, you’re hair is gray, and you are older, but that is not a reason to be disappointed. Hell, we’re probably about the same age,” he said.
Ginny pulled her head back and looked at him. “No way,” she said.
“Ginny, I’m forty-eight,” he said.
“Okay, I’ll just shut up,” Ginny said.
“From that reaction, how much older am I than you?” he asked. When she didn’t answer, he gave her a look.
“Two or three years depending on where your birthday falls, she said.
Patrick smiled. “Now that you’re surprised, I’ll tell you the rest of this story,” he said. Ginny just nodded.
“You were nice, and I realized that it was you I was smelling. When Cal walked in, he let me know that you were the woman he was talking about. While hesitant, going to lunch with you was one of the best things that had happened in ages. You smelled delicious. You have a brain, wit and I felt alive again,” he said. “When I got to Cal’s, the first thing he said was that he hadn’t seen a smile on my face for a long time. Then he asked why I was still there and gave me your address. The rest you know.”
“Yes, and at this point, I’m a little pissed. Cal set us up?” she asked. The muscles under her skin started to tense.
“Ginny, stop that,” he said with sub-vocals for emphasis. “He did some match making. Him and Luc and everyone in that office, because they care about you and were tired of seeing you torn up and overwrought. Lack of sexual release when you’re drowning in pheromones will drive you crazy.”
Ginny was still not very calm. She couldn’t decide if she wanted to beat Cal, Luc and Patrick or thank them. “But…” she started.
“But nothing. You were crabby and bitchy when I walked in and by the time we came back from lunch, you were happier than you’d been in weeks from what I could tell. So was I. So just put all those plans of killing the lot of them on hold,” he growled.