Flipping Love You by Erin Nicholas

13

Well, that was new and definitely not unwelcome. “So is this a test?” Zeke asked. “Like if I take you up on that, I’m the asshole twin? Or is that a legit offer?”

“It’s actually my way of saying that I really love to have sex with you and this is maybe a really good reason?”

He moved closer, bracing a hand on the counter behind her, caging her in. “You don’t need a reason, Kansas. If you want sex, all you have to do is say please.”

“Just please? What if sometime all I’m wanting is more homemade apple butter?”

She noted that her voice was slightly breathless as she teased him back.

“How about anytime you say please, I lead with sex and afterwards you can tell me what else you want?”

“And you’re offering to get me anything I need anytime?”

He paused. “I’m going to be totally honest with you.”

“I appreciate that.”

“I will be able to procure anything you want or need. But it will very likely, technically come from someone else.”

“And you see why I’m surprised that you have a washer and dryer.”

He laughed. “Fair enough.” He pushed back from her. “My mother doesn’t do my laundry all the time.”

“Hey, no judgment. If I had someone to do my laundry, I would be unapologetically in on that deal.”

He believed that she wasn’t judging him for that. A lot of women would probably think he was lazy or immature, or hopeless, but it seemed that Jill was just accepting the fact that once in a while his family pitched in. And that it was nice.

“Let’s get your laundry started, and then maybe we can talk about the fees associated with using the machine and my water bill and laundry detergent.” He grabbed her basket of clothes.

“All that stuff is surely gonna cost me,” Jill said following him into the laundry room.

He really liked how open she was about wanting to have sex with him again. And how easily she teased about it. She definitely got wound up tight about the penguins, but when it came to everything else, she did seem to prefer simple and straightforward. Even talking about sex.

He set the basket on top of the dryer. Then he studied the body clad only in the tank top and panties. “You were going to wear this over to my brother’s house?”

She looked over at him. “Zander isn’t home right now.”

“Still, what if he comes home?”

She shrugged. “I guess I would’ve pulled a blanket around me or something.”

“You hadn’t even thought of that, had you?” There was something funny about this woman who was trying to save the world by saving the penguins but who couldn’t seem to think even one step ahead on any personal plans.

“This is what I have that’s clean. But…”

He cocked an eyebrow. “But?”

“Honestly, I was going to throw them in too once I got over there.”

Zeke knew it was irrational, but he frowned and he gave a low growl. “So you were going to sit around my brother’s house completely naked?”

She lifted a shoulder. “I guess.”

“I’m sure glad that Chuck was between you and Zander’s place. In fact, I might build him a little house. And feed him. And make him a pet.”

“Chuck?”

“The alligator that hangs out in our yards.”

“You named him?”

He couldn’t remember for sure if it had been him, Zander, or Fletcher who’d first called the reptile Chuck. “Yeah.”

She gave a little shudder. “Fine. I won’t go to Zander’s anymore. But you definitely have to have everything I need over here then.”

“Apple butter, refrigerator,” Zeke said as he moved in behind her and settled his hands on her hips. “Washer, dryer, laundry detergent.” He slid his hands up under the edge of her tank to the bare skin on her belly.

She shivered again but this time, he knew it was not in disgust. Or fear. That was lust.

He leaned in and put his mouth against her ear. “And a huge cock that’s never been happier than when it was buried in your sweet pussy.” He ran his hands up to cup her breasts. They were bare too, of course, because apparently everything else she owned was dirty. He sucked on her earlobe as he played with her nipples.

She leaned back into him with a deep sigh. “Do you have blackberry wine?”

Zeke paused. Fucking Zander.

“You drank blackberry wine with him?”

She rolled her head back and forth where it was resting on his chest. “No, he just gave me some. And it’s delicious.”

Okay, so he wasn’t going to beat the crap out of Zander, but if he’d gotten Jill drunk and talked her into showing up at his house in the tank top and panties to do her laundry, he might have.

“I can definitely get you blackberry wine.”

“This sounds like an amazing deal.”

He went back to teasing her nipples. “I’m thinking for the first load, I get to eat your pussy. Second load, you’re on your knees sucking blackberry wine off my cock. Third load, I bend you over and fuck you during the spin cycle.”

She drew in a quick shaky breath. “Too bad I’m only doing one load.”

“You’ve got a whole basket here, you really only doing one load?”

“I’m tempted to start separating everything if I’m going to get sex for each load.” She arched her back slightly, pressing her breasts into his hands. “But I do have to get over to the penguin enclosure. I don’t really have time for three loads.”

He thought about saying something dirty about loads and what he could give her, but instead stripped her tank top up over her head and tossed it into the washing machine. “So everything goes in at once?”

Again, he felt like there was some great innuendo there.

Jill must’ve thought so too, because she grinned up at him. “I love it when it all goes at once.”

He chuckled. “Let’s fill it up.”

She stripped her panties off as he reached for the basket. He was actually waiting for her to stop him as he turned the basket over, dumping denim, multiple cotton tees in various colors, and a bunch of white panties and bras all together into the machine. But she didn’t.

He didn’t bother to separate his own laundry, but he knew most people did, and he knew that he drove his mother crazy the way he washed clothes. It was one of the reasons that she did it for him on a fairly regular basis. Probably even more often than he would want to admit to Jill, regardless of her clear acceptance.

He reached for the dials. “What settings do you like?”

“Hot and fast.”

“Are we talking about laundry or the laundry fees?”

“Both.”

He withdrew his hand.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Because I know enough women who’ve yelled about how I do my laundry to know that’s not actually how laundry is supposed to be done.”

“Okay, but I don’t want to take the time to separate laundry and do multiple loads. I get a lot of really gross stuff on my clothes so I feel like hot water is best for that, and if my clothes fade or shrink, I get more. I pretty much wear denim and t-shirts all the time.”

Zeke had never paid this much attention to laundry in his life. “You weren’t kidding when you said you like things simple.”

“It’s super easy to replace my wardrobe at any point. And it’s super easy to get dressed in the morning.”

“I’ve never met a woman like you. And I live on the bayou. The women down here aren’t exactly frilly and girly, but…”

“They’re more interesting?”

“That was definitely not what I was going to say. They’re more complicated,” he said. “Generally, anyway. You’re a lot more like my grandma. She wears jeans and t-shirts every day. Her t-shirt collection is a little more eclectic. Tourists send her t-shirts from their home states when they get home after visiting Autre. But she braids her hair every morning, puts on a t-shirt and jeans, and heads to the bar where she spends the day doing the same thing she’s done for fifty years with the same people she’s known for fifty years.” He paused. “And she loves it. It’s her passion. And it probably doesn’t seem like she’s making the world a better place, but I think she is. That bar and that food are comforting for people around here. And it helps them all go out and do their thing—whether it’s teaching little kids or taking care of animals or showing off the bayou or being a spouse or a parent—knowing they have a place to come to where they can reconnect and be cheered on and supported no matter what they’re going through. She’s got a part in everyone’s stories and successes.”

Jill was watching him with a strange expression.

“What?” he asked.

“I don’t remember the last time I did laundry with a guy. I’m not sure I ever have. But I am sure I’ve never stood entirely naked in front of a guy and had him get sentimental about his grandmother.”

Zeke huffed out a breath. “Yeah. I don’t think I’ve ever done that before either.”

“It’s clear that you think your grandmother’s a pretty amazing woman, so I’m going to take all of that as a compliment. If it’s not, I need you to not tell me. And if it any point in the next few minutes, you start thinking about her again, I’m going to need you to stop everything and walk out of this house, and never speak of this again.”

His mind and body shifted almost immediately. “Walk out of my own house?”

“Yeah. Because I don’t have any dry clothes at the moment, so I can’t be the one to leave.”

He laughed. “Okay. What are you gonna do?”

“I’m going to have you lift me up onto this washing machine and take your first laundromat fee.”

Zeke couldn’t have told anyone what they had been talking about thirty seconds before she said those words.

He clasped her hips in his hands and lifted her up onto the machine.

She readily spread her knees so that he could step forward between them. He held her hips in his hands as he leaned in to kiss her. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she pressed close, opening her mouth and sighing happily.

He ran his hands up and down her back, then around to her sides again to cup her breasts, rubbing his thumbs over her nipples.

Her hands went to his hair and pulled on the tie that was holding his hair back from his face. She dropped it to the floor behind them and ran her fingers through his hair, loosening the strands.

He dipped his knees to take a nipple in his mouth, sucking gently for only a second before sucking hard and giving her a little bite the way he learned she loved that first night.

She gave a little moan and her fingers tightened in his hair. He moved one hand from her back to her thigh and lifted her leg to set her heel on the edge of the machine. The position tipped her back slightly, and she leaned, propping her elbows on the top of the console where the dials and buttons were. Zeke moved her propped leg open, spreading her thighs.

“So fucking pretty,” he said, gruffly.

She took his hand and led it to her hot center. “Touch me.”

Gladly. He ran the pad of his middle finger up and down her slick slit, circling her clit and loving the way her head fell back and her eyes closed. He reached for one breast, plucking at the nipple as he slid first one finger, then a second into her pussy.

Her sweet heat welcomed him, and he dragged his fingers in and out leisurely, loving the feel of her tight body clinging to him.

Her breathing sped up and a flush started to climb from her chest to her neck to her cheeks.

“Yes, Zeke. Deeper. Harder.”

He picked up the pace, loving the way she felt free to direct him to what she wanted.

“More.”

“Suck on me. I want your mouth too,” she said.

“Where?” He’d put his mouth anywhere she wanted.

Her eyes fluttered open.

“Here.” One hand slid down her stomach until she reached her clit. She circled it with her own finger as he continued to pump in and out of her.

“Fuck. Anything you want.” He lowered his head and replaced her finger with his tongue. He licked, circled, then sucked.

She tangled her fingers in his hair, lifting her hips closer to his mouth.

“Yes. I’m so close.”

“Come like this. I never want to do laundry without getting hard again,” he told her.

The machine was rocking under her and he kept his mouth against her as he fucked her with two fingers.

It only took a few more seconds for her to clamp down around his fingers and cry out his name.

Zeke straightened immediately, pulling his fingers from her body and lifting them to his mouth. He sucked them clean as he fumbled with his fly with one hand.

She reached to help him, freeing his cock in seconds, pushing his jeans to his knees. He grasped her hips and pulled her so her ass was just hanging off the edge of the machine.

“Take your shirt off,” she coaxed. “I love your ink.”

He reached behind him and grabbed the cotton between his shoulders, yanking it up and over his head. He tossed it to the floor then fisted his cock,

She licked her lips as she watched. “Fuck, you’re so pretty,” she told him, repeating his words with a half smile on her lips.

“The stars you’re about to see are gonna be pretty,” he growled.

He held his cock with one hand and gripped under her ass with the other, lining them up. Then he thrust forward.

He sank deep into the tight heat that took his breath.

“Yes, Zeke!”

She was perfect. He didn’t know if she was seeing stars but he sure as fuck was. Rainbow stars. Rainbow stars that sparkled and twinkled and formed the word forever.

He wasn’t going to argue.

He pulled back, then pressed forward.

And froze.

Fuck. “Fuck.”

Jill frowned. “What?”

Zeke gritted his teeth. He carefully pulled out of her body. “No condom.”

“Oh.” Jill’s eyes went wide as that sank in. “Oh.”

“I’ve got it.” He met her eyes. “Okay?”

She pulled her lip between her teeth, but nodded.

He reached up and freed the lip. “Okay? I gotta hear you say it. I’ll put one on and we’ll keep going. Or we’ll stop.”

“Stopping sounds like the worst idea anyone ever had.”

He gave a soft laugh as the tightness in his chest loosened slightly. “Yeah?”

“Zeke Landry, if you don’t give me another orgasm on this washing machine—”

“That will happen.”

“Okay, good. Unless you don’t want to keep going. I mean, I’ll give you a blow job or something instead. You were very generous. I’m not sure the orgasm you just gave me actually counts as me paying any kind of fee.”

He shook his head. “You are an interesting woman.”

He bent and grabbed his jeans, jerking them up and grabbing his wallet. He pulled a condom out, opened it, rolled it on, and tossed the wrapper to the floor.

“Now where were we?”

She reached for him, her hands circling his shaft and urging him forward. “I’ve saved your place. You were right here.”

He gripped her hips as he thrust forward, sinking deep again.

Okay, the stars were still there. They maybe weren’t quite as bright, but that was okay. Condom sex was good sex. And rainbow sparkly stars that spelled out forever were a lot for an accountant and a woman who preferred penguins over people.

But as he fucked the most interesting, gorgeous, unusual woman he’d ever met on top of his washing machine while it washed her plain white cotton underwear, he kind of thought that doing this forever was maybe the best idea he’d ever had.

* * *

Sitting at Zeke Landry’s kitchen table in one of his t-shirts and no underwear after having sex on his washing machine probably should’ve felt stranger than it did.

It actually felt pretty nice. Or fun at least.

Jill was glad he’d caught her trying to get over to Zander’s. She also kind of liked that he was jealous. Which was really stupid for a friends-with-benefits setup.

Still, his possessiveness made something warm curl in her stomach and she was pretty sure it was pleasure. But not the kind that he elicited with his tongue and fingers on her clit and nipples—though, she was a huge fan of that as well—but this was definitely a warmer, more comfortable pleasure. And there was just something about being around Zeke Landry that made her feel it from head to toe, not just in very specific anatomical locations.

She was glad for the distraction actually.

For one thing, he was right when he said that she hadn’t thought through the idea of sitting around naked at Zander’s house. She really hadn’t. It was possible once she got over there and had her laundry going and thought about taking off what she was wearing that she would’ve decided against it. She also might have rifled through his front closet to find a jacket or something. But it definitely made more sense for her to sit naked underneath Zeke’s shirt in the man’s kitchen.

Zander was very nice and yes, extremely good-looking, and the charm had rolled off of him nearly as potently as it did off his twin brother. But she didn’t feel a spark with Zander. Certainly not like she felt with Zeke. Then again, she wasn’t sure she had ever felt a spark like she did with Zeke.

“Do you wanna take a shower?” he asked.

“Yeah, maybe later.”

“Do you wanna take a shower together?”

She thought about how to answer that. Her answer was going to sound strange, she knew. “Well…”

“Well?”

“I’m actually not that big on shower sex,” she admitted.

“No?”

She lifted a shoulder. “It’s slippery, which can be dangerous. And tile is hard and can be cold. And then everyone has to dry off after. And if I go straight to bed, my hair gets the pillow wet.”

He was staring at her.

“And then my hair is a tangled mess in the morning.”

He was still staring.

“What?”

“Just…I’m not into shower sex either. And I hate wet hair on my pillows.”

She wasn’t sure she’d ever met a guy not into shower sex. Well, a guy who had any kind of sex on his “not into it” list.

“Then we can just stick to washing machines. And tables and couches and floors and most definitely beds.”

“And walls,” he said.

Her body flushed remembering their first night. “Yes, not slippery, cold, wet walls.”

“Still hungry?” she asked. “Want to run next door and get my peanut butter and jelly?” Because she was hungry.

Zeke had said something about being on the way up to his grandmother’s place for food when he’d seen her on her porch, but he didn’t think taking her in there in just one of his t-shirts was a good idea. Not because anyone in his family would object, exactly, but because they’d all start begging her for glimpses of the penguins and he knew she didn’t want to have to field those requests.

“Actually, I was thinking about sneaking over to a different neighbor’s.”

“Zander actually has food at his house?”

“He does. But don’t go gettin’ all soft about my brother. He’s up at Ellie’s just as much as I am. He might have some Pop Tarts or frozen pizza or burritos though.”

“I’m fine with yogurt and cereal right here.”

“No way. When you’re fending for yourself, it’s fine, but what kind of guy would I be to do that to you”—He inclined his head toward the laundry room—“and then not even feed you?”

“The kind that doesn’t have any food in his house?”

“But I can get food in my house.”

“Okay,” Jill sat back in her chair and folded her arms. “Impress me.”

“So do you actually eat food intended for people over the age of ten or should I stick with macaroni and cheese and hot dogs?”

She lifted an eyebrow. “I love macaroni and cheese and hot dogs. But I only eat them from the microwave.”

“Of course, because it takes so long to boil water to cook the noodles, right?”

She grinned. “Actually, I meant the hot dogs. The macaroni and cheese I’m used to eating is from a place called Ruth’s that delivers until eleven p.m. It’s a spiral pasta with a five cheese sauce and a toasted Parmesan crust.”

“I’m not even gonna try to top that,” Zeke declared, pushing back from the table. “But Jordan is a good cook. I’ll be right back.”

Jill straightened as he got up from the table. “Wait, you’re leaving? Who’s Jordan?”

“Oh, are you jealous now?”

Was she? Jill thought about that for a moment. Maybe a little.

“It’s not really hard for me to believe that you have women on speed dial who will cook for you at the drop of a hat.”

He bent at the waist. “Thank you very much. And I do actually. If you want some real home cookin’ and are willing to give me about an hour, I could get Amber over here with some fried chicken.”

“Amber will cook fried chicken for the woman that you’re now sleeping with?”

“I wouldn’t tell her that before she brought chicken over.”

Jill laughed and shook her head. “We’re not making Amber make us fried chicken.” She paused for a moment, though, and then said, “At least not today.”

She loved fried chicken. Her grandmother’s was the best she’d ever had, but she would bet some of the ladies down here in Louisiana could make some pretty amazing fried chicken.

“Jordan is my brother Fletcher’s wife. She grew up down here and she is a hell of a cook. I don’t know what she’s got, but I’m guessing there’s some pretty good leftovers in their fridge. I’ll be right back.”

Jill watched him go.

So he was able to pop into one house to get shoes for her, and now go to another to get food.

And for some reason, she had the impression that Jordan and Fletcher wouldn’t mind having their refrigerator raided. Hell, it wouldn’t surprise her to find out that Jordan made extra just so there were leftovers for Zeke to pilfer.

Autre was a very interesting place. It made her miss home a little bit, actually.

There were plenty of places she could show up to borrow shoes or food. Of course, all of those places would come with a million questions and definitely some judgment about why she needed to borrow shoes and why she didn’t have her own food.

Around here, that didn’t seem to be the case. Either they were just used to Zeke being the way he was, or they really didn’t mind. Or Zeke didn’t care if they were judging him.

Yeah, that was at least partly true. But she liked that about him. He was a good guy. He was clearly great at his job, judging by the penguin habitat—which was probably not something most contractors around here had on their resumes—and her bedroom and bathroom just next door.

He’d also been very sweet when she’d told him about her passion for the penguins. And he had a sweet reason for being a builder as well. He wasn’t just doing it because he didn’t know anything else to do, or because he loved building, or because he was trying to make money. He actually had some heart behind it. She liked that.

He was back five minutes later with plastic containers. She had to get up and open the door for him so that he wouldn’t drop any of them on his way in.

As her clothes finished washing and then tumbled in the dryer, they ate pulled pork, potato salad, green beans, and shared a pint of Coffee Toffee Caramel ice cream.

“Jordan is going to kill you for stealing the ice cream though, right?” Jill asked, dipping her spoon in to the carton for the last bite and licking it clean.

“Yeah, I’m definitely going to have to replace this.”

“You’re willing to risk her wrath to feed me?”

“Jordan doesn’t really do wrath. But yeah.”

“I can’t believe that you haven’t mentioned that you haven’t seen me up at your grandma’s restaurant.”

“I’m being good.” He paused. “But you know you can go in there anytime, right? They can make anything you want.”

“I know. And I explained to you that I’m not big on taking time to eat.”

He nodded. And she believed that he understood. He’d actually been leaving her alone for several days and she’d been surprised by it. If she were honest, maybe also slightly disappointed.

And if she was even more honest, she truly had started to wonder if he’d lost interest. It had been a relief at the same time. For one, it always made her feel a little crappy to tell people that she didn’t have time to do other things. For another, she wasn’t actually sure how long she could resist Zeke Landry if he tried to get her attention and take up some of her time.

“The next time you get hungry and you want someone else to cook for you, you call up there and you tell them that Zeke said Leo would deliver anything you wanted.”

Then he frowned. “No, don’t ask for Leo. He will talk your ear off. And he will crow to everybody else if he gets a glimpse of those penguins. Ask for…Mitch. Mitch or Paige. I mean they’ll definitely want to see the penguins too, but they can keep it on the down low, and they’d be happy to bring anything over you need.”

“I get the impression everybody’s pretty friendly. Wouldn’t any of them be willing to bring something over? Especially if they got to see the penguins?”

“Absolutely. But the rest of them would hang out and drive you crazy. And a couple of them would have a hard time showing up alone. They’d bring somebody with them. Mitch and Paige are pretty unassuming. You’d be able to get by with just one of them showing up and not overstaying their welcome.”

Jill smiled. “Okay. Thanks for the intel.”

They both sat quietly for a moment, then she asked. “What if I asked you to bring me food? Would you overstay your welcome?”

He looked at her for a long moment, his expression a mix of heat and amusement, and if she weren’t mistaken affection. But that was weird.

“I would stay as long as you possibly would put up with me, ask a million more questions about the penguins, kiss you, and probably try to get you naked.”

Her eyes widened. “Again, thank you for the intel.”

He chuckled. Just as the dryer buzzed in the other room.