My Charming Valentine (4 page)

Opening the box, she discovered another
charm, this one a small trunk that actually opened. Dangling against it was a
tiny bowl and spoon. She looked up and then burst into laughter. “Oh my God,
I’d forgotten.”

Patrick took the charm and attached it to
her bracelet. “Even though buying the trunk meant we had to eat Ramen noodles
for a month, I’d gladly do the same thing all over again. I loved you that day
and, Phoebe, I love you more every passing year.”

Once the charm was securely attached, he
handed her the envelope. She gave him a bright smile before opening it and
removing the next clue.

On
a ship we sailed away, leaving behind Galveston Bay. Food was plenty, the
choices sweet until we decided to sample this treat. Together we stood, daring
to be brave
–
only to discover our error was grave.

Phoebe swore she could feel the floor
beneath her feet undulate like the deck of the cruise ship. She’d been so
excited when he booked the trip for their tenth anniversary and explained that
the kids would be staying with their grandparents. It was a great plan, except
they both seemed to have forgotten she’d suffered motion sickness during her
childhood. She shuddered, remembering how she’d turned green that first night
when they sat down to eat. Leaving Pat to dine with their tablemates, she’d
taken the advice of their waiter as well as the huge bowl of saltine crackers
he provided back to their cabin. Those, along with the medication Patrick
brought her, had settled her stomach.

“I’d think you were referring to saltines
except for the fact the clue refers to the two of us.” Seeing his grin, she
tucked the card away, dropped it into her basket and nodded. “I already know
where to go,” she said with a grin of her own. “Sorry, honey, no penalty for
you to accept payment on.”

Patrick took her hand and then picked up
the antique hairbrush. “Don’t be so sure,” he quipped as he led her to the
counter. “Grant might feel guilty buying such an item for Lainie, but I think
this would be a perfect addition to our trunk.”

Though she felt her face heat as Quincy
rang up the sale, Phoebe felt her stomach flutter and her loins moisten just
imagining how the broad back of the brush would feel landing against her nether
cheeks. Patrick tucked the brush into the basket, giving her backside a gentle
pat.

Grant wished them a good hunt as he
waited for Quincy to gift wrap his selection. He’d chosen a pair of earrings
and a matching necklace, with Quincy assuring him that he’d see Lainie’s eyes
light up as much as Phoebe’s were currently doing.

“I’m surprised we ever got up the courage
to ever try it again,” Patrick said, as they walked to their next destination.
“I remember standing there watching you try to decide if it would be okay to
spit it out onto the deck.”

“I only swallowed because you did.”
Phoebe’s blush returned as he reached out to stroke his finger across her lips.

“You do that so well,” he said, bending
down to kiss her lightly. “Swallow, I mean.”

Any thoughts of the awful ‘treat’ were
replaced by the memories of being on her knees before this man, taking him
inside her mouth and bringing him pleasure. Forcing herself to remember they
were out in public, she looked up at him. “How many more clues are there?”

“In a hurry to end the game?” he asked,
putting his arm around her and drawing her closer. “Anticipation is also a
game.”

Growling a bit, she pulled back and
quickened her pace, though he easily kept up with her. Phoebe wasn’t anxious to
end the game, but she was becoming more and more anxious to play another. Her nipples
were pebbled and rubbing against her bra – not from the cold but from the
looks, the touches and the innuendoes her husband kept tossing about. Standing
by the door, she politely waited until he pushed it open and ushered her inside
The Ginger Paddle.

“Hi!” Laney greeted them from behind the
counter. “What can I get for you today?”

Though the sushi they had eaten on the
cruise ship had made them very hesitant to ever try it again, they’d learned
that it hadn’t been the shrimp and rice roll that made their mouths burn and
their eyes water – it had been the thick green paste they’d smeared all
across the bite. Both had thought it was avocado, only to discover it was
wasabi, a very strong plant that was also called Japanese horseradish.

Phoebe giggled as she read the choices.
It still amazed her that instead of normal names, the Ginger Paddle’s items
were blatantly explicit and very fun to order. Looking over at Patrick, she
grinned. “I’d like an Orgasm Roll, please.”

“I’ll take the HoH Roll, Laney,” Patrick
said, dropping his hand to rest against his wife’s ass. “Oh, and wrap up a
Naughty Girl Roll to go.”

“Hey, you can’t do that!” Phoebe
protested. “I think you mean a Fantasy Roll; I’ve been very good today.”

“Better make that two,” Patrick said and
grinned. “Seems like my wife forgets exactly who decides what constitutes
naughtiness.”

Laney laughed and began to pull together
the ingredients needed. Patrick guided Phoebe to a table, pulled out her chair
and helped her remove her coat before she took her seat. “Too bad they don’t
have a Bossy Man Roll,” she teased.

“No need, they’d never sell,” Laney said,
as she brought their order over. “Remember, our men aren’t ‘bossy’, they are
‘protective’.” The three laughed as she placed their glasses of water on the
table, as well as the red envelope. Turning, she said she’d have their to-go
order ready by the time they were done. “No wasabi, right?”

“Right!” they both chorused rather
loudly. When Patrick leaned forward, holding a bite of his HoH Roll between his
fingers, she opened her mouth. It was delicious, and his grin had her panties
growing even damper. God, this man could still turn her on with just that look
in his eyes.

“How’s your Orgasm?”

Phoebe grinned and ran the tip of her
tongue along her bottom lip. “Hmm, it’s the best I’ve ever had.”

“Hey, Laney, add a Watch Your Mouth Roll,
please.”

Giggling, Phoebe locked her eyes onto
his, licking her lip again. “Are you saying you like to watch my mouth?” She
loved the way his eyes changed, their hazel color going dark as desire filled
them. It was truly amazing to her that he still found her attractive after
decades of being together.

“I love watching every single inch of
you,” he said. “I’m going to love touching every inch of you as well.
Especially that delightfully rounded derriere you’re sitting on.”

A flash of heat surged through her as she
picked up her roll and broke off a piece. Extending her fingers to him, the
flames licked along her body as he took the bite inside his mouth, along with
her fingers, suckling gently before releasing them.

“While I admit that’s great, I can think
of another taste I much prefer.”

“You are incorrigible,” she said as she
popped the last bite into her mouth. “Good thing we're in public. Corbin’s Bend
might not blink an eye seeing a public spanking, but I’m pretty sure Brent
might draw the line at public sex.”

Not missing a beat, Patrick teased her
right back. “Good thing the only bottom in danger of paying a price for
endangering our great community’s rules is the one in your chair.” He reached
into his coat pocket and brought out another white box.

Inside was a charm of a cruise ship, a
small dolphin dangling against it. Phoebe smiled at the memory of swimming with
the dolphins in Cozumel. Holding out her wrist so that he could attach the
charm, she remembered the exhilarating feeling of holding onto the dolphin’s
dorsal fin as he pulled her very quickly through the water. There was a framed
photo of her on their mantel, a huge smile on her face as she planted a kiss on
the dolphin’s nose, thanking him for the ride.

Twisting her wrist, she listened to the
charms jingle. If he’d given her a five carat diamond ring she would not have
been as happy. Each one of the charms meant the world to her, as all depicted a
precious memory.

Opening the envelope, she pulled out the
card.

A
gift of nature can cause despair, but not when God’s rain turns to snow in the
air. A treat he did offer unexpectedly that day so that a man and his family
would stop and play. A partner beside her who offered his hand helped her to
create her own little man.

Her first thought was of Sam, their son.
She’d called him ‘her little man’ until he’d grown old enough to find it a bit
embarrassing. Looking across the table, she felt her mind go blank, and when
Patrick grinned and looked at his watch, she felt a moment of panic. Okay, she
could do this – all she needed to do was think of every time they had
played outside in the snow.

“Exactly what sort of penalty are we
talking about?” she asked, his slow smile causing her to squirm a bit on her
chair.

“That’s for me to know and you to find
out,” Patrick said.

“Well, there aren't any hotels in the
Bend, so that leaves out the time we had the snowball fight in the parking lot.
Though there are hills, I’m not thinking you mean for us to go sliding down
them, especially not considering how you flew off that toboggan and swore you
were too old to be sledding.” He didn’t nod or shake his head, giving her no
clue as to what path might be the one she should continue considering.

Leaning back, he smiled. “Time’s up.”

“You aren’t serious, are you?” she asked,
glancing around to see several of their neighbors either eating or placing
orders to go.

“As a heart attack,” he countered,
standing and offering her his hand. “But I prefer to exact the penalty in,
shall we say, a more
open
space.”

Phoebe stood and allowed him to help her
back into her coat. He tied the belt and bent forward to whisper in her ear. “I
think the warmth might be welcome after we play in the park.”

The word ‘park’ gave her the answer.
“Little man!” she shouted, and then giggled when several customers turned to
look at them. “I meant a snow man,” she explained, knowing no one would
consider Pat a little man. He was six feet, three inches tall, and though no
longer in his twenties, his physique was still that of a very attractive
man.
 

Of course – the clue referred to
the time they’d gone back to Michigan to visit his parents. Accustomed to
living in Texas, the kids had been thrilled to wake up and discover the ground
covered in several feet of snow. Patrick had loaded them into the car and
driven to the park where he’d spent a great deal of time in his youth. They’d
jumped out of the car, had a snowball fight and then learned how to properly
roll the huge balls required to make the perfect snowman.

Going to the counter to pay, Phoebe
grinned. “You’d better add a That’s Gonna Sting, please.”

It had started to snow again, soft flakes
drifting down to cling to their coats. Patrick thought it was perfect as they
walked down Spanking Loop. He remembered Phoebe trying to explain to Katy that
it was just a silly name when their daughter had been flabbergasted that the
community’s openness towards what she called spankos was so prominently
announced. They passed the Dome that housed the community center, and they kept
walking until they reached one of the more secluded parks scattered around the
neighborhood. He supposed it couldn't truly be considered a park, as it was
devoid of any slides or swings that would attract children. It did serve as the
trailhead of one of the many hiking trails that meandered through the hills and
woods. He was very pleased to see that no one had even walked across the
pristine snow.

“Penalty or play?” he asked, after they’d
reached the beginning of the trail where he’d left several items beneath a
large tree.

“When did you turn into an
exhibitionist?” she asked, her eyes darting around as if expecting to see every
resident lined up to watch her pay her penalty.

“Trust me, babe,” Patrick said, cupping
her chin and turning her face up to his. “I’d never try to embarrass you but
I’m pretty positive there isn’t anyone out here but us. If you’d prefer, we can
go home and come back, or even take this stuff with us.”

Phoebe looked down to see a scarf, an old
pair of mittens, a battered cowboy hat, coal and a carrot. He hadn’t just
brought her out here to make any old snowman. He’d provided the same sort of
items they’d used that day to make a Texas snowman in a snow covered Michigan
park.

“I do trust you and you did promise me a
bit of warmth,” she said. “Penalty and then play.”

Patrick pulled her close and gave her a
hug before taking her basket and setting it down. Taking her hand, he led her a
bit further into the trees until he decided that it would take a very
determined hiker to find them. Brushing the thin layer of snow off a log, he
took a seat and pulled her between his knees.