Engineering Her Surrender [Novum Energy 2] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 11

  She curled her legs up to her chest as a shiver crawled up her back. “Ethan?” she called out. “Ethan, are you there?”

  “Yes, honey,” he answered. “I’m coming, just give me a second.”

  It sounded like he was outside in the backyard, and when she heard the screen door in the kitchen open and shut, her suspicions were confirmed. He was rarely ever out in the backyard, and she wondered what he could be up to.

  He walked quickly over to the living room and sat down on the coffee table in front of her. “Are you okay?” he asked. “What is it, honey?”

  She pouted up at him. “I’m cold.”

  “You are! Well that’s no good,” he said, smiling at her. “Do you want me to get you a blanket? Which one do you want?”

  “The fluffy one.”

  “Is that the black one?”

  “No, that’s not right at all,” she said crossly. “It’s the red one. The fleece blanket.”

  “All right, all right,” he said, his face lit up in amusement. “You just keep your cute little ass on the couch and I shall fetch you your blanket.”

  Penny rolled her eyes as he turned and walked away. Well of course she’d keep her ass on the couch—she was so weak that she’d probably pass out if she tried to walk up the stairs. What a stupid thing to say. And why did he have to be so pleasant all the time? She could be as irritable and touchy as ever, and he would still just smile at her and say something perfectly cheerful. It was annoying, to be frank.

  Ethan came trotting down the stairs with the blanket in his hands and tucked it snugly around Penny’s body. “There now,” he said gently. “Is that better, my girl?”

  “It’s too tight.”

  He smiled broadly at her as he loosened the blanket around her body. “How’s that?”

  “Fine, I guess,” she replied, sighing.

  “Look what else I brought for you,” he said, reaching down on the floor and placing a giant teddy bear on the coffee table. “It’s the stuffed bear I bought at the hospital gift shop. I thought he could keep you company.”

  Despite her best efforts, Penny felt her lips turning up in a smile. The bear was enormous—about half the size of Ethan, and Ethan was pretty damn big. It had its arms and legs outstretched like it was hoping for a hug, and a ridiculously dopey grin on its face that made Penny want to burst out laughing.

  “The stupid bear is blocking the TV,” she huffed, trying to conceal her amusement.

  “Hmmm,” Ethan said, putting his finger to his lips in thought. “Where should we put it, then?”

  He picked up the bear in his hands and pretended to look around for a more suitable resting place before tossing it on Penny’s head. “How about there?”

  “Hey!” Penny said, unable to hold back a laugh. She picked up the teddy bear and whipped it at Ethan’s torso. “Take that, you big oaf!”

  The bear hit Ethan’s chest and fell to the floor. “That was a pretty weak throw. Jeez, Penny, since when did you start to throw like a little girl?”

  “Excuse me,” Penny said with mock indignation, “I didn’t know we were allowed to criticize people on chemo for their less than stellar arm strength.”

  Ethan bent down in front of the couch and planted a kiss on Penny’s forehead. “There’s the smile I’ve been looking for,” he said softly as he ran his fingers over her cheek.

  “I’m not smiling,” Penny said stubbornly, turning her face away.

  “No?” Ethan asked. “Well, you will when I tell you the surprise I have for you.”

  “Surprise? What surprise?”

  Ethan simply shrugged and stood up, moving to lean against the wall.

  “Ethan!” she protested. “Tell me!”

  He crossed his arms over his chest and gave her his trademark smug grin.

  Penny sulked. “I’m sick. You can’t tease a sick person with a surprise and then not tell them what it is. That’s just not right.”

  “Okay, okay,” Ethan said, laughing. “You know Nick and Ellie’s housekeeper, Colleen?”

  Penny nodded. “Yes…Go on.”

  “You know she’s an animal lover, right?”

  “Oh yes. Ellie told me she loves her dog Charlie more than most people love their kids.”

  “Well, she’s decided to foster a couple of dogs from the humane society until they find permanent homes.”

  “That’s nice. Is she going to bring them all over for a visit or something? Is that my surprise?”

  Ethan shook his head. “Not quite. When Nick told me that one of the foster dogs was a Saint Bernard puppy, I had other plans in mind.”

  Penny’s jaw dropped. “Puppy? Saint Bernard puppy?”

  Ethan nodded, that smug, secretive smile returning to his face.

  “Oh my God,” Penny said, sitting herself up on the couch. “Ethan you didn’t!”

  “Oh, I think I did.”

  “You got me a freaking puppy? A Saint Bernard puppy?”

  Ethan shrugged. “Maybe.”

  “Is that…is that what you were doing in the backyard? Is my puppy in the backyard! Oh my gosh! I want to see him!” Penny said in a rush as she attempted to lift herself off of the couch.

  “Hey, sit your ass back down on that couch. What are you crazy? You can’t go traipsing around outside after just having come back from chemo. Wait here and I’ll go get your surprise,” he said as he walked into the kitchen. “And close your eyes!”

  Penny shut her eyes, sitting expectantly on the edge of the sofa. She heard the screen door open as Ethan stepped into the backyard, and after a moment or two she heard him close it as he returned inside. She strained her ears to try and pick up any puppy-related noises, but much to her disappointment, she didn’t hear anything, not even the pitter-patter of little puppy paws. Twitching her feet impatiently, she sat waiting for Ethan to return, wrinkling her nose when she felt something wet press up against it. She froze. Was that…was that a puppy nose?

  Penny whipped her eyes open and found herself face to face with a droopy-eyed, big-nosed, floppy-eared Saint Bernard puppy. She squealed with joy.

  “A puppy!” she cried as she grabbed him out of Ethan’s hands. “Oh my gosh, look at how cute you are! We shall name you Waffles.”

  Ethan laughed as he sat down beside her on the couch and scratched the puppy behind his ears. “Waffles? And why that name, if I may ask?”

  “Because I happen to love waffles,” she replied gleefully.

  Ethan shook his head and smiled. “And I suppose that decision is final?”

  “Most certainly. We’re settled on Waffles. Waffles the Saint Bernard.” The puppy let out a little bark and licked her fingers as she stroked its face. “See? He loves his name. It’s a boy right?” she asked, lifting up the puppy and taking a peek at his belly.

  “Yep, he’s a boy.”

  Penny hugged Waffles to her chest and laughed as his whole body shook with the force of his wagging tail. He jumped onto Ethan’s lap, then jumped back onto Penny’s before hopping to the floor and trotting around the room.

  Penny leaned into Ethan’s side as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “Ethan,” she said quietly, sliding her hand into his, “I can’t believe you did this for me.”

  He pulled her into his chest and pressed his forehead against hers. “Penny, honey, I just want to see you laugh and smile as much as you can while you’re going through this. When I thought about what I could do to accomplish that, the thought of a giant puppy seemed like a great idea.”

  “You’re amazing, do you know that?” she said, her voice thick with emotion.

  “I hope you know by now that I’ll do anything I can to make you happy. And this, honey, was very doable.”

  Penny nodded. “I do know,” she whispered. “And I love you for it, Ethan. You have no idea.”

  She looked at him, shaking her head in amazement at how much he had helped her grow. She had been stubborn, there was no doubt about that. She had been wilful and defensive and de
eply rooted in denial—anything to hold on to that image of strong independence she had been chasing since childhood. But she knew now that there wasn’t any real strength in that kind of life. Letting Ethan into her heart, embracing her nature as a submissive, and learning to accept help from the man who loved her had been a powerful experience for Penny. And there was no deeper strength than the strength she had found with him.

  * * * *

  Ethan smiled broadly as Penny turned the corner and he could finally see her. Waffles was walking beside her, loping along like his presence had been requested and he hadn’t simply barged through the door and refused to go back inside. Ethan supposed that it was unreasonable to expect that the big guy would be willing to leave Penny’s side. He’d stuck by her like Velcro each and every day for the past year and a half, after all, and there was no way he’d consent to being left behind now.

  It was the first day of spring, and Penny looked as full of radiance and vitality as the season that was now upon them. She had a flush on her cheeks again, and a glow to her skin and a sheen to her auburn hair. She wasn’t thin anymore, and didn’t look frail or fatigued. It had taken a long time, but she was healthy now. Thriving. As strong and spirited in body as she was in mind. And Ethan’s heart warmed to see her, her face bright with joy, her ethereal lace gown trailing on the soft green grass behind her. And there wasn’t any fear in her eyes. In fact, there hadn’t been any fear for a long time now. There was no hesitation or doubt or distrust, and none of those walls she had been so keen on hiding behind, either. All he could see was faith, and it filled him with more happiness than he had imagined was possible.

  She came up beside him, flashing him that smile that he treasured unlike anything else in the world. She handed her bouquet of roses to Ellie, and together they waited for Nick to yank Waffles out from where he had sat down between them.

  Ethan took her hands into his, stroking his thumbs tenderly over her soft, smooth skin. “My sweet girl,” he said. “I can’t believe I finally get to make you mine.”

  “Don’t be silly,” she teased, trying to laugh away her tears. “I’ve been yours since the day I lost that staring contest to you at the bar.”

  “But you hate losing,” he said, smiling.

  “I know,” she answered. “But not to you.”

  THE END

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Kaley Colter’s life has evolved around three central passions—reading, writing, and happily-ever-afters. She is a witty, hot-blooded bookworm who adores daydreaming and fell in love with erotic novels from the moment she succumbed to curiosity and took her first peek at one. And once she started reading them, she was hooked, poring through novel after novel with the greatest of pleasure. It was only a matter of time until her love of erotic romance collided with her love of writing and she started getting lost in stories and characters of her own creation. Now, she finds herself glued to her computer, writing books that promise hot sex and gripping romance. And, absorbed though she is in her newfound profession, she is always able to tear herself away from her work and spend time with her family, because she firmly believes that heaven on earth can be found at home with her doting husband and their two rambunctious feline children.

  For all titles by Kaley Colter, please visit

  www.bookstrand.com/kaley-colter

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