Page 11 of A Reaper’s Devotion (The Reapers #2)

C yrus glanced into the kitchen from his space at the dining room table to see Willow moving around. She had invited him for dinner, and her house smelled delicious. He had a feeling she had finally cooked him her mother’s lasagna.

He’d already spotted the carrot cake on the counter, and his mouth watered. Bethany had been an amazing cook.

“Here you go,” Willow said. She had already opened him a beer.

He only got to her place ten minutes ago, and already she had taken his coat and shoes.

She had gotten him a pair of slippers, and he’d never worn a pair in his life, yet these felt incredible.

Like the best pair of slippers he had ever worn.

Complete with a beer, and watching his woman move around the kitchen. She looked so damn happy.

All day he had thought about her. Unfortunately, it had been too hectic, and he’d not been able to stop by and treat her with coffee or conversation. He did call her while in-between jobs to make sure she was okay.

So far, there hadn’t been any cause for concern.

No unexpected telephone calls, and no tourists causing trouble.

The locals were getting ready for their annual Halloween party.

It was a big event and the couple of hotels they had were already booked with tourists wanting to join in on the celebration.

He was more than happy for them to join.

It was a good time for local businesses, who dressed up and got the whole town Halloween-ready.

The Reapers were always in full force. They were there to stop any potential threats, or stupidity.

Sometimes, it was about stopping some teenagers from thinking they knew best and attempting to let off fireworks within a classroom.

Or drinking and driving. It was a fun night, though, and one he did enjoy, but he also knew Willow hadn’t been part of since her mother’s illness.

Their house had always been decorated and candy readily available for the kids.

He had stopped by a few times to wish them a good night, and Willow was always there, dressed in some costume or another, offering candy.

This time, he was not going to take no for an answer—she was going to be his date, and they were going out to have fun. He promised her mother he would treat her like a queen, and he also wanted to be the one to show her a good time.

Minutes later, Willow came to the table with two plates in hand. She put one in front of him, and she had seated him at the head of the small table. She sat next to him, offering him a cute little smile.

“My mother’s lasagna,” she said.

There was a large slice of the most perfect-looking lasagna, complete with steam rising up. A small salad of lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and a few crumbles of cheese were on the side. It looked delicious and the scents were heavenly. A balanced combination of onion, tomato, garlic, and herbs.

He picked up his fork, slid it through the lasagna, and took a bite. Just as he predicted, it was delicious. His mouth watered for a slice. It couldn’t have been longer than ten minutes as he finished his slice, and his plate was empty.

Willow wasn’t even close to finishing. “You want another slice?”

“Yeah, please.”

She got to her feet and wandered back into the kitchen. She hadn’t taken his plate with her, but she returned, using oven gloves to carry the pot to the table. There was a grill on the table, and she put the pot on top to protect the table from the heat.

He watched as she cut him another large piece. It looked like she had made a 9x13-inch lasagna. The slices were large. From that one pot, she’d cut the slices into six, so they were more than generous, but he was a hungry man.

While Willow finished her slice, he demolished two in total, as well as his salad. She had also promised cake. She served the carrot cake immediately after, and she even included a dollop of whipped cream, which tasted so damn good.

By the time he was finished, he was full but not overly stuffed.

“Willow, babe, you are an incredible cook.” He sat back rubbing his stomach.

“You’re sweet, but I was just following my mother’s recipes. She was an amazing cook.”

She made her way into the kitchen, and he picked up his beer and her water. From what he could tell, she didn’t drink a lot.

“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked.

“No,” she said, looking up at him.

She offered him a smile.

“I know you’re worried that I’m going to cry, and no, I’m not going to cry. I have cried a lot of tears already, and they will come. Of that I have no doubt.” She blew out a breath, and then glanced down at the dishes. “I want to get these done.”

Cyrus took a swig of beer. “Not a chance.”

“I don’t want them to get crusty.”

“In my parents’ house, my mom does all the food, but my dad had all of us doing the dishes. You cooked a damn good meal.” There was a small stool for her to sit at the counter, which he insisted she use.

Rolling up his sleeves, he was no stranger to the dishes.

His mom cooked wonderful food as well, and he didn’t mind having to do the dishes so she could rest. Willow didn’t have a dishwasher.

He loaded up the sink with some dish soap, hot water, and got to work.

There were not a lot of dishes. No saucepans where the sauce had been made. She must have done all of them.

It didn’t take Cyrus long to have the dishes cleaned up and the sink wiped down. As he cleaned, Willow asked him about work, and they just talked about their day-to-day lives. Lost Creek. The Reapers. It was nothing, and yet everything.

Once he finished, he grabbed his beer, finished that too, and put the empty can into recycling.

“So, you do the dishes, and you do them well. You recycle. You come to a women’s aid when she needs you. You’re a Reaper, and you know your way around electricity, gas, and plumbing. You’re always there when everyone needs you. How are you not married?” Willow asked.

“You make me sound like an angel,” he said.

“You’re a keeper, Cyrus, and I’ve got to wonder how you’re not married. You’re not married, are you?”

“No, I’m not married. I guess you could say I’ve been waiting for the right woman.” He looked at Willow, and then closed the distance.

Willow ran her hands up his chest, as he cupped her face, sinking one of his hands into her hair, then he pulled her in close and kissed her. The woman he’d been looking for had been busy the last ten years. Pulling her into his arms, he kissed her hard.

He’d dated other women. Tried to fall in love. It had taken him a short time to realize there was only one woman in town that made his heart race. One woman he looked forward to seeing, who he wanted to talk to and know everything about her day, even if it meant being around her mother.

Willow.

Whenever he saw her, he’d find a reason to talk to her.

If he saw her grocery shopping, he’d make an excuse to go grocery shopping himself.

Even if he had a house full of food. Yes, there were times he filled his parents’ kitchen cupboards, coming up with the excuse that he had seen some bargains he couldn’t turn his back on.

No one questioned him. They all believed him.

But it was all because of Willow, his favorite person.

“I’ve got something to ask you,” he said, pulling away.

Her lips were red and swollen from his kisses. “Anything.”

“Will you be my date on Halloween night?”

“Yes.”

And with that, he kissed her and carried her upstairs. He didn’t make love to her, instead he kissed every inch of her body, learning what she liked, and per Willow’s request, she learned his body as well.

He couldn’t get enough of her hands on him, and he doubted he ever would.

****

W illow was not nervous at all.

Only, Cyrus had waited until this morning to drop the bombshell that they were going to eat at his parents’ house this weekend.

She liked his parents. Charlie and Adele Tistleton were two lovely people. She had even met Ray, Cyrus’s brother, but she hadn’t been too sure about him. He seemed—and this was putting it mildly—like a bit of a dick.

Ray always seemed to have a frown on his face, at least whenever she had seen him. He just never had a happy face. She’d been polite to him, and Ray would just ignore her.

Staring at the monitors, she reached for her sweater and quickly pulled it over her head.

Cyrus had to get to this building and repair the heating.

She was frozen, and it wasn’t long before she had also pulled on a main jacket, gloves, and a scarf to keep warm.

Her nose was so cold, and she checked through all the monitors.

Her latest story was coming along perfectly.

Of course it was a small-town romance. She loved small towns, and growing up in one was always the perfect excuse to write more of them.

This time, the main hero has been in town all his life, never settled down, and seemed a bit of a player, but that is because he was waiting for that one woman to see him.

In her book, it’s the mousy town librarian, who spends all her time in a book, rather than looking at him.

Of course, the moment he realizes what he has to do, there was going to be a lot of sex. She enjoyed writing sex scenes, but she loved building up the romance and the storyline. There always had to be a storyline, and in her current story there was a stalker.

Halloween was fast approaching, with the leaves turning bright reds and golden yellows.

The town shops were also filling their windows with endless Halloween displays.

Ghouls, goblins, witches, ghosts, and all manner of Halloween-themed characters were on display.

She loved Halloween. It was why her mother always insisted on her decorating the house.

Also, she grabbed tons of candy. The key was to have lots and lots of candy for the kids, and to sneak a piece for herself from time to time. It was just good fun.