Page 11 of SnapShot

The darkness that fills his eyes is almost intimidating. Too bad I don’t scare easily, and I’m ready for a little bit of a fight. I stab him with a glare of my own that screams come and get me fucker, right before I push him away and run to the next room I see with a door.

Toast, anyone?

six

Toast, anyone?

Haedyn

I slam the door closed and flip the lock at the last second before he begins assaulting it from the other side. I fumble a bit until I feel the light switch on the wall, flicking it upward to come face to face with myself in zombie form.

The giant mirror in front of me hides nothing from the onslaught of attention moments ago. My hair looks bigger than a high schooler’s from the eighties, my bandana lost somewhere. My makeup is smeared, and my neck is glistening with saliva over the red splotches that are sure to turn into beautiful hickeys by morning.

My chest rises and falls at a pace more suitable for an athlete who just finished a record breaking workout. My face is on fire, and my stomach is tumbling. There’s no chance of either slowing down any time soon with the ruffian still doing his worst on his poor innocent door.

The bathroom is surprisingly clean and smells like heaven. It’s not a cut out from Better Homes & Garden or anything, but I can tell that he takes care of his home better than most men. Maybe it’s just because he hasn’t lived here long enough to fuck it up yet since The Open Flame is still pretty new.

The cabinet above the toilet has a stash of washcloths that is now missing one as I turn on the cold water to make a compress for my flaming cheeks. As I hang the dampened cloth over the lip of the sink, it dawns on me that the banging has stopped. If this were a horror movie, I’d be the dumb girl who opens the door to check if the coast is clear. Alas, I am not that girl, so the lock will stay firmly in place until I decide otherwise.

At least, that’s what I thought, but now I’m beginning to realize how naïve it was of me to assume he wouldn’t have a key to his own door as I hear the clinking of metal from the outside. Houston, we have a problem.

I’m toast, and he’s the toaster.

The look on his face is positively feral when he finally swings open the door so hard that it bounces off the wall and back into his arm as he’s passing by.

“Thought you could get away from me that easy, huh, little brat?”

“Actually, I was just thinking of the best way to piss you off,” I say with a slight smirk.

“Well, congratu-fucking-lations to you. I’m pissed, and you’re trapped.”

“I’m not worried. Do your worst, Chef.”

I swallow a bit too harshly as he closes the distance between us, pushing me back until my heels hit the step at the doorway to the open shower. He lifts my stiff frame and brings both of us into the shower, effectively blocking any chance I had of escaping.

Oh well. Game on. I back myself up to the far wall where the handle to the shower is mounted, reach behind me, and turn the water on full blast. Charlie is sprayed directly in the face just as I had hoped.

A devilish grin sneaks its way onto my face as his clothes start to soak through. I can’t deny the funny things happening to my insides seeing the water beads trail down his gorgeous face while he’s staring at me like he wants to devour me. It’s a mixture of fear and excitement.

“Oh, so you think this is funny?” He asks as he sticks his tongue to the inside of his cheek, making it poke out to the side with clear irritation.

I can’t stop giggling to form a response, not that I’d have time to do so because he reaches out and wraps his goliath hand around my wrist and pulls me into him, strategically placing me in the direct line of the shower stream.

“Well played, chef. Well played,” is all I can get out before he crushes his lips to mine.

The interaction becomes boiling hot almost instantly. My drenched outfit now matches my drenched core. He deepens the kiss, exploring my mouth with his tongue which seems to be one of his favorite pastimes tonight. Not that I’m complaining because damn, this man knows how to kiss.

My wrist is released to allow him the opportunity to grab the backs of my thighs and lift me only to squish me against the shower wall. I love the way it makes me feel weightless. I wrap my legs around him as his hands start to wander beneath my shirt. Goosebumps break out all over my body as my breath catches in my throat.

Charlie smiles against my lips, and I can’t help but get a little irritated at how well he picks up on my body’s traitorous hints. Just to be a dick, I bite his lower lip, and he groans in response.

Now it’s my turn to smile, but my victory is short-lived as Charlie brings his hands up to the collar of my shirt, looks me dead in the eyes with a look full of mischief as he rips my shirt straight down the middle. I’m frozen in shock. I was not expecting that, but I can’t deny how much wetter it made me.

“What did you expect to happen when you decided to antagonize me? I can only control myself for so long.”

“Just shut the hell up and fuck me, Charlie.”

“Why would I do that when I’m having so much fun dragging it out?”

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