Page 6 of Allison

Allison:Thanks! You’re the best!

Amelia:I know ;)

Allison laughs out loud at her neighbor’s cheeky reply. The woman might be in her fifties, but she stays up to date with the latest tech and text language. Not to mention she’s sassy as hell.I want to be her when I grow up!

Russell glances at her with concern. Apparently, she’d said that out loud. “I’m used to being by myself a lot, so sometimes I talk to myself.” Russell frowns, and she can tell he’s about to say something. “Don’t judge me! I’m not crazy.”

“I don’t think you’re crazy,” Russell replies. “I’m just wondering why a woman as beautiful as you is by herself so much?”

“Is that supposed to be a pick-up line?” Allison questions, snorting out a laugh. “Because it’s the lamest one I’ve ever heard.”

“You’ve obviously never met Straw,” Russell concludes. “And no, it’s not a pick-up line. I’m genuinely curious.”Hmm, he actually seems sincere.

“Oh! I have met Straw and several other guys,” Allison says, turning in her seat to face him, “when Emma and Curtis came to San Diego last year, but I don’t recall meeting you though. I would have remembered.”

“Are you saying I’m unforgettable?” Russell questions. She rolls her eyes.

“Not at all what I said,” she accuses. “I just have an excellent memory.”

Tilting her head, she considers him. “You really think I’m beautiful?” Allison drops her head into her hands.Really? Did she just ask him that?Talk about blasting your insecurities. There she goes thinking out loud, again. She huffs out a frustrated breath.

“Yes.”

Russell’s simple answer takes her breath away. Allison looks out her window, a smile lighting up her face. She doesn’t want him to see how his words have affected her. She’s dated and had a couple of semi-serious boyfriends, but none of them had told her she was beautiful. Cute? Pretty? Yeah, she’s heard those words a few times, but not beautiful or gorgeous. She hadn’t realized it was something she had wanted or needed to hear, but coming from him? It definitely hit home.

6

WORM

Worm is reeling. This snarky, little spitfire has his blood boiling in the best kind of way. His cock has been hard since he first laid eyes on her. Thankfully he’s worn his heavy cargo pants instead of dress pants. He shifts in his seat, trying to discreetly adjust himself to a more comfortable position. Well, as comfortable as a man can be in his condition.

Allison Simpson is an unexpected development in what he’d feared would be a long, boring week. Now, he is more than looking forward to spending the week getting to know the feisty woman. It can’t go anywhere, other than a night, or maybe two, of some stress relief, but he could use a good time for a change. He hasn’t dated anyone or even had a one-night-stand since his dad passed. There’s been too much going on between his job on the team and his obligation to his family.

Worm’s mind drifts back to that awful time. His assigned team had been sent to San Diego for training. He’d been ordered to stay behind, because he’d been on loan to another team at the time. That team had been down a man and needed help. It had turned out to be a blessing even though he’d been disappointed to not be included in the training. If he’d been in California, it would have taken him much longer to reach his family when the accident had happened.

A wave of emotion washes over him, bringing everything to the forefront of his mind. The grief, anger, and fear threaten to overwhelm him if he allows it. He can’t allow himself to feel anything, so he tamps all the emotions down. He doesn’t have time to wallow in grief. His mother and little sisters are depending on him. Nothing will distract him from his duty to family…not even a beautiful, challenging woman.

Daily calls to his mother, sometimes more frequently, had been a necessity, in the beginning. Even though she’s been making improvements, she still needs reminders to manage things at home. So, he’d pushed his grief aside, even after he’d returned to active duty and was alone in his apartment.

Worm has considered turning in his papers several times so he can take care of them, but what would he do for a living? His pay as active-duty special forces is much better than what he’d receive in many secular jobs.

Be patient.He reminds himself. Put in the required number of years and get full retirement from his service. He hopes, in time, his mother will come out of her depression and begin living life again. In the meantime, he makes sure the bills are paid and groceries are delivered to their home, knowing his oldest sister, Leigh, will cook for them when his mom is having a bad day.

“Is something wrong?” Allison’s soft voice draws Worm out of his morose thoughts. Pushing his worries away, he places a grin on his face and glances over at her.

“Not at all, sugar,” Worm answers. “What makes you think something is wrong?”

“Well, you got really quiet all of a sudden,” Allison replies. “I thought perhaps I’d said something that upset you.” He shakes his head immediately, wanting to reassure her. She’d done nothing wrong. It was he who’d allowed his thoughts to drift to things he shouldn’t.

“You didn’t—” He pauses, not sure he wants to expose his secrets, but not wanting to lie to her either. “I was just thinking about why I hadn't been on the trip to San Diego.” Allison shifts to face him better, waiting for him to continue. A puff of air escapes him. He shouldn’t have said anything, but since the cat is out of the bag, he might as well spill it. “I had to take some time off to take care of my family.”

“Oh.” Allison turns to face forward. Her shoulders droop, and her face pinks as she frowns. She facepalms her head, shaking it slightly, muttering something, but he can’t understand her.

“What was that?” he asks, dying to know what is going on in her pretty, little head.

“Nothing,” she mumbles in reply, turning away to stare out the window. Minutes tick by without so much as a glance in his direction. He feels the tension in the air, but doesn’t understand why. Her mood has shifted from friendly to closed off, abruptly.

He has enjoyed their banter and fully intends to keep it going all week. He isn’t going to let her shut down, blocking him out. She may not want to talk to him, but he isn’t going to let her get away with this sudden transformation so easily.No way!Worm is no quitter.

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