Page 2 of Cautious

I stare at his hand hovering between us and reach out my own, but not to grab his. Oh no, not me. I reach up and poke him in the forehead.

“Definitely real,” I mumble, dumbfounded that I’m not in a coma. I might have preferred that, though I should have figured it out already. I’m the kind of girl who’d end up in aDatelinespecial rather than a Hallmark movie.

At this point, the mystery guy must realize that I’m not firing on all cylinders. He takes my hand without waiting for me to get my shit together and pulls me to my feet, steadying me when I once again slip.

I was right, thinking he was tall. My five-foot-four frame only just hits his collarbone. Tipping my head up, I see him looking down at me with one side of his mouth hitched up in a grin, his eyes twinkling with mirth.

“Well, alrighty then. Thank me. I mean, thank you for helping me. And sorry for, you know, clonking you on the chin and mentally undressing you with my eyes.”

“You were mentally undressing me?” His smile is covering his whole face now.

“Wait, what?” I answer, somewhat dazzled.

“And how do I look naked?” he questions as he laughs softly, stepping closer.

“Freaking awesome,” I whisper and feel warmth fill me in all the right places when he throws his head back and laughs.

I stare at him, basking in the moment, feeling oddly proud that I made this beautiful stranger laugh like that, even if it was moreatme thanwithme. I’ll take what I can get.

Ducking my head before he catches me ogling him again, I catch sight of my belongings scattered across my porch. My eyesslowly widen in horror when I realize which box I had been carrying.

“Shit.” I drop to my knees and hurriedly swipe up as much as I can and dump it into the box, hoping most of it goes unnoticed.

He crouches next to me to help, but I wave him off. “It’s okay, seriously, I got this. Thanks though,” I grit out, really needing him to go now.

He doesn’t answer so I glance up and see him staring at the eight-inch, hot-pink, silicone G-spot vibrator in his hand.

“Err…”

Use more words, dammit.

“It’s called the Invader and boasts sixteen different functions, not that I’ve tried them all yet. Oh, and it’s totally waterproof, which is cool. But then that got me thinking: shouldn’t all vibrators be waterproof, given how wet we get?”

USE LESS WORDS. Kill me. Kill me now.

He stares at me before climbing to his feet and walking away without another word, which is just as well. There is only so much humiliation I can stand before I spontaneously combust.

I curse my lack of social skills, but this time under my breath so I don’t attract the attention of any more god-like men. I pick up the box before letting myself inside, kicking the door closed behind me.

The first thing I notice is the smell. It’s stale and musty, probably from having sat empty for the last six months. I can’t complain though. Because it had been vacant so long, the landlady offered it up for a steal. And that suited me and my meager savings just fine.

Sliding the box onto the floor in the hallway, I scowl at it, blaming it entirely for what happened outside. On principle alone, I’m going to unpack that box last so it can sit there and think about its actions.

I head left into the living room and walk over to the grimy windows, twisting the lock and giving them a hard shove to let the fresh air inside. I take a deep breath and grin. It feels so damn good to have my own space again. Turning, I take in the place that’s now mine for however long I stay. The room is painted cream. If I remember correctly, from when I viewed it online, all the rooms are decorated in the same color. A neutral pallet, the landlady had explained. It was light and welcoming, and that’s all that mattered to me.

Two cream leather sofas face each other with a large oak coffee table between them. A tall chrome floor lamp stands in the far left-hand corner of the room, and a large ficus tree sprawls outward from the right. It isn’t much, but it’s far more than I had ten minutes ago. It seemed like serendipity finding a place already furnished and ready for me to move into, and frankly, I’m sick of living out of a motel.

Making my way into the small kitchen, I again open windows to air the place out. The kitchen may be small, but it’s plenty big enough for me. After being stuck in that motel, I will never again take having access to a kitchen for granted.

It’s been remodeled relatively recently, judging by the new beechwood cupboard doors and light gray and black flecked countertops. The floor is the same oak that runs through the rest of the house. The microwave and stove are basic white, as is the fridge-freezer combo. In the corner is a small table with two high-back chairs that will be just right for eating breakfast while the sun streams through the large south-facing window.

The door at the far side of the kitchen catches my eye, so I walk over to it and push it open. It’s a narrow walk space with another door at the far end. I don’t remember this being mentioned in the paperwork, but with shelves lining each side of the space, it will make the perfect pantry. I grin, feeling giddy at the thought of filling it with all my favorite things. A quick peekthrough the door on the far end shows a compact laundry room with a washer and dryer stacked neatly on top of each other and a sink with a cupboard for storage beneath it. And again, more shelving above it.

I feel something settle inside me as I walk back into the kitchen. I don’t know if it’s relief that I’m done traveling for a while or if it’s because this place already has the potential to feel like home. Whatever the reason, it reinforces my choice to move here, even though sometimes the thought of staying still scares me more than running.

I frown as a knock at the door pulls my attention from my thoughts. I don’t know anyone here yet, and not a single person knows my address, barring the landlady. My car is outside loaded up with my crap, so it seems pointless to hide behind the sofa and pretend I’m not home. Even if that’s what I’d rather do. I shrug and head to the door. It’s not like this meet-and-greet can go any worse than the encounter I just had.

I pull the door open with what I’m hoping resembles more of a friendly smile than a grimace and find a pink cock in my face. I look up into the eyes of the beautiful man, who inadvertently took my vibrator with him when he made his escape and wince.

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