Page 16 of Purgatory
Oh, damn. Noted.
We make our way down the stairs but he doesn’t even need to lead me to the kitchen. My nose does a good enough job of showing me the way.
“Wow, that smells amazing,” I groan.
I enter the kitchen and take a seat on one of the stools at the island as Hawk places a huge bowl in front of me.
“Bon Appetit. Jax made it from scratch. He’s sort of the unofficial chef of the house. Hope you like it.”
I take a hearty spoonful of the thick, rich stew and let out a moan of appreciation. “Oh, my gravy, this is so good. Is Jax around so that I can thank him for the meal andeverything?”
Hawk makes a small wince and side eyes Cole.
What’s that about...? Oh yea, he’s the big, bad wolf and I need to keep my little red riding hood ass clear of him.
“You can let him know tomorrow. He’s already turned in. We’re usually so exhausted each day that by now we just head to our rooms and crash for the night.”
I nod but suddenly sadden at the thought that the owner of the house didn’t even have the desire to meet the stowaway currently residing in one of his rooms. Does he not care like the others? Does he not want me here? A wave of apprehension comes over me, making me feel like an intruder. A trespasser. I subconsciously curl into myself at the thought.
Cole must notice my sudden demise in morale and changes the subject. “So, just so you’re aware, tomorrow, we’re going to take off in the morning around 8 or 9 am to finish our scouting route in the town you were staying in. I would offer for you to come with us, but after your fainting episodes today, I’d like it if you stayed close to the estate to recover and rest some more.”
“Wait, you guys are all leaving me here, alone?” I ask, questioning their trust in me with my being a practical stranger and all.
“Oh, no. Jax will still be here. He likes to stay back and secure the property as well as work in the garden and keep up with the maintenance.” Cole said.
So, they’re leaving me alone with the guy that they emphatically compared as equal to The Beast, that doesn’t want to know who I am... or even acknowledge I'm here... great...
“Ishe going to meet me before you guys go? You know, to break the ice so he doesn’t see me on his property and suddenly have this urgent desire to, I don't know... kill me?” Great, nowI’m nervous. I really don’t want to be left here alone with him. Especially after all of the warnings. Fuck, the guy could kill me in some paranoid fit, cut me up and make a bonfire out of me all before they returned and they’d never even know it!
Oh God, what if he starts to play Huey Lewis and the News?!... and all that American Psycho shit? Fuck. That. Noise. No thanks! I was made to live!
“Nah, you’ll be ok.” Hawk makes a motion with his hand, waving it around in front of him as if this isn’t the most appropriate time to be freaking out. “He knows what you look like from when we brought you in. Don’t worry, think of him as a big, cuddly teddy bear. You know, one that has RBF....”
“RBF?”
“Resting Broody Face.” Tagging on a laugh at the end. Unfortunately, I’m not fully assured of his assessment.
“Just steer clear of him and his room and you’ll be fine. We’ll try and do more formal introductions tomorrow when we get back,” Cole adds.
“Ok, fine,” I sigh out irritatingly. I guess I have no choice in the matter. At least I’ll have my baseball bat to protect me.Wait... where is my bat?I look around, concerned for my missing stuff, but reassure myself when I see all of the cast iron pans staged around the kitchen. I smile inwardly.I’ll be ok.
Cole continues. “Tell you what, it’s been a long day for us and even though you’ve been sleeping for a bit, you should still take advantage and rest some more while you can.”
No worries on this end for that, Doc. I feel like I’ve been hit by a freight train so if I'm able to have more sleep, you won’t be hearing any complaints from me.
“Hell, join me if you want to... cuddle party!”
Both Cole and Hawk breathe subtle laughs as if they’re not sure if they were supposed to hear that. I notice andimmediately cringe.
“Shit... I’m so sorry. I’m prone to... God this is embarrassing... ok... I haven’t seen anyone else in a long ass time and I've, kind of... on occasion... to handle the constant silence... taken to talking out loud to myself.” I worry my lower lip into my mouth, biting down to give myself something to focus on.
Hawk responds first. “It’s ok. I think your lack of a filter is kind of adorable, actually.” Ending his sentence with a smirk and a wink.
OK... I’ll takeFlirtingfor $1200, Alex.
“It, certainly, makes it easier to know exactly what you want, when you want it...” Cole says showing off his megawatt smile and licking his lower lip as his eyes trace me up and down.
Well, damn! Let's just double down while we’re at it.
