Page 55 of Must Love Bees
“Yes.” At least he had a week to prepare.
“Excellent. I have a feeling we’ll have a lot to talk about after that.”
He and Lindsay had never had a lot to talk about. Rebecca’s will and the sale of her property wouldn’t change that.
“The air-conditioning is out. You’ll have to stay in town.” Even if it was repaired by then, he couldn’t have them staying here.
“Oh, we were planning on it.” She paused. “Is there anything else?”
“Any word on Blair?” Blair was slightly more tolerable than Lindsay.
“Why would I know what Blair is doing, Charlie?” She wasn’t happy. “I don’t see why she’d come but you can ask her yourself, if you want to know. Talk later.” And she disconnected.
He sat, rested his head in his hands and took a deep breath. That was done and over. Now he had work to do.
There was the faint rumble of thunder when he was on his second conference call. The lights dimmed and flickered but the power stayed on. Today’s view from the window differed from every other day since they’d arrived. Surprisingly ominous looking clouds were crowding in to smother the normally blue sky. Thunder rolled again—louder this time. A lightning strike hit a little too close for comfort. The lights of the house flickered again.
He was just about to double-check he’d used a surge protector power strip when a flash of white drew his attention back to the window. There, walking along the path to his house, was Astrid. The wind whipped around her, tossing her hair this way and that while her white skirts caught and held—like a sail on a sailboat.
A crack of thunder shook the house but Astrid didn’t seem to notice. When the sky opened up and big, rapid-fire drops began pelting the ground, she tilted her head back and spread her arms wide.
Lightning spider-webbed across the darkening sky. Its long, spindly fingers were too sinister to ignore. It wasn’t safe. She wasn’t safe.
That realization squeezed every bit of air from his lungs and forced his heart into a slow, shuddering rhythm. He was walking down the porch steps before he made the conscious decision. He had to get her to safety.
The rain grew heavier with each passing second. Thick, torrential sheets roaring down from the heavens to crash into the ground with surprising force. The roar of the downpour was deafening so he didn’t realize Astrid was laughing until he stood before her.
She wiped the water, and several rain-plastered curls, from her face. “It’s raining.” The joyful smile on her face was a stark contrast to the ever-darkening sky. “Isn’t it wonderful?”
It was that smile that broke something loose inside him. That free, blinding, simple expression of unguarded pleasure loosened the vise compressing his chest. A new warmth settled in his stomach. It wasn’t normal to feel a sense of...contentment when he was standing in a rainstorm. But he was beginning to accept that his reaction to Astrid was never normal. While he’d never felt anything like what she was currently reveling in, he might be experiencing something close. Because of Astrid.
“We needed this so much.” She was oblivious to the thunder and lightning and the fact that her flowy dress was now soaking wet and clinging.
Charlie, on the other hand, did not miss the clinging. Or the impact it was having on him. It...she...all of this was dizzying, in fact. Breathing was a challenge. It was likely the lack of oxygen that had him aching to reach for her. He, the man who avoided touch whenever possible, wanted to touch her. Desperately. His brain wasn’t fully functioning. That was the only explanation he had for such an uncharacteristic action.
If a clap of thunder hadn’t shaken the ground beneath them, he had no idea what he would have done. Maybe he would have made a complete ass out of himself and reached for her. He’d never know. The ripple of air and bolt of lightning set him in motion.
Dammit. She wasn’t safe. That was not acceptable.
He took her hand and pulled her, splashing through newly formed puddles, after him. The rain continued to pound down on them until they reached the shelter of the porch.
The moment they were safely inside the dining room, he let go of her hand. There was no reason to hold on—even if he wanted to. And he wanted to. There was nothing he wanted more than to touch Astrid. The realization had him reeling.
He should step back, put space between them and get a grip, but he didn’t move.
Astrid’s words were a rush. “I didn’t mean to...interrupt you.” She was studying him, a deep furrow between her brows. “Or irritate you.”
Irritate him? She didn’t irritate him. Frustrate him. Confuse him. Definitely. Make him ache, apparently. But not irritate. If he was irritated, he was irritated at himself. At his ineptitude at being fully functional when it came to communicating and experiencing human emotions. It took every ounce of courage he could muster to look her in the eye. He was afraid. He was afraid of the effect she had on him. That she had any effect on him made her different. Special.Notirritating. He had to say something.
Words. Therightwords.
“Astrid, you don’t...irritate me.” His voice was gruffer than he’d intended. “I...I don’t know...” He broke off.I don’t know how to do this. Or what to say.
Astrid was staring up at him but the furrow between her brows smoothed when her gaze settled on his mouth.
Whatever words he’d planned to say turned into a groan. He was done. He was done fighting—he didn’t want to. He wanted... He swallowed. With one hand, he grabbed her skirt and tugged her close. So close he could breathe her in and feel the warmth rolling off her.Astrid. He ran his nose along the side of her face, the last bit of resistance slipping away.
His lips found hers. The taste of her almost brought him to his knees. A full-body shudder wracked her. He groaned, pulling her closer still. He wanted more. Needed more. More of Astrid. The sweetness of her mouth. The brush of her breath against his cheek. The feel of her arms, tight, around his waist. And her hands pressing his back. He was drowning in her and he welcomed it.
