Page 41 of When You Least Expect It
“Yeah, I can see...how you’re all wet and...and well, naked.”
“I have a towel,” I said, hoping that she didn’t freak out, then race towards the front door.“So, I’m only partially naked.”
Calista began gnawing on her lower lip, and I’d give anything to know what she was thinking.While last night could have ended on a better note, the fact that she had raced over to warn me of my impending doom was a good sign.If she didn’t consider me a friend, then she wouldn’t have rushed over here, and I could work with friendship.In fact, starting out as friends would help solidify something stronger between us later on.
“Yeah, I...”She pointed towards the front door.“I should probably get going and let you...let you finish doing your shower thing.”
“Maybe you should stay,” I told her.“I mean, what if Louise comes knocking on my door?Do you really want me to fight the forces of evil in only a towel?”
Calista clucked her tongue before saying, “You could always get dressed.”
I stepped to her, invading her space just a little more.“I suppose that I could.”
“You know...those...those things are supposed to be a myth,” she mumbled before clearing her throat.
“What things?”I asked, my voice a little lower than it’d been just a second ago.
“Eight-pack abs,” she answered a bit breathlessly.
“Well, maybe you should get a really good look,” I told her.“After all, I’m getting older, and so it’s getting harder and harder to maintain these days.”
“Why do you have them?”she asked.“Is it to impress women?”
That got a smile out of me.“It’s so that the guys at the shipping yard don’t make fun of me.”
She finally looked away from my abs, and her lips twitched as she stared up at me.“They bully you, do they?”
“You’ll be hard pressed to find any guy at the shipping yard that’s out of shape,” I informed her.“It’s hard work, and if you let yourself go, then you can slow the crew down.”
“Must be nice to have...have a metabolism that helps with all...all that,” she muttered, her cheeks turning pink.
“You can touch them if you want,” I teased.“Remember, I won’t have them forever.”
I watched Calista’s face soften, and my heart slammed into my chest when she said, “I’m sorry about last night.I...I was nervous about the kiss.”
“Why were you nervous?”
Candid as always, she answered, “Because I really like you, Myer.I really like you, and I haven’t liked anyone like this in a really long time, so...so I freaked out.”
“Well, as luck would have it, I happen to like you, too.”
Her lips twitched again.“I kind of gathered that from how you asked me to dinner yesterday.”
“Well, in light of how you’ve been cursed, I think we should definitely experience that kiss now,” I said, hoping that I was doing the right thing here.“I mean, can you imagine if we both met our demise without ever kissing?”
“That sounds like it’d be a real shame,” she replied, her hand reaching out to finally put me out of my misery and touch my abs.
“I agree.”
“Okay, but before I let you kiss me, I need to make one thing very clear here, Myer.”
“What is it, baby?”
“If you turn out to be a cheating douchebag and break my heart, I will let Louise put ten hexes on you,” she threatened.“I will make sure that she puts all the hexes on you.All of them.”
My free hand reached up to cup her face.“Baby, I’m not a cheating douchebag,” I assured her.“I might piss you off every now and again, and I can’t guarantee that I’ll always say or do the right thing in your eyes, but I will never cheat on you.I can swear that on my life, Calista.”
She nodded.“Okay, well...then I guess you can kiss me.”
