Page 30 of Wine & Whiskey
Her response is almost instantaneous.
Hi.
The taut muscles in his chest relax. She’s not completely gone, even if the connection is only through their phones.
Why did you leave?
I don’t know.
Neither does he. But, he sure as hell is going to do everything he can to make her stop running, to find a way for her to trust him.
I want to see you. Will you come back?
No answer.
Can I come over there?
Nothing. His fingers tap furiously, but pause as her text comes through.
Yes.
I’m on my way.
His breath catches as he pulls into her driveway. She stands in the doorway, wearing a pink and yellow sundress with straps so tiny they would snap if pulled too hard. With one hand behind the door and the other on the knob, she uses it almost as a shield, partially hiding herself. A shy smile crosses her face as he climbs out of the car.
Forcing himself not to run, he strides up the white, stone sidewalk. Unable to hold back once he reaches her, he sweeps her up, burying his face in her neck, breathing in a hint of her soft perfume. “What do I have to do to prove I love you and won’t hurt you?”
“Nothing.”
Her answer is a wisp of breath against his hair. If he didn’t have her pressed against him, he wouldn’t have heard it. The death grip she has on him, her arms coiled around his neck, and her legs squeezing his waist, tell him even more than her words she believes him. At least in this moment. “If you get scared or upset, tell me. Don’t run away.”
She nods, her deep sigh tickling his neck. As relief washes over him, another sensation begins to build. Her sweet body clings to his, the cashmere skin of her bare shoulders sparkling in the sunlight, dress bunched up so he could easily slip his hands underneath. He swallows hard, trying to clear his throat and his mind. “What do we do now?”
Slowly sliding down his front, she looks up to him. Both her eyes and her smile sparkle with happiness. “Will you spend the day with me?”
He would take a bullet before he’d tell her no. “Here? With you? I guess so…”
She giggles at his teasing before her small, soft hand slides into his. “Come on. I’ll show you my favorite thing to do on a lazy Sunday.”
They walk through the house to a two-tiered wooden deck cloaked by thick walls of trees and bushes. On the lower level, a patio table with a red umbrella and four yellow and red stripped chairs sits near a silver grill. An enormous white hammock swings between two wooden posts a few feet in front of them. Three small stacks of books cover the table next to it. He nods towards them. “Are those yours?”
“Most of them. Carrie has a few, but she doesn’t really like to read.”
He reaches over and picks up one with a half-naked man on the cover. “Are you reading this?”
Her bubbly laughter as she shakes her head eliminates his remaining tension. “No, it’s Carrie’s. She likes the naughty ones.”
He flips to the bookmarked page and begins to read aloud. “‘I’m going to take you now. I’m going to take you hard and fast until you scream my name. When you scream my name, then I’ll know you’re mine. All mine. You belong to me.’” He raises his eyebrows. “This explains a lot.”
Pink tinges her face as she plucks the book out of his hand and tosses it back on the table. “Come on, let’s find something better.”
She picks upThe Winter of Our Discontentand hands it to him. They lay cuddled together in the fabric sling as he reads the first few chapters aloud, his fingers stroking across her cheek and into her silky hair. Her even breathing and soft body confirm she’s relaxed too. A quiet easiness between them he never knew he craved until she created it for him. He stops and smiles at her attempt to muffle a yawn. “Am I boring you?”
“Sorry! No, my…boyfriend kept me up late last night. I’m a little bit sleepy.”
His heart skips a beat at the message she sends with her choice of words. “Well, he must be a real ass keeping you from your beauty sleep.”
She lifts her head and looks at him. An emotion he hopes is love swirls in her deep blue eyes as her chin rests on his chest. “Absolutely not. He’s perfect.”
