Page 30 of When the Storm Breaks
I laughed at her sass. It didn’t taste burnt to me. We ate in silence, and she didn’t try to fill it up with small talk which I appreciated. When we finished eating, I carried our plates and utensils to the kitchen, rejecting her offer to help. After I washed the dishes and stored the leftovers in the refrigerator, I grabbed two more beers and joined her on the porch. She moved her legs so I could pass then propped her bare feet on the banister again and thanked me for the beer.
When she caught me watching her, she wrapped her lips around her beer bottle and hollowed her cheeks. Jesus Christ. She laughed that dirty sexy laugh of hers which didn’t help matters one bit. I adjusted myself in my jeans and that made her laugh harder.
“You’re looking a little hot and bothered there, Cowboy.”
“Nah. I’m chill.” I took a swig of my beer and propped my booted feet next to hers on the banister. “Why? Are you hot and bothered?”
“Cool as a cuke.” A few minutes passed in silence, but I could almost hear her brain ticking over. “I have a proposition for you.”
I chuckled to myself. I had a feeling I knew what was coming. “Yeah? And what’s that?”
“I’ve changed my mind. Maybe a casual hookup... no strings attached... isexactlywhat I need right now.”
I eyed her. “So you want to use me for sex while you’re here?” She nodded, a smile on her lips. “Looking to save on batteries?”
She laughed. “Maybe. But it sounds like a good plan, right? I can be yours for the rest of the time I’m here. You just have to promise not to be with anyone else because that shit don’t fly with me. When it’s time for me to leave, we’ll go back to our regularly scheduled lives. No harm, no foul. How does that sound?”
“Too good to be true.”
“Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.”
I laughed. This girl. She had me up and down and sideways. I couldn’t get a read on her. Which shouldn’t be surprising. Horses, I could read. People confused the shit out of me. Too many mixed messages. Too many ulterior motives.
Shiloh wanted something from me, and it wasn’t just sex. I hadn’t figured out why she was here or what she wanted yet. But it was only a matter of time before the truth came out. It always did.
I patted my lap, testing how far she’d go to get what she wanted. “Come here.”
She lifted her chin. “I don’t take orders from any man.”
Color me surprised. “And I don’t chase after anyone.” I finished my beer and set it on the porch then stood up. Time to go. “Thanks for dinner. See you around, Shy.”
“Wait. You’re leaving? Just like that?”
“You know where to find me,” I called over my shoulder.
“Brody.”
I stopped at the bottom of the porch stairs and turned around to face her. She was standing on the top step, the glow of the porch light behind her giving her a halo effect. Shiloh belonged in a spotlight, was born to be a star. Only a fool would have left her. I was a damn fool.
“Is that water safe for swimming?”
Not the question I’d expected. “Yeah, it’s safe.”
She looked over my shoulder at the line of trees. “And it’s private, right?”
“Nobody’s gonna come onto my property and take photos of you, if that’s what you mean.” She nodded. “Why? Thinking about taking a swim?”
She smiled and to me it looked devious. “Yes, as a matter of fact, I am. The moon shines nice and bright here.”
My eyes narrowed. “You wanna swim at night?”
“Mmmhmm.” She turned off the music from her phone and silence descended. “Under the moon and stars. Night Brody.”
I watched her ass as she sashayed away, the screen door slamming behind her with a ring of finality. Well, fuck. Now I was thinking I should stay and make sure she didn’t drown in my damn lake.
“Go home, Brody. I’m a big girl. I can look out for myself,” she called from inside. I debated for a moment before I finally walked away. She wasn’t my problem and if she did decide to go for a swim, I doubted she’d get much further than dipping her toes in. That water stayed cool, even in the summer when the temperatures hit a hundred.
I was walking through the woods next to the guesthouse when I heard the guitar music and stopped to listen. I waited, hoping she would sing but after five or ten minutes of straining my ears for the sound of her voice, I gave up and went home to an empty house.
