Page 18 of Shake the Spirit

OANA, AKA HOT FOR IKE, NOT THE POCKETS

My Hot Pocket tastesweird. I don’t know if I should say anything to Ike. He’s enthusiastically eating his. I want to make him happy. Eating this odd breaded thing isn’t the worst I’ve endured, even today.

Being a wild child is confusing. When it was all in my head, I was ready to scream my truth to the world. I wanted to make my family and the church hear me. I also hoped to make them feel bad like they’d done to me.

I bet Ike would get me something else to eat if I asked. Except I don’t want to impose. I’m so grateful to him and entranced by our possible future.Is silence the right answer?

“Don’t like it, huh?” he asks.

Ike’s smirk sends my body into madness. I rub my hands to keep them from reaching for him. Lust is a terrifying emotion. I’m consumed by feverish thoughts that all end with us naked in bed.

“It’s good.”

“Edith doesn’t like Hot Pockets,” Ike says as he stretches out his long legs. “She says they’re thick chunks of bread filled with only a hint of promised flavor. I like them, but she doesn’t. I don’t think you do, either.”

“They’re different than the food I normally eat.”

“So was that burger today, but you were riding high on the flavor. Not so much with the Hot Pockets. Your gag reflex isn’t as subtle as you think.” He grins and reaches over to grab the other half of my food. “I’ll get you something else. Want a sub sandwich? A wrap? Another burger? A salad? Whatever you want, I’ll order it for you. They have delivery in Rockwell.”

“Do you ever wish you lived here?” I ask instead of answering his question since I don’t know what a sub sandwich or wrap is.

“No. This town is fine for visiting. Get a meal, buy a ring, and see a new movie. But Tumbling Rock is where I live and breathe.”

“Buy a ring?”

“My cousin, West, came to Rockwell to buy his woman an engagement ring. I helped him pick it out. Tomorrow, we can go pick out our rings.”

“Because you’re going to marry me?” I ask, growing nervous.

Ike’s warm expression turns blazing hot. “You’re my dream girl. No one except you is capable of keeping us apart.”

“Why me?”

“Well, I have zero doubts. No one can convince me that you aren’t my dream girl. But it would help if you were certain, too. This is your life, and you get to have a say.”

“I love you!” I cry, jumping up like an idiot. “I fear how much.”

Ike reaches for my hand, tugging me forward until I sit on his lap. His arms wrap around my body, feeling like the softest armor. I believe he’ll protect me from my family, the church, and Jarin Johnson. When I look into Ike Mooney’s soft blue eyes, I trust him completely.

“Yesterday, I was just living my life,” he says tenderly as his hands rest respectfully against my knees. “I didn’t have any problems besides how I was in love with a woman I had begun to believe wasn’t real. Otherwise, my life is easy. I’m surrounded by people who accept me. I love my family. I trust my club. I feel good with my place in the world.”

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