you’re this pleasant now, I’d hate to see what happens when you run out.” Leaning into the fridge, I grab a Pepsi for myself before straightening to ask, “Do you mind?”
Her eyes dart away from me quickly as she shakes her head back and forth just a little too zealously. Her cheeks are flushed and I could swear she has a guilty expression on her face.
Did I seriously just catch her checking out my ass?
“I…um, I guess I do need to pick up a few things,” she relents, playing with the tab on her soda can. “Especially if we’re supposed to get bad weather.”
I decide it's best to keep things neutral for now. She's like a nervous cat – one wrong move and I'll scare her off. “I need to pick up some batteries. There’s a lantern and a couple of flashlights in the utility room, I think, unless Leah’s done something with them. And we should probably get some bottled water.”
She merely nods and takes another sip of her drink, avoiding my gaze altogether. What is she thinking? And why is she so damn jumpy? I wish I could figure out what's going on in her head. One minute I think she's into me and the next, she acts as if my mere presence disgusts her.
I'm a stubborn man, though. And I am far from done with this ripe little peach. One taste was not enough. She may as well get used to having me around because I am not leaving here until I have thoroughly and effectively fucked every ounce of contempt right out of her.
But for now, I will maintain a respectable distance.
“I better go make sure they’re still there.”
“Make sure what's still there?” She seems distracted.
“The flashlights.” Quickly gulping down half my Pepsi, I leave the can on the counter and head out to the garage. The lantern and flashlights are still where I left them, so I bring them inside. Then I gather up the patio chairs and stack them in the utility room along with the table. The gas grill and trash can are the only things left outside that are likely to blow away, so after I move those inside the garage I'm done securing the yard.
Before coming back inside, I take a moment to study the sky. The azure blue is splotched with billowy cumulus clouds, the only harbinger of the powerful storm that’s slowly churning closer. The day is eerily still, the atmosphere stifling and humid. There’s not so much as a breath of air to stir the leaves that hang limply in the heat. Kind of a paradox, considering what’s coming. According to the weather channel, we should start feeling the effects in about thirty-six hours. If this thing continues to increase in strength I might need to consider taking Melanie away from here, whether she likes it or not.
I shake my head with a sigh, wondering why I suddenly feel responsible for keeping her safe. It’s not as if she’d give a flying fuck if I got swept away by a typhoon. She’d probably throw a party to celebrate.
Gazing at the deceptively calm sky, I don’t hear her footsteps until she’s practically underneath my nose.
“Do you need help with anything?” she tentatively offers.
“No, thanks. I’m done out here.” I point to the silver Corolla parked on the grass. “You might want to pull your car into the garage, though. Before it starts raining.”
“Uh, yeah. I was going to.” She seems annoyed that I would assume she didn’t have sense enough to figure that out on her own.
“Just making sure. Coming with me to the store?”
After a moment’s hesitation, she nods.
“Are you ready to go?”
Another terse nod.
I’m not sure which exasperates me more – her snippy insults or this frigid silence. For a brief moment, I consider pulling the ice queen against my chest and kissing her until that cold barrier thaws. And believe me, it will. One little spark is all it will take to rekindle last night’s flame.
Whether she wants to admit it or not, that spark is very much alive. I see it flickering in her eyes even now.
I can hardly wait to reignite those
Her eyes dart away from me quickly as she shakes her head back and forth just a little too zealously. Her cheeks are flushed and I could swear she has a guilty expression on her face.
Did I seriously just catch her checking out my ass?
“I…um, I guess I do need to pick up a few things,” she relents, playing with the tab on her soda can. “Especially if we’re supposed to get bad weather.”
I decide it's best to keep things neutral for now. She's like a nervous cat – one wrong move and I'll scare her off. “I need to pick up some batteries. There’s a lantern and a couple of flashlights in the utility room, I think, unless Leah’s done something with them. And we should probably get some bottled water.”
She merely nods and takes another sip of her drink, avoiding my gaze altogether. What is she thinking? And why is she so damn jumpy? I wish I could figure out what's going on in her head. One minute I think she's into me and the next, she acts as if my mere presence disgusts her.
I'm a stubborn man, though. And I am far from done with this ripe little peach. One taste was not enough. She may as well get used to having me around because I am not leaving here until I have thoroughly and effectively fucked every ounce of contempt right out of her.
But for now, I will maintain a respectable distance.
“I better go make sure they’re still there.”
“Make sure what's still there?” She seems distracted.
“The flashlights.” Quickly gulping down half my Pepsi, I leave the can on the counter and head out to the garage. The lantern and flashlights are still where I left them, so I bring them inside. Then I gather up the patio chairs and stack them in the utility room along with the table. The gas grill and trash can are the only things left outside that are likely to blow away, so after I move those inside the garage I'm done securing the yard.
Before coming back inside, I take a moment to study the sky. The azure blue is splotched with billowy cumulus clouds, the only harbinger of the powerful storm that’s slowly churning closer. The day is eerily still, the atmosphere stifling and humid. There’s not so much as a breath of air to stir the leaves that hang limply in the heat. Kind of a paradox, considering what’s coming. According to the weather channel, we should start feeling the effects in about thirty-six hours. If this thing continues to increase in strength I might need to consider taking Melanie away from here, whether she likes it or not.
I shake my head with a sigh, wondering why I suddenly feel responsible for keeping her safe. It’s not as if she’d give a flying fuck if I got swept away by a typhoon. She’d probably throw a party to celebrate.
Gazing at the deceptively calm sky, I don’t hear her footsteps until she’s practically underneath my nose.
“Do you need help with anything?” she tentatively offers.
“No, thanks. I’m done out here.” I point to the silver Corolla parked on the grass. “You might want to pull your car into the garage, though. Before it starts raining.”
“Uh, yeah. I was going to.” She seems annoyed that I would assume she didn’t have sense enough to figure that out on her own.
“Just making sure. Coming with me to the store?”
After a moment’s hesitation, she nods.
“Are you ready to go?”
Another terse nod.
I’m not sure which exasperates me more – her snippy insults or this frigid silence. For a brief moment, I consider pulling the ice queen against my chest and kissing her until that cold barrier thaws. And believe me, it will. One little spark is all it will take to rekindle last night’s flame.
Whether she wants to admit it or not, that spark is very much alive. I see it flickering in her eyes even now.
I can hardly wait to reignite those
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