Read Online Afterthoughts: A Charity McAdams Novella (The Charity McAdams Novellas) by Elizabeth Storme - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Elizabeth Storme
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my hand as it pulls through and I swear again.
“Ash, I gotta go, I’ll see ya later!” I yell before shutting off the phone and stuffing it back in my pocket.
“Charity, what the hell is going on in here? Are you alright?” Brandon’s voice calls from the entryway.
“Yes, everything’s fine. I was just trying to hurry and I dropped my phone.”
“Do you want help?” He looks somewhere between amused and concerned. I’m sure I make quite the picture. Still mostly covered in dried up mud, my hair is probably all kinds of crazy, and I’m sitting on my knees on the floor, cradling my injured hand.
All I can do is nod. It’s all becoming a bit more than I can handle and I feel tears starting to well up in my eyes. This frustrates me even more, because I am normally this super composed person who, at least, appears to have my life together and since seeing Brandon at the airport I have transformed into this clumsy mess that can’t do anything without causing complete chaos.
He comes close and squats down next to me. “What happened here?” He asks, taking my inj ured hand, gently into his own.
“It’s nothing,” I say, not willing to meet his eyes. “It’ll be fine, just stings for a second.”
“Alright,” Brandon says, he takes my good hand and pulls me up from my kneeling position. “Tell me what we need to do.”
“The mud isn’t coming off her fur so I need to rinse her off in the tub. Ashley said the doggy shampoo is upstairs in the bathroom.”
“Ok.”
A few minutes later we have managed to get Maci upstairs and into the tub. She did not go willingly, Ashley wasn’t kidding when she said she could be bit of a pain. Brandon turns the water on and starts to rinse her off while I dig around in the cupboards for the shampoo.
Housekeeping and organization are not two of Ashley’s strong suit. Just going through the cupboards and drawers is making me itch to take over her house for a couple of days and get everything sorted.
I finally give up and tell Brandon I’m going to go check downstairs. I finally find the soap under the kitchen sink (not a place Ashley even told me to check!) and run back up the stairs. I round the corner into the bathroom and my breath catches. Brandon has discarded his white t shirt and is leaning over the edge of the tub half-naked. He had always been in shape when we were dating and engaged but as an action movie star he has obviously taken his training to the next level. I stand silently and watch him work. His tanned skin is flawless and watching his back and shoulder muscles sends a little shiver down my spine. He is speaking in soothing tones to the miserable looking dog and the whole scene is a little more than I can handle.
I force myself to tear my eyes away and step forward to hand him the bottle of shampoo. After he takes the bottle I back up a few steps, trying to keep as much distance between us as possible but as soon as Brandon lets go of her collar to get some shampoo, Maci starts to make a break for it. I squeal and block her path and within the span of a few seconds Brandon has her hauled back in the tub.
“ Oh! We got a runner! Cherry, you’re gonna have to hold her collar,” he says with a laugh.
I nod and reluctantly sink to the floor next to Brandon, trying very hard to keep my eyes on the dog, and away from his perfect abs and the little indents at his hips that are peeking above his low riding jeans.
Focus!
It only takes a few minutes to scrub and give her a final rinse. Brandon rubs her down with a towel before we release her, laughing as she runs out of the bathroom like she has just been set free from jail.
We clean out the tub and wipe down the counter and mirror, not quite sure how wet dog hair ended up there in the first place. I turn back to gather the pile of wet towels and bump into Brandon. I move to step away and go around but he puts a hand on my waist and steps closer. His face is just inches from mine and getting
“Ash, I gotta go, I’ll see ya later!” I yell before shutting off the phone and stuffing it back in my pocket.
“Charity, what the hell is going on in here? Are you alright?” Brandon’s voice calls from the entryway.
“Yes, everything’s fine. I was just trying to hurry and I dropped my phone.”
“Do you want help?” He looks somewhere between amused and concerned. I’m sure I make quite the picture. Still mostly covered in dried up mud, my hair is probably all kinds of crazy, and I’m sitting on my knees on the floor, cradling my injured hand.
All I can do is nod. It’s all becoming a bit more than I can handle and I feel tears starting to well up in my eyes. This frustrates me even more, because I am normally this super composed person who, at least, appears to have my life together and since seeing Brandon at the airport I have transformed into this clumsy mess that can’t do anything without causing complete chaos.
He comes close and squats down next to me. “What happened here?” He asks, taking my inj ured hand, gently into his own.
“It’s nothing,” I say, not willing to meet his eyes. “It’ll be fine, just stings for a second.”
“Alright,” Brandon says, he takes my good hand and pulls me up from my kneeling position. “Tell me what we need to do.”
“The mud isn’t coming off her fur so I need to rinse her off in the tub. Ashley said the doggy shampoo is upstairs in the bathroom.”
“Ok.”
A few minutes later we have managed to get Maci upstairs and into the tub. She did not go willingly, Ashley wasn’t kidding when she said she could be bit of a pain. Brandon turns the water on and starts to rinse her off while I dig around in the cupboards for the shampoo.
Housekeeping and organization are not two of Ashley’s strong suit. Just going through the cupboards and drawers is making me itch to take over her house for a couple of days and get everything sorted.
I finally give up and tell Brandon I’m going to go check downstairs. I finally find the soap under the kitchen sink (not a place Ashley even told me to check!) and run back up the stairs. I round the corner into the bathroom and my breath catches. Brandon has discarded his white t shirt and is leaning over the edge of the tub half-naked. He had always been in shape when we were dating and engaged but as an action movie star he has obviously taken his training to the next level. I stand silently and watch him work. His tanned skin is flawless and watching his back and shoulder muscles sends a little shiver down my spine. He is speaking in soothing tones to the miserable looking dog and the whole scene is a little more than I can handle.
I force myself to tear my eyes away and step forward to hand him the bottle of shampoo. After he takes the bottle I back up a few steps, trying to keep as much distance between us as possible but as soon as Brandon lets go of her collar to get some shampoo, Maci starts to make a break for it. I squeal and block her path and within the span of a few seconds Brandon has her hauled back in the tub.
“ Oh! We got a runner! Cherry, you’re gonna have to hold her collar,” he says with a laugh.
I nod and reluctantly sink to the floor next to Brandon, trying very hard to keep my eyes on the dog, and away from his perfect abs and the little indents at his hips that are peeking above his low riding jeans.
Focus!
It only takes a few minutes to scrub and give her a final rinse. Brandon rubs her down with a towel before we release her, laughing as she runs out of the bathroom like she has just been set free from jail.
We clean out the tub and wipe down the counter and mirror, not quite sure how wet dog hair ended up there in the first place. I turn back to gather the pile of wet towels and bump into Brandon. I move to step away and go around but he puts a hand on my waist and steps closer. His face is just inches from mine and getting
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