back against the wall. Seconds later, Caroline flitted into the room like an excited hummingbird, clothes in hand and ready for her task. She walked over to the bed and handed Jaci a pale yellow, silky nightshirt. “I love the feel of this one against my skin. It makes me feel pampered,” she said.
As Xander watched Jaci slip the shimmering fabric over her head and bare shoulders, he acknowledged the compulsion he had to fix it, to make everything better for her. His mind returned to the many ways he would help her forget all of this. She didn’t want to feel. He knew how to get her to that place where the world receded, where her body chemicals took over. Enticing flashes of erotic scenes comprised the mental rundown of how he would get her there.
Son of a bitch. He was hard while his mind devised all the things he wanted to do to Jaci, with Jaci, for Jaci. He watched her get ready, still slumped over and looking at her lap. Caroline brushed her hair and then loosely braided it into a thick rope, falling onto her back.
He could help her tonight, if she’d let him. He opened his mouth to tell Caroline she should go, that he’d finish helping Jaci get ready, when Hannah and Emily blew in through the door bringing positive energy and fun banter with them. “We came with food. Fresh chicken, mashed potatoes with green beans,” Emily said.
Caroline gasped. “Oh my God. Where did you get chicken?”
“Sid from the restaurant knew I volunteered for a sit-in and made it special for us,” Emily said.
Xander watched as Jaci looked back and forth between the two women in confusion.
“Man, I haven’t eaten chicken that hasn’t seen the inside of a can for almost year,” Caroline said. The thrill of the treat electrified the air as everybody looked at the small plate of chicken Emily brought from the restaurant she worked at.
“I’m missing something. What’s the big deal about chicken?” Jaci finally asked.
“Fresh meat is hard to come by in the Amber Zone,” Hannah said. “We’re bottom of the food chain. There’s always plenty of fruit, nuts and veggies, but meat is usually canned. Milk is usually powdered, and some things are almost impossible to get, like chocolate and coffee.”
“Well, chocolate and coffee are hard to get in Sapphire too, but it sounds like Amber suffers more from the shortages than the other zones,” Jaci said.
Jordan rejoined them, slipping into the apartment just in time to get a small portion of chicken. All the women ate together on the bed and filled Jaci in on some of the characters that lived on the fourth floor, trying to give her the lay of the land. Xander didn’t eat the small plate of food Emily sat in front of him on the dinette table. He watched Jaci, tried to read her, tried to figure out how much he still had to worry about her. His heart lurched at the look of trepidation that flashed over Jaci’s face as Hannah stood. “Are you ready to do this? You don’t have to, you know.”
“I guess.” Jaci shrugged and then turned her head to look at Xander as if to make sure he was still there. “Might as well get everybody’s curiosity out of the way.”
Caroline got up from the bed and gathered the remnants of the dinner. Hannah straightened up the sheet and blanket, brushing off a few crumbs here and there.
Emily walked to the door, her curly springs of hair bounced with her steps. As soon as the door was opened, the immediate buzz of voices told Xander the hallway was packed with curious neighbors, just as it was the night before.
An endless stream of people visited Jaci while he brooded. Finding her rolled into a ball in the bathtub wrenched his feelings from their hiding spot, and the breakdown that followed tied his heart into knots. He was more worried about her after seeing her fall apart. He was sure the depth of hurt she felt was barely tolerable. It was hard not to be affected by it, not when standing there staring it down face to face. It took
As Xander watched Jaci slip the shimmering fabric over her head and bare shoulders, he acknowledged the compulsion he had to fix it, to make everything better for her. His mind returned to the many ways he would help her forget all of this. She didn’t want to feel. He knew how to get her to that place where the world receded, where her body chemicals took over. Enticing flashes of erotic scenes comprised the mental rundown of how he would get her there.
Son of a bitch. He was hard while his mind devised all the things he wanted to do to Jaci, with Jaci, for Jaci. He watched her get ready, still slumped over and looking at her lap. Caroline brushed her hair and then loosely braided it into a thick rope, falling onto her back.
He could help her tonight, if she’d let him. He opened his mouth to tell Caroline she should go, that he’d finish helping Jaci get ready, when Hannah and Emily blew in through the door bringing positive energy and fun banter with them. “We came with food. Fresh chicken, mashed potatoes with green beans,” Emily said.
Caroline gasped. “Oh my God. Where did you get chicken?”
“Sid from the restaurant knew I volunteered for a sit-in and made it special for us,” Emily said.
Xander watched as Jaci looked back and forth between the two women in confusion.
“Man, I haven’t eaten chicken that hasn’t seen the inside of a can for almost year,” Caroline said. The thrill of the treat electrified the air as everybody looked at the small plate of chicken Emily brought from the restaurant she worked at.
“I’m missing something. What’s the big deal about chicken?” Jaci finally asked.
“Fresh meat is hard to come by in the Amber Zone,” Hannah said. “We’re bottom of the food chain. There’s always plenty of fruit, nuts and veggies, but meat is usually canned. Milk is usually powdered, and some things are almost impossible to get, like chocolate and coffee.”
“Well, chocolate and coffee are hard to get in Sapphire too, but it sounds like Amber suffers more from the shortages than the other zones,” Jaci said.
Jordan rejoined them, slipping into the apartment just in time to get a small portion of chicken. All the women ate together on the bed and filled Jaci in on some of the characters that lived on the fourth floor, trying to give her the lay of the land. Xander didn’t eat the small plate of food Emily sat in front of him on the dinette table. He watched Jaci, tried to read her, tried to figure out how much he still had to worry about her. His heart lurched at the look of trepidation that flashed over Jaci’s face as Hannah stood. “Are you ready to do this? You don’t have to, you know.”
“I guess.” Jaci shrugged and then turned her head to look at Xander as if to make sure he was still there. “Might as well get everybody’s curiosity out of the way.”
Caroline got up from the bed and gathered the remnants of the dinner. Hannah straightened up the sheet and blanket, brushing off a few crumbs here and there.
Emily walked to the door, her curly springs of hair bounced with her steps. As soon as the door was opened, the immediate buzz of voices told Xander the hallway was packed with curious neighbors, just as it was the night before.
An endless stream of people visited Jaci while he brooded. Finding her rolled into a ball in the bathtub wrenched his feelings from their hiding spot, and the breakdown that followed tied his heart into knots. He was more worried about her after seeing her fall apart. He was sure the depth of hurt she felt was barely tolerable. It was hard not to be affected by it, not when standing there staring it down face to face. It took
Similar Books
