fast as I drop the net and duck down, terrified. “Ahh!” I scream.
The bat zigs and zags randomly, equally frightened.
“Oh shit!” I scoop up the net and chase after it. “Come here!” I bellow. “I’m going to help you!”
The bat bangs into a lamp before flying straight at my face. I screech and duck, holding the net over my head in the vain hope the bat might fly in. It doesn’t.
I flail wildly, eventually shooing the bat out of the bedroom and into the main room, where at least there’s a door it can escape through. I shut the doors to the bedrooms and bathroom so the still-scared bat has no alternative, then run to the front door and turn the handle. The handle turns, but the door doesn’t open. “What the fuck?” I mutter. These doors don’t even have locks, how can it—
A deep laugh on the other side has me seeing red.
“Shane?” I shriek. “Is that you? Open this door right now.”
The door swings open, and we narrowly miss another bloody nose as I dodge both the door and the bat, which is frantically trying to find its way out, but whose only egress is blocked by a lunatic with a net and an asshole with nothing better to do.
“Get out of the way!” I hiss at Shane, first pushing uselessly at his shoulder then giving up and pulling him inside by his forearm. Why he wouldn’t let me push him away but lets me pull him in is a question for another time.
The bat circles the room at an impressive speed, wings flapping. The door is wide open but it’s not going out, banging instead at the window.
“Stop it!” I snap, running to the window, net outstretched. “Come here! Get in the net!”
The bat zips away from me and straight at Shane, who calmly ducks. I spend another three minutes chasing the bat in circles before it finally finds its way to the exit. I slam the door in case it’s tempted to return, then lean against the wall, breathing hard, net dangling uselessly from my fingers.
When I remember, I look at Shane, who is sitting on the couch, red-faced from laughter. I hurl the net at him. It bounces on the cushion next to him, and he stops laughing.
“What the fuck did you do that for?” I demand furiously.
“Language, Kate.”
“Why did you do that?” I snap. “Why did you make a difficult situation even worse?”
“Why didn’t you fill out a requisition form?”
I stalk toward him but halt when he stands up and comes toward me, stopping when we’re a foot apart. I have to look up to see his face, which is no doubt why he stood.
“Because I didn’t want you to kill the bat.”
“I didn’t kill the one yesterday.”
“But you wanted to.”
“They’re rodents. They carry disease.”
“They—”
“The best way to free them is to open the door and let them find their own way out. I woke it up because blowing on it wasn’t going to do the trick.”
My jaw drops. “How long were you watching me?”
He looks like he’s ready to answer but stops, sniffing the air. “Are you wearing perfume?”
I take a step back. “I—No.”
He sniffs again, then steps closer. He pinches my collar between his fingers and lowers his nose to inhale. I have to hold my breath. I can feel the heat from his skin on my cheek, and I’ll never make it out alive if I breathe him in. Already my legs are weak, and there’s a telltale tingle between my thighs.
“What is it?” he asks, straightening slightly, but not letting go.
I resist the impulse to whimper and throw my arms around him. Instead I take a step away and answer with a steady voice. “Vanilla extract. From earlier.”
His mouth quirks. “You’re making me hungry.”
Oh God. Very vivid flashes of my dream stab my brain. I cannot think of Shane eating. I won’t be able to walk straight.
He taps his wrist. “Guess it’s lunchtime.”
And then, as if he’d planned it, the dinner bell sounds and he walks out.
Chapter Five
I’ M A F RAZZLED M ESS when I arrive at the lodge for lunch. Thankfully the
The bat zigs and zags randomly, equally frightened.
“Oh shit!” I scoop up the net and chase after it. “Come here!” I bellow. “I’m going to help you!”
The bat bangs into a lamp before flying straight at my face. I screech and duck, holding the net over my head in the vain hope the bat might fly in. It doesn’t.
I flail wildly, eventually shooing the bat out of the bedroom and into the main room, where at least there’s a door it can escape through. I shut the doors to the bedrooms and bathroom so the still-scared bat has no alternative, then run to the front door and turn the handle. The handle turns, but the door doesn’t open. “What the fuck?” I mutter. These doors don’t even have locks, how can it—
A deep laugh on the other side has me seeing red.
“Shane?” I shriek. “Is that you? Open this door right now.”
The door swings open, and we narrowly miss another bloody nose as I dodge both the door and the bat, which is frantically trying to find its way out, but whose only egress is blocked by a lunatic with a net and an asshole with nothing better to do.
“Get out of the way!” I hiss at Shane, first pushing uselessly at his shoulder then giving up and pulling him inside by his forearm. Why he wouldn’t let me push him away but lets me pull him in is a question for another time.
The bat circles the room at an impressive speed, wings flapping. The door is wide open but it’s not going out, banging instead at the window.
“Stop it!” I snap, running to the window, net outstretched. “Come here! Get in the net!”
The bat zips away from me and straight at Shane, who calmly ducks. I spend another three minutes chasing the bat in circles before it finally finds its way to the exit. I slam the door in case it’s tempted to return, then lean against the wall, breathing hard, net dangling uselessly from my fingers.
When I remember, I look at Shane, who is sitting on the couch, red-faced from laughter. I hurl the net at him. It bounces on the cushion next to him, and he stops laughing.
“What the fuck did you do that for?” I demand furiously.
“Language, Kate.”
“Why did you do that?” I snap. “Why did you make a difficult situation even worse?”
“Why didn’t you fill out a requisition form?”
I stalk toward him but halt when he stands up and comes toward me, stopping when we’re a foot apart. I have to look up to see his face, which is no doubt why he stood.
“Because I didn’t want you to kill the bat.”
“I didn’t kill the one yesterday.”
“But you wanted to.”
“They’re rodents. They carry disease.”
“They—”
“The best way to free them is to open the door and let them find their own way out. I woke it up because blowing on it wasn’t going to do the trick.”
My jaw drops. “How long were you watching me?”
He looks like he’s ready to answer but stops, sniffing the air. “Are you wearing perfume?”
I take a step back. “I—No.”
He sniffs again, then steps closer. He pinches my collar between his fingers and lowers his nose to inhale. I have to hold my breath. I can feel the heat from his skin on my cheek, and I’ll never make it out alive if I breathe him in. Already my legs are weak, and there’s a telltale tingle between my thighs.
“What is it?” he asks, straightening slightly, but not letting go.
I resist the impulse to whimper and throw my arms around him. Instead I take a step away and answer with a steady voice. “Vanilla extract. From earlier.”
His mouth quirks. “You’re making me hungry.”
Oh God. Very vivid flashes of my dream stab my brain. I cannot think of Shane eating. I won’t be able to walk straight.
He taps his wrist. “Guess it’s lunchtime.”
And then, as if he’d planned it, the dinner bell sounds and he walks out.
Chapter Five
I’ M A F RAZZLED M ESS when I arrive at the lodge for lunch. Thankfully the
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