is
pressed against me, breathing slow and loud. I stroke her arm, studying all the
golden hairs I’d never noticed before. Being close to someone. Feeling the heat
of another body radiating onto mine. I want this. Every night. I want
Francesca. To stroke her arm. To play with her hair while she sleeps. To make
the bedroom our total world.
I get up quietly
and take a cold shower to wash all the fever sweat off my body. I check my
phone. Another Chuck Norris joke from Maya, this one sent at 1 AM. Jeez. They’ve
really been keeping crazy hours.
Make sure he sleeps , I text her back.
I pack up my
bag, put Sir Hopsalot in his cage, and, after searching through every cabinet
in the kitchen, get the coffee going. It’d be easier for me to just walk out
right now. Amanda would let me too. Wouldn’t say a thing about it next time we
got online together. But I know she doesn’t deserve that kind of slinking exit.
I set two mugs of steaming coffee on the nightstand, get back in bed, and lay a
big wet kiss on her face. Then, right as she’s starting to rouse, I tickle her.
Mandy
screams and flails and ends up smacking me pretty hard in the ear.
“Gotta go
pretty soon,” I tell her, and this sobers her up. I pass her the coffee. She
winces at the first sip, and I wonder if she’s one of those crazies who dilutes
their caffeine hit with cream and sugar.
“This was
great though,” I tell her, laying a kiss on her collar bone. “I forget how much
I like being here. Being with you.”
I think I
said the wrong thing, because she stares at her coffee. Whatever she’s thinking
though, she doesn’t say it. I put my things in the truck, and when I get back,
she’s standing in the kitchen in the beat-to-shit bunny slippers that I
absolutely love. My fav is the left one with the missing eye, which I’ve named
Captain Fury.
“Stay for
breakfast?” she asks.
“I can’t.”
Really. My joints are rusty, and my stomach isn’t even close to appreciating
the thought of solid food.
“But I’ll
stay for one more kiss. It’s got to be a good one though.” I almost add, “cause
I have cancer,” but decide at the last moment not to be a total ass. “Can you
lay a good one on me?”
“Yes,” she
says, shy and sad again. Amanda walks up to me, brushes back her kinky orange
hair, and gives me a long, lasting kiss with some tongue. Her breath is a
little funky, but I make like she’s the sexiest thing on the planet, pressing
my body into hers, stroking her amazing breasts.
“Well,
that’ll certainly tide me over for the duration,” I say as I pull back. I give
her another quick kiss. “Bye Mandy.”
“Bye Lee.”
She doesn’t ask me when I’ll be back. The girl’s really more than I deserve,
though I know she doesn’t see it that way. I honestly think I do more good than
harm, otherwise I wouldn’t come at all.
She turns
away so I can’t see her face as I close the door.
Chapter 8
The drive back home is about as
pleasant as getting Force-choked by Darth Vader. My bones are a thousand years
old, and apparently my brain has taken up percussion lessons in my head. An
hour and a half later, Bubba and I cruise through Pueblo, CO, the last refuge
of civilization before I plunge into the sprawling backwoods of my town, Farewell.
I’m at a stoplight right next to the WalMart when my phone rings.
The hell?
Only three
people on the planet have this number, Tarren, Maya, and Dr. Lee, and Maya’s
the only one who ever uses it, sending me her endless Chuck Norris texts and
short mission updates.
She doesn’t
call. Ever.
Could be a
wrong number or a telemarketer, but in my world it’s more likely someone I love
is bleeding…or worse. I pick up the call and nudge my way into the left turn
lane, ignoring the honks as I swing Bubba into the WalMart parking lot. I’m
pretty damn sure I don’t want to be on the road for this conversation.
“Yeah?” I
say. My fingers tap on the
pressed against me, breathing slow and loud. I stroke her arm, studying all the
golden hairs I’d never noticed before. Being close to someone. Feeling the heat
of another body radiating onto mine. I want this. Every night. I want
Francesca. To stroke her arm. To play with her hair while she sleeps. To make
the bedroom our total world.
I get up quietly
and take a cold shower to wash all the fever sweat off my body. I check my
phone. Another Chuck Norris joke from Maya, this one sent at 1 AM. Jeez. They’ve
really been keeping crazy hours.
Make sure he sleeps , I text her back.
I pack up my
bag, put Sir Hopsalot in his cage, and, after searching through every cabinet
in the kitchen, get the coffee going. It’d be easier for me to just walk out
right now. Amanda would let me too. Wouldn’t say a thing about it next time we
got online together. But I know she doesn’t deserve that kind of slinking exit.
I set two mugs of steaming coffee on the nightstand, get back in bed, and lay a
big wet kiss on her face. Then, right as she’s starting to rouse, I tickle her.
Mandy
screams and flails and ends up smacking me pretty hard in the ear.
“Gotta go
pretty soon,” I tell her, and this sobers her up. I pass her the coffee. She
winces at the first sip, and I wonder if she’s one of those crazies who dilutes
their caffeine hit with cream and sugar.
“This was
great though,” I tell her, laying a kiss on her collar bone. “I forget how much
I like being here. Being with you.”
I think I
said the wrong thing, because she stares at her coffee. Whatever she’s thinking
though, she doesn’t say it. I put my things in the truck, and when I get back,
she’s standing in the kitchen in the beat-to-shit bunny slippers that I
absolutely love. My fav is the left one with the missing eye, which I’ve named
Captain Fury.
“Stay for
breakfast?” she asks.
“I can’t.”
Really. My joints are rusty, and my stomach isn’t even close to appreciating
the thought of solid food.
“But I’ll
stay for one more kiss. It’s got to be a good one though.” I almost add, “cause
I have cancer,” but decide at the last moment not to be a total ass. “Can you
lay a good one on me?”
“Yes,” she
says, shy and sad again. Amanda walks up to me, brushes back her kinky orange
hair, and gives me a long, lasting kiss with some tongue. Her breath is a
little funky, but I make like she’s the sexiest thing on the planet, pressing
my body into hers, stroking her amazing breasts.
“Well,
that’ll certainly tide me over for the duration,” I say as I pull back. I give
her another quick kiss. “Bye Mandy.”
“Bye Lee.”
She doesn’t ask me when I’ll be back. The girl’s really more than I deserve,
though I know she doesn’t see it that way. I honestly think I do more good than
harm, otherwise I wouldn’t come at all.
She turns
away so I can’t see her face as I close the door.
Chapter 8
The drive back home is about as
pleasant as getting Force-choked by Darth Vader. My bones are a thousand years
old, and apparently my brain has taken up percussion lessons in my head. An
hour and a half later, Bubba and I cruise through Pueblo, CO, the last refuge
of civilization before I plunge into the sprawling backwoods of my town, Farewell.
I’m at a stoplight right next to the WalMart when my phone rings.
The hell?
Only three
people on the planet have this number, Tarren, Maya, and Dr. Lee, and Maya’s
the only one who ever uses it, sending me her endless Chuck Norris texts and
short mission updates.
She doesn’t
call. Ever.
Could be a
wrong number or a telemarketer, but in my world it’s more likely someone I love
is bleeding…or worse. I pick up the call and nudge my way into the left turn
lane, ignoring the honks as I swing Bubba into the WalMart parking lot. I’m
pretty damn sure I don’t want to be on the road for this conversation.
“Yeah?” I
say. My fingers tap on the
Similar Books
