Read Online Shimmers & Shrouds (Abstruse) by Scarlett Brukett - Free Book Online Page A

collar so she wouldn’t do it again, whatever she was doing.
She looked at me, bewildered. "What?"
    Afraid that I might be thinking it up, I chose to divert the topic. "Can you walk with me?"
"Don't force me. You know I don't like people who impose."
"Okay."
    I fe lt a strong sensation of being tickled near my earlobe. I knew I can’t be imagining this up. I turned to her and asked her straight "Did you just tickle me?"
She rolled her eyes heavenwards. "As if I don't have a better work to do."
    I fumed up at myself, knowing that I can't be thinking all this; I was forced to stay put because she wasn’t caught red handed.
    I was cautious of her moves. The moment I felt the tickle, I turned to look at her and growled.
"That's it... Run for your life, miss Viera."
    I ran after her in circles and tricked her down. She wasn’t easy to catch but I caught hold of her strap and gradually her shoulder, pulling her towards me.
    We fell on the ground with her under me and laughed our stomachs off. No one can be certain of the consistency of the mood shifts. I always ended up laughing no matter how hard I tried not to.
"Damn it Orpheus. You cheated!" She squealed.
"You asked for it."
    Both of us giggled after that, occasionally stealing glances at each other. I was within the kissing range with her. She’d never been this close to me. Her beautiful flawless skin and caramel eyes could possibly melt away all the glaciers.
"Orpheus.." She called in her seducing voice.
    I was so mad for her right now that I would have kissed her if she asked me to.
"Yes??" I asked in my hoarse voice.
"I can't breathe."
    My libido was back under the rug once again. How foolish I was to think that she wanted me to kiss her.
"Oh, sorry." I got up and gave her my hand so she could get up.
    The surprise that was awaited was almost visible from here but she never looked up to see it.
"Tell me about your family." She shot.
    That question caught me off guard again. No one had asked me the question about my family this directly, or I don’t really remember anyone asking about it at all.
"Can we talk about it when we're done with your surprise?"
"Okay."
    As we edged closer, the view became clearer. I looked at her from the corner of my eye and the change of expressions on her face from ‘normal’ to ‘what―the―hell’ was contenting.
"Orpheus?"
"That's a houseboat." I assured her.
"I hope it’s not a prank!" She looked at me and then the boat with her shiny beautiful eyes.
"You like it?"
"You had me at the first sight."
"Its natural, close to nature I mean."
"It is wonderful."
"You hired it?"
    I didn’t want to lie so I preferred not to say anything.
     ”What? You bought it?" she shrieked. I was sure she would be mad at me for this.
"I was just thinking if you liked it, we might buy this." Phew. Where did this answer come from?
    Her expressions softened a bit and she smiled.
    I showed her the interiors. It was a houseboat but one of its kinds. The manufacturers were summoned from India. I’d heard her mention it once that she dreamt of owning one. The boat had an interior cabin with the steer, a large round wooden bed with mattress (thank god) and artistic wooden chairs to sit on that were planted at the edge. It was a big boat, just a little small from my yacht.
"I thought you bought it. I told you Orpheus, I love it."
"Great.” I enjoyed a proud time on my own for like a minute and called up Sam, the guy who was in the cabin all this while. I introduced him to Oceana and after the formal greetings he turned to me for the orders.
"You can leave the keys with Miss Viera." I said.
"What?" She seethed.
"I had already paid for it. I just wanted to know if you liked it."
"What the―” She grunted and looked away. “I don't want it. If you're giving me the key, be sure of me throwing it into the river. I am serious." With that , she stalked away towards the balcony side. Funny that she didn’t want me to buy it but she