7. Carrie
Carrie
After watching a second episode of the show with Genny, I said good night, took a quick shower, and headed to bed. Despite the fact that I was exhausted, I spent the next two hours tossing and turning, my mind preoccupied with the tiny blonde currently sleeping in my guest room.
I flipped over, punching the pillow as I tried to get comfortable. Unfortunately that did nothing to get my mind to shut off. I couldn’t stop thinking about my unexpected house guest.
If I’d met Genny at a bar somewhere, I’d totally be interested in her.
Well, maybe if she was a little older anyway.
Our age gap was a problem, but the fact that she was a princess on the run was a much bigger issue.
I couldn’t decide if she was nuts or just impulsive and immature.
I’d worked hard to get drama out of my life. I didn’t need more drama now.
Sighing, I sat up and grabbed my phone, clicking over to the local news site. Fortunately there was no mention of a missing princess, which made me feel somewhat better. I wondered how long she could be in the wind before her family decided she was in trouble.
The best thing to do was make sure that Genny went on her way tomorrow. The longer she stayed, the worse things would be for both of us when they found her. And despite the fact that there was nothing in the news, I had no doubt her rich and powerful parents had people looking for her.
Unfortunately getting rid of my guest wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be.
I woke up the next morning to the smell of bacon and coffee.
At first I thought my sister had shown up, but to my surprise Genny was in the kitchen, still wearing what she’d had on last night, humming to herself as she cooked breakfast.
“What are you doing?” I asked, sounding grumpier than I meant to be.
She gave me a huge smile. “Making us breakfast. It’s the least I can do after you cooked last night.”
She could cook?
“I wouldn’t exactly call frozen pizza cooking,” I said wryly as I headed for the coffee pot and poured myself a cup. “Do you need any help?”
“Nah, I’m good. Drink your coffee while I finish up.”
It felt strange sitting in my own kitchen watching someone else cook.
I’d never had a woman stay over before, at least not at this place.
I didn’t date much, and when I did, I kept things pretty casual, always preferring to stay at their place instead of bringing them here to my sanctuary.
I wasn’t opposed to having a serious relationship, but it was pretty rare for someone I was dating to interest me enough to consider it.
The one time I’d gotten serious about someone it hadn’t worked out.
Genny came over with plates piled high with bacon, scrambled eggs, and toast. I dug out the butter and a jar of jam, then we settled across from each other and started eating our breakfast.
My eyes widened as I tasted the eggs. “Holy crap! These are the best eggs I’ve ever tasted. What did you do with them?”
“It’s a family secret.”
“Your family has a secret egg recipe?” I asked skeptically.
“Well, the cook we had when I was growing up had a secret egg recipe,” she admitted. “She taught me everything I know about cooking.”
“You are a surprise,” I mumbled as I shoveled more eggs into my mouth.
“What are your plans for today?” she asked.
I shrugged. “I’m off work today. I’ve gotta do laundry. Go grocery shopping. Clean the house. And I’ll probably paint for a while.”
“You’re painting your house?”
For some reason I felt a little bashful. “No, I paint. Pictures. As a hobby.”
I’d started using painting as a way to work through my emotions back when I was a teenager. I found it relaxing, almost meditative. But I just did it for fun.
Genny looked delighted. “You’re an artist?”
“A hobbyist,” I clarified.
“Can I see your work?”
“No.”
I would have bet my last dollar that her fancy condo was full of professional art. And that castle of her family’s was probably like a museum. Meanwhile my paintings were rough. Wild. Personal.
Genny gave me a pout that made me roll in my lips to keep from laughing. She was adorable. My gaze fixed on her lips for a few seconds longer than was technically polite before I looked away. I ate some more eggs, definitely not thinking about how much I wanted to kiss this woman.
“I’ll clean up since you cooked,” I said, my voice gravelly.
I stood up and reached across the table to grab her plate just as she stood up. Her right breast pressed against my arm, and we both froze for a few seconds before awkwardly pulling away.
“Hey Carrie?”
Genny’s voice came from behind me, her tone soft and questioning.
“Yeah?” I asked, my attention focused on rinsing the plates.
“Am I imagining it?”
“What?” I asked, even though I knew what she was asking. At least I thought I did.
“There’s an attraction between us, right? You feel it too?”
I turned to face her, both impressed and uncomfortable that she was calling it out.
“I feel it,” I admitted. “But we are not going to act on it.”
From the moment I’d laid eyes on her I’d felt drawn to her. I’d been a horny mess trying to sleep last night, knowing she was on the other side of the wall from me. But this was a bad idea. A very bad idea.
She nodded like she agreed, then said, “Okay. But why is that, exactly?”
“First, you’re in a weird situation, hiding out like this. And you’re only going to be here for today. Second, you are way too young for me. And third, we come from very different worlds. You are a temptation I have to resist, Genevieve.”
She frowned at my use of her full name, and I had the sense that I’d hurt her feelings, so I kept talking.
“It’s not that I don’t want you. I totally do. But this is way too complicated. I don’t do complicated.”
I’d had a relationship that was complicated and observed most of my friends deal with relationship drama. I’d promised myself I wouldn’t do that. This runaway princess was the definition of complicated.
She took a step towards me, then two more until she was standing just a few inches away from me.
“There’s nothing wrong with casual sex,” she said softly.
That was exactly the problem. I was fine with casual sex, in fact I preferred it, but somehow I knew this couldn’t be casual, not for me.
If I slept with her I’d want more. Much more.
And that was a fool’s wish because as much as my heart wanted this woman, there was going to be no happily ever after for us.
“I’m going to go get dressed.”
Resisting the urge to hurry, I made my way to the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face before pulling on a pair of jeans and a tee shirt. It was still early, just past eight, and I wondered how long I had before Genny left.
When I came back out, she was sitting on the couch, flipping through a magazine.
“It’s killing me not to look at my email,” she said. “But I know if I turn on my phone people can track me.”
“Do you want to borrow my laptop?” I asked.
She gave me a happy smile. “Do you mind?”
“Not at all.”
I got her set up at the kitchen table, then finished loading the dishwasher. After a few minutes Genny huffed out a sigh.
“I have an email from my sister,” she told me even though I didn’t ask. “She wants to know why my phone is off and where I am. Says our parents are freaking out.”
“Are they freaking out because you disappeared or because you ran out on your fiancé?”
“Probably the latter,” she said as her fingers flew across the keyboard. “I’m just going to tell her that I went away for the weekend, and I’ll talk to her early next week. Hopefully, she can get my parents to settle down with that information.”
She paused, then looked over at me. “Um. Do you mind if I stay here for a few more days?”
Before I could respond she added, “Wait, no, that’s rude of me.
Maybe you can give me a ride to a hotel somewhere?
Maybe there’s one that takes cash? I don’t want to use my credit card.
Oh, I don’t really have a lot of cash on me either, I usually use my debit card.
Damn it, that won’t work either. Where can I go? ”
“Are you finished?” I asked when she stopped talking to herself.
“Maybe?”
“You can stay one more night,” I said, knowing even as I said it that it was a terrible idea. “But after that you’ll need a different plan.”
I wanted her gone. Needed her gone. Not because she was a difficult guest. She was surprisingly easy to get along with and definitely helpful. Not nearly as spoiled and entitled as I’d expected, given who she was. But I knew that the longer she stayed here, the harder it would be to resist her.
She leapt up and grabbed me, pulling me into a hug.
I remained stiff for a full ten seconds before my arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer.
Genny was soft and small and fit perfectly against me as her head came to rest against my shoulder.
I stared down at her blonde hair, enjoying the feel of her pressed against me for much longer than she probably intended.
She pulled away reluctantly, her eyes going to mine. “I appreciate your hospitality,” she said softly, her voice oddly formal.
“No problem,” I said. “I’m going to clean the bathroom.”