Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
Izzy
So, he’s a ten, but he won’t let you swallow his cum until he gets a chance to admire it on your tongue.
Got it.
The image hasn’t left the forefront of my mind for even a millisecond. Even now, as I run my hands over my eyes, letting the hot water in the shower fall over every lingering tingle in my body.
“I can smell my soap, woman,” Ledger calls from the doorway.
I smile, picking up the bar of soap and running it along the side of my neck and down my arms once more for good measure. Turning away, I let the conditioner rinse out of my hair at the same time.
A long shower can be good for certain things. Getting clean, for one. But it also seems to bring clarity for me. My bursts of thoughts are entirely unwelcome this time, though. Because even with the blissful aftereffects of our morning, I’m already struggling to make sense of it all.
It wouldn’t matter if I didn’t like him. But I do.
It’s not that deep, I tell myself with a shake of my head.
I’ve got to find a way to relax and push the anticipatory dread away. Nothing bad is going to happen, and we can have a mature adult conversation. If he likes me too, maybe we can see each other again.
If not, well . . . I don’t have the mental capacity to finish that hypothetical scenario at the moment.
I turn off the water, dry off, and pad into Ledger’s room. I’m surprised when I see some of my luggage against the wall near the door. He must have brought a few of my bags in here when I was showering so I’d have clothes.
Few days late to get me to sleep in your bed, dude. But I smile and pick out some clothes just the same.
And by clothes, I mean an oversized t-shirt and a skimpy pair of lace boyshort panties.
Ledger is in jeans and no shirt, standing in front of the stove. It smells like tomato soup, and I inhale the comforting aroma. I pluck the book I’ve been reading off the couch, pick up a bag of trail mix on the table, and hop up on the counter behind him.
He looks over his shoulder with a crooked smile, then does a double take when his gaze drops to my legs. I cross one over the other, open my book to hold in front of me, and toss a handful of nuts and chocolate into my mouth.
I can’t help but giggle when he sets down the wooden spoon and spins toward me. It’s difficult, pretending to read the book instead of eyeing the forest of tattoos spanning the length of his chest and one of his arms.
“How am I supposed to cook in these conditions?” he groans, one hand on each of my thighs, parting them so he can stand in between.
I eye him over the top of my book with a quirked brow. It takes him all of three seconds to snatch it out of my hand, yank me toward the edge of the counter, and smother my mouth with his.
His hands smooth over my back, and I relax into his arms. He’s hot enough that I would have forgiven him for being an average kisser. But I’m glad I didn’t have to, because his lips fit over mine so perfectly that I could melt on the spot.
Is this what we do now? From strangers to kissing in the kitchen like we’re two long-time lovers in a domestic bubble of blissful ignorance?
I cling to his neck, twirling the ends of his thick brown hair between my fingers while he massages my lower back. I catch his lower lip between my teeth and he all but growls, pulling me tighter toward him.
This does absolutely nothing to distract me from my feelings problem, unfortunately. Now would be a good time for him to do or say something terrible so that I can be on my merry way and never look back with another thought.
Oblivious to the looming aftermath of this weekend, I’d have kept kissing him until my lips fell off if the satellite phone didn’t interrupt us with a blaring ring.
Ledger breaks the kiss, turning slightly and reaching for the drawer by the fridge. I assume it’s his mom calling to check in, but he reads the caller ID and then turns the screen to show me.
“It’s my brother-in-law, Fletcher. I called him yesterday morning to see if he could get your car towed out to the ranch and fix it.”
“Oh.” My hands gather together in my lap. “Okay. That’s . . . good.” Right?
With a curt nod, he answers the call. “What’s up, Fletch?”
Inaudible murmurs sound from the other end of the line, but I can’t make out his words exactly.
Ledger pins the phone to his ear with his shoulder while putting some soup into a bowl and then extending it toward me.
The ceramic is warm in my hands as I take it from him.
I hadn’t noticed the stack of perfectly golden grilled cheese sandwiches next to the stove until now, but he snags the plate of them and slides it across the counter next to me.
“Good?” he mouths silently to me while still listening to the phone call. I nod after a few bites with a satisfied hum, and his hand lands on my thigh as he leans against the counter and concentrates on what Fletcher is saying to him.
“Oh. Today?” Ledger’s eyes meet mine, and I offer a small smile. There’s an underlying irritation in his tone when he finally replies again. “That works, I guess. Thanks.”
My appetite disappears and the stone countertop seems colder now underneath my skin.
I set the food aside and place my hands on either side of my body, sliding forward and landing on my feet.
Absentmindedly, I rub over the edges of the bandages on my fingers where the adhesive has already begun to lift around the edges.
Rays of pale yellow light shine through the windows by the front door, reminding me that there may still be snow on the ground, but the worst of the storm is over and gone.
The only thing standing between me and the road to my next job is that damn car.
If Ledger’s brother-in-law comes to fix it today, I could be on my way.
“See you in a minute.” He nods, but his gaze is pointed toward the floor now. “Yep. Bye.”
“Does he run a car shop or something?”
“Nah, he’s just good at fixing stuff like that,” Ledger replies, putting the phone back in the drawer.
He turns to face me, and I hate the way the mood between us has already grown somber.
“He said the roads are a little slow, but clear enough, and he’s riding up here with his buddy to come pick it up for you.
They’re gonna take a look once it’s at the ranch. ”
“Thank you for getting that set up.”
“Yeah, I kinda wish I would have told him to take his time so that you weren’t on your way so soon, to be honest,” he chuckles.
The apples of my cheeks rise with the corners of my mouth, and the sides of my eyes crinkle up in a genuine smile. So, he doesn’t want to dance around the fact that he wants me here longer. I like how straightforward he is, and I cross my arms to try and calm the storm of flutters in my chest.
His deep brown eyes bore into mine, like he’s imagining all the ways he could delay my departure.
As soon as I take a step toward him, two loud honks sound from the bottom of the driveway.
It’s faint, but clear enough to know that Fletch has shown up with his friend to take my car.
We both look toward the door, he sighs, and I scurry to the bedroom to put on a bra and a respectable pair of pants rather than simply underwear, in case one of them decides to take a visit to the house.
By the time I walk back into the living room, wrapping my hair in a twist and fastening a claw clip, the room is silent. I walk toward the front door, opening it a few feet.
Ledger has an olive green hoodie on, and I smile seeing him in his slightly faded black cowboy hat again. The driver’s side door to his rumbling truck is open, and one foot sits on the running board.
“Be right back,” he shouts toward the house.
With a pitiful wave that barely lifts above my waist, I watch while he makes his way down the drive.
I thought about telling him to forget the damn car.
I’ll call in sick for the next few months while I hibernate in his cabin and we waste time getting to know each other more.
But I think better of it. That seems a little psychotic, honestly, and the truth is that we both have jobs and lives to get back to.
As I settle into the couch and reach for the book I’ve been slowly making my way through, the obsessive thoughts persist. I want to figure out how I could possibly talk to him about seeing where this could go, even if it was long distance, without sounding like a crazy person.