Page 53 of Reaching Hearts

Our palms come together, like in prayer. “Okay, my turn.”

“No.” She shakes her head and looks at our hands, watching me weave our fingers together. “This is my game. Don’t think you can strong-arm me with these big hands of yours either.”

I give her a look. “I’ll do whatever I want to.”

She looks at my mouth and her eyes go sultry and sensual. “I like that.” I can guess what she’s thinking from the way her tongue comes out a little, resting on her bottom teeth, her lips just barely open.

“You should like that.” With effort, I pull her closer to me and she scoots in to help. With her not even a foot away, it occurs to me. “I need to brush my teeth, don’t I?”

She cracks up. “You might. You might need to do that.”

Leaning back, I say, very seriously, “I like how honest you are.”

Her smile fades and a crease blinks across her forehead, gone almost before it even got there. “Of course. Honesty is crucial. You know what? I think I have to use the bathroom.”

“You can use mine.” I point my chin to the one in the room.

She glances to it, and releases my hand to stand up. “No. I’m going to use the one out there. You go brush those teeth of yours because phew! Man! You are ripe.” She grins and walks to the door.

“I smell like a caveman – what?”

She says over her shoulder, “Please don’t brush away the caveman. I really, really like the caveman in you.”

“Oh yeah?”

She sticks her ass out and winks at me over her shoulder, her long ginger hair hiding half her face. “Oh yeah. And I mean… ohhhhh yeah.” She walks out of the room and I stare at the door, irritated that I can’t run after her, tackle her and throw her down on the bed to take her.

As I walk into the bathroom, it occurs to me that I didn’t want to run after Rebecca. And once again, her words come back to haunt me.