Page 83 of Under His Protection
“Don’t I get a say in that?”
He shrugs. “I’m just saying we need to be circumspect, that’s all. She’s not trying to be a hardass.” He chuckles. “Guess who I saw kissing in the kitchen this morning when they thought no one was looking?”
“Who?” Surely he doesn’t mean our two roommates.
“Charlie and Mateo. If we have to, we can use that to our advantage. I’m not above blackmailing them.”
“Charlie and Mateo? Really?” I laugh. “Yeah, I can see it. She’s a little older than he is, right? That makes her a cougar. I don’t think we have anything to worry about.”
Philip leaves me to finish my homework. By the time I’m done, my stomach is growling, so I go downstairs to find out what we’re doing for dinner.
Charlie is seated at the kitchen table doing a crossword puzzle. The guys are nowhere to be seen.
I take a seat at the table. “Do we have plans for supper?”
“Mateo has offered to make a food run,” Charlie says. “What’s an eleven-letter word that meanswary and unwilling to take risks? It begins with the lettercand ends with the lettert.”
At first, I think she’s trying to hint at something, but then I realize she’s just asking about her crossword puzzle. “Circumspect.”
She writes it down. “Yep, that works. Thanks. So, what would you like for supper?”
“I’m flexible,” I say. “Where are Philip and Mateo?”
“They’re in the security shack talking to Jake and Mack. By the way, your dad has been calling hourly for updates.” She rolls her eyes. “I’ll tell the guys we’re ready for dinner.”
She texts Mateo, and a few minutes later he and Philip come in through the back door. “We’re hungry,” she says to Mateo.
“Okay. What would you like? Pizza? Chinese? Mexican? Indian?”
“Indian sounds good,” Charlie says. She looks at me. “Is that okay with you?”
“Sure.”
“I’ll place an order,” she says as she pulls out her phone. “What does everyone want?”
* * *
That evening, Philip and I gather in the parlor to watch a movie. Theparloris basically what I would call a small, cozy living room located right off the entryway. I guess back in theday, when this house was built, people didn’t haveliving rooms. They hadparlors, and the name stuck.
The parlor is just big enough for a sofa and a chair, a TV mounted on the wall, and a bar in the corner. The wooden floor is polished to a rich, dark color. There’s a dark burgundy floral rug on the floor at our feet. The room definitely has an old-fashioned feel to it.
It’s just the two of us in the house now, since Charlie and Mateo have retreated to the security shack for the night.
We curl up on the sofa to watch a film.
Philip lets me pick, and I chooseThe Conjuring. It’s a horror movie of sorts—actually, it’s more like paranormal investigation—but it’s not that scary. At least there’s no Freddy Krueger or Jason lurking around waiting to mutilate stupid characters who wander off alone in the dark when they shouldn’t have.
When there’s a jump scare, I at least have a convenient excuse to clutch Philip’s arm.
I think he sees right through me, because every time I jump, he chuckles and holds me tighter.
By the end of the movie, my head is resting fully on Philip’s shoulder, and his arm is around me. My hand is resting on his rock-hard thigh. His fingers have slipped beneath the hem of my top and are grazing the bare skin at my waist.
His touch is giving me delicious goosebumps.
The movie’s credits begin to roll.
“That was good,” he says.
