Page 32 of Paco
He handed her one of the satchels and then opened his lighter. Darkness turned into grayness, and he went upstairs with her close behind him. After opening the door to his room, he motioned for her to go inside. With her head down, she brushed past him and stood in the middle of the room, shifting from foot to foot.
With his boot, he closed the door and crossed the room to switch on a lamp on the nightstand. When he threw the keys down on the dresser, she jumped and glanced up at him. “Have a seat.” He pointed to the chair by the window. She went over to the desk and pulled out the wooden chair.
Sitting down, she twisted her hair around her hands over and over. With eyes cast down, she licked her lips, then cleared her throat.
“You want something to drink?” he asked, walking over to the mini fridge across the room. He pulled out a can of Coke and handed it to her.
She popped open the top and took a sip. “Thanks,” she said softly.
“You gonna tell me why the fuck you were walking around with a blanket wrapped around you in the middle of the night?”
For a few seconds the room was quiet, but then she sighed loudly. “Not much to tell. I had enough. I had to get away from Bobby.” She took another sip.
Paco watched her as she sat hunched over in the chair, the blanket practically swallowing her. As if sensing his scrutiny, she fidgeted in her seat. The soft light from the lamp bathed her hair in a golden glow, making it shine like melting dark chocolate.
Silence stretched between them, and then, very slowly, she raised her eyes to his, and he sucked in his breath. Those smoky black eyes rimmed with long dark lashes seemed to draw more of him in every time he looked into them, captivating him. Dangerous. Intriguing. Beautiful. Unspoken emotions passed between them, and without thinking, he walked over and caressed her cheek, touching the corner of her eye. A hint of desire danced across her face as she closed her lids, her lashes sending sparks across his fingers. He jerked his hand back and moved away.
“You can crash here.”
“Do you live here?” she asked softly.
“Yeah. I’ll sleep in the recliner. We can talk about shit in the morning. It’s late and I’m beat.” He opened the top drawer of his dresser and took out a T-shirt. Holding it out to her, he said, “You can sleep in this. Did you bring any of your stuff?”
“Not really. Just my toothbrush, comb, makeup, and some clothes. Whatever I could put in the plastic bag.”
“We can deal with that later. The bathroom’s over here.” He opened the door next to him, then went over to the recliner and kicked off his boots.
Clutching the T-shirt, she went toward the bathroom, then stopped and looked over her shoulder. “Thanks for helping me out, Paco.”
“Sure. Now get changed so I can turn the damn lights off.” He pulled his shirt over his head and unbuttoned his jeans. When she closed the bathroom door, he slipped on a pair of sweats and plopped down on the recliner. He didn’t believe her story for one second. Something had happened that triggered her to run away in the middle of the night.
The bathroom door opened and she walked over to the bed. The way his T-shirt fell over her curves sucked him in immediately, making his cock thicken.Fuck.He was pretty sure that if he joined her in bed she wouldn’t complain, but he didn’t want her to fuck him because she felt obligated. He didn’t want to get involved with her anyway. She wasn’t a club girl, and the way she looked at him ensnared him and made his mind fall down into emotions he’d long buried, swearing he’d never resurrect them.I’ll give her some money and then send her packing tomorrow.
“Did you want me to switch off the light?” she asked, pulling the covers down.
“Yeah.”
The only light filtering in through the blinds was from the outside security lights that a raccoon or coyote had triggered.
“Good night, Paco.”
He grunted, feigning drowsiness, but his body was as awake as if he’d drunk a gallon of coffee. For a long while he stared at her outline, listening to her breathing as it became deeper.
What the hell did I get myself into?
For reasons he couldn’t articulate, it felt right having her in his room.
Don’t go there. You gotta send her away.
With that thought on his mind, he closed his eyes.
***
The metallic clatterof pots and pans and the aroma of bacon and pancakes wafting up the stairs woke Paco up. Weak threads of sunlight seeped in through the blinds, and he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, trying to bring things into focus. Glancing at the bed, he saw Misty burrowed under the covers, her torso rising and falling systematically.
Standing up, he stretched as he tried to loosen the kinks in his muscles. He went over to the bathroom and closed the door. When he came out, a green towel around his waist and water trickling down his shoulders from his damp hair, he saw Misty standing by the opened window. A fresh breeze softly blew in.
“Did you sleep good?”
