Page 20 of Aftershock
A new employee stands behind the counter, scrubbing it with a blue towel.
She can’t be more than five-one, but fuck me, her presence is anything but small. It’s commanding. With each step I take toward her, the pull grows stronger.
Because the closer I get, the clearer she becomes, and her beauty, much like her presence, is impossible to ignore.
The soft curves of her body beneath the black uniform and red apron are driving me wild.
The way her thick brown hair twists at the delicate slope of her neck makes me want to tug on it hard.
The purse of her plump lips as she concentrates on cleaning does unholy things to me.
Her nose, I notice, is crooked in one place. Like it healed after a break. Not that it ruins the symmetry of her face. If anything, it only adds to how devastating she is.
I’m aware she isn’t alone. Another cafeteria worker stands beside her. Soon enough, she’ll catch me staring like a creep.
I should stop.
Can’t.
Something primal rumbles in my chest. A possessive need that vibrates through my arms, landing in my fingertips.
My hands flex with the desire to hold her.
But that’s not all the feelings she stirs in me.
No.
A strange, persistent certainty forms pressure in the back of my head.
A voice whispering,You’ve seen her before.
Where?
I’m still staring, still walking toward her, when those pale-blue eyes flick up to mine.
The shade is mesmerizing. Their round shape, the dark lashes framing them, are just as striking, as unique, ashers.
However, none of these things knocks the breath out of my lungs.
It’s the endless depths of her gaze.
Objectively, she can’t be older than twenty-three. But when I look at her, really look at her, it feels like she’s been alive way longer than that.
Like she’s been through more than anyone ever should.
A rope cinches around my heart and tugs for what seems like the longest two seconds of my life.
Then, something strange and unpredictable happens.
She blinks, and her eyes brighten. The pain in them is gone.
Her lips curl up, and it’s another mind-fuck.
That smile, it’s a knowing one.
AnI’ve been expecting youone.
That, on top of the insistent voice in my head, forces me to stop and think.
