Page 10 of A Lifetime of Afters
And rejected me.
My eyelids drifted shut. I braced my feet on the end of the tub to ensure I didn’t slip under the water. My head was cold, but my hair smelled wonderful.
This is what he smells like.I closed my eyes, breathing deep, filling my lungs and my belly with him.
A sharp knock on the door elicited a scream from me and a chuckle from him. “Get out of the tub, lazy arse!”
“In a minute,” I replied sluggishly.
“Noelle, if you’re not out here in 30 seconds, I’m coming in,” he warned. “You can’t sleep in there.”
“I know that!” Of course, I knew that. It didn’t stop my eyes from closing again. My chin hit my chest.
“One, two...”
My head snapped up at the very idea of him bursting into the bathroom and seeing my naked body. It might help my cause. I smiled drowsily as I cupped my breasts, contemplating the possibilities. These babies were fantastic.
I held one leg up out of the water. Long and shapely. Nothing to sneeze at. The cool air forced it back under the water.
Nevertheless, they were not for him.
“Stop! You’re being ridiculous!”
What crazy twist of fate led me to the bottom of his driveway? Any other driveway would have been better than this bittersweet torture.
“Six, seven…” He continued doggedly.
“For fuck’s sake!” I roared pushing myself up to a sitting position.
“Potty mouth!” He laughed! “Nine, ten, eleven…”
So much of my childhood, indeed my life, intertwined with his. Shared memories, shared inside jokes, shared pain. I didn’t need to cause him any more by having him worry.
I pushed up out of the water and stepped out. Immediately, I curled into myself as violent shudders wracked my body.
“Oh no, oh gosh…”
“What is it?” He rattled the doorknob.
“Just cold,” I responded, my teeth clicking and chattering like an angry chipmunk.
“Open the door, Noelle,” he cajoled softly. “Let me help you.”
Now he wants to help me. I smirked. His mother would have his head and serve it to me on a silver platter if she witnessed his ‘welcome’.
“Hang on.” I quickly wrapped the bath towel around my torso, crossing the ends high over my breasts, unwilling to share even a peek. I flicked open the lock.
For a moment, I saw the Hawkley I knew, and loved, from my youth, but it was short-lived.
Fierce, dark brows lowered ominously as his eyes ran over my shaking form. “You’re cold.”
“Uh, yeah.” I tried for sarcasm but had to settle for pathetic. I trembled from head to toe, and my teeth chattered so hard I imagined bits of enamel flying out of my mouth.
He stepped toward me abruptly and yanked me into his chest.
I froze at the contact, my eyes blowing wide.
“Fuck, Noelle,” he whispered then took a deep breath and released me. “I’m going to get you a pair of my flannels and put you into bed.”
