My brain misfired. Abilities like speech and breathing short-circuited so that I could only stare up at Owen, mouth slightly parted. The comfort of him was unexpected. His hard edges pressing against me settled my agitation. My body naturally leaned into his like seeking warmth from the sun. Every nerve of my body lit up as his eyes moved over me.
His gaze moved over my face before drifting up and behind me.No, come back to staring at my lips.His gaze tracked something along the ceiling before it settled on my shoulder.
“I wasn’t totally wrong. There are bugs in the winter,” he said.
I was so confused by the random subject change. Weren’t we talking about being single and sparks and not how he tried to trick me onto this tram? “Okay.” It took me a second to catch up. “As long as it’s not spiders. Perk of a cat café. Nary a spider to be seen.”
His smile melted away as he sat back, and a growing trepidation simmered in me.
“You don’t like spiders?” he asked cautiously.
“Does anybodylikethem? With their hairy little legs and creepy bodies.” I shuddered.
“Okay, don’t freak out,” he said.
“Has saying that to somebody ever worked?” I ground out through clenched teeth. My body was coiled as a cat, ready to pounce.
“It’s just a little baby spider.”
My heart sank into my butt.
“Where?” My voice was a breathy whisper—my whole body was pumping with adrenaline already. Was it here this whole time? Was it watching us through its numerous eyes, waiting for the perfect time to attack?
“I’m going to get it. Just be still,” he said.
“Where?” I repeated, growling.
“It’s on your shoulder, but don’t move?—”
I jumped up with a shrill scream. My whole body convulsed as I shook off anything that might be able to stay on me. I could feel a hundred legs crawl up my neck and down my arms. Everything touching me was a potential spider body part. I clawed at the zipper at my neck. I couldn’t strip off this snowsuit fast enough. I threw off his gloves for dexterity and finally ripped off the jacket.
“Stop! Bee, you’re rattling the whole?—”
Owen was worried about a little shake of the tram while I was being eaten alive?
I didn’t listen. I just unzipped, unsnapped, and unbuttoned everything all at once. I shucked off my clothes faster than our resident world record-holder, Quentin Rex, shucked corn. (One of several of his world record titles.)
“Is it on me? Is it still on me?” I spun in a circle like Einstein, the fluffy ginger cat, had earlier today, only this was a matter of life and death.
I didn’t feel the cold. I wouldn’t worry about anything but the million little legs crawling down my spine. I groaned anotherloud sound of horror. His arms reached for me, but I couldn’t sit still until I was sure nothing was on me.
“I can’t see … you won’t hold … still …”
I stopped moving as Owen’s voice trailed off, his eyes widening. Whatever he’d been about to say melted from his mouth as he backed up with an audible swallow.
This was it. It was the end for me.
Like in a scary movie, the spider must be right behind me, growing larger, rising on its back legs, ready to attack, fangs dripping with venom. I spun around, arms wide, ready to defend myself, but there was nothing.
“What—Where did it go?” I spun in a full circle, arms bent at right angles and poised to karate chop.
When I turned back to Owen—hyperaware of every brush of air against my skin—it wasn’t fear evident in his gaze. It was pure heat. His pupils were blown out, his mouth slightly parted. His breaths came in little pants as his gaze moved slowly up and down my body. I could almost feel it—a tangible relief compared to the phantom spider tingles. As his gaze skidded and stalled on my breasts, my nipples chose that moment to remember the freezing space and poked hard against the thin material … so thin I almost didn’t feel it.
He blinked and seemed to come back to his body to meet my gaze.
Just then, I spotted a little fuzzy dot in the corner of the tram. I froze, ready to scream again, but the spider wasn’t having it. It crawled up the wall and out the tiny crack at the top of the door. I had no way to prove it, but I swear it lifted one of its little arms to flip me the bird before it squeezed out. The damage was done. The havoc wreaked.
“The little bastard just went outside.” I let out a long breath and shivered all over once again, but this time, the tension melted out of me. “That was close.”
