AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Okay, that is a hint. If you don’t want me to come I’m good with that. You know I don’t want to offend or crowd you, but I’d like to know what put me in the doghouse?”
“It’s not what put you in the doghouse. I mean you have so many fans who feel so enlightened by your male perspective on pocketbooks I’m surprised you have time to go anywhere,” she said as she stood with her arms crossed over her chest tapping her foot. As soon as the words were out of her mouth she wished she could pull them back. They sounded petty, silly but worst of all they sounded like she was jealous.
She wasn’t jealous! Just upset that it could be anybody he was with, and he’d schmooze them all and none of them would matter.
“Ah ha. Well, if that is the case, I’ll let you go on your way. I wouldn’t want to ruin your even by being there and you be unable to focus because I’m such a fraternizer with the audience that we invited into our place. I mean I know it’s a list we both agreed on, but I can see how wrong I was talking to anyone,” he said as he stepped aside for her to leave.
She looked at him and then growled at him.
“It means nothing! I am not jealous, and you can ride with me, we just have to leave now,” she muttered as she stomped past hm and went to her car.
Austin followed behind and said in a fatalistic tone.
“It seems like it’s a bad omen to get into a vehicle with a woman who is already upset with me. I mean us being in the cab of her truck doesn’t make me think I’ll be able to make myself less of a nuisance when I am in the car.
Claudia slammed the door and waited for Austin to get into her truck.
“Look it’s getting better already. We both agree that you are a nuisance. We’re coming to terms and creating peace already.”
Normally when Claudia was in her car she felt free. it was one of the first things she bought with her own money in Cooper's sand. it gave her a place to play her own music and do whatever it is cheap want to do. here was Austin taking a space and changing her holy place into some place that would have a memory of Austin.
“I'm willing to meet you halfway Claudia but let’s not lose sight of the truth.”
She started the car and looked at him.
“The truth? the truth is you don't matter. everything is a game to you. I could be anyone in this car. So, let’s not pretend there is anything going on between – “
That was as far as she got before Austin leaned over and planted his lips upon her. At the first feel of his lips she froze. Then three seconds later she felt his hand at her neck gently rubbing over the erratic pulsing vein and it lulled her to lean into him and sigh. The sigh was all that he needed to angle his head to the side and deepen the kiss. When she heard her own answering groan he pulled away, leaning his forehead against hers. For a moment neither one of the could talk. They just sat in the car finding their breath. She didn’t want to move away from him. The moment felt just right. He wasn’t pushing for more and the longer she was there he relaxed her by rubbing over her now steady pulse.
Regretfully he pulled back and looked at her.
“I want you to know there was no woman there today or at any time in the store that I’ve wanted to kiss. All of my dreams have been of kissing you. I’ve been trying to keep it in check because I knew once we started I wasn’t going to be able to let it go until we had resolved what we wanted to do.”
Claudia sat back in her car and made sure not to look at him. To hear him say he was struggling like she had been wasn’t helping the situation.
“Maybe it’s because we are working with each that it feels like – “
“No, I thought about that. I had feelings for you when I first saw you in your store. Then I realized you were talented and that was the first time I realized that I had a problem.”
“A problem?” Claudia had to ask. She hoped the disappointment wasn’t evident in her voice. It was true that she had fought her attraction to Austin, but she couldn’t say that it was a problem she just wasn’t sure she was ready for it. “Well, you’ve had all this time to think on it, what did you come up with as a solution?”
“I’m not sure it needs one?” he said. Claudia didn’t wait for him to explain. She started the truck and drove off to the party. What she needed was space and some time to think.
