AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Just admiring the view,” he says with an easy smile.
I shift in my seat, trying not to be paranoid, and shake my head. “You’re crazy, you know that?”
“Crazy for you.”
Instead of commenting, I take another sip of coffee. “So, ah, what’s the plan for today?”
“I don’t know,” he responds. “Got any ideas?”
“Maybe just hang out here and make it a drama-free day with no guns, planes and elevator shafts?”Yeah right. I wish.Already the drama about to happen has my stomach clenching.
He laughs. “We can do that. We can do anything you want,” he adds, voice lowering and eyes smoldering like green smoke dusted with ash.
My mouth opens and I close it quickly.Nope, we’re not doing that again. In fact, it’s time to nip all sexual thoughts in the bud and put my plan into motion. “I’m actually feeling a little, ah, crampy.” Laying a hand over my lower stomach, I start my performance. Hopefully, it’s an Academy Award winning one.
“Oh.” He sort of freezes up and, for the first time, Mr. Pilot Extraordinaire doesn’t know what to say.
If it weren’t such a dire situation, I’d laugh. One mention of your period and men tend to clam up fast.
“I’ll probably go lay back down after I finish my coffee. If you don’t mind.”
“Yeah, sure, go ahead.”
“Thanks. Sometimes they get so bad that I’ll spend the day in bed.” I’m not exactly lying because that’s how it used to be until I went on birth control.
“Right,” he says and now he’s the one shifting uneasily in his chair. “Yeah, sleep it off.”
He completely bought it.And scene,I think triumphantly.
I quickly pull up the Uber app, discreetly arrange for a ride and then suck down the rest of my coffee.
“I think I’ll go lay back down,” I tell him and pop up.You have less than thirty minutes,I remind myself.
“Do you need anything? Or is there anything I can do to help?”
“Help?” I echo, confused.
“Yeah, you know, like massage your back or make you some tea? I have a heating pad in the hall closet. And there’s aspirin in the medicine cabinet.”
My heart catches.Dammit, dammit, dammit.Why does he have to go ahead and be so nice about it?
“Maybe later. Thank you, though,” I say quietly. Ignoring the feelings he’s stirring up inside of me and hating myself for lying to him, I set the mug down and go back into his bedroom, closing the door behind me.
Time to move.I rush over to the window, thankful Eric lives in a one-story bungalow. The window is already open and the salty breeze caresses my face as I swing a leg over the windowsill, followed by the other, and then drop down to the ground.
The Uber is picking me up two blocks from here. Circling around the house, avoiding the back porch, I jog to the street and glance over my shoulder, fully expecting him to be standing at the window, watching me.
But, no, he’s not in any window and I’m free and clear.
So far, so good.
Chapter Thirteen: Finn
The moment Ivy goes to lay down, I smack my palm against my forehead.Idiot.We hadn’t even finished our coffee yet and I’m already trying to get her back in bed. I wasn’t expecting her comment and she momentarily threw me for a loop.
But if she needs me to rub her back or anything else, I’m here for it.
I’m about to grab another cup of caffeine when my phone beeps with a notification and I look over at it. Frowning, I swipe it up and open the app which just alerted me that Ivy is on the move.
