Page 18 of My Boyfriend Marks Trees
“Ice cream,” giggled her kid.
A laughter-filled, family moment interrupted by a frisson going down her spine. Her head swiveled, and she scanned the patrons. No one familiar, yet she felt watched, and not nicely.The expression “someone walked across her grave” came to mind.
Ares reached out to grab her hand. “You okay? You look like you saw a ghost.”
“Fine. Just being paranoid.”
Surely Barry wouldn’t have seen the video. Wouldn’t have flown so far. Wouldn’t be here at this exact location at this exact time.
No way.
She couldn’t shake her unease though, and when she pulled the car into her townhouse driveway, she wasn’t ready to go inside. She glanced at him. “Do you have to leave?”
“Nope. I’m yours as long as you need me.”
She glanced at Greta in her booster seat in the back, which she’d snared from the local church that had resources for single, low-income parents. “Want to go see some Christmas lights?”
“Yesss!”
Ares tapped Charlotte’s thigh. “If you’ll let me drive, I know a house that has the most epic decorations.”
“Be my guest.”
She emerged from the car and, as she rounded the bumper to exchange spots, put a hand out to stop him.
“What’s up?”
“Thank you.” This time she didn’t kiss his cheek but planted a soft embrace on his lips.
He sucked in a breath but didn’t try and maul her. He murmured, “Good thing it’s cold outside ‘cause the shower I’m going to be taking later is gonna need to be frigid. Damn, woman.”
It gave her a thrill to know he found her so desirable, and it led to her boldly saying, “Or you could spend the night. I don’t work until nine.”
“Only if you’re sure.”
She cupped his cheek. “No. But that doesn’t seem to change the fact there’s something about you I can’t resist.”
“Feeling’s mutual.” He dropped a kiss on the tip of her nose. “Better get in the car before princess gets impatient.”
True to his word, he drove them past a house done upChristmas Vacationstyle with lights, RV, everything. They spent over an hour slowly coasting up and down the side streets, oohing and aahing at the shining lights. Holding hands, she should add. The car being an automatic didn’t need him shifting, and when he reached, she slid her fingers against his.
It felt warm. Right.
Until that moment, she’d not realized just how much she’d missed that intimacy and connection with another person.
It made her all the happier she’d asked him to sleep over. Although she might try and smuggle him out in the morning without Greta seeing him. She did not want to deal with those questions yet. It was too soon.
As they drove back to her place, with a sleepy kid in the back, they heard sirens.
“Sounds like something’s on fire,” he remarked.
As they turned onto her street, she gasped. Not her place, but the home next door had smoke seeping from a broken window. A truck with flashing lights was parked out front. A huge hose lay on the ground.
A cop stopped the car, and Ares rolled down the window. “Hey, Officer. Is the fire out?”
“Fire’s contained, but the area is off-limits.”
“But I live here,” exclaimed Charlotte.