Page 63 of Malaise
I groan as he slips his hand around my side, his thumb resting beneath the swell of my breast. He places kisses along my jaw and over my throat. The tickle of his lips on my flesh sends waves down my body that feel like the kiss of a summer breeze. I hook a foot over one of his calves, urging him closer as the phone silences.
He rocks his hips into mine, his hand squeezing my ribs as he teases my earlobe with his bottom lip.
The phone starts again.
“Damn it.” Carver holds my gaze, a frown showing his frustration. “Don’t move.”
He backs off the bed with a huff, a sigh escaping me as I flop back into the mattress, annoyed at the interruption and at how cold it feels without his body over mine.
“Hey, what’s up?” He stands with his bare back to me, a hand on his hip as he holds the phone to his ear with the other.
I roll on my side and look him over as he talks, admiring the way his loosened jeans sit low on his hips, and how his waist widens out into strong shoulders the higher my gaze tracks.
“When did that happen?”
His tone causes me to sit up, readjusting my T-shirt.
“What else did they say?”
He paces the short room and drags a hand over his face as he listens.
“And what did you tell them?”
The person on the other end must be frantic given the way Carver tries to interrupt to calm them down. “No… No, listen… I know… Just don’t worry about it. You did what you had to. Last thing I need is you in the shit for aiding and abetting.”
What? Is it his dad? Who’s in trouble?He ends the call and slides his phone on the kitchenette counter.
“What’s going on?” I scoot to the edge of the mattress and drop my legs over the side.
“Cops showed up at Dad’s looking for me.”
“What? Why?”
He moves to stand before me, his fingers under my chin. “There was a break-in at my old work, and they want to talk to me.”
“They think you did it?”
“I’m sure they’re just eliminating possibilities,” he says, his thumb brushing over my bottom lip.
He doesn’t believe what he’s saying. It’s written in the way he looks at me as though this is the last we’ll see each other. “What now?”
“Tanya told them where we’re staying. They’ll be on the way here.”
I reach out and wrap my arms around his thighs, pulling him into my hold and tucking my feet behind his ankles. “Why does this shit have to keep happening to us?”
“Because we’re strong enough to get through it,” he answers simply. His hand comes down gently on my head, stroking my hair down my back. “Don’t get upset about it, Meg. It’s probably nothing.”
“And if they think it was you?” I ask, wanting to be prepared for the worst. “Do you get arrested and put in jail?”
He sighs, moving his hands to tuck under my arms and hoisting me to my knees so we’re at eye level. “With priors, probably.”
Damn my weakness. Tears wet my cheeks, as much as I don’t want to overreact, but I can’t lose him too. I ball my hands into loose fists and drop them against his chest as he wraps his arms around me and pulls me close. “You can say you’ve been here with me the whole time,” I instruct. “You have a chance with a solid alibi, right?”
He places a palm against the side of my face and kisses my forehead, my nose. “The break-in happened when you were at work yesterday.”
“No,” I cry out. “But you were talking to your dad then. Can he….” I drift off, realising what I’m about to say when his dad was the whole reason he got done for theft last time.
“Yeah,” Carver murmurs, affirming my thoughts. “It’s going to be tough. But I’m trying to stay optimistic here, babe, so don’t cry. Please.”