Anything but Minor - Kate Stewart Page 0,47

crappy luck. I fought the invisible killer sandflies the whole way to my car and turned on the AC full blast, still feeling the sting of their harmless bite.

Alice: Just the darned no-see-ums. God, that was awful. Seriously, this state should come with a warning.

Rafe: Hang in there, baby.

Alice: Baby?

Rafe: Be mine, Alice.

My heart hammered at his term of endearment. I’d told him, but I wasn’t sure if he knew just how many firsts he’d really given me in just a few weeks. We spoke for hours every night, either by text or phone. Endless hours of talking with Rafe had somehow made him able to read my voice, my thoughts. I’d never had that type of connection with a man, ever.

Our conversations were always entertaining. I smiled and sighed so much. He alone made up for the years of my youth as a teenage girl who’d missed out on the fun parts. He was quickly becoming etched inside of me. His voice, his words, his way of letting me know just how much he wanted me, it was surreal and beautiful and all mine.

Though my week had turned to crap, I had someone to look forward to, and I’d never had that. I quickly texted Rafe a picture of Nutella.

If he didn’t think I was serious, then he would definitely know when he got home.

“Alice?”

Her car wasn’t in the driveway when I got home, and I’d almost jumped in my Jeep to get to her place when I noticed my bedroom light on.

“In here,” she said as she called from my bedroom. My heart hammered as I threw my bag down and quickly made my way to her. I stopped at the door, expecting to see something over the top: candles, lingerie, and soft music playing. Instead, I burst out laughing.

Alice was laid out on my bed, her hair a soft mess splayed around her shoulders. Her hands caressed her bloated stomach, and she had empty snack pack wrappers all around her.

“I ate it all,” she groaned as I stared at the empty jar of Nutella. “And you’re late.”

I made my way across the room as she lifted to kneel on the bed. I quickly scanned her version of lingerie: boy shorts and a t-shirt that read “BIG BANG.”

“Cute,” I pointed to her shirt as I pulled her to me and ravaged her mouth. She fell quickly into rhythm with me and then pulled away. I was seconds away from being where I wanted to be most. “God, my stomach,” she moaned.

“Really?” I said as my dick twitched in disappointment.

“Give me an hour,” she said just as disheartened. “I got to Googling, and I just ate...a lot. I’m sorry.”

“I have something,” I said as I went to my bathroom and threw two antacids in a cup of water. I handed it to her, and she drank greedily. Suddenly, her hand was over her mouth as her eyes grew wide.

“Do it,” I said with a chuckle. Alice quickly turned her head and ran toward the bathroom, but I blocked her.

She dodged my hungry hands and dashed out of the room with a burp slipping out the size of one of Booger’s from that movie Revenge of The Nerds she’d made me watch with her. I laughed, following after her as she ranted. “Oh my God, oh my God, oh my GOD!” She stood in the living room, her hand on her stomach, as I stood entertained in the corner. “Don’t look at me, Rafe!” Another loud burp and she clenched her thighs with hysterical laughter.

“Don’t you dare pee on my floor!”

“Leave this room!”

“This is my house,” I said with a chuckle.

Another burp had her shaking her head, her face beet red with embarrassment. “You knew I wouldn’t be able to stop it!”

“Feel better?”

She nodded as I approached her. “I’m so disgusting.”

“You’re fucking hilarious, and I find that sexy.”

She looked at me, really looked at me for the first time since I walked into the house, and smiled. I closed the gap between us. “I missed you,” she said with a hiccup, her brown eyes sincere.

“The feeling is mutual,” I whispered before I tugged her bottom lip in my mouth and sucked gently. She hiccupped again, and I stepped away.

“What were you Googling?”

She gave me wary eyes as she pulled away slightly. “Please don’t ever look at my browsing history. You wouldn’t understand,” she said with wide eyes. “It’s a sickness.”

I grabbed her hand and led her back to my bedroom