And then I hear a screen door slam in the distance. “Rickieeeee!” Chastity calls. “Are you out here?”
Daphne slides off my lap and stands up, looking flustered. She plucks her backpack off the grass.
“Hey now.” I rise on unsteady legs. “No need to bolt.”
“But we…Actually, just me. I—” She gulps.
I bite back a smile. “Are you okay?”
“Yes. Fine.” The words are like machine gunfire.
“Are you going to play poker with us? Sounds like Dylan and Chastity are still up after all.”
“No, I don’t think so.” She hitches her pack onto one shoulder. Then she looks down at herself and straightens her skirt with frantic motions. “I’ve…got to go.”
“You look fine. Perfect, actually.” I lift my hands to her hair and smooth it out of her face. Then I place a soft kiss onto her cheekbone.
She lets out a breathy sigh and hurries away toward the house.
I watch her go, feeling both wistful and victorious at the same time.
For days after our epic makeout session, I barely get within ten paces of Daphne. This is her choice, not mine. She chooses chores at the opposite end of the farm from wherever I'm working. She sits at the other end of the dining table.
A less confident man might worry that he'd lost his touch. But she’s still sneaking looks at me, and I see how it is—the poor girl just can't handle the indescribable hotness that arises when we’re near each other.
So I’m patient. Again. And after three days, I finally run into her in the upstairs bathroom one night when we both pick the same moment to brush our teeth.
"Hey there, stranger,” I say, leaning against the door frame.
"Hey, McFly, she says, bending over the sink to spit.
"I could swear you’ve been avoiding me."
She dries her mouth. “Yup. Absolutely.”
Her honesty catches me by surprise, and I laugh out loud. “Okay, usually people lie about that."
"Why, to save your ego? That thing is made of titanium.”
She kills me. “Fair enough. But I still don't know why you'd avoid me. Seems like you should come back for more.”
“Sure, no problem.” She folds the hand towel and sets it primly back onto the bar. “But I only get drunk about twice a year. Does December work for you?”
“Huh. And here I thought you were a woman of science.”
“What does that have to do with anything?” She picks up her hairbrush and frowns at me in the mirror.
“There’s a flaw in your logic, baby girl. If I was only attractive to you when you're drunk, then you wouldn't have to avoid me when you're sober.”
She rolls her eyes in the mirror as she begins to brush. Now that I know how soft her hair feels between my fingers, I definitely need more.
“I think you just can't handle the hotness,” I say.
“Of you?” she sniffs.
“No baby. Of us. There's something there, and you like to pretend there isn’t.”
Daphne is finished with her hair, which is a shame, because I was really enjoying living vicariously through that brush. “I’m just being smart. You and I are a terrible idea.”
“Why? Give me three reasons.”
She holds up a finger. “One, I gave up men. Second, we're roommates, and that’s awkward.”
That’s true, but it doesn’t bother me as much as it should.
“And three, I gave up men.”
I snort. “Are you into women?”
“Nope.”
“Bummer. There goes that threesome I was planning for us.”
“Too bad.” She stalks past me and leaves the bathroom.
Although I see her checking out my bare chest in the mirror as she goes. Her mouth might be telling me that it’s not going to happen. But her eyes tell a different story.
Fourteen
Daphne
And then it’s Wednesday again. Another chance to impress my new colleagues. And another hour-long ride in the truck with the man who makes me crazy.
I grab my computer bag out of my bedroom and put on my game face as I descend the stairs.
“Ready for another delivery?” Audrey asks, bouncing Gus on her hip in our kitchen. “It’s a big one this time.”
“Am I ever going to taste this perfect brew?” Rickie asks. He’s parked against the counter, wearing another one of those V-neck T-shirts that shows me a peek at his tats. The same ones I rubbed my body against this past weekend, like a cat in heat.
God, just kill me. I can’t believe I did that. The man says a few sweet words to me and tells me he wants a kiss. And what do I do? Climb on top of him, slobber all over