“I can’t even imagine what Stevie would say
about it,” she said with a smile.
“Fine. We’ll keep looking. Have you heard
from her today?” He inspected every piece of wood they passed,
which was a lot. Their going was slow.
“She texted me earlier. I guess she and Cade
had a good time together yesterday. They went swimming.”
“Huh.”
Kyra looked over her shoulder. Hale had a
purposefully neutral expression on his face. “He likes her, doesn’t
he? Has he mentioned it to you?”
“Not getting in the middle of that crazy
train. What about this?”
She barely glanced at the table he’d stopped
in front of. It was falling apart and appeared to be slightly
rotten. She crinkled her nose, opening her mouth to tell him how
ugly it was, but then she saw it.
“Oh!” Kyra gasped. She shoved by Hale and
made her way over to a table propped up in the corner. “Look at
this one! It’s amazing!”
It was huge enough to fit ten people around
it. The legs were carved into angels with their wings holding up
the top planks of the table’s surface. Their faces were
heartbreakingly sad, their expressions turned upwards to the sky,
as if longing to go home. The ancient wood was a little banged up
in the corners, but Kyra thought it added character. She couldn’t
imagine all the people who had likely sat around this table. The
stories it would tell, she thought. She turned to Hale, grinning
like a fool.
“I would tell you that it doesn’t match the
era of the house, but since you’ve already picked out a pink
zebra-print chair, an early-nineteenth-century gargoyle, and a
sixties-era shag rug, I’m not wasting my breath.” Running his hand
down the wood, he shrugged. “Nice table, though. Solid. Probably
hundreds of years old. Look at the wood. Those rich, undulating
colors aren’t from a stain. That’s just time. Time and age. You
can’t recreate that.”
His eyes glazed over as he ran his hand back
and forth over the planks. Kyra rolled her eyes and snapped her
fingers in front of his face. “Tag it. I want it.”
“You don’t even know how much it is.” He
twisted the price tag over. “Never mind. It’s a steal.” Shaking his
head, he added, “These people don’t know what they have in
here.”
“It’s amazing,” she said, still in awe of
the beautiful angels.
“Yeah. You got lucky with that one.”
“I always get lucky.” She called the words
over her shoulder as she walked away, looking for chairs to go with
the table. She’d found a lot of great things today, even if Hale
had made fun of every one. If it were up to him, her house would be
full of stuffy, uncomfortable furniture that was true to the time
period of the house. Her tastes were a little eclectic and all over
the place, but she could tell he was having a good time trying to
teach her about the different time periods’ styles. As if she was
paying attention.
“Look at these chairs, Kyra.” She doubled
back to where Hale was standing. “Before you say it, I know they
are plain. But they’re well made, and they won’t distract from the
table. You could get the cushions reupholstered and they would look
good as new. And, little miss lucky, there are plenty of them here
to fit around the table.”
She snapped her fingers. “Tag ‘em.”
“You get bossy when you shop,” he
grumbled.
She picked out a few lamps, mirrors, and
knickknacks she deemed she couldn’t live without before they left
an hour later. Hale arranged for the larger pieces to be delivered
tomorrow while Kyra toted her smaller gems out to his truck. Its
entire bed was filled to the brim. She checked the sky, hoping it
wouldn’t start raining early. All people had been talking about was
the storm coming in.
It was evident in the clouds over the ocean.
Miles and miles away, they were building, dark and foreboding. She
shivered and looked away.
“Do you want to stop at the art gallery?
They always have cool, local art,” Hale said when he’d joined her
outside.
“Nope.” She hopped in the tall truck. “I
already have art for the house.”
“Oh, really? What?”
“You’re going to frame your drawings of the
house. I want them signed too,” she added, speaking over the rumble
of the truck.
He pulled out of the parking lot. “Those
aren’t art. You don’t want to hang them in your house.”
“Yes, I do.” He was about to complain some
more, but she held up her hand. “No more arguments. I’m getting
them framed.”
“Not if I don’t give them to you.” He
maneuvered through the traffic. It seemed like everyone was in town
getting supplies for the storm.
Kyra smirked, crossing her arms over her
chest. She knew how to get him. “I’ll withhold sex until you do,”
she said, joking.
Hale barked out a laugh. “Like you could.
One look from me and you’d strip in the streets.”
“Oh, please. You’re not that good.”
“Funny. That’s not what you said this
morning.”
The heat spread up her neck and fanned out
to her cheeks. She was certain she’d begged for it, praising him
with each stroke. With one glance, Hale confirmed that she was
blushing. “Well, I…”
“Exactly.” He parked the truck outside of
her house. “Looks like the crew got a lot done today.”
Recovering from her embarrassment, she
asked, “Are those my storm shutters?”
Solid aluminum panels covered every one of
her new windows. They made the house look like a grinning old man
with silver teeth. Overall, the shutters didn’t add much to the
aesthetic of the house, but if they worked, Kyra was okay with
them.
“Yep. You have storm-resistant windows that
shouldn’t break, but the shutters are good precautions,” Hale
said.
“Oh, okay.” She shielded her eyes against
the setting sun and peered up at her house.
They ushered in her purchases, making
multiple trips and joking with each other as they passed. Hale
complained about Kyra ruining the aura of the house with her
incorrect-era pieces, but she knew he liked her taste, even if he
wouldn’t admit it.
“What are you going to put up in the front
bedroom?” he asked, sprawling out on the stairs.
Kyra set the last two lamps down in the
front hall. “Uh…” She hesitated. “Probably nothing,” she said,
muttering the words as she bent down and pretended to dust off the
lamps.
“Why not?” He sat up straighter, his eyes
like lasers on her.
Even before she’d gone shopping, she knew
she wasn’t going to put anything in the room. She couldn’t confirm
it, but she just knew it had been her mother’s room. And she didn’t
want to tarnish the memories in there by masking it with new
furniture that wouldn’t match what had been in there before. The
only bed that belonged in there was the one her mother had slept
on, but it was long gone now.
“It just doesn’t feel right,” she said when
she met his gaze.
He thought about her words for a moment
before he nodded. “Was it her room?”
“Yeah.”
“I get it.” He rose from the steps and
pulled her in for a kiss. It was deep and passionate and over far
too quickly. He pulled away and looked down at her. “Want to surf
for a bit?”
Kyra didn’t answer. Instead, she bounded up
the stairs and raced into her bedroom. She was already naked when
she heard Hale chuckle from downstairs. “Guess that’s a yes,” he
called out.
By the time she was downstairs, he was in
his trunks, which he kept in his truck, and had taken a larger
board from her back porch. Together, they walked to the water where
the swells were noticeably larger, which made Kyra’s heart pound
with excitement. She couldn’t bear it any longer, so she started
running toward the waves. Hale followed at a more leisurely
pace.
They surfed until they were worn out. Then,
surprising Kyra, Hale made dinner. He’d found a vegan recipe that
he was willing to try, and it was one he could cook. She taste
tested and smiled her approval. They ate and laughed from the
kitchen floor until they were stuffed.
Hale laid back and beckoned her over.
Without thinking twice about it, Kyra crawled over to him, tucking
her body along his side. His arm cushioned her head so that she
could’ve fallen asleep in seconds.
With a contented sigh, she wiggled closer,
wrapping her arm around his chest. “I lo—” she choked off the word,
her body going tense. She was about to accidently tell Hale that
she loved him. The words had practically spoken themselves. She
cringed.
“What?” he murmured, clearly not
understanding what had almost happened.
But it was an eye-opener for Kyra. She had
no clue how he felt about her besides that he liked sleeping with
her. She wasn’t the type of girl that could just have sex or even
just have a casual relationship. She felt herself opening up to
him, but it also meant she was experiencing wild swings in
emotions. She couldn’t handle that; her throat closed. She didn’t
know how she would deal with things if he broke her heart.
She hated herself for thinking it, but she
already had before she could stop herself: How many times would she
have to cut herself to deal with the pain when he left? Even once
was too much. Even thinking about it wasn’t okay, she knew. She
resolved to call Dr. Clemens tomorrow.
She shouldn’t ask him, but she couldn’t stop
herself. “Hale?”
“Hmmm?” He stirred next to her, his eyes
closed and his breaths deep.
“What are we doing?”
Hale grunted and shifted against the hard
floor. “Giving ourselves back problems.”
“No, I mean, like, what are we doing
together?” Kyra propped up on her elbow and looked down at him. He
opened his eyes and instantly narrowed them.
“Thought we were just enjoying each other’s
company,” he said carefully. Too carefully, she thought.
“But you hated me when you first met me,”
she said. She stood up from the floor. Behind her, Hale sat up,
crossing his legs and running his hand through his hair.
“You have to admit, the overly perky
attitude was pretty hateworthy.”
She spun around. “Don’t make a joke right
now. I’m serious.” She sighed. “I need to know.”
“Why?” he asked. “Does it matter? Does it
make a difference?”
“Yes!”
Hale scowled at the floor before he looked
back up at her. “It shouldn’t. If we both like each other, why
should it matter what this is? Shouldn’t we be able to just have
fun and experience things as we come to them? Cause that’s life, or
at least how I understand it to be. If my answer changes that for
you, then I don’t think you’re living life the way it should be
lived.”
Kyra covered her face with her hands so he
couldn’t see her grimace. “You’re right,” she said, the words
garbled against her palms. She lowered her arms, but she wasn’t
really agreeing with Hale the way he thought she was. She’d only
agreed that she wasn’t living life the way it should be lived,
because his answer would definitely affect how she felt and how she
wanted to experience things with him.
Hale mistook her distress. “Come here,” he
said, opening his arms.
She crossed the room and climbed into his
lap, threading her legs around his waist. Hale tucked a loose piece
of hair behind her ear. His other hand settled against her hip
bone. “Don’t worry so much,” he said quietly. “We’ll figure it out,
okay?”
“Okay,” Kyra breathed.
Hale leaned forward, weaving his fingers
into her hair, and kissed her. His tongue slipped inside her mouth,
and she sighed. His lips worked over hers, his tongue stroking
along her lips.
Rocking against him, she could already feel
his growing hardness. His hand on her hip slid around and down her
backside until he was between her legs. Through her shorts, he
stroked her. He pressed hard, ensuring she could feel every flick
of his thumb through the material of her shorts.
Kyra couldn’t believe how turned on she was
with all her clothes still on. Hale watched her as she moved with
his hand, encouraging more from him. Already she could feel the
steady thrum between her legs. Heat radiated out from her clit,
making her body jerk every time he moved his finger. Kyra hummed
her pleasure, letting her head fall back.
“Doesn’t this feel good, Kyra?” he asked.
His fingers caressed up the middle of her backside, making her
gasp. The pulse quickened as she drew closer to her climax.
“Yes.”
“Then why question it?” Hale sounded almost
as if he was growling. He rubbed his fingers faster and harder
against her.
Because something was wrong with her, she
thought but didn’t say the words aloud. Even through the haze of
pleasure, even when she was so close to coming, she could sense the
bottomless black hole inside her, waiting and preparing to pull her
in. If she gave in to it, she would fall forever.
She rocked against him one last time before
she came. Gasping, she opened her eyes and watched him as her hips
bucked into his hand. The pleasure rolled through her, flaring her
insides until she felt like she’d been set on fire and left to
burn.
When it was over, she settled against him,
her limbs numb. Easily, he rose from the ground, picking her up as
well. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he carried her from
the kitchen and up the stairs.
“Stay with me, baby,” he murmured. He opened
her bedroom door with his foot. Kyra was still too hazy to do much
besides nod her head against his neck. Gently, he laid her down on
the bed.
She looked up at him, watching as he pulled
off his shirt and pants. The moon streamed in from the window and
etched every line of his body. He lowered himself over her, and
Kyra arched up against him, thinking that eventually this man would
break her heart apart without even knowing.
“Be careful, Hale,” she whispered, not
meaning it the way he thought she did.