“Yeah.” My mouth is a half inch from hers. “Please?” Jesus. Did I just beg?
“No.”
I’m frozen in my spot. “No?”
“No. You may not kiss me.”
“Why not?” I haven’t budged.
“You’re rude, egotistical, and…”
“You haven’t given me a chance, honey.”
She rolls her eyes. She’s close enough that I can see other colors in her blue eyes. Like gold. She’s got some golden flecks in there. “Donotcall me honey.”
“Prudence,” I growl. “What’s it gonna take?” When in the hell did I become this pleading schmuck?
“A miracle.”
I feel the loss immediately. She’s pulled away and halfway down the street before I figure out what happened.
“Wow. That was pathetic.” A voice sounds from somewhere to my left. “What happened to your game, babe?”
“Shut up, Jackie.”
She pats my shoulder. “It’s obvious you need help with this. I’ll be over first thing in the morning with donuts. We’ll strategize.”
Jesus. No need to argue. Nothing’s gonna stop Jackie from barging into my place tomorrow. I say nothing and stomp away toward my bike. I need to get home and lick my wounds after Prudence’s rejection. Plus, I’m going to have to do something about my cock, or I’ll never get any sleep.
ChapterFive
Prudence
The nerve of that guy.One minute he’s telling me I’d be the worst mother in history and the next he’s trying to kiss me. You want to know the sad part in all of that? I sort of––kind of–– wanted him to do it. Yes, the man is completely infuriating and an a-hole.
He’s also sexy as all get out.
He’s Travis’s complete opposite, at least in appearance and in demeanor. It’s doubtful he differs in everything, though, which should make me want to stay as far away from him and any other man as possible.
No way do I want to end up in another relationship with a narcissistic turdface. Nope. Never again. I’m better off alone.
When I reach my car, I’ve talked through that episode with Nate in my head to the point I’ve got my resolve back. There’s one thing I need to remember, and that is, while I don’t want another man slash relationship, it doesn’t necessarily mean I need to be celibate. I used to enjoy sex, at least early on when Travis and I were actually having it.
Which begs the question: I’m single. Why can’t I have sex with no strings?
I’m not worried I’ll fall for anyone since everything with Travis is still fresh. I’ve got marriage PTSD. And I say that not in jest and not to diminish those people who suffer from PTSD due to traumatic experiences or their jobs, etc. I say it because whenever I think about another marriage, I break out into cold sweats, my stomach hurts, and I panic. So, yeah. I’ve got marriage PTSD.
Sliding behind the wheel of my Toyota Prius, I smile. “Yeah. No strings sex sounds pretty dang good.” Now the issue is, how do I go about finding it? And then it hits me. “Laura will know.” She’s all about one-night stands, and she’s certainly good at finding those.
Since we’ve got a date with a glass of wine after we close tomorrow, maybe I’ll use that time to pick Laura’s dirty little brain a bit.
Pressing the start button, my car hums to life. Since most of the town is still at the concert, there’s no one on the road. I turn left onto Park Street and drive the six minutes to my house.
That’s the other thing in my life I love now. My house. It’s a small, two-bedroom bungalow on the north side of Oakdale. I fell in love with it the second I pulled up for the open house. It’s yellow with blue shutters, built in 1937. The bedrooms are tiny as is the living room, but the kitchen is huge. There’s a wonderful, fenced-in backyard that my cat, Otto, loves. He’s old and grumpy, but when I let him outside, he rolls around on the catnip I planted and spends hours in the sun. I was fearful that Travis would want Otto in the divorce to upset me, but he didn’t fight me on it probably because Otto hasalwayshated him. He’d hiss at him the minute he walked in the door after work and didn’t stop until he left the next morning for work. Guess I should have taken a cue from my cat about my husband.
I press the opener to my one-car detached garage and pull inside. Switching off my car, I gather up my things and make my way inside. It’s a bit warm in the house, so I adjust the thermostat just as Otto rubs up against my ankles.
“Hey, bud.” I bend and rub my fingers between his ears. I set my things on the closest surface and pick up the big guy. He purrs immediately. “Missed you today.”
