Internally, I’m cursing early summer because I’m wearing a casual dress which means the only layer between him and my pussy are thin panties. I can’t afford for my body to find Keats attractive or to remember the way he kisses with reverence and command. But I also remember the other day whereI was a little heated with anger in his yard, with his sister breaking the scene. I’m a little bit mortified from it all.
I’m nearly startled by a hand touching my elbow from the side. “Thank you so much for coming,” Kelly greets me.
My eyes zip away from Keats, and I offer her a smile. “Of course, you must be excited for Ryan and the big milestone.”
“We are. College flips my mind upside down. He’s grown so fast, and it will be hard having him around less, but luckily, we still have a ten-year-old to keep us busy.”
“Not a dull moment then.”
Kelly glances away then her eyes draw a line back to me. “I guess you two must have a truce or something since neither one of you have ripped the other to shreds yet.”
I smirk to myself. “Yet.” My brows rise from the reality of how I communicate with Keats.
We are so ridiculously immature and even we know it.
“Anyhow, I should make my rounds. Ooh, did you see Mrs. Tiller knitted Ryan a hat for winter? He’ll never wear it, but it’s still adorable.”
I chuckle. “I can guess that wouldn’t be a major fashion choice, and of course, make your rounds. Thanks for inviting me.”
My smile drops when I realize the inevitable looms. I can’t erase the other day in my state of crazy, nor can I avoid Keats in a backyard. Inhaling all of the air I can, I gear myself up and tread in Keats’s direction.
Immediately, Oliver gives me a polite smile before his eyes swing to study his friend. The man whose eyes are fixed on me and making me feel anxious.
Oliver is the first to speak up. “Good to see you. You know what, I think I’m going to grab a burger now and catch up with my brother.” Oliver tips his bottle up to me, and the man is smart to disperse into the party.
“Isn’t it funny how we all call him Sheriff Carter even when he’s off duty, but everyone just seems to roll with it.” I’m puzzled.
Keats doesn’t reply, but we are alone now. No way am I going to grovel, but I’m not going to cause a scene. I don’t wish to fight with him.
“Hi,” I begin softy with a weak smile.
“Hey.”
“Seems like we both had the same idea... to drop off a gift and steal some food.” Small talk is a start, right?
His lips roll in, and his entire body seems to be in neutral mode. “Or we both had an invite and it’s the polite thing to do to make an appearance... and yes, nabbing some food is also a bonus.”
The brief pause appears to mean that we are both on the same level of awkwardness. But I take the plunge.
“I’m sorry.” It bursts out of my mouth. His eyes haven’t moved, which is why my gaze sinks down to the wood paneling of the deck to avoid his eyes, and he patiently waits for me to say more. “I’m sorry, okay? There I said it.”
“Care to elaborate?”
Damn it, he’s really going to draw this out for his personal enjoyment. “Storming over to your lawn as if I was a woman possessed, only for your sister to show up and hear it. Impeccable timing, huh?” My eyes swim to the side, and maybe there is a smidgen of humor in this whole situation.
Keats’s mouth is stretching into a smirk. “An apology. I can’t believe you actually just showed your un-demon-like qualities,” he teases me, and that causes a wave of relief to wash over me, and my face relaxes. “And I kind of… well, also didn’t seem to help.”
I blink and bite the corner of my mouth. “Can we also forget about what I said?”
His chuckle causes me to sense a little cockiness boiling up within him. “Not a fucking chance. My neighbor stormed over because I didn’t fuck her brains out, which means that she very much enjoys my cock.”
Instantly, I panic and search for any bystanders that may be around. “Say that louder, will ya?”
“I could.” He grins.
I sigh, pushing away any sliver of his banter that I sometimes relish and decide to stick to being practical. “Just let’s forget about it. Everything from the past few weeks. We can pretend that it never happened and focus on our mail mishaps.”
I just laid out a horrible idea. Nothing about that is appealing, which means I need to check my sanity. Except, no attachments, right? That’s what he said once, and I think it’s what I want too, so I guess my words make sense.
