Until now.
I put my hand into his. He easily lifts me, and once I’m fully up on my feet, he lets go and heads to the closet, leaving me in the same spot, looking at my open palm.
He opens the door and steps into the tiny closet. I walk up to him and peek inside. There are a few white towels, a change of sheets, and some old pants hanging on a hook.
Archie sighs heavily. “The loveseat it is.”
“Stop.” I instinctively put my hand on his back and feel his muscles flex under my palm. I drop it, feeling awkward.Really, Leila, when did you become so touchy-feely?“We’ll share the bed. I suppose we can behave ourselves and not hump each other for a night.”
He chuckles and sends me a funny look over his shoulder. “We don’t have a good record of that.”
“We don’t.” I return the smile and go to inspect our nest for the foreseeable future.
It’s a standard queen bed with a rustic wooden headboard. It’s got four pillows, a sheet, and the comforter Archie draped over me when I was cold.
I glance at Archie and back to the bed. Then back at Archie.
Yeah, maybe it wasn’t such a good idea after all. He’ll take a lot of space, and at some point, we’ll end up on top of each other, I just know it. And as it turned out, I can’t be trusted around the man. Just to be sure that there will be no incidents, I’ll wear my big pajamas.
The big pajamas that I left back at home. I hate sleeping with my legs covered, and I wanted to be comfy, so I packed my favorite white T-shirt that is very much see-through. So, it’s either that or sweater weather in bed. I groan inwardly.
While I’m fighting my inner demons, I don’t notice him watching me with a look of pure torture on his face.
“I don’t snore if that’s what you’re worried about.”
He lifts his head to the ceiling, murmurs something under his breath, and walks to the bathroom. “I don’t know how long the luxuries of civilization will last, so I’m gonna take a shower.”
“Why? Are we running out of gas?” I look at the kitchen in horror. I grabbed a few extra water bottles, but not enough for two people to survive out here.
“Not yet, but if the temperature drops more than this, the water pump can freeze or burst; not sure how it works in this weather, so I’d rather be prepared,” he says over his shoulder.
“Sure.” And before he closes the door behind him, I call out. “Are you hungry?”
“No, thanks. I’ll get a drink later.”
I purse my lips like the midgrade teacher everyone hated at school. He’s got a large frame on him, but he looks like he’s just been drinking and fucking all his life—you know, cardio with some weightlifting. A delicious picture if you ask me, but he’s almost as large as Alex, and Alex is a mountain of a man who consumes an insane number of calories every day. And yet, Archie probably weighs a few dozen pounds less while staying in amazing shape. And even with that, I still can’t help but worry: he came here without any food. Did he plan to drink himself to death?
I walk to the kitchen but suddenly stop, shocked by my own thoughts.
Did he?
I look at the bathroom where the water turns on, trying not to think about the most intriguing man washing his naked body right now. Then I remember how I met him for the first time, and I don’t like where my thoughts are going.
Chapter Fourteen
LEILA
He’s been in there,notpreserving water and our pump—fine, his pump—for the past twenty minutes. Both my brothers spend at least thirty minutes in the bathroom every single day. Archie has just proved my point: I will fight anyone who will argue that women “spend hours in the bathroom, doing God knows what.” How about men spending hours in there doing God knows what?
As I stir in this unfairness, I chop my salad with the ferocity of a serial killer. Am I imagining Archie’s dick? Maybe. I wish I could imagine it without murder coming to mind after our little humping session. And the worst thing is that I’m only angry with myself. Does he annoy me? Yes, he does. But I’m an intruder and a provoker, so this one is on me.
Digging into the stocked cabinets, I realize, to my utter horror, that I brought cans upon cans of beans. What else would you bring to eat while staying in a remote location alone? Beans. They’re safe. They’re nutritious. But I didn’t plan on having a roommate. Now, beans are a horrible option, as I don’t want to be walking around bloated. Torturing the man is on my priority list, and I can’t do that if I’m not feeling sexy. Because no matter what other people say, I truly believe that if you see yourself as desired and sexy, others will see you the same. And no one feels sexy when they’re gassy, let’s be honest.
I let out a loud sigh and move to the fridge. Liar, liar, pants on fire has some frozen meat. Pulling it out of the freezer, I pray that it was indeed purchased by Archie and not left here from Kayla and Justin’s escapade; otherwise, our dinner might turn into a very sad one. I can chop some simplified ratatouille since I brought so many veggies and cook it with meat.
After more digging, I discover a big pot that might be good for stewing, and I fill it with the needed ingredients. We’ll be able to eat for a couple of days.
The water in the bathroom stops. I stop too.
