Thick like the chocolate that I consumed on days that I was feeling naughty and needed a sweet fix after favoring my healthier choices for so long.
Dark like it, too.
And, handsome. Just like on the television screens.
“Kit,” he called me by my name with no intention of including my last name as if we’d been friends in this lifetime.
“Fo… Fohr.” I swallowed the bucket of air that had formed in my throat. “Fohr McClarren.”
Nodding, he confirmed his identity. I looked around as if I was waiting for a camera crew to jump from the bushes and deem this a joke. Or, for me to wake and realize it was just adream. There was no way I could believe that Fohr McClarren was at my door.
It wasn’t his status that made me consider the event to be less likely, but it was the audacity and entitlement that struck me. It was two in the morning! Not only had I declined the invitation to his home once, but I’d done so several times over the duration of Olivia’s call.
His presence was as baffling as his beauty, and I wanted to punch myself in the gut for not being able to pull away from it.Either. Him or his beauty. I found myself lost, trying to conjure the words I truly wanted to say and give him the tongue lashing that he needed for showing up to my place this way.
“Your shirt.” He nodded in my direction.
The rain bounced on his broad shoulders as he stood underneath it as if he was invincible. A cold, the flu, or a sinus infection was sure to play a major role in his upcoming days. I was sure of it. Upon further inspection of my surroundings, I noticed the woman, who I’d assumed was Olivia, standing near the tail of the car with a man beside her holding an umbrella over her head so that she didn’t get too wet.
Fohr’s sudden push forward drew me back to the moment at hand. I wasn’t sure how I’d ventured away, not with the boldness of his presence and the demand of it, either. As he stepped forward, I was forced backward. Instinctively.
Forcedwasn’t exactly correct and partially unfair to him, but it seemed justified. My body fought against my mind, forcing me backward when I intended to stay planted.
“Do you feel threatened?”
His words consumed me, confusion deepening. “No.”
“So please put the knife away.”
“Why are you here?” I suddenly remembered the knife that I’d taken from my kitchen to protect myself if necessary.
“Because I need you.”
“As I told Olivia, there are many people that would love to service you during your time of need, but I’m not one of them.” I shrugged, placing the knife on the end table next to my door.
The slight movement caused me to recognize the familiar stickiness of fabric against my skin, clinging to my breast and the remainder of my upper chest. Upon examination, I noticed the, now, translucent shirt was unable to hide my erect, dark brown nipples.Your shirt, I considered his words and the sudden push forward into my home.
Without another word, I twirled on the tips of my toes until I was facing the stairs I’d descended minutes before. Faster than ever, I was up them and in my bedroom. The stranger downstairs at my door wasstrangelythe least of my concerns. It was shame that haunted me like a thief in the night as I raked through my closet for my plush robe.
“You’rewet and on my couch,” I announced my presence after searching for my unwelcomed houseguest for a full minute downstairs before realizing he’d ventured further into my personal space.
“It’s fabric and it will dry,” he countered, breaking a piece of the banana that was in his hand and tossing it into his mouth.
“And, you’re eating my food.”
“That I have every intention of replacing. Ms. Delucca,” he started, rolling his tongue across his lips.
“I was very clear when I–” I countered, but was interrupted.
“You were. But, maybe she wasn’t clear enough, which is why I’m here. I don’t see a single reason for you to stay home – obviously alone – during this madness when I have a perfectlyreadied house that can be a theatre, bar, bowling alley, fishing pond, swimming pool, fitness center, and whatever else you’ll need during this pandemic. Might I add that I’m pretty good company, too?”
“Yeah, I see,” I hissed, lowly, with a shake of my head.
“I’m not sure what that’s supposed to mean, but I am, and I could use someone to teach me things in my time of need. Cooking was never my thing, and I’ve never sat still long enough to hire a chef. Cleaning, I can handle that part.”
“Oh, really?” I whispered, remembering the craziness I’d seen week after week coming to his home.
“So, it would bring me great relief knowing that someone I’ve entrusted in my home over the last few years is there to help.”
