Romance MF: A Suspense Story With A Dark Hidden Secret (romance short story, suspense romance, romantic short stories, adult romance Book 1) Read Online Free Page A
lithe hips and navel and blushed as he lowered his gaze back at the cooking.
“Almost ready,” he said, and felt her hands pressing on his shoulders as she tried to look over them at the meal.
“Let me taste,” she said, and he held out the wooden spoon with a clump of onion and hamburger for her. “Delicious, definitely.”
She pulled off his shoulders and pranced back to the fireplace, and began to hang up her wet clothes on the mantle next to this suit jacket. He piled the stir-fry into two plates and brought them over to the fireplace where Lily had arranged the table for them and sat down on the rug.
“Oh! Wait!” she said quickly and hopped up on bare feet toward her backpack. It took her several minutes to find it, but she pulled out a bottle of wine and brought over two glasses.
“You always carry wine with you, little nomad?” he asked.
“Always. You never know when you’ll need a little, especially when you’re in a bad spot. Wine is my guide at the worst of times. In vino veritas , right?” she said, pouring him a glass and holding up her own.
“In wine, there is wisdom,” he said, clinking his glass against hers.
“I may never have gone to a fancy college or anything, but that doesn’t mean I’m a ditz. I read a lot. Usually two to three books a week for ten years. Lots of time waiting on the side of the road for a ride, after all,” she said, taking a deep draught.
“That’s like fifteen-hundred books,” Shane said, almost choking on his wine.
She winked at him and started to dig into the meal. Shane watched her intently for several moments. Amazing , he thought. He figured it was a bad stereotype, that the wandering hippy hitchhiker type was a high school dropout, but Lily had defied all his expectations. She wasn’t just brave, she was smart in a way he had never been.
“Worldly,” he said out loud, and covered his mouth when he realized he’d said it out loud and Lily looked up at him, her white dreads catching the glint of the fireplace, wreathed in an orange glow.
“What now?”
“Uh, sorry. Just, thinking about you. For some reason that word popped into my head.”
“Thinking about moi? Gosh, don’t make me blush now, Shane,” she teased him.
He smiled stiffly and went back to this meal, but he felt her watching him again, the same way she had done back in the Toyota earlier. Trying to figure him out, probe into his thoughts.
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he said, taking another sip of his wine.
The two of them finished their meals and began to talk more, and Shane was surprised at how easy it was to have a conversation with her. It was like he didn’t have to try at all. The women he had known back in New Jersey, and even in Seattle, had all been like him – there was a sort of front, a game that you had to play, when you met someone knew. It was like a chess-game. You were always trying to outwit your opponent by getting them to give up details of their lives, while remaining on the defensive. It was a sort of cultural precept that had snuck into all of his interactions, even those at work – you never wanted to show your hand to anyone.
He had to admit that he had gotten good at that sort of interaction. But it had left him feeling empty, and for the past ten years there was nothing he could even think of that could have been considered intimate . Even the few girlfriends he had tried to make it work with had all been as cold and businesslike as himself to the relationship.
But now, there was this young woman, and he found himself at an immediate disadvantage. It wasn’t that she was better at playing this social game than him – it was the fact she wasn’t playing at all. She was just open. Like book he had been generously given to read, and now she was merely asking his opinion on.
Is this what I’ve been missing? he wondered, watching her talk. Lily didn’t have
“Almost ready,” he said, and felt her hands pressing on his shoulders as she tried to look over them at the meal.
“Let me taste,” she said, and he held out the wooden spoon with a clump of onion and hamburger for her. “Delicious, definitely.”
She pulled off his shoulders and pranced back to the fireplace, and began to hang up her wet clothes on the mantle next to this suit jacket. He piled the stir-fry into two plates and brought them over to the fireplace where Lily had arranged the table for them and sat down on the rug.
“Oh! Wait!” she said quickly and hopped up on bare feet toward her backpack. It took her several minutes to find it, but she pulled out a bottle of wine and brought over two glasses.
“You always carry wine with you, little nomad?” he asked.
“Always. You never know when you’ll need a little, especially when you’re in a bad spot. Wine is my guide at the worst of times. In vino veritas , right?” she said, pouring him a glass and holding up her own.
“In wine, there is wisdom,” he said, clinking his glass against hers.
“I may never have gone to a fancy college or anything, but that doesn’t mean I’m a ditz. I read a lot. Usually two to three books a week for ten years. Lots of time waiting on the side of the road for a ride, after all,” she said, taking a deep draught.
“That’s like fifteen-hundred books,” Shane said, almost choking on his wine.
She winked at him and started to dig into the meal. Shane watched her intently for several moments. Amazing , he thought. He figured it was a bad stereotype, that the wandering hippy hitchhiker type was a high school dropout, but Lily had defied all his expectations. She wasn’t just brave, she was smart in a way he had never been.
“Worldly,” he said out loud, and covered his mouth when he realized he’d said it out loud and Lily looked up at him, her white dreads catching the glint of the fireplace, wreathed in an orange glow.
“What now?”
“Uh, sorry. Just, thinking about you. For some reason that word popped into my head.”
“Thinking about moi? Gosh, don’t make me blush now, Shane,” she teased him.
He smiled stiffly and went back to this meal, but he felt her watching him again, the same way she had done back in the Toyota earlier. Trying to figure him out, probe into his thoughts.
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he said, taking another sip of his wine.
The two of them finished their meals and began to talk more, and Shane was surprised at how easy it was to have a conversation with her. It was like he didn’t have to try at all. The women he had known back in New Jersey, and even in Seattle, had all been like him – there was a sort of front, a game that you had to play, when you met someone knew. It was like a chess-game. You were always trying to outwit your opponent by getting them to give up details of their lives, while remaining on the defensive. It was a sort of cultural precept that had snuck into all of his interactions, even those at work – you never wanted to show your hand to anyone.
He had to admit that he had gotten good at that sort of interaction. But it had left him feeling empty, and for the past ten years there was nothing he could even think of that could have been considered intimate . Even the few girlfriends he had tried to make it work with had all been as cold and businesslike as himself to the relationship.
But now, there was this young woman, and he found himself at an immediate disadvantage. It wasn’t that she was better at playing this social game than him – it was the fact she wasn’t playing at all. She was just open. Like book he had been generously given to read, and now she was merely asking his opinion on.
Is this what I’ve been missing? he wondered, watching her talk. Lily didn’t have
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