Page 15 of Silent Heart

A tight, fast reaction I very much wanted to be hunger flashed through his eyes.

There were more clothes covering me than an hour ago when he’d seen me in my swimsuit. Yet, now there was that unguarded moment where he seemed to slip and let the inner feelings show. They were always gone before I could be sure what I’d seen.

“Carbs!” I held out the doughnut. “We had quite the workout this morning.”

No sooner were the words out of my mouth than I wanted to bite my tongue off.

Kole’s dark brow twitched, but he didn’t comment on the innuendo I’d just left myself wide open for teasing about. He accepted the pastry without comment.

“Yeah, so I’m off to church. Grandma was on refreshment duty this morning, which is why we stopped to pick up the doughnuts. But they’re better now, fresh and warm, than after service,” I rambled, filling the moment.

Kole’s tongue darted out to lick the glaze about to drip off the pastry. It was broad and firm. The stroke was long, lingering,and swept a path through the sticky sugar. He tasted the glaze, hummed, and then went back for a second lick.

My insides melted.

Oh, good lord.

I didn’t need to see that. Especially not before church! It was the only thing I’d be thinking about, probably enough to make me squirm in my seat.

“Thank you,” he murmured and took a large bite from the doughnut.

“Welcome! Have a good morning,” I stammered, before turning and fleeing.

And like most of our encounters, that was it. It wasn’t weird, per se, that I babbled and hurried away. It was par for the course. What was I hoping would happen? We’d talk? Flirt? Kole wasn’t like that. I kept doing little things like bring him a treat and not getting anywhere.

I stopped beside the car just as my grandma was hustling from the store, pushing a cart so she didn’t have to carry the cake box. “Hariet Cora, did you sneak a doughnut!”

“Oh!” I looked at the crumpled thing in my hand. “I was hungry.”

Flashing my grandmother a sheepish look, I slid into the passenger seat. The only silver lining of the situation was that she would think my discomfort was due to being caught red-handed and not terribly turned on from the world’s smallest exchange.

***

Tugging the covers higher on my shoulder, I flopped to my left side. Above, the fan whomped against the air as it raced around in frantic circles. Normally, the noise helped lull me to sleep, andthe constant breeze made me burrow deeper under the covers. Tonight, my mind raced in a frantic chase.

And the spot between my legs ached with an intensity too strong to be ignored.

My toys wouldn’t relieve the feelings. I’d tried. No, the damn things needed charging and my body was sweaty and unsatisfied. It wanted the real thing. A fire blazed in my veins.

Grinding my teeth, I fisted the pillow. Two weeks. Two whole weeks! I saw Kole every morning for a lesson and swim, and like clockwork, he came to the Landing for a burger, fries, and beer every night. Nothing more had been said about fishing in the dark, but my lame attempt from a few days ago to hang out with him hadn’t deterred Kole from continuing to invade my life. The frenzied energy between us simmered hot and bright, with no relief in sight!

Jonathan wasn’t the only coworker talking. In fact, news circulated, and my grandma now knew that my swimming pupil ate dinner in my section. The questions were impossible to escape. The person asking the loudest, however, was me.

Was there something there? And if it was, should I act on it?

“Go. To. Sleep.” I flopped onto my back.

Sunrise would start yet another long day of work in a matter of hours and here I was, tossing and turning in desperate need of relief.The moment I opened myself up to the idea of a fling, it became the only thing I could think of. I was horny. It had been too long since my last relationship. Not that that counted. That date hadn’t been anything to brag about, nor had the ones with boyfriends before him.

But Kole? If I could cross whatever barrier still seemed to keep us apart, he would be different. I don’t know how I knew, but I did. He would be worth the chase.

I reached for my water only to find it empty. With a groan, I crawled out of bed and crept to the kitchen fridge. When theglass was full, I wandered to the window to look out at the lake. Moonlight blazed across the navy surface. Lights from the docks winked but couldn’t overpower the sheer force of nature. My body itched to go out onto the water. Just a short swim to put me to sleep. As if summoned by that invisible pull, I glanced through the trees toward the mansion across from us.

Every light shone.

The force of the glare had me shaking my head. If the ancient red oak wasn’t in the way, it would be possible to tell what the heck was going on!

I couldn’t say what tiny voice had me grabbing the boat key from the junk drawer. But I did before slipping through the front door and picking my way around the side of the house. The sloped path led down the hill to the lower level. As I tiptoed across the lower patio, I shot a careful glance into the boys’ area, but they were asleep.

---