Page 54 of Until I Found You
When she sets the glass down on the counter, she does little to hide the smirk on her face.
Narrowing my eyes at her, I shake my head as I turn my attention back on the food.
“You’re damn right you are,” I respond, as I mutter “trouble” under my breath. I can hear her muffled laugh behind me, as I smile a grin of my own.
* * *
Later that morning, Halle and I stop by her place to feed her cat before we head over to my mom’s. She’s been feeling better over the past week, so she is up doing some things around the house when we get there.
“Well, isn’t this a wonderful surprise. I wasn’t expecting both of you today,” my mom exclaims, turning around from where she stands doing the dishes in the kitchen.
“We thought we’d come over and help you. I was thinking I could make you lunch while Graham gets all dirty outside,” Halle says, pulling my mom in for a hug.
“You are too sweet. You don’t have to do that,” she replies, hugging her back.
“Of course, I don’t have to.” Halle smiles, winking at me. “I want to though. You hungry for anything in particular?”
I smile watching how Halle makes herself at home, sliding up next to my mom as she takes a clean towel off the counter and begins drying off the dishes. I watch them both together as Halle talks to her about some TV show they both are into watching. I’ve heard of it but have no idea what they are talking about as they get into naming all these women at something called a rose ceremony.
I excuse myself as I head out to the shed behind the house and unload the mower. Popping in my ear-buds, I get to work on mowing the yard. The summer sun is blazing, leaving sweat dripping down my forehead. It’s been a while since we’ve had any rain, but I sense a storm will be rolling through soon. The humidity is so thick, the moment you walk out the door it feels like a brick wall of hot air nearly taking your breath away.
“I thought you could use a glass of water,” Halle says a little while later.
Wiping the sweat dripping off my brow, I cut the engine on the weedwhacker. Setting it down in the grass, I turn and take a step closer to her. Chugging the water, I appreciate the bite from the cool liquid as I swallow it down.
“Ahh, that was great. Thank you.” I lean forward to give Halle a kiss.
She tilts her head back, away from me, eyeing the sweat that’s dripping down from my hair onto my chest.
“You’re a little sweaty.” She giggles.
“A little sweat never bothered you before,” I retort, raising my brow. “In fact, just last night you seemed almost enthusiastic over how hard I was working.”
Setting the plastic cup on the railing of the wood deck, I turn toward Halle raising my eyebrows suggestively to her. She knows what’s coming, as she hurries backward in an attempt to flee.
“Oh, now she runs away. Just this morning you were rubbing that sexy body all over me, egging me on, but now a little sweat has you running.”
“Graham, you look like you just jumped in a pool,” she begs, holding her hand up between us as if that’s going to stop me.
Stalking toward her, a grin breaks out across her face as she bolts away from me around the tree.
“Don’t you dare do it, or I swear,” she warns, peeking at me from behind the tree. She has a seriousness in her eye, but I’m not falling for it.
“Or what, Halle? What are you going to do?” I jest.
“No sex,” she spits out frantically.
I laugh because the moment she says it, her face looks like she wishes she could take it back.
“No sex, huh? You think you’ll be able to hold out long enough to punish me? How long you think you’d be able to make it? A day, maybe two?”
She narrows her eyes at me, stepping out from behind the tree. Her hands are planted firmly on her hips, clearly not amused.
“Are you mocking me?”
“Me? Mock you?” I laugh, holding my hand up against my chest. “I wouldn’t dare.”
She huffs at the sight of my smirk.
