Page 63 of Noble Neighbor
But it wasn’t, she argued back.
Her eyes landed on the quote farthest away.“If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary-wise, what is, wouldn't be. And what it wouldn't be, it would. You see?”
She laughed, somewhat bitterly. “I’d rather stay in my rabbit hole, Frank. The truth is too … real. Too dreadful.”
17
Worth the sacrifice
Sunny stumbled toward the kitchen, pushing her hairfrom her face, stifling a yawn. Or rather, trying to stifle one, the crack of her jaw proving her efforts unsuccessful.She’d heard the girls whisper and move about, heard the television come on in the living room, but had been reluctant to let go of the dream she’d found herself in.
They’d only gotten to bed around one in the morning. She and the girls, together with Oliver and Clement, had driven down yesterday to a small town in Arkansas at the foot of the Ozark Mountains, joining Frank and Lorena where the older couple had been attending a classic car show during the week.
It was a trip Frank had bamboozled her into a couple of weeks ago by enlisting the girls’ help.
“Please, Mom,” Kenzie had begged. “Mr. Frank says we can ride with him in Priscilla.”
“In aparade, Mommy,” Molly had added, “with lots and lots of other cars.”
Who was she to deny her children such a simple pleasure? But she hadn’t thought it through. Spending close to ten hours in a car with Oliver had been torture. Exquisite torture, leading to intense dreams featuring the man.
She looked about the empty room. “Where’s everyone?” she wondered aloud.
“Dad and Lorena took the kids out for breakfast,” the amused answer came from behind her.
She yelped and swung around to face the object of her fantasies. Her mouth dropped open.
An almost naked Oliver stood in the doorway of his bedroom. Her gaze raked over the expanse of bare chest, following the delicious trail of hair leading to the white towel fastened low on his waist.
Quickly averting her eyes while ignoring the flip-flop of her stomach and the involuntary contraction of muscles in her core already left wanting by herdreams, she turned her back on him and moved to the coffee machine. “Not fair, Oliver,” she muttered, positioning a mug under the spout.
“I want to amend our deal, Sunny.”
Her body stilled. “What deal?”
She heard him move closer — not touching though, in full accordance with the deal she was pretending to have forgotten — but so close she could feel the waves of warmth radiate off his body against her ramrod-straight back.
The fresh scent of the shower gel he used teased her senses, drawing her in, weakening her already shaky resolve.
“You know what deal.” He planted his hands on the countertop, either side of her, boxing her in. Still not touching.
She exhaled, dropping her head. “Oliver.”
“Sunny.” His breath whispered warm against her neck.
He shifted to the side, jutting a hip against the counter, arms folded. And she missed the heat of him, the closeness of him.Doomed, she was.
She placed a coffee pod in the machine and closed the hatch, a side glance devouring all things Oliver. From his damp, mussed hair she was dying to run her fingers through, all the way to his bare feet, one hooked behind the other. She’d never paid attention to his feet. Since when were feet sexy?
Out of the blue, a surge of anger swept through her. “Why?” she cried, swinging to face him, meeting his inscrutable look. Then her eyeline dropped, scanned, and she found more to rage about. “You’re making this difficult for me by” — she waved a hand about, indicating his body — “parading naked in front of me.”
A smile plucked at his lips. “Tempted?”
“Oliver!” Sunny closed her eyes for a beat, desperateto restore her sanity. She wanted to beat sense into him.Or kiss him senseless, maybe?Or run my hand over that bulge pressing against the towel?
Her eyes flew open. He had a smug-as-a-lottery-winner look plastered all over his features. “Dammit, Oliver. Yes. Yes, I am. YouknowI am. Why’re you doing this to us?” she wailed, slapping both her hands to his chest.
He caught them in his, clasping tight. “Why? I’ll tell you why.” He stepped right up to her, suddenly serious. “Because you’re denying us the chance of something good.”
