Page 14 of Christmas in Comets Valley
Hmm, her ex was bad in bed. Noted.
“At least let me take you out to dinner first.” I countered in an attempt to convince her to stay in town long enough to get to know her better. “I would say drinks, but after last night, I don’t think I’ll ever be drinking again.”
“Consider our coffee drinks then.” She wore a smug smile as she handed me over a ceramic mug with a Moon Pie Festival logo printed on it.
My sister's mug collection knew no bounds. Wherever we went, she had to buy one. We could drive two towns over and she’d find an excuse to buy a mug plastered with images of their most notable landmark.
I sat up on the couch and took a sip, ignoring the burning sensation in my throat as the black sludge slithered down. Much like her taste in mugs, it appeared my sister had shitty taste in coffee as well.
“Tastes like ass, doesn’t it?”
“It’s disgusting.” I winced.
“See, we’re already getting along so well,” she quipped, settling back into the chair across from me. “We should sleep together now, right?”
“Are you a sex maniac or something?” My brows drew together as I tilted my head to the side.
“Quite the opposite, actually. I haven’t had sex in…” She paused, counting on her fingers. “That’s beside the point, but it’s been a while.”
I hummed, taking in another bitter gulp of coffee.
“There’s a blizzard outside right now, and according to the news, we’re snowed in until the roads get plowed tomorrow.” She let out an exasperated breath. “Might as well make the best of it.”
She didn’t seem excited about it, but she had a point. Cabin fever would set in, eventually. Though, I couldn’t help but wonder if I gave into this fling to help her “turn a new leaf” if that’d only give her more of a reason to drip out of town at the first chance she got.
“Let me think on it over breakfast. Did Juliet leave any food?”
I didn’t miss the small pout she sent my way. “Not much, but there’s some lasagna and a blackberry cobbler in the fridge.”
“Ahh, so you’re the one everyone was talking about last night at Sal’s Pub.”
Darrell and Janson both came into the bar last night after their delivery shifts, and word spread quickly about an outsider being in town. We didn’t get many tourists around here, so newcomers were easy to spot whenever they passed through.
“Oh god,” she groaned, hanging her head in her hands. “Everyone knows about that?”
The corners of my lips tugged up into a wide grin. “Welcome to Comets Valley.”
5
AERA
If someone askedme on a scale from one to ten how embarrassing it was to blatantly ask a man to have sex with you and then get temporarily rejected, my answer would be an eight out of ten.
The two points of grace were for the fact that I asked him before he had his first cup of coffee. Because I made few logically sound decisions before a steaming cup of liquid gold sent caffeine shooting through my central nervous system.
Maybe it was a bit forward to ask a man who showed up drunk on my doorstep to have a one-night stand, but honestly, I didn’t care. I needed something,anything,to make this trip worthwhile.
Plus, the fact remained the same that, intoxicated or not, he was the one who asked first.
Elliot and I spent the rest of the afternoon sitting across from each other, watching TV and shoveling endless slices of pizza into our mouths. Conversations between the two of us were sporadic and futile, but I’d be the first to admit that I quite enjoyed the comfortable silence that passed between us.
Well, as much as one could consider the sound of Mr. Whiskers pleasuring himself in the corner and countless Christmas movies with nearly identical scripts blaring from the television screen, silence that is.
Scooping up the final heaping spoonful of blackberry cobbler from the takeout dish, I devoured it in one giant bite. Elliot didn’t bother to spare me a glance as he scarfed down another slice of pepperoni pizza.
It was freeing not having to put pressure on myself to morph into someone he could envision a long-term future with since we wouldn’t ever see each other again after they cleared the roads in the morning.
There was also something about the possibility of the two of us having a quick holiday hook-up that made my stomach swirl with excitement.And knowing that there wouldn’t be “strings attached” only made it hotter.
