Page 8 of Ice
Hell. I felt heat rising inside me at his words. I felt need burning between my legs, and squeezed them together to try and ease it.
“But only in normal circumstances, right?”
He opened the door, stepping out of my world, and back into his.
“Exactly.”
Five
Itwasadaylater, and I was still remembering the way she looked. That outfit. The prissy hair. The way she frowned when I called her on it. Her hair was as soft and sleek as it looked, and I still couldn’t believe I’d touched it. And she’d let me. She’d looked nervous when I approached, but she didn’t move away.
Her smell still seemed to waft at me now and then, like I’d been all over her, and hadn’t showered. I fucking wished. What I wouldn’t give to pry those shapely legs apart, and see if she tastes as good as she smells. It was like violets. Sweet and delicate, and… how do I even fucking know what violets smell like? I knew I was right, but I had no idea why. Was my brain so fried from the shit I’d been on for years that I’d lost whole memories?
“Whoa, watch it!” I crashed into someone just at the top of the stairs, and instantly felt something spill down me. And then I felt the heat from whatever had been in the mug.
“Fuck!” I grabbed my t-shirt, pulling it away from my skin.
“I’m so sorry.” It was Alicia. The Pres’s old lady. Or wife. Whatever.Same diff, in my book.
“Sorry, that was my fault.”
She was covered in coffee too. She backed up, flapping the t-shirt she wore, to try and get the wet fabric away from her skin.
“Want me to get you another?”
She shook her head.
“It… I was just sneaking one before Reacher got back, but now I need to get rid of this before he smells it.”
I took the empty mug from her.
“Why do you have to hide it? I think coffee is like his second favourite smell. You know… after… well, I was gonna refer to his bike, but you’re his old lady. You’re probably his favourite smell now. Jesus. I sound like a twat.”
She laughed. “Ice, relax, I get what you’re saying. And no, it’s just that since he’s not able to drink it, I promised I’d stop too, and I can’t. I’m an add…Shit… I mean, I’m just…”
I held a hand up.
“I think this is probably the most awkward conversation I’ve had today, and lately, that’s really saying something. You can say the word ‘addict’, Alicia. More than anyone, I know that’s what I am.”
She sighed. “I always put my foot in my mouth. I’m the kind of person who walks into a church and accidently blasphemes, like within seconds. I’m not a bad person. I’m just… you know… awkward.”
“I’ll get you another drink. I should have been looking where I was going.” I started walking down the stairs, making it a few steps, before I turned to frown at her.
“What do you mean he can’t have coffee? Reacher can’t function without strong sludgy coffee. Have you got him on some kind of health kick or something?” It was like every damnthing I knew for sure had changed, in the short time I’d been away.
She looked away, pulling at her top again.
“Yeah, something like that. Don’t worry about the coffee, Ice. I need to go and get changed. Before you go, though… I was wondering if… you know… if you want to talk or anything, I’m here for you. I know it probably doesn’t sound appealing, but I’m not always throwing coffee over people. I have other skills too, and listening is one of them.”
Her offer hadn’t appealed to me, but I smiled as she finished.
“I’m good, thanks. Sure you don’t want coffee? I might grab one myself anyway.”
She stared at her t-shirt, then grinned.
“Order two, and I’ll be back down in a minute. I can’t sit like this.”
Yeah, tell me about it. Still, she’d ended up with more of it on her than me, and I was stuck wearing it. At least until I could lift my fucking arm again. It was days like this that I hid from the others normally. So nobody would know there was anything wrong. They’d just think I was busy doing my tech shit, and now I couldn’t even hide behind that.
