Page 8 of To Teleport, or Not to Teleport?
Glass in hand, I went to my meditation corner. After lighting incense and a candle, I sat on my comfy cushion. Once I let go of the ignorant comments of the day, I let my mind return to the confusing vision.
Thirty minutes later, I was no closer to understanding it. The blurriness had dissipated and left me twelve zoomed-in images, each more confusing than the last. The only thing that hadn’t changed was the malicious energy behind everything.
After cleansing myself of the negativity, I performed a ritual of protection for Grayson, and gave thanks to the Goddess, and headed upstairs.
I had plenty of time before I was supposed to meet with Grayson, so I drew myself a bath and grabbed my current paperback off my nightstand.
Sometime later, incessant knocking had me growling with frustration. Didn’t the person understand Ken had just pinned Angela to the wall with a scorching kiss? No, whoever it was needed to go away, so I could see whether Ken’s dirty mouth would only get filthier as his hand cupped Angela’s heavy breast.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
“This better be good,” I snapped and stuck my finger in my book as a place marker, so I could read as soon as I made whoever was disturbing the scene go away.
The sun had gone down quite a bit since I’d moved from the tub to my bed to read. My stomach growled, reminding me I hadn’t paused for food since the plot had picked up.
“Get rid of whoever, eat, and find out how many different ways Ken’s taking her against the wall,” I muttered to myself, looking wistfully at my book.
With my mind on the scene, I pulled open the door and stumbled at the thundering expression on Grayson’s face. A growl vibrated low in his throat, and my eyes widened. “And here I thought you were in trouble, not that you’d made different plans.”
I cocked my head to the side. “Huh?” The animosity rolling from him should’ve scared me, but I’d never feared him, and the idea of beginning to was ludicrous. “Why are you here? I thought we were meeting at the diner later?” I peered down at my bare wrist where my watch should have been. “Wait, how do you know where I live?” I asked, palming my face and willing the fog from the book to dissipate.
Grayson stepped closer, his frame filling the doorway. His face leaned in, and my heart stuttered. I knew he’d never physically hurt me. Emotionally, he’d been there and done that, but my body couldn’t handle his nearness. The heat rolling off his body did things to my insides that I wasn’t willing to examine, not standing here.
Hearing him sniff snapped me from the strangeness of the past minute of my life. Grateful I’d taken a shower, I knew he wouldn’t find any unpleasant smells, none I was aware of at least, but it still didn’t make the act any less weird.
“Um, why are you sniffing me?”
He pulled his face back, a few wrinkles marring the skin between his eyes. “You’re alone.”
Narrowing my eyes, I wondered if he’d hit his head since the last time we spoke. I looked left, then right before spinning in a slow circle. “Minus your presence, yeah, I’m all alone.”
“Don’t mind me. I’m not invisible or anything.” Rita hissed as she stretched on the red fabric of her hammock.
“Why aren’t you dressed?” he asked, ignoring Rita.
I peered down at the robe I had tossed on over a pair of panties. My cheeks flushed at my nearly naked state, and I realized how much time must have passed since my shower. “Oh my Goddess, I was supposed to meet you!”
An amused expression crossed his face. “You stood me up.”
I grabbed his bicep and shook my head. “I am so sorry!”
His gaze lowered to where I held his rock-solid muscle. I dropped my hand like I’d grabbed a hot poker. I mean, he was definitely hot—hotter than the boy I’d been into as a teen.
“Come inside,” I said, stepping back and waving him in with both hands, to stop myself from finding out exactly what he was hiding under his clothes. “I’ll go get dressed and we can head out. I’m so sorry, Grayson.”
He caught my book-wielding hand and pulled it free, without losing my spot. “You were reading?”
“Books are my escape,” I said, looking at the front room. Each wall was lined with white bookshelves brimming with paperbacks.
He followed the direction of my attention. “And what exactly have you been escaping, Lee?”
His question should have been innocent enough, but in conjunction with his penetrating gaze, I may as well have been standing naked before him.
“I’ll only be a few minutes,” I said, ignoring his question. Turning on my heels, I did my best not to run away from him the way he’d run from town.
Chapter 4
After taking the stairs two at a time, I dressed in a flash. It wasn’t a date, so I didn’t worry about makeup. I pinned my dark hair into a bun and left a few strands framing my face before spritzing perfume and doing a quick swipe of deodorant.
