afternoon. Cara had invited me to join her and Josh for a movie and pizza, but I hated feeling like a third wheel.
Plus, you may have a date with the couple next door, a little voice inside me whispered. But since I’d heard nothing more from Odessa I wondered if her invite had been less genuine and more impulsive, or maybe the party was off.
At least I had a stack of books to read. Worst case I could hole up in my getting cuter by the minute apartment and have an appropriate amount of wine and a good read. There were worse things in the world.
I’d just stepped out of the shower when someone knocked on my door. I quickly grabbed a terry cloth robe, my hair wet and dripping down my back.
I looked through the peep hole.
Theo, the beautiful man with the wavy dark hair stood outside my door.
Odessa’s lover.
His broad shoulders stretched his thin black t-shirt in all the right places and his dark pants hugged his body in a way that made me want to step out of my robe. “Get a hold of yourself Callie . . .” I whispered to myself, taking a breath.
He knocked again. “Hello?” His voice was deep and had a timbre to it that made me feel a bit unsteady. I remembered his voice from our conversation in the hall and from his moans.
I cracked open the door. “Can I help you?” I asked.
I saw his pale blue eyes quickly move up and down my body. He didn’t leer at me, or stare at a me in a way that made me uncomfortable, but it was very clear he’d seen me and it was even more clear that he knew I was naked. Somehow, having only a single layer of fabric between my damp body and me felt dangerous.
“Is this a good time, I can come back,” he said, giving me a half smile, the lilt of his accent unbelievably charming. I would have listened to him read a dictionary. “I see you were in the shower.”
“You are right,” I said, “I’m all wet . . .” I blanched. “My hair and my body is wet I mean. Well not my body anymore, my body is drying, in my robe. It’s a fine time . . . Shit. I mean shoot. I’m sorry, I’m Callie. We met briefly, but not officially.”
“I’m Theo,” he said, offering me his hand. “I officially live next door. We met . . .”
“I remember, yes, Theo,” I said, my cheeks flushing red. I shook his hand, it was as large and warm as I remembered. He had a very strong grip. Theo. I swallowed, my throat dry. “I’m Callie. I’m new. And I already told you that.”
“Yes you did,” he said, his eyes crinkling when he smiled. “So, how do you like The Holiday? You glad you decided to stay?”
“I like it, it’s been a few days, but it feels good here.” Just saying the words “feels good” made me flush. Why did my every word seem loaded with sexual innuendo? Theo kept his eyes locked on mine. I had never seen someone look so focused when I spoke. “I moved here kind of impulsively, but I think I made a good decision.”
“I think you did too,” he said. “I knew you’d like it here. The women who live here are special.”
“Special?”
“I don’t know if you’ve noticed,” he said. “But the women who live here are all very, very beautiful.”
“Beautiful.”
“You fit right in,” he said, giving me a smile that was definitely tinged with a hint of wickedness. I couldn’t speak. Was he flirting with me? I hoped he was and instantly berated myself. I did not want another woman’s lover flirting with me. I had just been that woman. I was not about to mess with someone else’s man.
“So, this is for you,” he said, handing me a cream colored envelope, thick stationary. “Odessa likes things formal.” He shrugged.
The paper felt expensive, I ran my thumb along an embossed letter O on the back. She had spent cash on this correspondence. “Thank you.”
“We’re having a party tonight. We’d like you to come,” he said.
Too late, I already did. Multiple times. I thought, cheeks burning. Had he used the word come on purpose?
“Thanks,” I
Plus, you may have a date with the couple next door, a little voice inside me whispered. But since I’d heard nothing more from Odessa I wondered if her invite had been less genuine and more impulsive, or maybe the party was off.
At least I had a stack of books to read. Worst case I could hole up in my getting cuter by the minute apartment and have an appropriate amount of wine and a good read. There were worse things in the world.
I’d just stepped out of the shower when someone knocked on my door. I quickly grabbed a terry cloth robe, my hair wet and dripping down my back.
I looked through the peep hole.
Theo, the beautiful man with the wavy dark hair stood outside my door.
Odessa’s lover.
His broad shoulders stretched his thin black t-shirt in all the right places and his dark pants hugged his body in a way that made me want to step out of my robe. “Get a hold of yourself Callie . . .” I whispered to myself, taking a breath.
He knocked again. “Hello?” His voice was deep and had a timbre to it that made me feel a bit unsteady. I remembered his voice from our conversation in the hall and from his moans.
I cracked open the door. “Can I help you?” I asked.
I saw his pale blue eyes quickly move up and down my body. He didn’t leer at me, or stare at a me in a way that made me uncomfortable, but it was very clear he’d seen me and it was even more clear that he knew I was naked. Somehow, having only a single layer of fabric between my damp body and me felt dangerous.
“Is this a good time, I can come back,” he said, giving me a half smile, the lilt of his accent unbelievably charming. I would have listened to him read a dictionary. “I see you were in the shower.”
“You are right,” I said, “I’m all wet . . .” I blanched. “My hair and my body is wet I mean. Well not my body anymore, my body is drying, in my robe. It’s a fine time . . . Shit. I mean shoot. I’m sorry, I’m Callie. We met briefly, but not officially.”
“I’m Theo,” he said, offering me his hand. “I officially live next door. We met . . .”
“I remember, yes, Theo,” I said, my cheeks flushing red. I shook his hand, it was as large and warm as I remembered. He had a very strong grip. Theo. I swallowed, my throat dry. “I’m Callie. I’m new. And I already told you that.”
“Yes you did,” he said, his eyes crinkling when he smiled. “So, how do you like The Holiday? You glad you decided to stay?”
“I like it, it’s been a few days, but it feels good here.” Just saying the words “feels good” made me flush. Why did my every word seem loaded with sexual innuendo? Theo kept his eyes locked on mine. I had never seen someone look so focused when I spoke. “I moved here kind of impulsively, but I think I made a good decision.”
“I think you did too,” he said. “I knew you’d like it here. The women who live here are special.”
“Special?”
“I don’t know if you’ve noticed,” he said. “But the women who live here are all very, very beautiful.”
“Beautiful.”
“You fit right in,” he said, giving me a smile that was definitely tinged with a hint of wickedness. I couldn’t speak. Was he flirting with me? I hoped he was and instantly berated myself. I did not want another woman’s lover flirting with me. I had just been that woman. I was not about to mess with someone else’s man.
“So, this is for you,” he said, handing me a cream colored envelope, thick stationary. “Odessa likes things formal.” He shrugged.
The paper felt expensive, I ran my thumb along an embossed letter O on the back. She had spent cash on this correspondence. “Thank you.”
“We’re having a party tonight. We’d like you to come,” he said.
Too late, I already did. Multiple times. I thought, cheeks burning. Had he used the word come on purpose?
“Thanks,” I
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