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I just need to give up on hiding how horny he makes me. It seems there’s no hiding it from him. “Black is perfect.” And the perfect excuse is to occupy both of my hands and glance away from his gaze.
Cymbals crash from his phone and we both jump. “Fuck,” he grumbles. “I have it on the lowest volume even.” He picks up his phone and unlocks the screen. It starts vibrating non-stop.
“Notifications? Mine was nearly overloaded with them,” I say before stuffing another piece of mouthwatering bacon in my mouth. It’s a beautiful blend of smoky and salty. And he even cooked it perfectly, crispy but not burnt.
He stops chewing, his eyes focusing on my throat.
“Something wrong?” I swipe at my neck. Maybe I dropped a bit of egg on me.
“Those sounds you make. I’ll just say, I’m glad you like my cooking.”
“It’s amazing. I’ve never had bacon taste this good.” I’m a little disappointed to see I’m holding my last piece.
“Family recipe.” His brows furrow as he continues swiping on his phone. “I’m sorry, I’m not trying to be rude. Did you see all of these missing person notifications?” He turns his phone so I can see the top to bottom bulletins filling his screen.
Just then, his phone rings. The name that flashes across the screen makes my chest hurt. Angela. Who is Angela? And why did seeing her name cause me physical pain?
He turns the screen back and frowns before answering. “Hi, Angela.”
I can hear her voice, tinny through the speakers. “Oh, thank God, I’ve been texting you.”
“Yes, I was just going through them. What’s up?” He gives me a shrug, but doesn’t move to get up.
I feel weird. But, he didn’t get up to talk in private. That means something, I think?
“Has Alexander been there?” I hear her say.
“No, how would he be here? Wouldn’t the transport have called?” Sam’s perfect features twist in a look of confusion.
“I think we need to talk. I’ll be there in an hour.” The phone clicks when she hangs up.
“The hell?” He looks at his phone and then at me. “That’s Alex’s case manager. It sounds like she’s coming over.” He tosses his phone on the table, clenching his jaw.
Case manager. The weird feeling in my chest dissipates a little. Is that what jealousy feels like? “Does she come over often?” Why did I ask that?
He stabs at the last of his eggs before glancing up. Dark blue eyes soften and then crinkle at the corners when he gives me a soft smile. “No, usually just a couple of times a year. But, she came over to check Alex before having him taken to the hospital.”
“Isn’t he in a, well, catatonic state?” The brief glimpse I got of him previously was of a haggard old man, gaunt cheeks, and a vacant fixed stare.
“Yea, that’s the part that’s confusing. I guess she’ll fill us in when she gets here.” He stands up, picking up both of our empty plates and depositing them into the sink. “I should get my chores done before she gets here.”
“How can I help?” I don’t want to just sit in here while he’s out there. I’d rather be where I can see him. All of the missing person notifications put just a little hesitation in me to want to be alone right now.
“Well...” He slips his arm around my waist, and pulls me tightly against his chest. “How about you run the hose?” Grinning, he leans down to meet my lips with his.
Chapter twenty-two
SAM
Ididn’twanttohave to hurry any part of today. It’s Sunday, the first full day we’ll have to spend together. Her clinic is open six days a week, so it doesn’t leave much uninterrupted time. I had visions of keeping her in bed all day. Now that I’ve had her I don’t want to stop.
And it was a reprieve from the constant traffic I’ve had to endure for the last few years of care takers in and out of my house. A day without Alex. Or Becky. It was supposed to be a day completely alone with the only person I’ve chosen to spend time with in years.
When Claire begged me to watch over him, when she was really sick, I would have promised her the moon to see her smile. I never expected him to last for years after her. At first, I was too grief-stricken to care, and his presence still tied me to her.
But, now, I’m ready to build another life.
Claire was tall, dark and quiet. We were practically forced together by our mothers who were friends through work. When Claire’s mother killed herself, I felt bad for her, bad enough I felt obligated to take care of her. We were friends, so it was a marriage of convenience. Though I did grow to care very much for her, there was always a distance between us.