“Do. Not. Call. Me. RED.” I roared the last word.
“Okay. Sorry, Red.”
He turned and headed back towards his greenhouse, his shoulders heaving as he chuckled. I resisted the urge to salivate over his firm ass. The sound of laughter coming from him was the final straw. He’d tested my patience long enough. He was obviously pleased with his last words.
Right, you asked for it, you dick.
I picked up a small clod of earth, chipping more of my nails as I did so. I pulled back my arm and aimed. I might be a nerdy computer geek, but at school, I was damn good at netball. I released the dirt just as he turned back, obviously to add some other sarcastic comment to his last statement. We watched the dirt arc through the air between us as if in slow motion. It hit him square in the face. He spluttered and coughed, wiping the dirt away from his face. Now it was my turn to laugh at him.
“What the fuck did you do that for?” He continued coughing and spluttering.
“Stop being such a baby. That’s what you get for being such a pig. Maybe now you’ll stop calling me Red!”
I’d had enough for the day and decided to pack up. Toby had watched the scene play out between us. Was that amusement I saw in his eyes? He noticed I’d narrowed my eyes and went into his shed. I’d just put the spade away when I turned to see Luke blocking my way out of the door. He looked mad. More than mad, he was furious. Maybe I had gone too far, but he’d wound me up on purpose. Most of the dirt had gone from his face, but there was some on his t-shirt and forehead.
“Would you mind moving out of the way, please? I need to get back to my aunt.”
“What is fucking wrong with you? Why did you throw that at me? You could’ve blinded me!”
“It wasn’t my fault you turned around. It was supposed to hit you on the back. And anyway, it was only a small bit.”
“Oh, so that makes it okay, does it?”
I swallowed hard when he came nose-to-nose with me. Perhaps I had gone too far. Like always, I was so blinded by my anger that I hadn’t thought about it. He was breathing hard, and I caught a whiff of some delicious aftershave. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Time to eat humble pie.
“I… I’m sorry. It was wrong of me and it won’t happen again. But I ask one thing.”
“Apology accepted. What is the thing you want to ask?”
“Please don’t call me Red. Fliss or Felicity will be fine.”
He’d moved in closer now, surrounding me with the heat from his body, his breath on my face.
No. No. Not kisses. I can’t.
My eyes closed of their own volition, waiting for his lips to descend. I felt his warm breath on my skin. For seconds, nothing happened, I opened my eyes to see him staring at me, an expression between confusion and shock in his eyes. My eyes must have mirrored his because I felt the same.
“Er, sorry. I really should be going. I….” And with that, he headed away running a hand through his hair.
What the hell was that all about? One minute we were at each other’s throats and the next… well, tongues had almost ended up down our throats. Was it wrong of me to feel disappointed that we hadn’t? Damned if I knew.
After taking deep breaths, I finished the task of putting everything back in place in the shed. Without another word, I locked up, said goodbye to Toby, and headed for the safety of my car.
* * *
Felicity
By the time I reached my aunt’s, I’d made a decision. She’d need to have someone else help at the allotment. The thought of seeing that man again had me in a right state. How could I face him again after the almost kiss? I groaned and ran a hand over my eyes. I’d even be happy to pay someone if it meant I could go back to my old life.
“Hey, Aunt Doll,” I called out.
“In the kitchen, love,” she hollered back.
I walked in to find her limping around the room making dinner for us.
“Hey, what happened to resting up?” I went to her side and sat her down at the kitchen table.
“Oh, don’t fuss, Fliss. I have to keep mobile, the physio told me. What happened to you?” She gasped as she noted the state of my clothing.