I was up against the tiles in the next moment, his body pressed into mine, “You’re sure about this?”
No. What? I have no fucking idea what is going on! my brain screamed helpfully. A non-response seemed good enough as his mouth crashed down on mine.
“When are you due at work?” he asked.
“Half an hour.”
“We've got time.”
15
“Oh ho, look what the cat dragged in!” Jez said as I hobbled into the store, alone. “Jesus, girl, what did he do to you?”
“Are you OK? He didn’t hurt you or anything, did he?” Tess babbled. “Shit, Ash, I’m so sorry!”
“I’m OK, not hurt, or at least only in a way that makes that John Mellencamp song make a whol
e lot of sense. I need to sit down, but I’m afraid to try."
"Girl, deets, now," Jez said, except the door opened with a tinkle and my friend/employee and sister's jaws hit the floor. In walked Gabe, with a tray of frothy-looking coffee concoctions and a bulging paper bag sporting the logo of the yummy bakery down the street.
"Hey," he said, looking for the first time a little unnerved. I guess if you had three women gaping at you and ignoring all of the usual social niceties, you could be forgiven for feeling uncomfortable. Yep, still nothing, except Jez’s stares were beginning to look less shocked and more exploratory. "I got you guys some breakfast,” he said in a low voice, depositing everything on the counter then wrapping an arm around my shoulders. "Figured you might need something to keep your strength up," he said, his voice a delicious buzz against my ear.
"Thanks," I said, shifting in his arms and dropping a kiss on his mouth. He seemed to relax at this, trying to deepen it a bit, then grinned when I was forced to pull away or begin making out with him in front of everyone.
"Look, the clutch on the bike is a bit sticky," he said. “I’ve got to head over to the workshop for a bit. What time you finishing here?"
"About five."
"See you then. Ladies."
They watched him saunter out, not saying a word until the door clanged shut. "You're fucking a romance novel biker," Jez said, eyes wide.
"Yep, and I think I broke my vagina."
"Ohhh, someone got well-ridden last night! So, was it every purple prose-y moment of awesomeness I’ve come to expect?" Jez asked.
"It was. . . ." I threw my hands up in the air. On the one hand, I had experienced a total cliché, like I felt almost embarrassed for myself. The earth moved for me, riiight. On the other hand, it felt like something momentous had happened and I wasn't even sure how to process it.
"And he looks into you. Why is he into you?” Tess asked.
“Thanks,” I said drily.
Tess said with a frown. "Sorry, but you know–”
“Oh, don’t worry, I’m aware I’m punching above my weight. I’m just waiting for this damn curse to wear off. He’s sounding like he wants to . . . go somewhere with this.”
“Ash, if I'd known."
"It's OK, I worked it out, the spell. Nan's trying to get me married off. Don't know why they're coming from your pop culture playlist, but the spell is bringing a suite of suitors through my life, every day until I picked one to–"
"Fuck the shit out of you. Hey, Flea." Jez waved to the tattooist as he walked in. His eyes went a little wide as he saw he had the attention of all three of us.
"Smile and wave, boys, smile and wave," I muttered through clenched teeth.
“You're trying to tell me your Nan, with her dying wish, cast a spell to marry you to one of literature's hotties? I thought it was just some weird ‘I really need to get laid’ glitch. Goddamn, I have never wanted a grandmother more than right now."
"Tess, I need that book," I said. She pulled a paperback from her back pocket and slapped it into my palm. 'Renegade of Love' it read, 'is he too much for her to handle?' I was beginning to wonder that myself.