Taste (Take It Off #9)(14)
Author: Cambria Hebert

What if it was them? What if they were calling me to ask me why the president wasn’t dead?

As I freaked out, the phone stopped ringing. The room was thrust back into silence.

It was probably just a wrong number.

I left all the lights on and exited the room, taking my tea, snack, and phone with me. My foot hit the bottom step and the phone started ringing again. It startled me and I jumped, spilling the hot tea down the front of my shirt.

I yelped and quickly unloaded what I was holding onto the step and pulled the saturated shirt away from my skin. Beneath it, my stomach stung from the burn.

The phone was still ringing and it pissed me off. Not only was I scared, but now I was burned, and if this ringing woke up Jack, I was going to scream.

“What?” I hissed into the line after I silenced the evil ringing.

“Elle?” answered a familiar voice.

“Spencer?” I said, surprised. All the anger drained away.

“Yeah, it’s me,” he said. “Did I wake you?”

“No. How did you get my number?” I asked suspiciously, still holding the shirt away.

“From your file at work,” he said, like it was obvious.

“I didn’t realize employee files were community property.”

“They aren’t.”

Damned if I didn’t smile at the sheepish tone of his voice.

“Why are you calling, Spence?” I asked.

“I’m outside.”

“What!” I gasped, looking toward the nearest window. Of course I had all the blinds and curtains drawn so I couldn’t see anything. Even if I could, he wouldn’t just be standing there out in the open.

I hope.

“You aren’t supposed to be here!” I hissed.

“Can I come in?” he asked, and I noticed he was trying to keep his voice low.

I couldn’t exactly say no. Having a guy lurking around my property would look suspicious. And yes, okay, maybe a tiny part of me wanted him to come inside.

“What door are you at?” I asked.

“I’m not at any door yet.” He paused briefly. “Turn off all the lights on the main floor like you’re going upstairs for the night. Leave the back door unlocked. I’ll come in after a few minutes and lock the door behind me.”

“Ummm,” I said, not sure I was totally comfortable with this plan. “I have all the lights on for a reason,” I told him.

“I won’t be seen in the dark,” he said. “It’s easier to hide in the shadows.”

I shivered. If he was in the shadows, who else was, too?

“Elle,” he whispered. The sound of my name drew all my attention to the voice in my ear. “If you don’t want me to come in, say the word. I’ll leave right now.”

A little bit of panic rose up inside me. I didn’t want him to leave. I didn’t want to go upstairs and know just moments ago he’d been here, but he no longer was.

Without saying anything, I walked through the main floor and shut off all the lights. If he was as close as he said, he would know what that meant. Then I unlocked the back door.

Please, don’t let this be a mistake.

I stood in the center of the kitchen, my bare feet against the cold tile, and gripped the phone to my ear, not saying a word.

He didn’t say anything either.

A few seconds later, the back door creaked open. It wasn’t that loud of a sound, but to me it was deafening.

Spencer quickly shut the door behind him and turned, withdrawing something from his pocket. The dim glow of his phone illuminated just a portion of his face as he held it up to shut off the call and stuffed the phone back into his pocket.

I, too, hung up my phone.

We stood there listening to the night, making sure there were no other strange sounds. When everything appeared to be fine, Spence moved quietly across the room and took my hand. His fingers were warm and they linked through my chilled ones with confidence. He tugged me through the house, moving with grace even though it was pitch black and he didn’t know where any of the furniture was.

When we reached the stairs, I hurried in front of him to pick up the stuff I left on the step. When I couldn’t fit it all into one hand, he reached out and took the mug, preferring to carry it for me, releasing my hand.

I forgot how intimate holding hands was.

People don’t realize how singular they are. How contained their bodies are and how we mostly have a bubble of personal space around us. Holding hands with Spencer was like he defied all of that. He bypassed it by reaching into my bubble and linking us together. His fingers weaved through mine seamlessly, like it was exactly where they belonged. My personal space was invaded; that little bubble around me popped.

I didn’t mind at all.

At the top of the stairs, Spence paused, not sure which way to go. I tugged him into the room on the right—my bedroom. After I dumped everything in my hand onto the bed, I left the room to once again check on Jack.

He was sleeping like a little angel, and it made me feel even more at peace.

When I left his room, I skidded to a halt in the center of the hallway. Spencer was leaning in the doorframe leading to my room. From the lamp lit in my room, I could see him for the first time since he came inside. He was dressed in a pair of low-slung dark jeans, sneakers, and a long-sleeved black waffle-knit tee.

There was a black baseball hat pulled down over his face, covering his dark-blond hair and concealing a lot of his face.

As I stared at him, he tipped his head back to stare at me from beneath the brim. “Hey,” he rumbled.

“Hey,” I echoed. The wet fabric of my shirt brushed my skin and I remembered I was wet, had on no pants and no bra.

I hurried toward my room, mortified and wanting to actually put on some clothes, but Spencer didn’t seem to realize my haste.

I stopped short of colliding with his broad chest.

“I need to, uh, change,” I said, my voice totally unsteady. He affected me in ways I’d never known. It was amazing how just his close proximity could make my body flush with heat yet also make me tremble with nerves.

“I like ya just the way ya are,” he drawled.

I glanced up to where his eyes were shaded by his hat and fought the giddy sensation rising up in my middle. “I spilled tea all over my shirt. It burned me,” I blurted out.

Like you couldn’t have thought of anything even remotely sexy to say? I scolded myself.

This is not the time to be sexy! another voice within me shouted.

My Jekyll-and-Hyde bickering was cut short when Spencer straightened from lounging inside the doorframe and narrowed his eyes on me. “You burned yourself?”