Page 29 of Elf-ish

With the shower off, the silence in the room is an eerie echo of nothing.

“Okay. Yep.” I state again, rather too strongly.

Angelica pops her head through the bathroom door. Her wide eyes land on me, and I point to the phone by my ear before turning back toward the window.

“Okay. Good idea. We’ll talk later.” I pretend to snap off the device and hang my head for a second.

“Why are you in here?” I can almost hear Angelica’s voice in my head.

“It’s a funny story . . .” my thoughts counter like my great-grandfather taught me as a stall tactic.

“Jude?”

I spin on my heels. Her hair is covered by the massive twist of a white towel. The robe she’d been wearing earlier now covers what I’m certain is a still naked body underneath the lush cloth.

I’ve never been so jealous of a robe. The pleasure of that material touching her skin.

Her eyes avoid mine. “I didn’t hear you come in.” She swallows while her gaze aims away from me.

“I was on the phone,” I lie.

“Oh. I had my audiobook on kind of loud to be heard over the shower.” She pauses, eyes shifting in my direction and then quickly flicking away. “Did you . . . I mean, did it . . . was it too loud?”

I bet I could make you cry out louder.

“You had an audiobook running? I didn’t hear it.” I lift my hand holding the phone, but it feels like the heaviest weight I’ve ever pressed. I shake the device. “On the phone,” I remind her. “Focused on the conversation.”

“Oh.” Her mouth pinches, her eyes still avoid mine.

I could give you something to unpucker those lips. Would you like that, baby girl?

The montage in my head isn’t helping me downplay the truth.

I fucking heard every word that narrator said and every moan and plea from Angelica in response.

She looks thoroughly embarrassed. Hand caught in the cookie jar, or rather, between her thighs.

The thought forces my gaze to where the folds of the robe cover her legs. Last night, when she took a seat on the barstool, her dress slid to the side, exposing one lush thigh crossed over the other, and the struggle to pull my gaze from her was real.

She is temptation at every turn. An angelic devil, if there ever was such a thing.

“I’m going for a walk. Head outside for a little bit.” I need to clear my head, and some cold, crisp country air will do the trick.

“It’s cold outside,” Angelica counters.

What does that ice queen say: the cold never bothered her anyway? I rush for my suitcase and flip up the lid.

Angelica watches as I rummage through my bag for a base layer to put beneath my jeans and sweater.

“I could come with you,” she offers, which causes me to spin and face her.

“Yeah?” I shouldn’t be encouraging her. We need some distance. I need space.

“Yeah.” She shrugs, leaning against the corner where the short hall meets the larger room. She tips her head against the hard edge. “But I don’t want to be in your way, if you need to make more phone calls or want some time alone.”

Alone. Nope. That’s the last thing I really want, but I also don’t know if I can spend another minute near her without exploding.

Still, having her as a companion might also be nice. I don’t typically take walks with someone else.