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E I G H T Y - T W O
“It’s just through here.”
Swinging open the door, Kate stepped aside, allowing Georgia to slowly shuffle into the spare bedroom. Red, swollen eyes drifted around the room, taking in the fluffy, black comforter thrown atop the twin bed, the antique lamp inherited from Kate’s grandmother centered on the mahogany nightstand and the small, hexagonal mirrors positioned above the gray headboard. Chewing her lower lip, Georgia stepped toward the neatly-organized bookshelf nestled in the corner, a pink acrylic nail brushing along the spine of one of the books. “The Haunting of Hill House,” she mumbled, nodding her head in approval. “Like the show?”
Resting against the door frame, Kate kept her arms folded, straining an uncomfortable smile as she nodded. “Feel free to read it. It’s a good book.”
Georgia stayed quiet, continuing her scan of the room, eyes settling on the framed photo of Colton and
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Rude Awakenings E I G H T Y - T H R E E
The rumble of the car engine was the only sound filling the silent void. In the front seat, Kate picked her nails, weary eyes watching the buildings speed by, a burst of color flashing through the unsettling mash of gray once every so often. Glancing at Colton, knuckles white against the black steering wheel, she gave an appreciative smile, resting her palm against the strained muscle of his thigh. Chauffeuring Georgia to her new accommodation was the last thing he wanted to do – he’d told her many times over the course of the morning – but she was grateful he’d agreed to come with her. Peeking over her shoulder, Kate caught the pointed glare of icy blue eyes, burning furiously into the affectionate gesture of Kate’s hand on Colton’s thigh. Her gaze darted up to Kate, the heated stare dissolving quickly as her taut face contorted into an unnatural smile. Awkwardly, Kate turned back to face the road, slowly sliding her hand from Colton’s blac
Rude Awakenings E I G H T Y - F O U R
The cell fell from her trembling hands, Kate slamming the drawer shut with a hard clunk. A harsh breath blew through the pages of her notepad, messy scribbles flickering before her eyes. The legs of the chair squeaked against the floorboards as she jerked away, her quivering hand covering her mouth. Colton’s booming voice spewed from the lounge-room, every furious sentence punctuated with a harsh ‘fuck’, Georgia’s name spitting out as if it were poison. Wiping the moisture from her top lip, she smoothed the fabric of her pants, clammy palms wiping against her abdomen before she tucked in her chair, fingers unwittingly digging into the cushioning as she stiffened. Letting out a shaky exhale, Kate slowly moved across the room, shutting the door with a soft click, momentarily resting against the inflexible wood.“No, I’m not fucking around with this, Bill. Either she goes or I fucking go!”The adrenaline coursing through her body
Rude Awakenings E I G H T Y - F I V E
Darkness shrouded the still bedroom, aside from the glint of the streetlight peeking through the curtained window. The bed squeaked as Kate rolled over, staring up at the ceiling, wondering what Colton was doing now. On the street below, the distant roar of car engines rumbled past, muffled music coming from somewhere across the road. Florence’s lullaby-singing bear hummed from the adjacent room, the fan in Paloma’s bedroom whirring noisily while the clock above her dresser ticked monotonously. Fiddling with the silky edge of the comforter, Kate exhaled, stretching across to grab her phone from the nightstand. Irritation flickered through her anxiety-ridden body at Colton’s lack of communication. Every time she felt like things were back on track, that she and Colton were heading in the right direction, it took a turn and they ended up right back where they started. She thought these kinds of arguments were behind them, but it was clear Colton was still struggling
Rude Awakenings E I G H T Y - S I X
Standing by the large front windows of Fourth Street Café, Kate peeked through the glass, scanning the cramped dining room for any sign of him, but found none. Returning to Paloma’s disapproving glare, Kate let out a shaky breath, the whoosh of air from a passing bus sending brown waves flying around her head, her hands lifting in a flustered attempt to smooth them. “Don’t look at me like that.”“This is a terrible fucking idea, Kate,” Paloma scolded, arms folding across her chest as she studied the cinnamon-speckled eyes before her. “Honestly, one of the worst ones yet. What the hell are you planning to get from this?”Ignoring the critical tone, Kate tugged her phone from her purse, clicking open the screen and closing it once again with a frustrated huff. “I need to do this… if he even shows up. I hope this isn’t just another one of his stupid games.”“Why do you ne
Rude Awakenings E I G H T Y - S E V E N
The wind whipped in from the car window, Paloma’s black waves flailing wildly around her face as she continued her scolding; Kate sinking further into her seat as if she were a teenager busted sneaking out at midnight. Propping her elbow against the door, Kate nestled her cheek into her palm, allowing her eyes to close while desperately attempting to tune out Paloma’s vexed jabber.“Are you even listening to me?”“No,” Kate admitted, head jerking as Paloma jolted the steering wheel to garner her attention. “Good God, are you insane?”“I think you are,” she snapped, shaking her head in disbelief at her friend’s casual indifference. “What in the world possessed you to meet with him? His number gets left in a notepad in your bedroom and the brilliant idea you come up with is to meet him?”“I know, it was stupid, but…” Kate trailed off, momentarily distra
Rude Awakenings E I G H T Y - E I G H T
Tugging her denim jacket tighter around her torso, Kate glanced across at the lake, the moon leaving a shimmery streak across its still waters. The nip in the air bristled against the shell of her ear, the hair on her neck rising as he shivered. Tangling her fingers with his, Colton pulled her into the warmth of his chest, one powerful arm encompassing her shoulders while the other rubbed his sated stomach as he groaned. Dinner had been an offbeat experience - an indulgent deviation from their typical cheap burger joint or Chinese take-out - one for which they were far too underdressed. The sting of heat in her cheeks remained as she remembered the flash of disdain from the elegantly dressed host, beady eyes skimming their jeans. It hadn’t faxed Colton in the slightest, face lighting up gleefully at the bulging of the waiter’s eyes as he removed his jacket, tattoo sleeves visible to the stiff upper-lip clientele of the restaurant. Once dinner had been eaten - Colton’s with an extra-
Rude Awakenings E I G H T Y - N I N E
After an achingly slow descent, Colton’s arm tightly constricting Kate’s shoulder with every jolt and wobble of the carriage, the attendant shuffled over, unlocking the gate and swinging it open with a hefty creak. Now that she was aware of his discomfort with heights, Kate noticed the intensity with which his fingers gripped the metal rail and the wave of relief that washed over his face as his feet hit solid ground.“You okay?” she grinned, wrapping her arm around his back as he gave her an unimpressed sideways glare.“Yes, I’m fine,” he scoffed, poking out his tongue as he tugged her into him. “What do you want to do now?”Shrugging, Kate glanced over at expansive set-up covering more than half the parking lot, flimsy steels fences buckling together, surrounding a collection of hay bales and a random bath-tub, an influx of small children inside, squealing with delight as piglets sniffed and gru
Rude Awakenings N I N E T Y
The chaos of the fair grew more and more muted as they hurried back around the lake, the flashing lights creating colorful patterns in the distance. Colton’s fingers curled around hers, forcing her feet to dance across the pavement in a frenzied step as their red SUV finally coming into view, parked gloriously beneath the glow of the streetlight.“Why’d you park there?” Kate grumbled, the ache in her belly growing more impatient, eager to be soothed by Colton’s touch.“It was the only ... never mind. Just hurry up and get in,” he commanded and Kate’s thighs clenched in anticipation.With a teasing eye roll, Kate slid into the front seat, sucking in her lower lip as she watched Colton’s jacket tighten across his broad back, his body hunching to get into his seat. Dark eyes glimmered as he glanced over, his hand rising to grasp the soft skin of her jawline, tugging her closer to plant a hard k
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