Caveman (Wild Men 1)

Just then he looks up, catches my gaze and his gaze sharpens, narrows.

And he smiles, a faint, soft curve of his lips that brands itself on my soul and stays with me as I take the bus home and lie in my bed in the night.

He has beautiful smile, even hesitant and uncertain like now. I’d love to see him grin. As a matter of fact, what would his laughter sound like?

So I lie in my bed and wonder… what would it take to hear it?

The next couple of days pass smoothly enough. Matt went shopping like he promised and brought back everything I could think of and then some. We stuffed the fridge and cupboards, and there’s even ice cream and cookie dough in there.

I want his kids to eat healthy, but they’re kids, and they deserve something sweet at the end of the day.

As does he, that little voice in the back of my head pipes up. He deserves some sugar.

That’s one naughty, bad little voice.

Matt can eat ice cream with his kids, and shut up about it.

Talking to myself probably isn’t a good sign for my sanity. As if I didn’t know it when I told him I was staying. We’ve been avoiding the elephant in the room, pretending it never happened. Never mentioned it again. What happens in the kitchen, stays in the kitchen, and it’s okay. I’m over it.

I don’t really want to talk about it, anyway, so this suits me just fine.

Really. Just fine.

And it makes no sense why, when I find Adam waiting for me outside my house and suggests we go for ice cream, I immediately say yes.

I mean, he didn’t come back after our last outing. I figured he wasn’t coming back. Not that I’d blame him. I told Matt that Adam is not my boyfriend, and I thought the message had gone through, loud and clear when I refused to kiss Adam goodnight.

You’d think he’d avoid me after that. That he’d be pissed. His masculinity wounded, or something. But he smiles at me as we walk through the quiet streets.

I stare at his smile a moment too long, still thinking of Matt’s faint smile when I told him I was staying. So different, their expressions. I still haven’t put my finger on the difference when Adam asks me how I’ve been.

“Fine,” I tell him. “Busy.”

“Still a nanny?”

“Yeah. I love those kids.”

He starts whistling a tune, his hands in his pockets as we reach the ice cream shop. He only stops when we stand in the small line. “Didn’t think you’d still be working for that guy. He’s a real piece of work.”

“Why do you say that?” I frown at him.

He doesn’t reply.

We give our orders, and I catch Jessica winking at him.

Seriously?

And should I be upset?

Shaking my head, I accept my cone and we walk back outside. I’m quiet. Not sure what to say when he’s not saying a word. Weirdly, he’s smiling again.

“So, no more threatening messages?” I finally ask as we approach the house. “I haven’t seen you around. You’ve been busy, too?”

“Been visiting my sister,” he says.

“Is she okay?”

“Not really.” He swallows his ice cream in three bites, cone and all. We stop at my front gate and this time when he smiles down at me, I think I’ve figured out what’s bothering me about this expression.