The Way Back

Aftershocks

After minutes, she gave up with trying to figure out how to adjust the seat. The petite blonde scooted her butt to the edge of the seat and frowned as her pregnant belly bumped against the steering wheel. Stevie wasn't comfortable as she stretched her short legs and blindly pressed her foot onto the brake. The throaty V8 roared, and the RPMs soared. She screamed and removed her foot off the pedal, falling back against the seat and catching her breath. Stevie put her hands over the face in sheer embarrassment. She put her foot on the gas instead of the brake. She killed the engine and maneuvered out of the car.

On the walk back to the house, she racked her brain on where Lindsey could be. He couldn't have gone far. She reentered the house and shrugged out of her coat, leaving it where it fell onto the floor. Stevie stomped into the kitchen and took the kettle from the cabinet. She filled it with water and placed it onto the cold stove, drumming her nails against the countertop and thinking. Sulamith barked, and she turned her attention the dog. "What is it, Sula?" she asked even though she knew she wouldn't get a response. The terrier pawed at the doors leading to the backyard. Stevie grumbled and let the dog out. Her eyes widened. Guesthouse.

She stepped outside, marching to the small house with the dog following behind her. Stevie opened the door and walked into the living room. There he was – passed out on the sofa, mouth hanging open, drool dribbling down the corner of his mouth, and snoring like a freight train. She glared at the half empty bottle of scotch. Stevie sat down on the coffee table and observed him, rolling her eyes so hard she could have sworn she saw the folds of her brain. "Lindsey!" she shouted. He mumbled in his sleep and wallowed into the cushions. She wished she'd brought pots and pans with her from the main house to wake him. "Lindsey!" she yelled again and shook him forcefully.

His arms propelled forward and hooked around her, pulling her on top of him. Lindsey sighed contentedly and slid his hands down to her butt, squeezing. Undoubtedly, he was still deep into his alcohol aided sleep since he was handsy with her. Hours ago, the man didn't want her touching him. Stevie angrily swiped her bangs out of her eyes and shifted her weight on top of him. She propped her elbows on his chest, digging the sharp joints into him.

"Lindsey," she cooed, stroking her nail down his cheek. "Wake up!" she slapped her fingers against his skin.

His eyes fluttered, and he hissed at the pain shooting through his skull. He rubbed the back of his head and opened his eyes fully. "Fuck," he muttered and closed his right eye quickly. It hurt to open or close the eye. It felt like there was sandpaper scraping across his eyeball.

Stevie sucked in her breath and touched his cheek. "Lindsey, look at me."

"Why the hell are you on top of me?"

"Shut up and look at me," she ordered and gripped his chin in between her thumb and index finger, jerking his face to her.

"Stop," he muttered grumpily and reached up to rub his eyeball. It felt like something was stuck in his eye. All he wanted to do was rub and rub. It was driving him insane. He glared with his good eye as she smacked his hand down from his face.

"You stop," she fired back and winced, getting a good look. She felt queasy examining the damage. The area around his gorgeous blue eye was swollen and irritated. She noticed the tiny scratches too. "Open your eye, please."

"No. It hurts," he whined, sticking out his lips in a childlike pout.

"Lindsey," Stevie said, irritation rising in her voice.

He griped and complained under his breath but hesitantly did as he was told. Stevie bit her lip and felt guilty. It was her fault. She had thrown the shawl at him, but she hadn't meant to hurt him. She didn't even realize she was throwing a beaded shawl. She keenly stared and gnawed at her lip. The white of his eye wasn't white. It was red and pink but mostly red. "Close your eye," she told him, unable to look at the inflamed area any longer. "Does it hurt...a lot?"