was also grateful for him
not focusing on the fact that I wasn’t exactly desirable, since I hadn’t had a lot
of guys beating down my door to take me out. I filled him in on my best friend,
including the fact that he was gay, which seemed to appease Nate’s jealousy
somewhat. He tucked the garbage into his backpack and helped me up. “Coyote,”
he stated in a low tone, his eyes fixed on a spot in the distance.
“Where?” I asked quietly, trying
to follow his eye-line but not seeing anything against the reddish-orange
desert landscape in front of me. It sure wasn’t lush and green around here,
like San Francisco. “I’ve never seen one before.”
“Here, stand in front of me,” he
ordered, so I did as I was told. My breath hitched as Nate tucked in behind me,
placing one hand on my stomach as he rested his chin on my shoulder and pointed
with his other hand. I had to force myself to look for the coyote, rather than
close my eyes and enjoy him being so close to me, holding me. “Right there, by
the tall cactus. See him?”
“I do,” I whispered in wonder, as
I followed his directions to find the animal sniffing the air around him, like
he was trying to decide which way to go to find his prey. I’d expected
something a little more majestic, like a wolf with a beautiful coat. In reality,
he was quite scrawny, with rusty colored legs, a short gray coat, and a dirty
white underbelly and throat. But he was still my first coyote. He turned and
looked in our direction, sizing us up, then decided we weren’t a threat, or
thankfully his next meal, and scurried off with his tail wedged firmly between
his back legs. “Wow.”
“Give me an answer, Sky,” Nate
breathed in my ear. He didn’t release his hold on me and wrapped his other arm
around my waist to pull me into a firm embrace, my back to his chest, which felt
so welcome. So wanted. So needed. “Go out with me.”
“Nate,” I sighed, a war waging
between my sensible head and my need for more of him.
“You obviously find me
attractive. We’ve had a great day, we get along well, why are you resisting?”
“I already told you, my studies
are important.”
“So are mine. If I can keep up my
grades on top of everything else I do, I don’t accept that excuse from you.”
“I don’t know you well enough,” I
protested. “I know your reputation. Maybe I just need more time to get to know
you, to trust that you won’t hurt me.”
“I’ve never intentionally hurt a
woman, Sky. It’s not in my genes to do it. So, it’s not a flat-out no, it’s a
maybe?”
“Yeah,” I shrugged, not wanting
to close the door on this possibility quite yet. “I guess it’s a maybe.”
“I can live with maybe,” he
replied. He pressed his lips gently to my temple, making me close my eyes as I
quivered to feel his lingering touch. “God, I can’t wait to kiss you properly,”
he murmured, making my stomach somersault. I’d been fantasizing about the very
same thing since I’d met him. “Don’t make me wait too long. Come on, I’d better
get you back or your dad will never let me take you out for real one day. Plus,
I have some chores to do at home, some studying, and I need to check on my ma.”
“Is she ill?” I asked, not
wanting to let on that Josh had filled me in on what was obviously sensitive
and private information. Nate removed his arms from around me, and I missed the
closeness immediately.
“Kind of. She’s an alcoholic who
refuses treatment. Started when my dad died and hasn’t stopped since,” he
stated, sadness saturating his voice. I spun around to face him and he shrugged
with a tight-lipped smile. “Before you ask, I’ve tried keeping the house free
of alcohol, but that doesn’t work. She just sneaks out to try and get more on
credit. It’s the only time she leaves the house and Christ knows what trouble
she could get into when unsupervised.”
“I’m so sorry, Nate.”
“It is what it is. She’s an adult
so I can’t
not focusing on the fact that I wasn’t exactly desirable, since I hadn’t had a lot
of guys beating down my door to take me out. I filled him in on my best friend,
including the fact that he was gay, which seemed to appease Nate’s jealousy
somewhat. He tucked the garbage into his backpack and helped me up. “Coyote,”
he stated in a low tone, his eyes fixed on a spot in the distance.
“Where?” I asked quietly, trying
to follow his eye-line but not seeing anything against the reddish-orange
desert landscape in front of me. It sure wasn’t lush and green around here,
like San Francisco. “I’ve never seen one before.”
“Here, stand in front of me,” he
ordered, so I did as I was told. My breath hitched as Nate tucked in behind me,
placing one hand on my stomach as he rested his chin on my shoulder and pointed
with his other hand. I had to force myself to look for the coyote, rather than
close my eyes and enjoy him being so close to me, holding me. “Right there, by
the tall cactus. See him?”
“I do,” I whispered in wonder, as
I followed his directions to find the animal sniffing the air around him, like
he was trying to decide which way to go to find his prey. I’d expected
something a little more majestic, like a wolf with a beautiful coat. In reality,
he was quite scrawny, with rusty colored legs, a short gray coat, and a dirty
white underbelly and throat. But he was still my first coyote. He turned and
looked in our direction, sizing us up, then decided we weren’t a threat, or
thankfully his next meal, and scurried off with his tail wedged firmly between
his back legs. “Wow.”
“Give me an answer, Sky,” Nate
breathed in my ear. He didn’t release his hold on me and wrapped his other arm
around my waist to pull me into a firm embrace, my back to his chest, which felt
so welcome. So wanted. So needed. “Go out with me.”
“Nate,” I sighed, a war waging
between my sensible head and my need for more of him.
“You obviously find me
attractive. We’ve had a great day, we get along well, why are you resisting?”
“I already told you, my studies
are important.”
“So are mine. If I can keep up my
grades on top of everything else I do, I don’t accept that excuse from you.”
“I don’t know you well enough,” I
protested. “I know your reputation. Maybe I just need more time to get to know
you, to trust that you won’t hurt me.”
“I’ve never intentionally hurt a
woman, Sky. It’s not in my genes to do it. So, it’s not a flat-out no, it’s a
maybe?”
“Yeah,” I shrugged, not wanting
to close the door on this possibility quite yet. “I guess it’s a maybe.”
“I can live with maybe,” he
replied. He pressed his lips gently to my temple, making me close my eyes as I
quivered to feel his lingering touch. “God, I can’t wait to kiss you properly,”
he murmured, making my stomach somersault. I’d been fantasizing about the very
same thing since I’d met him. “Don’t make me wait too long. Come on, I’d better
get you back or your dad will never let me take you out for real one day. Plus,
I have some chores to do at home, some studying, and I need to check on my ma.”
“Is she ill?” I asked, not
wanting to let on that Josh had filled me in on what was obviously sensitive
and private information. Nate removed his arms from around me, and I missed the
closeness immediately.
“Kind of. She’s an alcoholic who
refuses treatment. Started when my dad died and hasn’t stopped since,” he
stated, sadness saturating his voice. I spun around to face him and he shrugged
with a tight-lipped smile. “Before you ask, I’ve tried keeping the house free
of alcohol, but that doesn’t work. She just sneaks out to try and get more on
credit. It’s the only time she leaves the house and Christ knows what trouble
she could get into when unsupervised.”
“I’m so sorry, Nate.”
“It is what it is. She’s an adult
so I can’t
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