This Side of the Sun (The Sun Trilogy) (5 page)

I woke not knowing where I was. Blinking my eyes, I sat up in bed and saw that the room I was in was full of dark shades of brown and orange and red. Saul. I was in Saul’s room. Remembering falling asleep with him, my heart started racing when I realized I was now alone. I gripped the sheets with my hands and took a deep breath, willing myself to calm down. It wasn’t like me to feel anxious like this. I swung my legs out from under the covers and slid out of the bed until my feet touched the floor. There was a thick wool area rug covering a portion of the wood floor. I walked toward the bathroom. Once my feet left the rug, the chill of the room hit me head-on. I rushed the rest of the distance to the bathroom door. Once inside, I stared at myself in the mirror. My hair was a mess and I looked scrawny in Saul’s large t-shirt. It had a chipmunk on the front, which made me giggle to myself. I hurried and used the toilet, and then returned to the mirror. I felt guilty doing so, but decided to search the two drawers in the cabinet in front of me. I had hoped for a brush, but had to settle for a comb. I tamed my curls the best I could and then braided my hair over my left shoulder. I didn’t have a hair tie or rubber band, so knew it wouldn’t last long. I found a tube of Crest and put some on my index finger, which I used to scrub my teeth.

Walking back into the bedroom, I looked around for the sweatpant shorts Saul had loaned me. Coming up empty, I decided to be brave and left the bedroom wearing just the t-shirt and my panties. The rest of the cabin smelled of bacon and cinnamon rolls. My stomach began growling. Saul was standing in the kitchen, wearing the missing sweats he had let me borrow
but still bare-chested. He looked up, smiling, as I approached. He was even hotter than I had recalled and I knew I was blushing.

“Morning,” he said with a quick wink.

“Morning.” I stood in the middle of the room, just watching him. I wasn't sure really how to act, and felt a bit vulnerable wearing what I was.

“Hungry?”
he asked.

I nodded.

“Bacon will be ready in about two minutes. Cinnamon rolls are still on the table. OJ’s fresh.” He chuckled. “Ok, well, the OJ is from a bottle.”

I walked slowly toward him, holding the hem of the t-shirt down a bit. He watched me like he wanted to eat me for dessert, making my face feel even warmer. He began piling the sizzling bacon onto a plate that was lined with a paper towel, and carried it to a small dinette set where a plate of scrambled eggs and cinnamon rolls waited.

“Sorry the chairs don’t match,” he said with a smile. “Not much in this place does.”

“That’s okay.”

I sat in one of the two chairs and stretched the t-shirt over my knees.

He placed two strips of bacon onto my plate and followed it with a scoop of eggs and a cinnamon roll. I wasn't used to being waited upon.

“Thanks, Saul. This was really nice of you.”

He sat across from me and piled food onto his own plate. I took a bite of eggs first.

“Like them?” he asked, scooping a bite of eggs into his own mouth.

“
Mmm hmm.”

“I use onion salt. Just a pinch. I’m famous for my eggs.”

“They’re good.”

“Just good?” he faked surprise.

“Well…” I began. “I’ve had better.”

I took another bite and watched his face.

“Better than these? When?”

“Last night.”

I smiled when he looked confused.

“You, Saul. You tasted better.” I rolled my eyes at him teasingly.

Slowly, a grin spread across his face.

“You ready to go fishing today?”

I nodded. “Yeah, but I need some clothes.”

“Nah, you look great just like you are. Especially blushing like that.”

“Sorry about that. I’ve always gotten embarrassed easily. My face will turn fifty shades of red if I’m not careful.”

“Do you want to call home? Let them know you’re okay?”

I shook my head. “Maybe later.”

“They’re probably worried.”

“I know. After breakfast?”

He sighed gently. “Okay.”

We continued to eat in relative silence, occasionally sneaking a quick glance at one another. I wasn't able to finish all of my food, but Saul was glad to help. He ate more than anyone I had ever seen before. He caught me smiling at him and winked at me.

***

We spent the rest of the morning sitting on the couch in his living room, watching the fire. It was the most relaxed I’d been in days. We talked about silly things: what we had wanted to be when we grew up, our favorite bands and colors and foods. He was easy to be around, despite my inexperience with men.

“Are we really going fishing today?” I asked.

“If you want to, sure. I have a little rowboat and two poles. All we’d need is bait. Oh, and fishing licenses. We’ll grab you one in town. Some clothes too. Actually, it’s close to noon. We should get going.”

I nodded. My legs were draped over his lap and I lifted them, swinging them over the edge of the couch. He stood and offered me a free hand, which I took all too willingly. His hand was big,
and his fingers long. My own small hand became lost in his grip.

“You have tiny hands,” he said.

I smiled. “I was just thinking about how big yours are.”

“They can do magical things,” he said with a smug grin. “Maybe I’ll show you later.”

I wasn't quite sure how to take what he had said, and my face must have showed my surprise.

“Get your mind out of the gutter. I was just talking about a back rub.”

He stood facing me, now holding both of my hands in his. I didn’t really see him step closer, but all of a sudden he was so near that I could feel his body heat. He leaned down and kissed the middle of my forehead.

“You need to call home,” he whispered.

I groaned. It hadn’t been quite what I had wanted to hear. “Yeah. I guess so.”

Saul reached behind himself and took his cell phone off of the coffee table. “I can wait in the other room if you want?” he offered as he handed me the smartphone.

I shook my head ‘no’ and began to dial. I knew no one would be home, but dialed our landline first anyway. To my surprise, the line was answered on the first ring.

“Hello?” It was Justine’s voice.

“Justine? It’s Hattie.”

“Hattie! My God! We’re all so worried. Where are you?”

“I’m ok. I’m with a friend.”

I could hear Joe yelling in the background,
demanding the phone.

I sat on the couch, waiting for Justine to say something. Anything.

“Justine?”

“Hat. It’s Joe. Where they hell are you? I’ll come get you.”

“Joe. Calm down. I’m fine.”

I was met with silence, other than people in the background asking what was going on and if I was okay. I could picture Joe with his nervous habit of grabbing his hair in his fist while he thought.

“Hattie. You’ve had us all scared shitless. Tell me where you are and I’ll come get you.”

I could tell by his tone that he was pissed.

“Joe, I’m fine. My friend will bring me home later.”

“You mean that f
ucking stranger Everett saw you leave the club with?”

“He’s not a stranger. And stop talking to me like that.”

“C’mon, this is ridiculous. You’ve already ruined our wedding night, Hattie. We’re all worried about you.”

“Well, I guess you can thank Everett for that.”

I was getting angry and trying to not hang up on him.

Saul held his hand out for the phone, obviously picking up on my frustration. “I’ll talk to him,” he said.

“Hang on, Joe.”

I handed the phone to Saul and leaned back against the couch cushions

“Saul here. Yes, she’s fine. She’s not quite ready yet but I’ll have her home tonight.”

I took a deep breath. I had no idea everyone had been sitting around worried about me.

“Uh huh,” continued Saul. “She’s fine, I promise. And I’ll keep her that way.”

Saul took the phone from his ear and handed it back to me.

“Someone named Miranda wants to talk to you.”

I sighed, and then held the phone to my ear. “Hi Miranda.”

“Hattie, can you please just let one of us come get you?”

“I’ll be home later.”

Her pause worried me. “You just stay safe, you hear?”

“I am. I will. Bye.”

I hit the end button on the phone and handed it back to Saul.

“They sound pretty pissed,” he said.

“Yeah. I guess so.”

“You sure you don’t want me to take you back? You can show them you’re okay and I can pick you up later. We could fish another day, and you could let me take you out to dinner tonight instead?”

“I guess I do need some clothes. I can’t live in your t-shirt.”

He grinned, showing off his awesome smile. “You could live out of it.”

I leaned back and nudged him lightly with a bare foot.

“Okay. You win. You can take me home, but will you pick me up by two o’clock? I have a feeling I won’t want to be there for long
.”

“That I can do. Even better, we’ll stop and get you a prepaid cell. That way you can call me if you need me.”

“Why are you being so nice to me?” I stretched my legs out and put them on his lap. He rubbed my bare shins, warming me.

“Because I really like you.”

He looked at me unsmiling, his eyes bright and his face full of sincerity. I smiled softly in return, and reached a hand out toward him. He took it and we connected on a level that was quiet and soft.

“I like you too, Saul.”

He held his other arm out, indicating he wanted me to come closer. I moved my legs from his lap and tucked them behind me and then scooted closer to him. I had intended to just lean against his side, but he wrapped his arms around me and moved me onto his lap. I leaned against his bare chest as his strong arms held me tight. I felt his lips kiss the top of my head and I snuggled closer.

“You smell good,” he whispered. “Like sunshine and honey.”

I could feel a hardness in his lap.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, sensing me tense.

“Uh…” I was a bit too embarrassed to explain that I could feel his manhood.

“Hattie, you’re on your sixth shade of red. What is it?” He looked genuinely concerned.

I started to get off his lap but he kept a hold on me.

“Ah, sorry about that,” he said,
finally realizing what was wrong. “It has a mind of its own.”

I looked away, somewhat mortified and really not sure how to handle the situation. All I had wanted during the night was to explore his body and vice versa, but now, fully awake, I suddenly felt self-conscious.

“Hey, it’s all right. I swear I’ll keep it in my pants and make it behave.”

He began laughing, and I knew by how hot my face felt that it must be my awkwardness that he found funny.

“Oh my God this is embarrassing,” I groaned.

“Hattie. Look at me.” His voice was deep, soothing, and very serious.

I looked at his chest, and he placed a finger under my chin to encourage me to meet his eyes.

“Th
at’s better,” he said quietly.

We just looked at each other for a long moment. As the silence grew awkward, I acted without much thought. I leaned forward and placed my lips upon his. I had hoped he’d take it from there, but I felt his body tense and he didn’t kiss me back quite like I had expected. I backed away just far enough to look him in the eyes again. His face had a softness about it, and his eyes were full of longing in contrast to his lack of response to my feeble attempt at romance. He was breathing deeply and slowly. I placed a palm against his chest and slowly moved my legs so that I was straddling him. His lap was still telling me he was interested, as were his eyes. I felt the rise and fall of his chest with my hand, and gently placed the other on the side of his face. His face was rugged, and his stubble unexpectedly soft.

I leaned forward again, kissing him on the lips a bit more firmly. As I tasted him and inhaled his scent, he finally responded as I had craved. Together we deepened the kiss, our mouths hungrily taking each other in.

He slowly moved his mouth from mine, trailing his tongue down the side of my neck to my ear. “Are you sure you want this?”

I leaned back a bit, nodding softly. He took hold of the bottom of the t-shirt I was wearing, and gently lifted it upward. I raised my arms as he pulled it over my head. I had never sat naked in front of a man before, and swallowed hard in fear that he might hate what he saw.

“You’re beautiful,” he said
with a soft sigh.

He placed his large hands over my bare breasts, kneading them gently and lovingly. I bit my lower lip and closed my eyes. My body began to take over and I ground myself against the bulge in his pants.