Devastate Me novel Chapter 6

Last night had been a big mistake. She shouldn't have let him kiss her. This move was supposed to give her time to breathe, to forget about guys and relationships and just let her focus on herself for a bit. Yet Ophelia kept replaying that kiss over and over in her mind. She had just asked him to be friends, and he'd pulled her into his arms and given her the most amazing kiss of her entire life. She hadn't known a kiss could feel like that, like the beginning and end of the world all at the same time. Yet it had, and she couldn't look at his house anymore without thinking about that kiss.

She forced her eyes away from the window and settled at her desk in the small room just off the dining room to begin her work. She logged in and spent the next few hours reviewing customer fashion profiles and matching their needs to a variety of potential items that could be packed and shipped off, along with a personal message to each customer. When it was five o'clock, she logged off and headed to the kitchen to figure out what to do with the rest of her Sunday.

The doorbell rang. Miranda was there at the door waiting, along with two other women.

"Miranda!"

"Hey, Ophelia. I brought two of the gals I mentioned yesterday. This is Eliza and Jennifer."

Ophelia remembered. According to Miranda, they were two of the more interesting divorcées on the street. They seemed nice, but Ophelia sensed they would love to know every little detail that Ophelia could share about Colt, now that she was living next to him. But she wouldn't talk about him, if she could help it. She was determined to have Colt as her friend, and would not betray his confidence. The last thing she would do was tell these women about how earth-shattering his kisses were.

"You off work, honey?" Miranda asked.

"I just finished for the day. What's up?"

"We ladies have an unofficial Sunday-night drink club. We would love for you to join us."

Drinks did sound nice right about now.

"I'd like that." She followed the ladies across the street to Jennifer's home. There was a long porch in the front of the house with cozy hanging benches and brightly covered deck chairs facing the street. Ophelia chose a chair and accepted a glass of white wine from Eliza.

"So, you settling in okay?" Miranda asked once everyone had drinks and was comfortably seated.

"Yes, I unpacked most of my stuff yesterday."

Eliza leaned forward, smiling deviously. "Okay, let's get to the good stuff, girls. Ophelia, we know you went over to Colt's last night. Dish, girl. It's a part of our Sunday-night ladies' code."

"How did you-?"

"I saw you," Jennifer said. "My kitchen window faces the street."

Oh boy...

"It's not what you think. I ran into Colt at the store, and he helped me after I tripped and fell."

Eliza nodded. "The tuna incident? Yeah, we heard."

"You heard?" Ophelia didn't know whether she should laugh or shake her head.

Jennifer waved a hand. "Small town. Word travels, honey. Continue."

"Anyway, I was exhausted, and he offered to cook me dinner since he was already grilling."

"Colt goes running with his dog. Every night at this time."

They all turned to watch him head in their direction as he walked down the sidewalk toward the street. He wore basketball shorts and a tank top that showed off his perfectly toned arms. He didn't even glance their way as he started to jog, his dog keeping pace.

"It's got to be the military lifestyle. He rarely misses a run." Miranda kicked her legs against the porch floor to make her bench swing a little.

"So back to this dinner," Eliza prompted. "What's his house like inside?"

"Normal?" Ophelia wasn't sure what these women expected. "A bit masculine, for sure, but it's cozy and nice. His backyard is lovely. He really has a talent for gardening."

"No kinky sex dungeon?" Jennifer asked. Eliza smacked her arm.

"What? No. I mean, I don't know. I only saw the living room, kitchen, and backyard."

"Ah, thank goodness, that leaves the basement. I was having the best fantasies of him in one of those sex rooms with toys and stuff. Fifty Shades style."

Eliza snorted. "You would. If he and I were together, we wouldn't need toys."

Ophelia watched Eliza and Jennifer trade barbs. Miranda rolled her eyes with an indulgent smile and continued to drink her wine.

The conversation soon turned to other topics-children, ex-husbands, the latest local scandals of who was building some god-awful shed or who was not keeping their lawns up to code. Ophelia sipped her wine and gazed at Colt's house, unable to avoid thinking about him and his bedroom and his imaginary sex dungeon and all the things that might happen there. She shouldn't fantasize about him, she really shouldn't, but it was hard not to with the images the ladies had put into her head.