Lost.

“Ah, well thanks.” I said hoisting the stack of papers onto my hip. I still need to cover more ground before I have to start job hunting.

I was just about to walk away when I heard the Sexiness’ husky voice say, “Do you need help?”

I stopped in my tracks. Do I need help from the Sexiness?

“No thanks, you’ve done enough already.” I smiled at him and started walking away. I just moved into this town, I shouldn’t be looking for romance—I need to settle in first.

Besides, I don’t think he would be my type. He looks like a good guy, a college graduate type.

I attract trouble like flies to honey, so naturally I need a strong guy to be able to take care of me. Sure, he looks strong but anybody can bulk up now a days.

What I need is a real man.

“Hey!” I turned back to look at him, “Are you sure about that?” he asked just as a strong gust of wind came and all of the flyers fluttered out of my arms.

The majority of them stuck themselves onto the building behind me, but the rest flew onto the nearby shops windows and in the middle of the street.

Cars honked as they crushed my papers under their massive weight.

“Bite me!” I shouted angrily, why do they keep jumping out of my hands?!

Shadow merely chuckled—and yes that did send chills all over—but he started to quickly pick up the flyers. I scrambled to pick them up too, before another massive car decides to crush my hard work.

We were both crouched on the sidewalk when he handed me the stack of flyers he had collected and his skin came into brief contact with mine. The shivers went from my hand all throughout my body.

“Are you cold?” Shadow asked genuinely concerned, which is weird because you normally don’t care for someone you just met not even an hour ago.

I shook my head causing my dirty hair to flap everywhere, I ran a hand through it to push it back, “No, it’s just going to take us freaking forever to pick them all up.”

Shadow just nodded. Then he stuck his fingers into his mouth and whistled- loudly. I cringed from the sudden noise so close to my ear.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” the Sexiness said gently caressing my ears, it sent hot shivers everywhere.

“I-I’m fine,” I said, again with the stuttering!

Suddenly there were two boys or should I say men that were looming over us. I glared up at them, not because they were so damn huge but because the sun was in my eyes. I was waiting for them to tell us to move, or try shoving us aside. But what happened next was what really got me.

“Boys, can you do this beautiful lady the kind favor of picking up all these flyers?” my mouth dropped open, was he seriously asking them that? He stood up and I saw that the Sexiness was bigger than these men.

Holy fuck dude.

The Sexiness stuck his hand out for me to take. I grabbed it, and ignoring the pleasant chills he gave me, he helped me up. I dusted myself off. The Sexiness turned to continue speaking to the men.

“Oh, and post them around town while you’re at it,” he began to walk away with his hand on my back guiding the way, “much appreciated boys,” he called back to them.

The stranger part was that they seemed really happy and eager to do the work he had just assigned them. Okay, so I can cross out “Safe College Graduate Boy” off of my suspicions list. But then that means that he must have a big influence in this town.

I don’t mind a guy who has influence over others, it’s when they have power that I have to start worrying. You never know when they may have connections to the dirty people in my past.

“Let’s go get some coffee to warm us up, shall we?” he looked down at me with his irresistible dimples showing. How could I reject an offer like that?

“It's a date then, cowboy,” I winked back up at him. He laughed sending chills to me again.

He felt me shiver and wrapped a large sexy arm around my shoulder, and he began rubbing my arms creating heat in more than one place. I leaned into him, I didn’t meant to I just did.

Even if I had just met him, I didn’t mind him touching me.

He felt like home.

I wouldn't mind an impromptu date with this fine thing right beside me.

**
“So I’m about to freaking pee on myself right?” I held back a giggle but the Sexiness let out his husky chuckle, “What? When you enter a10 gallon water drinking contest and win, you can then tell me that the urge to pee isn’t strong!”

He only shook his head trying to contain his laughter, “Continue”

“Alright, so I raise my hand and ask the teacher if I could use the restroom. And she said,” I cleared my throat and prepped my old hag voice, “ she was like ‘You can’ and I stood up but then she was like ‘I said you can, not that you may’” by now the Sexiness is laughing gently at my impression of my old teacher, “ I wasn’t going to sit back down and pee myself, so I said ‘If I can then you can bet I will’ and I left. And got detention”

“That’s it?” he asked slightly disappointed.

“Nope. When I got to the girls bathroom- this chick had locked it! Sooo” his eyes went wide in anticipation of what I had to say next, “I used the boys room.” His chuckle was even louder this time.

“What did you do to the girl?”

“You know me so well, Mr. Chase!” I teased him by using his last name, it was my turn to laugh. How would he know that a girl wasn’t about to try and torture me and get away scot free?

“Well Ms. Evergreen, you are a strong and independent young woman.” I stared at him some more knowing that wasn’t all of it, “And also because you’re the type to get away with things like that”

I let my laugh run free, “You’re so right!”. Once I had calmed down from my laughter, I continued my story, “The next day, during lunch, I got this girl to distract the chick. When she wasn’t looking, my friend and I slipped some worms into her sandwich. When she bit into it her face was priceless!” I stopped to take a sip of my coffee

Shadow had now let out his booming laugh.

“ The only thing she did was hop around while flapping her arms” I mimicked her by waving my hands around crazily.

His released laughter was enough to send a strong wave of shivers through me. I tried to cover it with a cough, but the Sexiness noticed.

“Are you cold?” he asked, again. For like the twelfth time in the past hour alone.

“Shit dude, I’m fine. Don’t worry,” I huffed taking another sip of my sweet coffee.

He sighed and leaned forward, “Such foul words shouldn’t be coming out that pretty mouth of yours” he whispered as he pushed a lock of my dirty hair behind my ear, the back of his fingers touching my cheek as he did so.

“Sorry. My hairs real gross, huh?”

He looked at me before he burst out laughing again. And it sent deep shivers, again. I closed my eyes shook my head while I waited for the impending question to come. But it didn’t come, instead I was wrapped in warmth.

I opened my eyes and saw that he wasn’t sitting in front of me anymore, but he was in the same seat, hugging me.

“This way I don’t have to ask if you’re cold or not” He said and I laughed. His voice had been creating vibrations and I found myself leaning in to feel more.

The hour of us telling each other countless stories was really softening me up for him.

Not to mention that he smells like the sexiness that he is.

We had been sitting in the coffee shop a block down from the coffee shop where I had made the bet with Jockstrap and his friends.

I looked out the window and saw my reflections, “Damn, my hair looks like shit.”

“Lenora, language,” Shadow scolded.

“What?” I turned back to my coffee cup, “I can’t help wonder what I was thinking when I thought it was fine going out in public like this” I reached up and felt a clump of my hair sticking together with some sort of substance, “What is this? Ketchup?” I asked horrified. How did that get into my hair?!

“It’s uh bloo-” Shadow coughed, “it’s not that bad.”

I laughed, “Yes it is!”

I took a sip of my coffee when I felt darkness engulf me. After a few seconds, my head was peeping out of a pull over sweater. I looked at Shadow and he only smiled at me, “This way no one can see your hair, and you’ll be warm!”

If he hadn’t looked so damn cute I would’ve yelled at him, but instead I laughed.

I glanced at the clock on the wall, “Look at the time! Shit, I gotta go.” I said quickly standing up. I needed to get back to my boys

“Language.” He scolded me.

“Sorry, Shadow. I had a great time but, I have to get back to my boys.”

He suddenly stopped smiling, “Boys? You live with a bunch of boys?”

“Yeah.” I looked at him weirdly, “I need to go now or else I won’t catch the bus.”

“Tell me where you live, so I can drop you off with your boys” he said abruptly standing up.

“Shadow.” I complained. Right when I was having an awesome time with this guy something goes wrong.

“A lady shouldn’t live alone with guys. It’s not right.”

I shook my head at him, “It’s fine they’re my friends. Come meet them if you want.” I said challenging him. I don’t think he and my friends will mix very well.

Mature sexiness doesn’t seem to mix with a bunch of teens in a band.

His face seemed less serious after I had said that, “Alright then, I will”

Ah, fuck.