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Relentless
By Cassia Leo
Excerpt from Chapter Six
When I arrive at Cora’s house at five minutes
past three, I only have to knock once before the lock turns and the door creaks
open. Adam is standing before me wearing a soft smile and I know he’s probably
been here all day.
“Come on in,” he says, holding the door wide open
for me.
I walk inside and Cora is sitting in her recliner
in front of the television with Bigfoot in her lap. The apartment is clean and
the usual sharp litter box smell is gone. Cora looks up and smiles so big I can
see the gap where she’s missing her two back molars.
“Hello, honey. Have you met Adam Parker? He’s your
new neighbor,” she says in a voice that makes me feel a little like a
preschooler being introduced to a classmate. “I think you two should get to
know each other.”
She obviously doesn’t know about our date yet.
Adam takes a seat on the sofa, on the side closest
to the recliner, and pats the cushion next to him. “Yeah, come sit down,
Claire. Let’s get to know each other.”
I take a seat on the sofa, making sure to put at
least a foot of space between Adam and I, then I turn to Cora. “What did you do
today? Where’s Tina?”
“Adam’s been taking care of me today. He gave her
the day off,” she says, and her eyes crinkle with delight.
I narrow my eyes at him and he grabs Cora’s hand
as he turns back to her. “It was my pleasure. I didn’t have anything to do
today since the only other person I know in this town was working.”
“You work too much, Claire,” Cora chimes in, as
she continues to stroke Bigfoot with her free hand.
Geez.
It’s like these two have spent the past six hours rehearsing a routine to get
Adam and me together. First he switches my schedule without my knowledge and
now he’s using Cora to get on my good side. He is a master conspirator.
I stand up and do a quick check around the kitchen
just to satisfy my curiosity. As expected, he did everything I asked. He even
stocked her cupboard with plenty of hot cereal packets and her refrigerator
with lots of fresh fruit.
“Well, it looks like you’re all taken care of so
I’m gonna head home,” I say, as I plant a kiss on Cora’s forehead and rub
Bigfoot’s head. “I need to shower and get to bed early. I have the early shift
tomorrow.”
“Walk her home, Adam,” she says sweetly and he
immediately pops up off the sofa.
“See you later, Cora. We’ll have to watch that
movie another time.”
“See you later, sonny,” she says, and I know
what’s coming next. “But just because I call you sonny, doesn’t mean you’re
bright.”
He laughs and points at her. “I can’t keep up with
you, C.”
Adam follows me out of the apartment and uses his
own key, which Cora must have given him, to lock her deadbolt.
I take a few steps and turn when I reach my door.
“C? Did you spend the whole
day with her?”
“I ran a few errands for her, but other than that,
yes, I spent the day with Cora. She’s funny and we were about to watch a movie
before you interrupted us.”
“Oh, well, don’t let me interrupt your date with
Cora. Please go right back in.”
He steps forward and my back hits my front door as
I take a step back. He leans against my door with his hands on either side of
my head, effectively caging me in.
“Are you jealous of my relationship with Cora?”
His breath is hot against my nose and warmth
rushes through me, lighting up my core.
“I just don’t want her to get so used to having
you around. She’s had a lot of people bail on her and I….” His face is getting
closer with every word I speak. “I don’t want her to get hurt.”
“Are you sure we’re talking about Cora?” he
whispers against my lips, lingering for a moment before he pushes away from the
door. “I work all week, but I’ll be by your house at nine a.m. on Saturday.
Wear a bathing suit under your clothes.”
I let out a deep sigh and scramble into my
apartment, slamming the door behind me. I take a few calming breaths then try
to ignore the ache pulsating between my legs as I make my way to my bedroom to
meditate.
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