Wordz Press

Noon
Ray stepped inside his house and slammed the door behind him. He'd insisted on giving the cops his statement from the parking lot, then he'd grabbed his motorcycle and taken off.

If he'd stayed any longer he would have made an even bigger fool of himself than he already had.

Walking to the rear of the house, he peeled off his T-shirt and jeans and stepped into his shower. He turned on the water full force but even the cold blast couldn't erase the image of Sarah from his mind.

Her soft brown hair, her startling blue eyes, her lips against his. Touching her had been a dream come true, the taste of her mouth against his even more sweet than he'd remembered. She'd become a woman since the last time he'd held her, and quite a woman at that.

The memory of everything that had happened between them flashed inside his brain. He closed his eyes and leaned his head against the cold hard tile, the water streaming over him in freezing rivulets.

What on earth had he done?

He lifted his face and scrubbed it with his hands. She'd been living in his memory forever, and now, with a single rash choice, he'd renewed her license to stay there. The taste of her mouth alone would keep him awake for years.

He stepped out of the shower and toweled off, shaking his head and slinging water drops to the mirror. It had to be ironic, he thought. He was no shrink, but it seemed like most people might come out of a failed bank robbery with some kind of traumatic anxiety. He didn't have that problem. The cold barrel of that gun against his head meant nothing compared to his emotions now.

All he wanted was Sarah. But he couldn't have her.

He'd hurt her too much the last time and expecting her to come back to him just because he'd explained was ridiculous. She was a smart woman. She might kiss him, might even do more, but she wouldn't take a second chance on a loser like him.

Not the kind of second chance he wanted he kind that would last forever.

He padded into the kitchen with the towel wrapped around him, and headed for the refrigerator. Reaching inside, he pulled out a beer and drained it in two swallows. The cold bitter taste eased his throat but did nothing for his heart.