“Here's your plate back, Luke,” Robbie tells me, tucking an errant strand of chocolate hair behind her ear with one hand. Her fingers are long and lithe, peeking out the end of her oversized cable knit sweater. The blue and white looks good against her pale, pink kissed skin. I swallow hard and fight against the growing erection in my slacks.
“I appreciate the gesture, but would you mind telling me why you think it's okay to barge into someone else's home uninvited?” I take the plate from her outstretched hand, being careful to keep our fingers from brushing. I notice the exact second her blue eyes slide over and find the empty space in my living room.
“What happened to your couch?” she asks, and I purse my lips, turning away and heading towards the kitchen. I fight the angry twitch in my muscles and manage to keep myself from smashing the plate on the counter. Instead, I set it gently down next to the sink and grab the empty pie tin. To be quite frank, the pie was delicious, like innocent sin burning my tongue. I ate every fucking bite.
I return to the living room, watching Robbie's curiosity burn in her beautiful blue eyes. She's never been in here before, not once. I had intended to keep it that way. Maybe this is for the better though? Maybe if she sees me as a normal, boring adult man with nothing to offer, she'll leave? The enigma will be shattered, the mystery unwound.
“The pie was wonderful; Audra and I enjoyed it very much,” I lie, handing the pie tin to Robbie. I can see her distress rising as she nibbles the corner of her pearly pink lip with her teeth. I decide to drive the nail even further into the coffin. “Actually,” I purr, leaning against the bookcase near the front door. “It was so good, Audra herself was thinking of asking you to make another for our wedding reception. We'd pay you for the service, of course. Do you think you'd be into that, Miss Carrell?”
“It's Robbie, Luke,” she says, turning back to me again, slicing deep into me with those piercing eyes. My entire body goes rigid and I feel as if I can't move, that I'm standing in Aliyah's basement all those years ago, watching her walk towards me, feeling her perfect fingers trail down my chest. “It's always been Robbie.” When she goes to kiss me again, I jerk back like I've been shocked and she stumbles, catching herself on the bookcase.
“Did you hear what I just said?” I snarl, letting some of my control slip. What is wrong with this girl? “I'm engaged.” Robbie sighs and runs a hand over her hair, pausing to pick at the messy bun in the back. Her cheeks are flushed with embarrassment and tinged with an enticing splinter of heat that causes me to lick my lips and take another step back.
“You see,” Robbie says, lifting her hand and gesturing absently at me. Her eyes dart every which way before coming to rest on my face, her expression softening unbearably. I want to take her in my arms and brush her hair back, but dear God, I'll be damned if I do. The monsters inside of me laugh in chorus, teasing me, promising that if they want Robbie, they will damn well have her. I straighten my back and press my mouth into a thin line. “You give me all these physical cues that you … that you … ”
“Want to fuck you?” I say, not at all enjoying the way she cringes at my words. I might be a dark man, maybe even a sadist, but I don't particularly like plucking the wings off butterflies. There are plenty of wasps who deserve a flightless fall from glory. But it has to be done. I have to drive Robbie away, for her own good. She's too much like Aliyah, and the world can't afford to lose another bright soul. Robbie Carrell is the polar opposite of me. If I drive out the sun, she brings out the stars. “You can't even say the words, can you?” I take a sudden step forward, but Robbie doesn't retreat as I'd expected. Instead, she puts a hand on my chest and looks me straight in the face.
“Do you hate me, Luke?” she asks instead, and the question throws me for a loop. I open my mouth, but for the first time in a long time, I have no idea what to say. “Honestly, if I've read you wrong, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to come across this way. I never intended to … kiss you on the porch the other night.” Robbie backs away from me, leaving me frozen in place, my heart pounding a staccato rhythm that I don't understand. I've long since lost the capability. “And that's not really why I came over here either. I like being friends with you, Luke.” Robbie presses her royal blue fingernails against either side of her face. “I … can't believe I tried to kiss you again. It's just … I walked in here and I felt – I don't know – something from you.” She takes a big breath and narrows her eyes on me. “Plus, you got a raging hard-on as soon as you saw me. I figured … ”