The Bad Boy Wants Me(103)

I dug around in my jacket and tried to share my cookie with him. I was disappointed to the point of tears when his beautiful bright eyes stared greedily at the cookie in my hand, but he refused to come closer.

I became sure that the reason he was refusing to come to me was because I had once eaten squirrel meat.

‘Look, I’m really sorry,’ I told him. To my ears my voice sounded high and cartoon like. I paused, giggled, and continued. ‘Now that I know you I’ll never do such a thing again.’

I threw the cookie towards him. He scampered away at first and then came back to snatch the cookie and rush away back up a tree. Sitting on a branch, he began to nibble at the cookie. I laughed so hard I had to hold my belly. His antics seemed to me the funniest thing in the world. To my delight it started to snow again. Big, fat flakes. What grace. What elegance. I opened my mouth and they melted on my tongue. Delicious. Absolutely delicious. I lifted my face to the heavens, and with my hands outstretched, I twirled around just savoring the marvelous sensation. It made me dizzy and I fell to the ground. Feeling deliriously happy, I stared up at the white sky.

One moment I was eating snow and laughing, and the next I was a snow-covered lump in the bleak landscape. I don’t know how long had passed. I was conscious I was becoming cold, but my legs felt funny and I didn’t trust myself to ride home. Anyway, the horse was nowhere to be seen.

I should call someone, but the only person my buzzing brain wanted to call was Ivan. He had such a sexy mouth. I remembered again the way he had looked at me for that one second during dinner last night, and I was determined that I really, really, really should kiss those lips. At least once.

I fumbled around in my coat pocket, found my phone, and peered at the screen. The colors on my screen seemed so bright. Strange but I couldn’t remember his number. Finally, I managed to locate it in my phone. I hit the call button and missed. That seemed funny and I giggled and tried again.

Yes. Result.

But it rang out.

I put my phone back into my pocket and looked up at the sky. Wow! Psychedelic man! I lay back on the soft snow and smiled.

‘You missed out, Ivan,’ I said into the silent air, and nearly jumped out of my skin when my phone suddenly rang.

‘Shit,’ I exclaimed, sitting up and grabbing my phone.

‘Hello,’ I said.

‘You called,’ Ivan said. His voice made me feel really happy.

‘I think you have a really, really, really sexy mouth,’ I told him.

For a few seconds there was pure silence and a quick intake of breath. Then his voice came down the line, as mad as a wet hen. ‘You dragged me out of a meeting to tell me that?’

‘I just wanted you to know. Just in case you didn’t,’ I sang, oblivious to his irritation.

‘Tawny?’ he said quietly.

‘Yes?’

‘Where are you?’ His voice was cautious.

‘I think I might be about five minutes away from Jupiter house.’

This time the silence stretched even longer.

‘Robert told me all about your tree house,’ I explained.

‘Are you all right?’

‘Well, I think someone at the house spiked my drink with ecstasy, and I’m totally off my cake, but otherwise I am just fantastic.’

‘What?’ he barked suddenly in the receiver.

I jerked the phone away. Whoa, his voice had been like a mini explosion just outside my ear. ‘It’s all right,’ I said with a laugh. ‘I have popped a pill once before so I’m not frightened or anything.’

‘Tawny, are you dressed warmly?’ he asked urgently.

‘Oh yes,’ I said confidently.

‘Good. Do you think you could last out there for another hour?’

‘Sure. I was thinking of walking back to the house.’

‘No,’ he said urgently. ‘Listen to me. Don’t go back to the house. Can you see the tree house from where you are?’

‘Yup.’

‘Can you make it there?’

‘Why wouldn’t I be able to?’

‘Good. Can you go there, close the little trapdoor and wait for me?’

‘Yeah, I can do that.’

‘Great. You will be out of the elements. Call me when you reach it, OK?’

‘OK,’ I said breezily.

‘Be careful,’ he said.

‘I will.’

‘Go on. Get moving.’

I stood up unsteadily. ‘Whoa.’

‘What?’ he growled.

‘Nothing. Just gravity problems.’ And that seemed funny to me and I began to laugh uproariously.

‘Fucking hell, Tawny. Get a hold of yourself.’

‘OK, OK. No need to shout. I’m on my way,’ I said, wanting to feel grumpy, but totally unable to. He was sweet that Ivan. Real sweet. I could eat him. I smiled to myself. He didn’t know that I had a thing for him. I stopped short. Did I? Nah. He was not for me. He should be with a woman, what was her name again. Oh yeah, Chloe. I bet she read Robbs Report every month. I know Rosalind reads it. Robert said he never wanted me to read such a magazine.