Free Good Wood by L.G. Pace III

his stubble covered cheek, brushing it away with my thumb.
    “Molly…” His husky voice was practically a whisper.
    “Yeah?” My reply sounded breathy to my own ears.
    “I’m having a hard time coming up with a reason not to kiss you right now.” He locked eyes with me. He had those long lashes that are so often wasted on men. I felt as if someone had taken a blowtorch to my cheeks. I’d fantasized about kissing Joe so often that the moment seemed surreal. “Help me out here.”
    “Ummmm…” I looked at the sky, desperate to disrupt the intensity of the moment. “Because kissing leads to much dirtier things.”
    He looked off to the left as if considering this. “I fail to see a problem with that. Try again.”
    “My brothers would kick your ass.” I smiled broadly.
    “I could take ‘em.” He murmured, brushing my bangs out of my eyes.
    “Not at the same time you couldn’t.” My chest felt heavy and I was having a hard time concentrating.
    “Maybe. Maybe not. What else have you got?” His lips twitched with a smile. I wanted so badly to taste them....to taste him .
    “Your breath smells like Shiner and ketchup.” I wrinkled my nose playfully.
    “So?” He didn’t miss a beat, but I’d coaxed a full out smile from him with that one. “Yours smells like Cool Ranch.”
    I bit my lip but was unable to suppress a smile. “Yeah, but Cool Ranch is sexy.”
    “You’re supposed to be talking me out of this.” He murmured, his face nearing mine. The moment I’d dreamed of was about to happen. Though I was completely and irrationally terrified, I felt frozen in place. I closed my eyes, bracing for the impact of him. I could feel the heat of his breath on my lips when someone blared on a car horn, startling us both. My heart hammered loudly in my ears, and I sat straight up, grabbing my chest. My eyes shot around wildly and I spotted Graham and his wife. They stood beside the car parked right behind Joe’s truck. They both wore what my father always called “shit eating grins” and Graham’s wife giggled.
    Humiliated, I turned to retrieve our discarded plates and cups. Joe chuckled and applauded Graham, but his cheeks were as beet red as mine felt. Awareness spilled back into my lust-addled brain. I was a little more vulnerable today than usual in light of it being my ex-anniversary. Had I not just told my matchmaking sister-in-law that I was fine on my own? Even if I had been ready for something, it wouldn’t have been with Joe. If I’d learned anything from history, it was not to set myself up for failure.
    For whatever reason, he was clearly a hot mess. Between his hardened exterior and the comments that he ‘got around’ Joe may as well have had the tattoo of the biohazard symbol on his forehead. Besides, I’d also learned long ago that some fantasies are just better left alone. I rushed into the house to throw away our trash. When I came back out, Joe was still standing next to his truck talking to Graham. I decided to beat a hasty retreat and put some literal distance between me and my girlhood wet dream before something bad went down.
    “Hey…” Joe caught up with me at my car, but I’d already climbed into the driver’s seat. “Are we cool?” I couldn’t contain my semi-hysterical laughter. Poor Joe looked like he didn’t know whether to laugh along with me or call the authorities.
    “Joe. We’re a lot of things, but cool isn’t one of them.” I started the car and waved him away. He gave me a perplexed look then moved aside to let me pull out into traffic.

 

     

     

     
     
    MY APARTMENT IS one of two on the second floor of the building I bought to be my workshop. It was unfinished, but I’d managed to put most of the drywall up to make the place livable and finished the bathroom. The other apartment was still bare studs, wiring and plumbing. The up- and-coming neighborhood the building was in had gotten a lot better since I bought it. My place was starting to look