The Dirty South

by Penelope King

  I remember once when I was young there was a particularly bad thunderstorm. I was frightened then, and went into my parent’s bedroom. Instead of being comforted, I was shamed, scolded, and sent away. I still remember my mom’s voice as she told me to grow up and stop acting like a whiny baby. Apparently I haven’t matured much in the past twenty years.

  Despite the heavy downpour, the drive back to Magnolia Manor is uneventful and doesn’t take very long, but I couldn’t be happier to see the estate looming up ahead.

  “Come inside and wait till this passes,” I urge Vivi, as she idles the car as close as she can get to the end of the driveway. I’m still going to have to run quite a distance to my cottage, but there’s really nothing I can do about that. Neither of us has an umbrella, and she can’t drive any closer.

  She shakes her head. “This storm is just getting started. It’ll be going on all night. Besides, I’m barely two miles away. I’ll probably be home before you’re even out of those soon-to- be-drenched clothes.”

  I look outside and groan again. “I’m gonna get seriously soaked, aren’t I?”

  She nods. “Yup. Consider it your Southern baptism. Getting caught in a downpour is practically a rite of passage out here.”

  “Shit,” I mutter. “Well, I suppose it’s just water. Not like it’s gonna kill me.” I give her one last smile and grab the door handle. “But I regret nothing. This is still the best day I’ve had in ages. Drive safely!”

  I take a deep breath and brace myself as I jump out. Within seconds I’m completely drenched. Not even the futile act of putting my purse over my head is shielding me from the onslaught.

  The rain is coming down so hard it’s difficult to see, but I go as fast as I can. The lights are on in Colton’s place, but Willie’s is dark. I run along the shadowy path, careful not to step in the rapidly growing puddles. When I come to the giant fountain in the middle of the gardens, I make a quick decision to cut across the grass to save some time rather than continue on the paved walkway.

  I realize how stupid this decision is precisely three seconds later as I lose my footing on the slick ground and go flying. I land hard on my side, and feel something tweak in my ankle.

  “Ouch…!”

  I’m sitting in a puddle. My shorts are soaked through to the skin, and the whole right side of my body is covered with mud. Just freakin’ awesome. I would laugh at the patheticness of it all, but my ankle hurts too much.

  I get up, grab my purse, and quickly hobble the rest of the way to my cottage. I huddle beneath the small overhang on the porch, getting only mild respite from the downpour. But relieved that I finally made it. I rummage quickly through my purse for my keys.

  My hand searches, but fails to feel the familiar clump of metal.

  Desperately, I hold my purse wide open under the dim porch light, and then moments later in a panic, dump its entire contents on the front step.

  No, oh no! They’re not here! God, where are they? Did they fall out when I slipped on the ground?

  And where’s my phone? It’s not here either!

  Oh, God. Crapity crap crap crap!

  Okay, calm down… think, Cady! I had to unsnap my purse when I got on the porch, meaning it was still closed after I slipped on the grass. They couldn’t have fallen out then.

  Vivi’s car… Shit! That’s where they have to be… and I didn’t look to make sure everything that spilled was back in because I was too freaked out by some stupid lightning!

  I take a deep breath and say a silent prayer, and then try the door knob. Dammit! I did lock it. And all the windows are closed up.

  I’m not getting inside.

  Several wicked bolts of lightning flash through the air, followed by a ferocious explosion of thunder. I nearly jump out of my skin. It seems like it’s right on top of me!

  I have no choice.

  “Please, God don’t let me go out like this!” I quickly beg. Then I brace myself again and run out into the deluge, my ankle shooting off pangs of protest. But I don’t care. I go as fast as I can, past Willie’s place and over to Colton’s. His lights are on.

  Please be home.

  I tap several times, my heart pounding so furiously I can barely breathe.

  Colton opens the door a moment later wearing nothing but a pair of baggy gray sweatpants and a shocked expression on his face.

  “Jesus Christ, Cady, what the hell—”

  “I lost my keys,” I pant. “I’m locked out… can you help?”

  He just stares at me, stunned, and it hits me that he’s probably not alone.

  “I’m really sorry if this is a bad time,” I continue, brushing the wet hair from my face. “But I didn’t know where else to go.”

  “No, I’m sorry—” He snaps out of it and moves back to let me through.

  I hate that the potential thrill of entering Colton’s place is completely overshadowed by my supreme mortification at the circumstances. And my appearance. I don’t even want to know what he’s seeing right now.

  I stop just inside the doorway, not wanting to intrude further.

  “Are you hurt?” he asks, as he continues to gape at me.

  Just my pride.

  He points to my leg, and I glance down to see it’s entirely covered with mud, with some grass stuck to my knee. And I’m even more humiliated to see that in the light, my wet shorts are totally see-through, and my black thong is clearly visible.

  I shake my head. “No… kinda twisted my ankle when I fell, but I’m okay. Do you have a spare key to my place?”

  Colton’s eyes seem to soften just a bit. “You fell and hurt your ankle?”

  “I just slipped on the grass when I was running. It doesn’t hurt much. Just a little twist. I’m fine. Please tell me you have a key!”

  He’s standing in front of me, and my gaze falls on his sculpted bare chest and muscular arms. The lumps and ridges hiding beneath his tattoos are even more prominent closer up and in the light, but he doesn’t seem to mind me looking now.

  He steps closer, and my pulse quickens.

  “I don’t have the spare to that unit,” he says in a low voice. “I think Della Mae has a copy in her office in the main house, but she keeps that room locked at night.”

  Crap. Now what?!

  I just stare at him for a moment, then pull my eyes away and glance around. His place looks so similar to mine… yet so totally different. I wonder where the blonde supermodel is. Probably prancing around in her Victoria’s Secret underwear in the bedroom, or warming up by doing some splits or pole tricks or something.

  “I’m really sorry to just barge in here. I didn’t mean to interrupt your evening—” I look down and see a muddy puddle of water forming around my dirty shoes. “—Or ruin your floor.”

  Colton clenches his jaw as he runs his gaze over me again. “I don’t give a shit about the floor. And you aren’t interrupting anything. I was just going to relax and watch a movie or something.” He stares back at me, his face an unreadable mask.

  “My keys are in Vivi’s car, I’m pretty sure,” I say meekly.

  He looks at me for several long moments, then shakes his head. “Well, even so… no one’s driving around tonight in this weather to fetch them. Not worth it.” He lets out a low breath and looks at me again “Think you’re just gonna have to stay here and ride it out. We’ll get everything worked out in the morning.”

  “Stay… here? Like… for the night?” My voice sounds unnaturally high.

  “Unless you have a better idea.”

  I rack my brain.

  “I can just go up to the main house,” I mumble.

  His eyes narrow. “Why would you do that?”

  “I don’t know… I don’t want to bother you. I really didn’t mean to just show up here like this and impose. I—I can go. I’ll go.”

  I turn to the door to leave, and his hand lands on my shoulder at the exact second a huge boom shatters the sky. I jump back, and he looks at me with disapproval.

&
nbsp; “You’re crazy if you want to go back outside in that,” he says scowling. “And for what? You need a shower and some dry clothes. I’ve got those here. I have a couch. And I have movies. And cookies.”

  I look at him, and his eyes flash. Staying here could be more dangerous than being out in the storm.

  “Besides,” he raises his eyebrow and smirks, “do you really want to be in that huge two-hundred-year-old house all by yourself at night in the middle of a fierce thunderstorm?”

  Oh, God. When he looks at me that way.

  “You don’t have company?” I ask in a small voice. My face feels like it’s on fire.

  “Nope. I’m all by my lonesome.”

  Be strong, Cady. He’s trouble. I’ve seen guys like him break Stacia’s heart time and time again. They just go through women like water.

  But despite my apprehension, I can’t deny that he makes a valid argument. The idea of a warm shower and some clean, dry clothes sounds about as close to heaven as I can imagine right now. And I really don’t want to go back out in that weather. Or be alone in a big, old house. First things first. I’ll worry about everything else later.

  Sighing, I nod. “A shower and dry clothes would be nice, I admit. If you don’t mind.”

  He shrugs. “Not at all. Lemme just take care of a few things real quick. Stay here.”

  He disappears into the other room, and I look around some more. His place is similar to mine layout-wise, but his seems bigger, more spacious, and is decorated in more masculine tones— warm chocolates and dark leather. It’s very clean, especially for a single guy’s place. Maybe he keeps it this way to impress his female guests.

  “Here you go.” Colton returns and hands me a small towel. “There are more fresh towels in the bathroom. Sorry I don’t have the type of girly stuff you probably like to use, but you’re welcome to whatever is in there.”

  I quickly wipe my face and mop up my dripping leg. “Thanks.”

  “And I stuck some clean sweats and a t-shirt on the bed you can throw on when you’re done.”

  I just nod as I take my soggy shoes and set them on the now dirty hand towel. I cannot even believe that this is actually happening. I’m about to get naked and go shower in Colton Lassiter’s bathroom and then wear his clothes.

  The sky lights up, and a crash of thunder explodes just outside the window.

  I have a feeling this is going to be one hell of a stormy night.

  Chapter 17.

  I reemerge after my shower, clean and dry—except for my hair, which I toweled off as best I could. Colton is lounging on a chair flipping through a car magazine, and I notice he’s now put on a white t-shirt that accentuates his deep tan and hugs his biceps. I’m relieved. Being alone with him is hard enough. Having him be half naked, looking like he does, well…

  But I can’t help being a little disappointed, too.

  “Feel better?” he asks, glancing up.

  I nod. “Thanks for the clothes.”

  He looks me up and down and seems to like what he sees. Why? I’m just wearing a plain gray t-shirt and some really baggy sweats that I had to roll over three times to get to stay on. Not exactly the sexiest look ever. I feel my neck and chest getting hot under his piercing gaze.

  Finally he nods over to the couch. “You can chill if you want. I was thinking of watching a movie.”

  “’Kay.” I wander over and take a seat, pleasantly surprised at how comfortable the plush cushions and soft leather are. Definitely not cheap. “I… I like how you’ve decorated in here. It’s nice.”

  And so different from what I’d expect to find in the home of a grease monkey- motocross champ. It’s simple, classic. Definitely masculine, but with some personal touches, like the tall plants in the corner. Pictures of an older couple, who I’m guessing are his parents, sit on top of a heavy bookcase against the wall. I give a quick skim of the book titles, and am impressed with his selection. Not too shabby for a high-school dropout.

  “It feels so good to finally sit down.” Then I chuckle to myself. “This was quite a day!”

  He sets his magazine on the wooden coffee table and leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

  “Yes, it was. Congrats on the big win.”

  I stare at him blankly for a moment before I realize what he’s talking about. “Oh, you mean the bake-off. Yeah, that was a total shocker!”

  He leans back again with a little half-smirk. “The cookies were very good. And I’m very picky.”

  “Thanks.” The word is barely more than a whisper. “You helped with them, you know.”

  He chuckles and his eyes light up as he puts a finger to his lips. “Don’t tell anyone! As a judge, I’m supposed to be completely impartial.”

  “We’ll keep it our dirty little secret,” I tease. Our eyes lock briefly, and then the moment passes.

  We sit for a moment in awkward silence, then Colton reaches for the remote. “So what kind of movies you like? Action, comedy, romance, thriller…”

  I shrug and tuck my legs under me to get more comfortable. “I like everything, really. Just not crazy gore or super cheesy romance. Anything else is cool.”

  He turns on the TV and flips through some On-Demand selections. “Lemme know if you see anything you like,” he murmurs.

  I steal another peek at his profile. “I’ll definitely do that.”

  He continues to scan through the channels until we spot a recent release that neither of us has seen yet. It’s a dystopian/sci-fi where aliens infiltrate society, and it’s supposed to be very good. He pushes ‘play’, and as we wait for it to start, Colton stands up and goes around the room turning off the lights.

  It wasn’t very bright in here to begin with, but now it’s almost totally dark save for the light coming from the TV and the occasional flashes of lightning outside the window.

  To my surprise, he doesn’t sit back in his chair, but comes over beside me on the couch. My heart rate and blood pressure immediately go up. How am I supposed to concentrate on the movie with him sitting so close to me? I look straight ahead, but all I’m aware of is him.

  “That was really cool that you did that,” he says quietly, as the opening credits start rolling.

  I glance over at him, admiring the way the light and shadows dance across his gorgeous face. “Did what?”

  He gives a half-hearted shrug. “Today… contributing to the bake sale and entering the competition. I think it’s really cool that you did that, is all. I didn’t expect it.”

  “What do you mean, you didn’t expect it? Why is it so surprising I’d do that?”

  The music starts getting loud, and he reaches over for the remote and turns the volume down. He looks at me, his eyes intense.

  “I just expected you to be different.”

  I frown. “Different?... How?”

  He takes a deep breath and searches for the words. “I just thought, well… you rolling on into town in your fancy car from your fancy California town and being a lawyer and all—”

  “I’m not a lawyer.”

  He cocks his eyebrow. “It’s just that I’ve met a lot of people, especially people from bigger cities, who like to think they’re better than everyone else, and they look down on our way of life here. They think we’re all backwards and small-minded…ignorant—”

  “I don’t think that at all!” I protest.

  He purses his lips. “Yeah… maybe not. But at first it seemed, well… I couldn’t tell. And I still don’t understand why you came here.”

  I take a deep breath. Why does he care about that so much? But at least it seems like he’s making an effort to be nice. “I just needed a change for a while. Try a new place. Experience a new type of life. My father’s friend offered me a job, and I needed one. So here I am.” I look up to meet his eyes and add a bit more softly, “It’s only temporary, really. ‘Til the end of the year. Then I’ll go back home.”

  He flashes me another look but doesn’t say anything else. Then he turns
the volume back up on the TV and settles back into the couch, his eyes fixed straight ahead. I want to talk with him more… I want to hear the sound of his voice and watch the way his mouth moves when he talks.

  I sit back and try to focus on the movie and ignore his overwhelming presence. But it’s hard. Damn hard. My head is swimming, and the sound on the TV is just a bunch of noise. I want so badly to reach over and touch him… to have him touch me. But I have a feeling there’d be no coming back from it.

  I steal a few more peeks in the dark at his strong profile. His eyes are locked on the screen, but I have a sense that he’s fully aware of me too. He looks relaxed, but there’s a tension between us that I know is not all in my mind.

  We sit silently and watch the movie. It’s about people who have fallen under alien control, and their thoughts and actions aren’t their own anymore. But they don’t even realize it, and so they all start going crazy.

  I feel like I can relate.

  About halfway through, I turn to Colton. “Mind if I get some water or something? I’m really thirsty.”

  “What?” He glances at me and immediately grabs the remote. “Oh, sorry. I should’ve offered you something a long time ago.” He stands up.

  “It’s fine, I only just now got a little thirsty. Probably from being outside in the sun all day.”

  I follow him into the kitchen. I can’t help but admire how totally hot his butt looks in those sweats.

  “You just want water? Or maybe something a little stronger.”

  “Water is fine, thanks.”

  He doesn’t turn on the light when he enters the kitchen, but it’s light enough.

  “Hey! What? Is that…?”

  He retrieves a large pitcher from the fridge and turns around, and a slow, sexy smile spreads across his lips. He sets the pitcher down next to the huge tray of cookies on the counter.

  My cookies. A lot of my cookies.

  He looks amused. “Why are you so surprised? I told you they were very good. Did you think I wouldn’t want some for myself?”