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Who’d thought the road trip would end with you on the couch of a strange house, watching a black and white movie, and next to you the eccentric man you met only just hours before? Car trouble lead you here, knocking on a stranger’s door for help. The big, gruff looking guy was out, fixing the car, refusing offers of payment, but not speaking much to ease your nerves. That was when Otis came, chatting with you, he took you to the kitchen where he rummaged around in the cabinets for two mugs. Deft hands with long fingers with dirt under the nails stirred cocoa powder and sugar in hot milk.
“Baby’s normally the one doin’ stuff like this for guests,” he mumbled, handing you your mug, a little roughly and it almost spilled. Without saying another word, he moved to the living room, and sank down into the couch. You followed, sitting down next to him, holding the mug with one hand, leaning it on your knee and adjusting the throw pillows behind your back.
“Thank you. You and your family are very kind,” you said. Otis put the mug down on the coffee table and shifted to look at you – really look at you. He said nothing still, just a calculating stare.
“Let’s see if they have a good movie on,” he said eventually, breaking the silence that made you fidget.
They did, or at least, to his judgement, one that was worth staring at and making comments about every so often. After a few scenes, the female and male protagonists had a heated run in, and Otis’ hand crept up on your knee. A surprising but not unwelcome point of contact, as he was a handsome man – precisely the kind of rough around the edges that you liked. And now he was coming on to you? There was no way this was a friendly touch. He was hitting on you and the realisation made your heart hammer in your chest. You gave him a glance, which he caught; the eyes of a panther, a raised eyebrow, as if to say ‘are you gonna do something about it?’ and a barely perceptible squeeze of his hand. Then his eyes were back at the screen. The warmth of his hand spread through your entire body, and when he stroked his thumb back and forth it was a shock of electricity that almost made you jump. Before you finished the last of your hot cocoa, his hand had crept closer to the inside of your thigh. As you set the empty mug down, your hand touched his knuckles for just a second as you returned your hand to your side. You debated whether to be brave and make a move, or wait until he would. That brief touch would have to do, though, as the bravery quickly left you as he made some offhand comment about the scene that just played.
“Do you watch movies like these often? It’s an older one, right?”
He flashed a smile, “yeah, Mama likes ‘em. They’re not bad either, I mean, if you’re into that sort of thing. And Baby can quote them all dramatic like.”
“Really? That’s so cool. We never watched a lot of films, my parents and I. Is your family close?”
He leaned his head back for a second, his free hand digging into the ripped spot on his jeans. “Ain’t got nothin’ if we ain’t got family. They piss me off sometimes, though.”
You dared a short laugh when you spotted the smile he was trying to mask. “Sure they do. They sound like a great time.”
Something predatory bathed his face in shadow, but just for a moment. His grin showed plenty teeth. The hold on your thigh changed, tighter, fingers testing the give of the skin, eyes flickering over your body.
Otis turned his full attention to you then, letting go of your leg in favour of the back of the couch. “And you, you came here all alone?” his voice low and husky.
No partner – that was what he was actually asking. The way he looked at you made your breath hitch. He felt dangerous. It made you pause, before you shook your head. He grinned in response.
“Good,” he said, and two spidery fingers fell to your shoulder and walked their way to your neck, up until his hand wrapped around the back of your neck. You leaned in to him, letting one hand drop to his leg, the other copying his at the back of his neck.
“I’d love a sweet thing like you,” was all he said, and your lips met his in a hot kiss, tasting hot cocoa and whipped cream.