Absolute Zero

by Anlyn Hansell

  “Dammit, Anne. No…” he started before she quickly halted his words.

  “Stay in bed,” she stopped and pointed at him. “I need to think. I can’t do that when you’re touching me. I mean it!” She thrust her finger toward him when he attempted to swing his legs over the side.

  “Anne, I don’t know when I’m going to see you again. There’s no way you’re sleeping anywhere other than next to me tonight,” he responded but luckily stayed seated on the bed.

  “You wouldn’t understand. I just…this is the way my brain works. I…just need to be alone. It’s not you,” she stated before a small laugh burst from her mouth at the obvious cliché. “It’s me. Don’t take that the wrong way,” she added quickly as she pulled her panties up her legs and grabbed her pants. “I won’t say I regret doing what we just did. It was…” she let out a breath as she attempted to do something as simple as place her foot in the opening of her pants and failed. She hopped around like an ass trying not to fall over, “it was incredible. I can’t believe you apologized,” she stated under her breath as one leg was pulled up and the other followed. “Anyway,” she bent over and grabbed her shirt and pulled it over her head before walking over to him quickly.

  “Anne…”

  “Shhh, please,” her fingers touched his lips lightly as soon as she was close enough. “You’re my bosses’ boss ten times over or something like that. It’s a little weird for me. But…no regrets,” she quickly replaced her fingers with a soft kiss from her lips.

  “How about repeats?” he asked, mesmerized into immobility as she pulled away before he could grab her to him.

  “How about…I don’t know? I really…I just need to go, Ian. You have a safe trip and all that, OK?” She tossed over her shoulder as she walked toward the lit hallway.

  “Anne!”

  “Goodbye, Ian!” she called out as she walked around the corner.

  “I feel so…cheap,” he yelled then ended on a subtle tone that she would never hear. He was kidding of course, but damn…

  *****

  This was NUTS.

  She wasn’t supposed to do that. Her fist pounded the steering wheel once before the other hand rubbed it quickly. She needed a shower. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat as she attempted to navigate through the trees.

  She didn’t even talk about the list.

  “Fuck the list,” she said aloud. “Fook it,” she amended before a giggle escaped followed by clamped lips and a guttural grunt.

  You made fun of his accent, smooth. Her eyes widened.

  You had sex with him – hey! Even more smooth!

  “Stupid…stupid…” she muttered as she steered around a particularly sharp curve.

  She drove to the main road and quickly turned without even looking. Luckily no one t-boned her as she hit the gas, causing the Porsche to take off down the road. It took mere seconds before she caught sight of her own driveway.

  Turning in, she quickly drove up and parked, ignoring the sticky and sore flesh between her legs as she removed her body from the car and walked up to the front door.

  An hour after an extremely hot shower with extra scrubbing and some mental bashing, she lay in bed, staring at the ceiling.

  He would be gone in a few hours and he had stated he didn’t know when he would be back. She should be relieved, and for the most part, she was. She had told him no regrets. Not entirely true, since she had already rehashed the entire encounter in her head multiple times over and to say the thoughts were unflattering…

  However, there was the actual sex itself. Their bodies seemed to fit together so perfectly. Just thinking about the way he looked at her had her cheeks flaming. He was intense in everything, personal and professional. She was a fool if she thought this would never happen. It almost had to. And now that they had, she could admit, she wanted to again. It was reckless, impulsive, but damn it felt so good.

  She smiled in the dark before one hand rose up and clamped her forehead as yet another thought crossed her mind.

  “I said ‘harder’,” she groaned out in mortification before turning and burying her face on her pillow.

  *****

  He was definitely gone.

  She stood on her front porch early the next morning, stretching, trying to pretend that the evidence of last night’s activities was not present, yet every movement reminded her that she hadn’t really exercised that part of her body in a while.

  Even her past experience, limited as it was, never resulted in this. He was big. Definitely larger than…helloooo, stop thinking about it, she chastised herself before slipping her earbuds in her ears. She turned up the volume, trying to drown out her thoughts and jumped from the porch before taking off in a brisk run.

  *****

  Her fingers looped around the chain link of the fence as she leaned against it, watching the sunrise reflected in the bright blue water. She had to walk most of the incline to get to the spot. Her body just wasn’t cooperating this morning. In fact, she would be walking the rest of the way back to the house, but not quite yet. This spot was beautiful, no doubt, but there was also an air of mystery to it.

  Shay had said that Shelby had driven into a quarry and she had to wonder if this was the spot. It made sense. Sharp curve, only a few miles from the house… Her eyes wandered to both sides of where she stood, looking for who knew? Maybe a small white cross or something, but even through the brush, she didn’t see anything. Her eyes returned to the water glistening beyond the trees as her mind attempted to recall all that was said during that conversation.

  Shelby and Ian had some sort of blow up before he left for Scotland. What could have been so bad that he would leave his wife, a woman with an inoperable brain tumor, alone? What kind of person would do that? The same type of person that could have sex with another woman in a bed they probably shared…

  She shook her head slowly. She didn’t know the whole story. She certainly would not ask him. It wasn’t any of her business. Besides, she wouldn’t appreciate anyone asking about her past. She couldn’t blame him for trying to bury his.

  She was so lost in thought that she completely missed the sound of the approaching car behind her until it was too late. Gravel crunched behind her, rousing her slightly before the sound of a car door slamming gave her a jolt. Slowly, her head turned, her eyes almost immediately catching the burst of color from the top of the white vehicle from a stray beam of sunlight that filtered through the trees and reflected off the blue of the light bar. Her pulse began to pound as the rest of her body turned and watched as a large, uniformed man alighted from the vehicle and slowly approached her.

  Her throat gave an audible swallow as he neared, his eyes never wavering from her. The closer he walked, the bigger he got as her head followed up and up until he was only a few feet from her.

  “Everything all right?” he asked in a somewhat gruff voice.

  “Ahh…yes?” she responded as her eyes slid down, away from his intense scrutiny. A gold tag proclaimed ‘Sgt. Merkel’ on his chest.

  “Can I ask what you’re doing here? This area is posted, you know,” he added. His thumb gave a little jab toward one of the ‘No Trespassing’ signs on one of the trees behind him.

  “Umm. Right. I thought that was just beyond the fence, to be honest. It’s really beautiful,” she added, then mentally kicked herself. That sounded so stupid after she said it.

  “It is beautiful, but it’s no place to visit. It can be dangerous,” he stated.

  “I was on the right side of the fence,” she blurted.

  “Really? By the way you had your hands on the chain link, it looked like you were getting ready to climb it,” one of his brows shot up, but his mouth curved up slightly. “Where’s your vehicle?” he added as his head swiveled from one side to the other.

  “I live down the road. I ran here.”

  “Oh, well then, you should probably keep going. Do me a favor and stay away from this quarry. The owner is very concerned about keeping p
eople away from this place and he’s right.”

  “No problem,” she replied before taking a step and wincing. She had almost forgotten…

  “Are you all right?” he asked. Obviously he noted her grimace of pain.

  “Oh! Yeah! Just…a cramp…maybe…” she took a few more steps before his hand looped around her upper arm.

  “I’ll give you a ride back. You look like you’re in pain. You sure it’s just a cramp?” he asked as he looked down at her.

  “Yes? It’ll work itself out. I’ll just…”

  “No. If you could see your face right now…Come on,” he gave her a slight tug causing her body to follow obediently. She was already caught trespassing this morning; she wasn’t going to add to her list of transgressions by resisting him.

  “I appreciate that…Sgt…” What was his name again?

  “Frank. Frank Merkel. And you are?”

  “Anne Bennett,” she piped up.

  “Would you like to ride in the back or the front?” he asked with a smirk when they neared the vehicle.

  “Front, please,” she almost laughed out.

  The car was already running, she noticed as she seated herself in the vehicle. A disembodied voice was speaking from the radio on his dash as he put the car in gear and looked toward her. “Which way?”

  Anne pointed in the direction she had come. He turned and followed the road back down the hill, through the trees until they hit level ground.

  “How far?” he asked as another voice joined the first on the radio in the background.

  “Actually, right up here,” she pointed to the driveway.

  “Really? Isn’t that something? You’re just trespassing all over this guy’s properties, aren’t you?” he joked as he turned into the paved entrance.

  “What do you mean?” she asked as her eyes sought his profile.

  “Ian McClellan. He owns this house and the quarry.” He stated simply.

  “He owns a quarry?” she asked, her apprehension beginning to rise.

  “Sure. Bought the land a couple of years ago. Didn’t think the owners did a good enough job of protecting people from it,” he said as he stopped the vehicle behind her Porsche.

  “That yours?” he asked, nodding his head toward her car.

  She was too dumbfounded to respond.

  “Anne?”

  “Yeah?” she asked absently.

  “That your car?” he asked again.

  “Yeah?”

  “Very nice,” he nodded his head before turning his body toward hers. “Now, you behave. No more trespassing, Ok?”

  *****

  Later that morning, she crept up to the counter and peered at the lit screen as the sound filled the house. It was him. He was calling her. Crazy fluttering burst from her core to every outlying part of her body as she contemplated answering. She turned and glanced at the digital clock on the stove noting the time before her features scrunched up. It was too early. He should only be a few hours into his flight. Her fingers immediately gripped the phone.

  “Hello?”

  “Good morning, love. How…”

  “Where are you?” she interrupted him.

  “Well now, there’s a greeting,” his soft laugh filled her ears and warmed her body.

  “You shouldn’t be…are you on the plane?” Her hand gripped the phone tighter as her pulse began to pound.

  “Diverted,” was his only answer. A knock on her front door caused her body to jump. She pressed her backside against the counter and her eyes focused toward the source of the sound.

  “Anne?” she could hear his breathy voice in her ear.

  Maybe it was Shay at the door…

  She gulped loudly.

  “Anne? Listen love, I just wanted to talk to you. I left you alone last night so you could do your thinking and I did a bit of that too,” he started. The doorbell rang out causing her to press even further into the counter.

  Her throat was parched and she couldn’t seem to croak a word out.

  “I know you’re not…” he started but the doorbell rang again as her eyes widened. “Anne, go answer your door,” he finished.

  “Wha… how did you…?”

  “I can hear it in the background,” he stated with an amused tone to his voice.

  “Oh. Right, right…” she breathed out before she finally willed her body to move. She slowly walked through the kitchen, her apprehension growing with each step. She was a fluttering bundle of nerves by the time she reached the door and raised up on tiptoes to look through the peep hole.

  A shock of color appeared; the familiar yellow, orange and red filled her vision, as well as a strange man holding them. A delivery man, at least by the logo on his baseball cap. A huge sigh of relief escaped her as she opened the door. Ian was silent on his end.

  “Ms. Bennett?” the younger man asked before extending the huge arrangement toward her.

  “Yes,” she placed the phone on her shoulder and held it with her tilted head as she reached out and grabbed the vase with somewhat shaking fingers. She hugged it to her for fear of losing her grip.

  “Have a good day,” he stated before turning and jumping down the few steps to the walkway.

  “What was that?” she could hear through the phone.

  She quickly placed the vase with dozens of the brightly colored tulips spewing out from every direction on the table behind the couch.

  “As if you don’t know,” she answered as she gripped the phone with her hand again.

  “Yeah, well…”

  “I’m not used to that. I don’t usually…you shouldn’t…” she couldn’t seem to get the words out.

  “You should always have flowers. I’ll have to work on that. The proper response is, ‘Thank you, Ian’, and we’ll leave it at that. So tell me, what are your plans for today?”

  Another knock sounded at the door causing her to jump and almost drop the phone before she gripped it tighter.

  She stood frozen as her eyes stared at the door. She was being ridiculous.

  “Am I supposed to tip him?” she whispered as she walked the few steps toward the door and gripped the handle.

  She swung the door open and immediately dropped the phone as well as her jaw.

  Ian McClellan was leaning against her doorjamb with his phone to his ear.

  “Not him. Maybe you could tip me?”

  Chapter Eleven

  “What are you…? You can’t be here, you’re supposed to…”

  “Right and no one can postpone a flight, eh?” He smiled as he pushed from the frame and grabbed the handle of the screen door, opening it smoothly.

  She took a step back as she watched him enter, her mouth still opened in shock.

  “Close your mouth, love,” he stated as his fingers pressed up from the bottom of her chin. “On second thought, keep it open,” he quickly grabbed the back of her head with one hand and tilted her chin up with the other before his mouth was on hers, coaxing her tongue to meet his. Her body melted instantly and the shock that seized her muscles only a moment before was replaced by reluctant pleasure at his touch.

  “Mmm, that’s better”, he whispered against her lips when he finally pulled his mouth from hers. He kept her body held closely to his as his hand swept up and down her back lazily.

  “So…why?” she asked as her eyes searched his.

  “That’s a good question,” he answered before his own gaze swept downward, searching for something as he gently grasped her arms and set her away from him.

  His body stooped down as she watched the top of his head in confusion. “Here,” he stated as he straightened back up handing her phone to her.

  She immediately swiped the screen and the display showed immediately, to her immense relief.

  “Your reactions are priceless,” he said with a smile. “You’re so jumpy, love. How is your eye by the way?” he asked before his fingers touched her right eye beneath the brow.

  “What do you mean?”

  �
��You hit it on the microscope the other day, when I visited the lab?”

  “You saw that?” she asked in complete confusion. He didn’t even speak to her or come near her for that matter.

  “I watched you the whole time,” he admitted quietly.

  “But you didn’t talk to us. You talked to everyone else, though,” her eyes began to narrow at him.

  “Maybe I was afraid you might have one of your famous outbursts or maybe bother me about your list.”

  “My fookin’ list?” she shot him a sly smile.

  “Your faaaaahhhhking list, aye,” he stated before grabbing her hand and walking toward the kitchen. “Do you have any coffee?” he asked as she followed her body and mind still somewhat stunned.

  “In the pot, it’s fresh. So what are you doing here?” she asked as he released her and wandered directly to the exact cabinet where the mugs resided.

  “Well, I couldn’t exactly leave after...” he seemed to trail off as he grabbed a cup and poured the steaming liquid into it. “Would you like a cup?” he held the carafe in front of him.

  “Ah…sure?”

  “Cream, sugar?” he asked as he opened the cabinet door again.

  “Black. So, you were saying…?” she leaned against the counter, waiting for him to finish his explanation.

  “What?” he asked almost innocently as he poured the coffee and set the carafe back in the machine.

  “Why couldn’t you leave?” she prompted in frustration as she grabbed the offered cup.

  “Oh, right,” he seemed to consider his words for a moment. “It didn’t seem quite right leaving and not…I mean, I let you go because that’s what you wanted, but I didn’t want that. When I said I didn’t know when I’d be back, I was serious, Anne. There’s so much going on at home…I can only switch so many face to face meetings with conference calls. I did it this week, but…” he seemed to stop mid-thought before his eyes brightened considerably.

  “Why don’t you come back with me?” he asked.

  “What!?” her face registered the shock to her system.

  “Scotland. You could meet some of the people in the lab…”

  “Oh! Sure. Let me go pack a bag,” she stated casually before taking a sip from her mug.