Squirt shrugged, deeply uncomfortable, and wishing he’d just leave. She came here to heal. For privacy. To forget. He was making her … think. The bastard. “My name is an old family name, and it’s weird. I always knew I was weird enough, I didn’t need my name to drive the point home to everybody.”
“Ok, Squirt.” He smiled and that place inside her did the flip-floppy thing so she scowled at him. He reached a hand out to her and she flinched so badly, Mach froze. His eyes continued to move. Over her face, into her hands. She knew her hands were in tight fists, and she was vibrating with unease. She didn’t do touching. Not really. Or at least, Squirt started to swallow fast as the flip-floppy thing moved to her stomach, and she feared throwing up all over her nice clean garage. Mach slowly extended his hand, one finger brushing over her cheek as he moved some pieces of her long hair from her lips and behind her ear. He continued with the molasses thing as he withdrew his hand and returned it to his side. “I’ll learn your name when you’re ready. But …”
“But?”
“I’m not getting inside you until I do.”
Squirt’s narrowed gaze watched him as he backed up, another of those flip-floppy causing smiles, turned, and left the garage.
Artemis Milchon 