Wednesday. And I have words! Frankly, I have no clue if I’ve shared part of this snippet before or not. I haven’t asctually done a flash fliction challenge in several weeks. And I’ve done a lot of sleeping since the last time I did post a Wednesday Words snippet. I went seraching for something to share, found this one, read it, and hashed it out from the original 250 words, which makes me think that I hadn’t posted it. Anyway, the scene is pretty self-explanatory and the original prompt was “You know why I’m here.”
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Meg wrapped the towel around herself but used one corner to wipe steam off the mirror. She looked…haggard. Unsurprising considering she’d spent weeks getting out of Ukraine. And bonus, she was in shape now. A rueful laugh escaped before she could choke it off. Turning away, she marched out of the bathroom, happy she had one en suite. . The space was small and utilitarian, but she had privacy. She headed to the single bed where a small pile of clothes was neatly stacked. The clothing was provided by Duke’s beautiful wife. Evidently, once Cory had gotten word they were safe, she’d gone on a buying spree. All the kids had new clothes too. And they all fit.
That thought turned her smile genuine. One of the men had passed along detailed enough descriptions that the woman had been able to guess sizes. Not only that, she’d picked out items that highlighted the kids’ personalities.
She shook out a long skirt and admired the bright colors and silky feel of the material. There was a blouse that complimented it, and a shawl. This was date stuff. Like going out with the man of her dreams stuff. Yes, she was delusional. They’d landed. She and the kids had been herded onto a small bus where they’d gotten checked by doctors, fed, and then placed in these barracks. She hadn’t seen Kin in twenty-four hours.
Folding the outfit carefully, she set it aside, choosing soft fleece pants and a pullover instead. There’d be no dates for her. The mission was over. She’d be flying out in a day or two—once she made sure all the kids would be taken care of. She and Kin had their fling. He’d be going back to doing whatever it was he and the Hard Target team did when they weren’t rescuing orphans and damsels from war-torn countries.
Her door opened on creaky hinges and she whipped around, holding the clothes in front of her like they’d protect her. Yeah, right. Nothing would protect her from the man standing there.
“You know why I’m here,” Kin said.
Okay, maybe she wasn’t so deluded after all. She swallowed hard and added a relunctant nod. “I think so.” I hope so, she added silently. Before she could move, Kin had slammed the door, stalked across the room and wrapped her up in his muscled arms. His mouth descended on hers, demanding she respond. She did, arms snaking around his neck as she came up on tiptoes, her lips feeding on his.
“Mine,” he growled against her skin.
“Mine,” she growled back.
“Aye,” he agreed and something settled in her chest. Something warm and wonderful, a knowing that all was right in her world. And she reveled in the feeling.
“Aye, indeed.”
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There you have it. Optomitrist appointment tomorrow so hopefully, I’ll be back to writing on a more full-time basis ASAP. In the meantime, writers, feel free to take the prompt and riff with the inspiration. Readers, the obvious question is “why are you here?” I’m not asking that. Instead, tell me the first book of mine that you read. I’m truly curious!
Silver James 