TooHottoTouch by Samantha Cayto

chest heaved with what he assumed was residual anger. He
didn’t dare speak to her until she looked at him and gave him a reassuring
smile. A breath he hadn’t even realized he was holding pushed past his lips.
    “Are you all right?” he asked tentatively lest he reignite
her anger and send it hurling toward him.
    Her smile widened. “I’m fine.” He raised his eyebrows
skeptically. “Really.” Shrugging, she added, “What can I say? I’m Greek. I tend
to be a hot reactor and I don’t like my ex sniffing around my business,
sticking his nose in my business.”
    Judging it safe to do so, Sean sauntered up and clasped her
shoulders in his hands. He grinned down at her. “I know you’re Greek. That was
kind of the point Polonarkis was making.” When she looked at him in confusion,
he explained, “He warned me we would never last because I’m not Greek and you
are in a major way.”
    “Ugh!” She wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned into
his body. The feel of her was, as always, amazing. “He’s such an idiot. He
doesn’t understand why I was unhappy. He couldn’t see how his self-absorption
and relentless effort to climb the social ladder was what killed my love for
him. It was easier to blame it on my ethnocentricity.”
    He hugged her closer, almost afraid to press her on the
issue. “So my not being Greek isn’t a problem?”
    She tipped her head back to look at him. “If it were, I
wouldn’t have dated you in the first place. My time is precious. I don’t want
to waste it with someone who is an automatic dead-end for me.” She snuggled up
to him, rubbing her face on his chest in an uncharacteristic show of affection
given where they were and the number of people around. “I hope my outburst didn’t
weird you out.”
    Knowing how much worse shit he put her through from
time-to-time with his nightmares, he couldn’t believe she worried about his
reaction to a little tongue-lashing. “Nah, I’m just glad you weren’t angry with
me. You were kind of awesome to behold,” he answered her truthfully. He dared
to plant a kiss on the top of her head. “I don’t suppose you’re going to tell
me what you said?”
    She shook her head. “Not in a million years. A boy your age
shouldn’t hear such naughty words.”
    He chuckled because he knew she wanted him to, but he
wondered and he worried a little bit that she was still hung up on their age
difference.
    * * * * *
    Zoë burst out laughing when Sean pulled her onto his lap.
Flush from a round of line dancing, she had intended merely to sit beside him
on the picnic bench but he had other ideas. In front of her extended family
members and long-time friends, he made his claim. His arms encircled her waist
and he nuzzled one side of her sweaty neck. “Stop,” she protested. “I’m a
mess.” Belying her words, however, she clasped her hands behind his neck and
hugged him back.
    “I love you all hot and wet, you know that,” he teased in a
low voice.
    She laughed again, happy and carefree in a way she hadn’t
known in a long time. These last few months with Sean had been wonderful. It
felt good and right to have him with her out in the open, sharing a simple yet
common event in her life. “So what do you think of your first Greek picnic?”
    “It’s great. The food, the music, everyone having so much
fun. I’m glad you brought me,” he added with a quick kiss to her lips.
    She was glad too. Even though Sean had attracted a lot of
attention, everyone staring at him, assessing his worthiness as her boyfriend,
he had held up well. He smiled and answered some frankly rude questions with
good grace. He was a sweet boy. No, she shouldn’t think of him that way. He was
a man, her man, and she was proud to be sitting on his lap. They sat in
companionable silence for a few minutes, watching the line dancers. They ranged
from children to elderly women, good to just enthusiastic in their skill.
    Sean chuckled. “Look at those little kids go.