Twice Bitten Read Free Page B

thing is.”
    Hmmm …to hear him talk like this. I’m referring to his tone , and not the actual words. I tuned out most of the message. I’ve seen other girls nearly swoon over his chiseled looks and charming smile, but I must confess it’s the sexiness in his voice that gets me. There’s a warmth and assurance there, when he finds the right thing to say and doesn’t obsess so much. 
    “You seem a lot better now,” Tyreen added. “So as long as you take it easy tonight and rest up, you should be fine.”
    “What about our date?” The disappointment in my voice was readily apparent, I’m sure. “It’s not too late to make it to the restaurant before they stop serving!”
    “It might be pushing it, don’t you think?” said Peter, his tone more compassionate.
    Little Pepino’s stayed open until eleven each night, and I knew firsthand that the kitchen remained available for patrons until midnight. Best Italian food in Knoxville…or so the staff will tell you. I didn’t wait for him to go on about how this was a bad idea, and sat up. But, the room started swimming around me again.
    “See? I told ya’ll she can’t go anywhere tonight,” said Peter to Johnny and Tyreen. “It’s best if she stays here.”
    He sounded like my mysterious visitor, only worse.
    “Well, I know you two had planned a special night on the town,” said Tyreen, wearing her pained expression again while she nodded, as if she could picture the swirling drain my birthday celebration was being sucked down into. “We could get you two something to eat and bring it here—how about that? It might not be Little Pepino’s, but you could do a lot worse than Olive Garden. The birthday cake the girls and I brought here earlier should keep for a few days.”
    “How about a couple of pizzas and a six pack of Killian’s for us all?” Peter suggested. He looked over at me after nodding to Johnny, as if my preference for the evening’s revised agenda was an afterthought. He blushed once he saw my disdainful expression, thrusting his hands into his pants pockets while nervously straightening his back with an ‘oh shit!’ look on his face.
    “Actually, I’d prefer a box of truffles and a big bottle of chardonnay,” I replied, offering a grimace that would’ve been a wry smile if not for the steady throb inside my head. I mean, can a chocolate rush and wine cure an oncoming migraine? Maybe that was a little ridiculous, but at this point, nothing sounded good…nothing but a long night of restful sleep. And just an hour ago I felt totally jazzed to go out and celebrate the final phase of my teenager status.
    It made me wonder even more about my earlier visitor…. Him showing up that night, on the birthday that announced the final stanza of my adolescence, definitely marked the event to where I’d likely never forget. I shuddered at the thought it might’ve been this pasty stranger’s intent in the first place.
    “Hey, sweetie…Johnny and I should go so you two can decide how you want to spend tonight,” offered Tyreen, exchanging looks with Johnny before moving up to kiss my forehead. “If you need anything, call me. I don’t care how late it is. I’ll leave his broke ass and be here in a minute, or go out and get anything you need.” She chuckled, amused at her own joke while Johnny scowled.
    “All right…sorry for the trouble,” I told her, smiling weakly. “Peter and I should be okay, once we figure out dinner.”
    “I’ll call you guys if her condition worsens,” Peter added, moving to the door. 
    Tyreen and Johnny followed him. After a hug from her and a brother handshake from Johnny, he closed the door behind them.
    ***
         Peter stayed with me all night. Despite my early protests that I could handle things on my own just fine, I was actually glad he didn’t leave. 
    He ordered a pizza for us after I declined his proposal to order Chinese…I just didn’t think my stomach could handle fried pork or