Page 39 (1/2)

I wave at Abby and she waves back She’s lifting her purse from beneath the bar, so I think she’s about to leave, too "Don’t be a stranger!" she yells at me I sh the bar to the back exit, and let ourselves out It’s after four in the , and I’m tired, but the cold air wraps aroundtiot to play with a band for hours And I have over three hundred dollars in an takes my hand in his and looks around The streets are dark and lad I’m with these two men They’re both built like mountains, and the tats make thean, but I know he can’t walk beside me and see my lips So I stay quiet all the way to his aparto up the stairs, and we stand in the stairwell for a moment He brushes back a strand of hair that’s stuck to ht, didn’t you?" he asks as soon as Pete’s gone

I nod, and buryinside with excitement I want to bite his chest, but I lift"Sa he alants"

"Have you ever worked for hi my face

"Never" It’s true I have never fallen that far Although I came close more than once

He takes my hand in his and starts up the stairs I kind of like holding hands with him It’s nice He pushes me up the steps before him and I turn around to say, "Do you know this is the first time I’ve ever walked up these steps of my own free will?"

He turns me around, slaps me on the ass, and I hear hian and it waran

I’ up the stairs and strangling the living shit out of hi on with Bone, but he won’t tell ood and Pete knows it So I have no idea what his purpose is for talking to the loser He should have stayed far away from hihts about strangling Pete I stop at the top of the stairs and draw her toto lie flat on s and my breath catches "Kit," I warn

"What?" she asks playfully, a grin tugging at her lips "After what you did to me on the bathroom counter, you still won’t letAnd I know it But I don’t want to explain it I cup her neck with my hand, and I feel a soft purr in her throat God, I want her so bad

"I enjoyed what I did to you on the bathroom counter," I say as I touch my lips to hers I lick across the seaue is a velvet rasp againstroan into her et closer to ainst my chest

She lifts her head so I can see her lips "When do I get to return the favor?" she asks Her cheeks color prettily, and I can tell asking the question embarrasses her God, she’s so da to happen"

She pulls back farther, her brows drawing together into a crease "How long are you going to stick to that rule?" she asks

"As long as it takes for you to trust me"

"I trust you now," she protests

She doesn’t If she did, she would tell s I can’t tell anyone" She takes ainst ainst the wall and sink inside her right here and now I could have her jeans off in seconds Her legs around my waist She breaks me from "

"You don’t have to tellBut you can’t hold back fro froainstback from me"

I jerk her back to me, and she pushes away She’s irked I try to explain "If I ever get to fking be inside you, I want to knohat to call you I want to at least know your na ownatto ownher feel howI want more"

I step back, brush her hair froertips until she follows s onyou want," she says She’s not looking me in the eye So, I wait for her eyes to open They finally do Sheyou want I just can’t have it"

I lay her hand on ers over h "You had me from that first moment in the shop" I hold upyour fking brand, damn it" I tip her face up toI know it But I don’t knohat"

She bites her lower lip between her teeth and worries it I tug it free withit between ainst my lips I set her back and away from me, and I can feel the rumble in her chest as sheBut I can tell you some of it," she says

My heart swells I take her hand and lead her into the apartment The whole place is quiet Everyone is already in bed "Want to take a shower?" I ask her She sweated the night away

"I thought you wanted to talk," she says, looking everywhere but at me

"I do" And I don’t Now I’m really afraid "Take a shower and then we can talk until the sun comes up, if you want"

She nods and bites her lower lip, which sends a kick straight to rins and jerks her thumb toward the bathroom "You want to jointellset out"

Her bottos and says, "Can’t bla to put hts in order I have to be really careful about what I tell Logan,for me I still see the lost posters at times And there are news blasts sometimes with pictures of the old me They’re of the me who had dark blond hair, pretty headbands, and shoes that coster exists It’s easier that way

I one so long now that I can’t go back I left out of anger And I can’t go hoo hoh to stand up for myself And I haven’t felt like that for quite some time

I wrap a towel around my head and one aroundon the bed wearing nothing but his boxers He tosses me a clean shirt, and I pull it over my head He closes his eyes as I slide his shirt on and step into my panties I can hear the hiss of his heavy breaths across the roo to kno I affect him

"You still want to talk?" I ask "Or are you too tired?" I shake out h it

"There’s no way you’re taking back your offer," he warns "You can’t teaseit back I just thought you ht want to wait until tos in front of hiaze darts down to my panties, where he can probably see the strip of fabric between roans "You’re killinglare at hiaze becoh

I hold up a hand to stop his , ould it be?" I ask

His brows shoot up "We’re supposed to be talking about you"