Little Bird: Criminally Yours

Chapter 14

I hadn’t knownwhat to expect when looking for Harley. She’d given me one clue to find her in a bar full of women. The Rose was dimly lit with carpeted floors, dark gray walls, and roses twined around dark chandeliers just out of reach. Music thrummed through the space, fighting the loud chatter of drunk customers that swayed to its hypnotizing notes.

Scanning the few tables, all the women in red were draped over men, and none held my interest longer than a fleeting second.

And then, I saw her.

Dark, almost black, hair hung like fine silk down her back, hiding delicate shoulders that moved with a sigh as she slammed her martini glass down on the bar. She stood quickly, getting the attention of the man beside her, who also stood and reached for her.

I moved quickly through the crowd, needing to get to my little bird before she fled. Watching her every move, I saw a small scowl turn her red lips down, and her long lashes fanned her face as she glanced at the floor before taking an uncertain step forward. In slow motion, she wobbled, fear flashing in her blue eyes. Wrapping my fingers around her forearm, her muscle tensed, and her head snapped up to look at me.

Instantly, I was struck by her beauty.

The scowl dropped, and a soft noise of surprise escaped her parted lips. Her blue eyes scanned my face, growing wide as they swept over my body.

“And you, my little bird—where do you think you’re going?” I swallowed past the lump in my throat. It was really her. She was real.

And fucking stunning.

She blinked slowly, her dark brows furrowing. The spicy scent of her perfume invaded my senses as she stepped closer to me. I focused on her eyes, then her small nose, her flushed cheeks, and her bow lips.

I had dreamed about her for months, and she never came close to anything I could have imagined. I wanted to kiss her. Ruin her perfect, red lips. I wanted her hands around my neck, nails digging into my skin.

I wanted every man in the bar to know she was my little bird.

“East?” Her voice shook. Fear laced her tone, and I fell in love with the way my name sounded coming from her lips.

“It’s me.” I stepped into her, our toes touching, chests brushing, hearts beating faster than the wings of a hummingbird. She raised a hand to my cheek, her touch soft, gentle.

Perfect.

“I thought you weren’t coming. I was going to leave,” she whispered, closing her eyes and sighing. “I am so nervous.”

“Me, too. I wasn’t expecting the prettiest woman in the room to be waiting for me tonight. God, Harley, tell me what I did to deserve meeting an angel?” She giggled, her head shaking.

“I don’t care about your past, East.” Somehow, she always knew what to say. The same way every letter saved a piece of my soul on my worst days. “Please kiss me.” Her words were a whisper against my jaw, her breath hot against my neck. The hand on my cheek slid into my short hair, and I groaned.

“How much have you had to drink?” Closing my eyes, I wished I couldn’t smell the alcohol on her breath. In moments like these, I wished I didn’t have a conscious.

“Not enough. Don’t make me beg, East. I’ve waited long enough.” She pressed her chest to mine. My hands ached to touch her, to peel the tight, red dress from her soft, pale skin. Cupping her firm butt, I held her to me, and my other hand slid into her thick hair. She moaned.

“I want you to remember this in the morning without regrets, my little bird.” My words came out on a rasp, desire rippling through my body, tensing my muscles.

“I’ll never forget this. I want you.”

Closing the remaining distance, unable to resist her a moment longer, I brushed my lips to hers. They parted with a soft sigh, her body curling into mine. The hand in my hair clenched, and I pulled her tighter against me as my tongue traced the seam of her full, bottom lip. A little noise of desire ripped from her throat.

Nibbling her bottom lip, I chased the sting away with my tongue and sought entrance to her warm mouth, my one hand kneading her butt, the other clutching at her desperately.

She turned her face from mine, sucking in a greedy breath of air. I continued peppering kisses along her jaw, tasting her sweet skin, hearing her moans, and needing more than a brief moment of ecstasy in a bar surrounded by strangers.

I sucked on the delicate skin below her ear, bruising her skin with a bite of desire. Then, I nibbled on her earlobe as she mewled in delight, her body flush against mine.

“More, East. I need more,” she begged, her lips brushed the shell of my ear. A shiver of desire skated down my spine.

“I’ll give you whatever you need, my little bird.”

I turned my head, seeking her lips and stealing her breath once more, inhaling her gasp of surprise when I bit down hard on her lip.

“Take me home,” she requested against my lips, kissing the corner of my mouth. Pulling away from her, I looked over her flushed cheeks, dilated eyes, and swollen lips.

“Are you sure?” she nodded, and I smoothed a hand down her hair and then wiped at her smeared red lipstick. She did the same to my face, but from one glance at the people around us, there was no hope in fixing our disheveled state.

Everyone already knew where the night was headed for us.

She slipped her hand into mine, her small hand cold, as she followed me out the bar and into the humid, night air.

“I don’t have a car. We’ll have to walk.” I looked over her tight, red dress and heels.

“I have one, but I can’t drive.” She laughed, swaying on her feet. Stepping into me, she leaned her head on my shoulder. “Can you?”

I nodded, and she led me to an old, black BMW. Once she was safely strapped into the passenger seat, I rounded the hood, checking our surroundings before backing out of the parking lot and merging onto the busy street.

“Do you have any food at your place?” she slurred, holding her head up with her hand, leaning against the door for support. “I’m so hungry. I couldn’t eat all day.”

Reaching across the small, center console, I rested my hand on her thigh. “How about some pizza? I’m starving.” She had to be as nervous as I was to not have eaten anything.

“That sounds like a good idea,” she mumbled, closing her eyes, her long lashes brushing her high cheekbones. “Can we eat at your place? I don’t want to stand anymore. I hate these stupid shoes. They were Kennedy’s idea,” she rambles on, talking about how her roommate helped her get ready for tonight. The same roommate I thought she hated.

“I’ve got a frozen one at the apartment.” I couldn’t bring myself to call it home, I hated the foreign word. Home had been a jail cell, and before that, it had been my car. Home was a reminder of everything I could never have, and now, I had a place to call mine, but nothing felt right about the luxurious apartment.

Navigating through the dark streets, lit only by dim streetlights, I glanced at her every few minutes, watching her fall asleep, her chest rising and falling with deep, even breaths.

Parking her car in my designated spot in the parking garage, I shut the car off and surveyed the full lot of expensive cars.

I didn’t belong here.

Shaking that thought off, I exited the driver’s side and walked around the back of the car, fighting a grin at the small, pink sticker in her rear window that read, You just got passed by a girl.

Carefully opening the door, I squatted and released her seatbelt, gently shaking her arm to wake her. She blinked slowly, her eyes coming into focus as she assessed her surroundings.

“Sorry.” She blushed, and I stood, offering her my hand as she stepped out of the car. Wobbling on the sexy shoes, she took my offered support and rested her other hand on my chest. “You’re sweeter than I imagined,” she whispered, threading her fingers with mine and following me through the lot to the elevator.

We stood in the metal box as it raced to the lobby, and I was struck by her simple words. What had she been expecting? Who was I supposed to be?

“It’s only for you, little bird.”

“You’re not what I expected.” She leaned on me as we exited the elevator and walked across the lobby to the elevator that would take us to my apartment. The nighttime clerk, John, waved from his desk, and I nodded in acknowledgment.

“What were you expecting?” I asked as we waited for the elevator. She looked up at me and then at the grand lobby over my shoulder.

“Didn’t expect you to have money, for starters.” She gestured behind us.

I was waiting for that comment. “Anything else?”

“Hmm. Don’t take this the wrong way, but no visible scars.” Her eyes skimmed over my face and exposed skin.

“And where would I have gotten those?” She blushed, but I saw where her mind was going. “I didn’t get in any fights,” I assured her. “It’s not my scene.”

“I know you have tattoos, but I can’t see them.” We stepped into the elevator, and the doors closed once I pressed my floor. Slowly, we began our ascent.

“Were you expecting them on my neck and face?” Her blush deepened as she leaned against the wall of the elevator.

“Maybe. You’re not fitting any of the stereotypes.” The cab came to a stop, and the doors opened. I extended my hand to her, leading her to my apartment door where I typed in the code to unlock the door.

She made a little noise of surprise as she took in the lavish apartment, her big, blue eyes darting over the couch, kitchen, and big windows that overlooked the park right behind the building and the rest of the city beyond.

I kicked off my shoes at the door and then kneeled to unstrap her heels. She crouched with me, pushing my hands aside. “You don’t have to do that.” Silently, I gently brushed her hands to the side and continued untying the thin strap around her ankle.

“Please,” I murmured when she frowned at me. She stood and let me take off her right shoe. I caressed the arch of her cold foot, kneading the sore muscles, and she sighed. I repeated the action with her left and then stood, pressing a quick kiss to her lips before leading her into the kitchen.

She slid onto a barstool, holding her head up with both hands as she watched me. I found the frozen pizza I’d seen earlier and turned the oven on. At that moment, I was thankful the place came stocked with food, dishes, and appliances. I wouldn’t be here with her now if it didn’t.

Once the oven had heated up, I slid the pizza in and turned back to the fridge. “Water?” She shook her head.

“I’m not ready.”

“Not ready for what?”

“To wake up from this dream.” Rounding the counter, I stood in front of her. Sliding both my hands into her thick, silky hair, I made her look at me. My thumb traced her bottom lip, pulling it from between her teeth.

“It’s not a dream, Harley. I’m real. We’re real. This is real.” She nodded, her eyes glazing over with lust.

“Don’t make me beg, East. I hate begging for what I want.”

“Tell me what you want, Harley. I can’t read your mind, little bird.” I brushed my nose to hers, inhaling her sweet scent. A trace of alcohol lingered in the air between us, and I knew it was clouding her judgment, reminding me that I needed her to eat so she could sober up a bit. But I wanted her to beg for me. For us.

“You. I want you.” Her lips ghosted over mine, teasing and testing my patience all at once.

“Where do you want me?” I nipped at her bottom lip, devouring her moan.

“Everywhere, Easton. I don’t just want you; I need you everywhere.” My little bird was begging.

And it was snapping my restraint.