Chapter 5 #3
“Always. But let’s be honest, you had it covered. I think you broke his nose,” I tease, watching her closely and taking in the concentration on her face. Her lips are pressed together in a thin line, brows furrowed in focus. “Where’d you learn to throw a punch like that?”
Her form had been fucking perfect.
She shrugs, still focused on my lip. “You pick up a thing or two growing up in rough neighborhoods.”
Soulmate.
The word flashes through my mind so fast that I almost don’t register it, but it leaves an echo behind I can’t ignore.
I must have zoned out because, before I know it, she’s applying something to my lip that burns like hell, making me jerk back instinctively.
“Oh, come on,” she teases, a playful glint in her eyes as she tilts her head to the side. “Tough guy can pummel someone into the floor but can’t handle a little antiseptic?”
Despite the sting in my lip, I grin, feeling the heat from where she dabbed the ointment. “Hey, I was trying to impress you with my bravery. But if you keep torturing me like this, I might actually start crying.”
She laughs, her breath brushing against my skin. “Guess I’ll have to be gentle, then.”
I tense when I catch a whiff of her scent, sweet as a fucking candy store, and my mouth waters. “Not too gentle, though.”
Our eyes lock again for a long moment, and I’m about to say fuck it and kiss her when she breaks the spell and sets the ointment down on the edge of the sink, her fingers lingering there for a moment as if lost in thought.
Then, with a determined look, she reaches for my right hand, cradling it in hers while her thumb glides over each bump and scrape.
“We should put some ice on these,” she murmurs, concerned. Her gaze flickers to mine again, and there’s a softness that makes my heart beat faster.
I turn our hands so hers is on top, noticing her knuckles are red and swollen. “If anything, we should ice your knuckles,” I suggest and link our fingers together.
She exhales deeply, her shoulders relaxing a bit, making her look even more exhausted. “All this shit has sobered me up.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry to have killed your vibe,” I tease, chuckling. “Want me to go out and grab a bottle, or do you have something here?” I watch her carefully, noting how her eyes light up at the mention of a drink.
Interesting.
“I have whiskey. Are you going to join me for a glass?” she asks with a hint of vulnerability.
And that brief glimpse is all it takes for me to reconsider my eight years of sobriety from alcohol for a fleeting moment. “I don’t drink. I’m sorry.”
“A bartender that doesn’t drink?”
“Correction. I don’t drink anymore,” I clarify, and she nods like she gets it.
But she couldn’t understand. I don’t think she could even grasp how much darker my thoughts always got when I was drunk and looking for a fight.
There’s a flicker of something in her eyes as if she wants to press further, but she stops herself. “Sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it.” I give her a reassuring smile. “Like you said, I’m a bartender. I can definitely watch you get wasted. It’s kind of my job.”
“Yeah, but you’re off duty now,” she counters, a hint of a smile tugging at her lips.
I should probably tell her I can leave to give her space to unwind. Except, fuck, I can’t. Not when I finally have her all to myself.
“I have a counteroffer.” I reach into my back pocket and pull out a metal case, flipping it open to reveal a neatly rolled blunt. “You down?”
“God, yes,” she breathes out, her smile widening.
We step out of the bathroom and onto her porch, and I pull the blunt from the case, placing it between my lips.
I reach for my lighter, but before I can flick it, Sparkle produces a small, shiny metal case from nowhere.
She strikes a match with a quick flick and leans in to light it for me.
The flame dances between us, casting a warm glow on her face, and I raise an eyebrow.
Who the hell uses a matchbox?
We both take a few drags, and I watch as her whole posture loosens as she leans back against the porch railing.
“So, you living alone here?” I ask, exhaling a cloud of smoke and passing the blunt back to her.
“Soon,” she replies, shrugging casually and taking a long drag. Then she blows out a thick stream of smoke that drifts lazily into the night. “Oh, wait, if you count the stray cat that comes and goes as she pleases, I guess I have a roommate.”
I glance over the balcony’s edge, peering into the darkness below, and then back at her, a skeptical look on my face. “You’re on the second floor. How does a cat get up here?”
“I have no fucking clue.” She chuckles, the sound bubbling up and spilling out, growing louder until it bursts into a full, unrestrained laugh.
I laugh with her but decide it’s probably better to hog the joint for a while.
The way her laughter spills out, too loose, too unguarded, tells me she’s had enough.
I don’t want her out of it completely. Not tonight.
Not when it’s the first time I have her to myself.
I want her real thoughts and reactions. Not just the haze she hides behind.
“So, when you say soon, I’m guessing you mean because Blondie’s going off to live with her Romeo?” I ask, leaning back against the porch railing as well, my eyes never leaving her.
“Yep.” She pops the P, then closes her eyes, a content smile spreading across her face.
God, she’s so damn beautiful.
“And no other friend is moving in after she leaves?” The idea of her being alone here doesn’t sit right with me.
She shakes her head, opening her eyes and meeting my gaze with a mix of humor and honesty. “I don’t have friends.”
I blink, surprised. “You’re the most outgoing person I’ve ever seen.”
She snorts softly, a sound that’s somehow adorable coming from her.
“There’s Belle, and that’s about it,” she admits, furrowing her brows and glancing away for a moment as if she’s just realized she let something slip.
Jackpot. Maybe tonight I’ll get lucky, and she’ll slip her name too.
“Honestly, I think you’re the closest thing I have to a friend besides her. ”
What?
“Me?”
This is the longest we’ve ever talked.
“Yeah, funny, isn’t it?” She giggles again, her laughter soft and slightly embarrassed.
“Not really, no,” I reply. “I want to be a lot of things to you, Sparkle. I guess I can be your friend, too, while I’m at it. Let’s just say I’m your person.”
She shoots me a sly look, her lips curving into a playful smile. “Oh, Hottie, I don’t shit where I eat.”
I laugh, caught off guard. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
“Vortex?” She rolls her eyes, grinning wider. “It’s like a second home to me.”
I freeze as the penny drops, my eyes widening. “That’s why?”
“That’s why… what?”
“That’s why you’ve fucked every dude around but never me?”
She giggles again, a mischievous sparkle dancing in her eyes. “You think it’s easy keeping my hands off you?”
The playful challenge in her voice makes my pulse quicken, and I grin. “Well, then.” I step closer until there’s barely any space between us. “Sounds like I have to quit my job.”
“Oh, shut up.” She laughs, but there’s no bite to her words, only that playful spark I’ve come to crave.
Noticing the blunt is now burning low, I press it out against the railing and flick it off the porch.
“That’s it,” I announce as I pull out my phone and start typing.
I’ve watched her for months, seen the way she carries herself like she owns the world, even when I can tell it’s a lie.
She’s the kind of woman who makes you want to be better, even if you’re sure she’ll never let you close enough to try.
But maybe she just told me what I need to do to get my chance.
“What are you doing?”
“Quitting.”
I quit. Don’t bother calling.
I send the message, then show her the screen when it shows as delivered. Her eyes go wide, disbelief and amusement flickering across her face.
“Wait, are you serious?”
Putting the phone in my back pocket, I smirk before I grab her by the throat.
“Dead serious.” I pull her to me, capturing her lips in a kiss that sends a sharp sting through my split lip.
But I don’t care. I’ve dreamed about this moment for months, and now that it’s finally happening, I’m not holding back.
She responds eagerly, her hands coming up to hold my wrist, her lips soft against mine, parting as she kisses me back. I deepen the kiss, my free hand sliding down to her waist, pulling her closer, feeling the heat of her body against mine, smelling her candy scent.
Sweetest fucking treat ever.
When we finally break apart for air, she looks up at me, breathless, her cheeks flushed and her eyes sparkling. “You’re fucking crazy, you know that?”
“Fuck that job if it keeps me from you,” I murmur against her lips. Without another word, I scoop her up, and her thighs instinctively wrap around my waist. Her arms loop around my neck, holding on tight as I carry her back inside, and she guides me to her room.
I lay her down on the bed, moving to straddle her thighs, my hands planted on either side of her head as I hover over her. Her hair fans out on the pillow like a halo, her green eyes dark with anticipation, and I feel my desire surge in response.
She reaches up, pushing my hair out of my eyes, a smile playing on her lips. “You think this will be worth it? I don’t date,” she whispers teasingly, but there’s an edge of sincerity.
“She asks if she’s worth it…” I snicker, leaning down to kiss her again, this time slower, savoring the taste of her lips and the way her body arches up to meet mine.
Nothing was ever worth more.
My hands move to her hips, fingers digging in, anchoring her to me as the kiss deepens.
Her hands slide up my back, nails grazing my skin through my shirt as I press closer, feeling her heartbeat against mine. There’s no more pretending, no more playing it cool.