Chapter 13
Sometimes you just have to give yourself a pep talk. Hello, you badass bitch. How are you? Don’t be sad. You’re doing great.
—Ellodie’s secret thoughts
ELLODIE
“Why are you on prednisone?” I asked curiously, picking up the package and reading the prescription information.
Quaid blew out a breath. “I was running during a foot chase. WhenI got to a field, I guess I stepped awkwardly, and my Achilles tendon gave out. Ever since then, I’ve had a lot of swelling there, and the doctor I saw recommended I try prednisone to get the swelling down.”
My stomach clenched at the thought of him hurting in any way, let alone bad enough that he couldn’t walk.
I winced. “Ouch.”
“Ouch is right,” he murmured. “It hurt like a bitch and had to be one of the worst feelings I’ve ever experienced.”
“And the swelling?” I asked.
“Has gotten worse with my uptick of use over the last two weeks or so. So, the doctor said he’d prescribe me some steroids to help with the swelling.” He sighed. “I’ll take it before bed with my other sleep medication.”
“Why do you take sleep medication?” I kept asking questions.
“BecauseI sleep like fucking shit. It takes me hours to drift off. Then, when I do finally fall asleep, I wake up about twenty times. Doctor prescribed me sleep meds about a year ago and it’s been nice as fuck to finally be able to sleep through the night. This stuff doesn’t make me sleepy or anything when I wake up, no matter what time of night. It’s the best I’ve found.”
I glanced at the packaging for it, too, then set it back down on the counter next to a half-empty water bottle.
“Do you want to watch a movie?” I asked, leaning my hips against the counter.
We’d just finished having sex.
I’d cleaned myself out as best as I could using toilet paper.
Who knew having sex without a condom was so dang messy?
Now, fully sated, it was time for dinner and a movie to finish out my day off.
I was exhausted.
Today, when Gable and I had found that rage room after a quick lunch, I’d thought it was going to be a fun way to pass the time.
I hadn’t realized how much rage I had stored up in me, nor did I realize that it’d be so much fun to destroy things.
I stayed there for an hour and a half destroying everything I could, and only stopped when a sexy voice asked if I wanted him to pay for another hour, or if I’d gotten the release I needed.
WhenI’d turned to find Quaid standing there, I realized there was only one way to release the rest of what I needed, and we’d need to find a bedroom to do that.
So, we’d gone home with Auden, saying goodbye to Gable when we did, and he’d driven us to Quaid’s place.
“I’ll have to order something, because I’m too tired to scrounge up anything besides cereal, and I have no cereal.” He laughed as he pulled me to him. “You okay?”
“AmI okay physically or emotionally?” I wondered. “I’m fine. I’m sad that another girl was taken. I’m horrified that he tried to contact me again. I’m thinking I have a lot to thank you for.”
He tilted his head, his eyes intense, as he said, “What do you mean?”
“If you hadn’t interrupted all of my dates as you did, I wouldn’t have seen what I was missing,” I explained. “I wouldn’t be with you right now, not wanting another date with another man.”
He ran his finger down my nose before saying, “I had a thought today.”
“Oh yeah?” I asked.
“Yeah,” he said. “Want to know what it was?”
“Of course I want to know what it was.” I snorted, rolling my eyes so hard my brain hurt.
He let me go and stepped back before saying, “How would you feel if you never went on another first date again?”
I felt my belly warm. “I mean, I want to at least go on one more first date.”
His brows rose. “With me?”
I turned and walked away from him, going to the kitchen where he kept a to-go menu of nearly every single restaurant within a ten-minute drive of his new place.
“Of course, with you, silly,” I said. “We haven’t been on one.”
“Oh,” he paused. “I guess that’s true. It just feels like we have, though.”
That was true.
We’d shared pancakes. I’d seen him subdue a man while eating a crispito.
Truthfully, I felt like we’d been on quite a few dates at this point. But nothing official.
I pulled out a menu for the closest Indian restaurant, and said, “I want butter chicken.”
He scoffed. “That’s so unoriginal. Everyone orders butter chicken.”
“I’ve tried it all, but that’s my favorite,” I admitted. “When will you take me on this last first date, QuaidI-don’t-know-your-middle-name Carter?”
“Ryan. It’sRyan,” he added. “And as soon as everything settles down, unless you’re okay with counting a house date as a first date.”
I smirked at him. “I think dates can be anywhere. You just have to put some effort into making it special.”
He caught the to-go menu and ordered through the UberEats app on his phone before tucking it away in his pocket.
“I got the new alarm system installed today,” he said as he gestured toward the panel that was in the kitchen. “Come here so I can show you how to work it before I go take a shower.”
I went to him and leaned against the counter as he told me the codes, what to do if there was an emergency and all that jazz.
When he finally dropped a kiss to my lips and headed upstairs, I had so many numbers bouncing around in my brain I was worried I wouldn’t remember them all.
A beep on my phone had me glancing at it, and I groaned at the reminder.
I had a test due tonight.
“Shit!” I cried out as I ran upstairs for my computer.
I walked in right when Quaid dropped his underwear.
I took a second to take in his naked glory, then sighed and went to my computer.
He stepped into the bathroom, and I watched him slip a pill out of the sleeve of his steroid which reminded me…
“Hey!” I called out to him. “Would you bring me a birth control pill? It’s in that white packet right next to your prednisone. I’m going to change my schedule to in the morning after this one.”
He did as I asked, putting both pills in his hand as he grabbed a bottle of water off the counter and brought it with him.
He walked to me naked, and I paused in getting my computer booted up to enjoy the view.
His balls swayed, and his thick cock bobbed.
He was hard.
AndI had a stupid test to do!
“Hold that thought,” I said as he reached me and dropped the pill into my hand. “I have a test due. It’ll take me like thirty minutes max. It’s timed, and that’s all they give us. WhenI’m done…”
He winked at me and took his own pill before handing me the bottle of water.
I downed mine and then handed the bottle back to him before reluctantly pulling my eyes away from him. I stopped him as he was about to head into the bathroom, though.
“Do me a favor and close that door, will you? I don’t want to be distracted,” I pleaded.
He chuckled, but did as I asked, and I went to my student dashboard and started my test.
And from that moment on, a new routine was set.
I went to his place after work, we’d spend most of the night making out or my new favorite, fucking each other to death, reports would be written, tests and studying were done, and the next morning he’d bring me coffee, my birth control pill, and a kiss goodbye.
It went on like that for three blissful weeks.
Until the serial killer decided to circle back around to me all over again.