Chapter 10 #2
I blink at him. He brought me groceries? Why is that the most touching thing anyone has done in a long, long time? My throat feels a little scratchy and thick as I choke out, “Thank you.”
His gaze softens. “I thought I’d make you something to eat. You look like you haven’t been inside all day, and it’s time for dinner.”
“Shit. Is it?”
“Yeah.” He hesitates, his brows furrowing. “Have you been out here digging this…” He stumbles just a bit on the next word, “…grave all day?”
“Seems I have. And I have the blisters on my hand to prove it. Seems blowjobs and anal are the only things on the menu for thank-yous for a while.”
His body language shifts, and his shoulders relax. “I think I can handle that.” He grins, which makes his eyes look prettier. “Come up. I think you need to eat.”
I stare up at him and then realize how deep in the ground I am. God, what was I thinking? The walls are almost perfectly straight down, and I’m up to the ankles in loose dirt. I…shit. I think I might be stuck.
I want to cry a little bit. “I don’t know how to get out. I think I may have to live here now. With Michael.”
“Did you just bury him?” There’s a look on his face now that I can’t read.
“I wish.”
Thorne stares at me for a long time, and then he holds up a finger. “Just stay right there. I’m going to go look for some rope or a ladder.”
I lean against the shovel and stare at the dirt walls all around me. Don’t know how I ended up so far below the earth, but if Thorne hadn’t shown up, there’s a good chance I’d have ended up in purgatory.
Which would have been a nice break from reality, if I’m honest.
An old wooden ladder appears above me, and Thorne gently lowers it down into the hole, giving me a way out.
“My hero,” I say as I begin to climb up. My arms and legs feel weak, and it’s becoming more and more obvious I haven’t eaten today. The world begins to swim a bit as I step out of the hole and look down. Oh god, that’s going to take forever to fill.
“You can thank me later,” Thorne says, drawing me out of my thoughts.
I glance over at him, and in spite of the fact that I’m woozy as hell, I’m immediately turned on. “Oh, I so will.”
He blushes and then places a hand on my sweaty lower back. I really need a shower and maybe another drink. Water and some alcohol.
Both at the same time, maybe.
“Go on and shower, and I’ll start dinner,” he says as we walk inside.
“Don’t tell me what to do. What if I want to be like this while I eat?”
He stares at me, and I sigh, gesturing toward the stairs. “Fine. Shower and then eat. And drink. I want something strong.”
He nods and ushers me away. I’m pretty sure I smell, and when I see my face in the mirror, I suck in a sharp gasp.
Oh god. That’s not a good look. I look like an actual groundhog. Christ, Michael is ruining me.
I strip my clothes off and hop into the shower, not even waiting for it to warm up.
Standing under the cold water, I close my eyes as it runs over my face.
“It’s time to get a fucking grip,” I say aloud.
“Enough is enough. You have a hot man downstairs cooking you dinner right now. You do not need to ruin your future over a goddamn rodent.”
The pep talk helps a little.
I scrub at the dirt until the water runs clear, and then I step out, dry off, and pull on a fresh pair of sweats. I may even apply a little moisturizer and lip balm to look less like a zombie. At least now when I look in the mirror, I seem a little more human.
God, I have no idea what Thorne sees in me.
But I’d like to find out. I head back to the kitchen, where Thorne looks like he’s waiting for me.
The man is sex on a stick with his bulging biceps and his eyes that seem to track my every movement.
His clever hands reach for a pink something-or-other in a martini glass and a cup of water, pushing them both toward me.
“Drink,” he says, and I obey. The water feels heavenly on my scorched throat, and the alcohol helps ease whatever else is going on in my brain, though I might need to revisit my dependence on it because I’ve been self-medicating a lot lately.
I slide up to the counter as he’s chopping garlic and offer him a small smile. Somehow, just standing near him, I feel better.
“You okay now?” he asks.
I let out the smallest laugh and shrug. “I think I’m going to dig holes for the rest of my life. It was very cathartic and a hell of a workout.” I try to flex, but my arms are like limp noodles, and I give up.
He grins at me anyway, and it’s probably pity, but he looks very impressed. “You dug quite the hole. Just don’t fall in it later.”
“Can’t promise that. If you don’t hear from me, come looking. That’s probably where I’ll be. You can come save me again.”
He winks. “Deal. I like being the hero.”
“Different than being an arms dealer on the dark web?” I ask.
He makes a startled choking noise, almost like he’s forgotten how we met. His cheeks flush, and he shrugs. “I’ve had a lot of jobs over the years. This one might be my favorite.”
Fuck, the way he says that has me thinking all kinds of things I have no business fantasizing about.
Like him staying. Like me waking up to him in the mornings.
Like calling him mine. I distract myself by downing the rest of the pink drink, then wander to the fridge when I remember he went grocery shopping.
I yank open the door, choking slightly when I see how much food he bought me.
“Thorne. What did you do? You bought enough for ten weeks.”
“Not if you’re feeding me too. I’m a big boy. I need my calories.”
Feeding him too? Like he’s staying. I need another drink. I go for the water instead, and I can feel all my dehydrated little pores thanking me. It’s distracting enough I don’t get lost in thoughts I’m not supposed to be having.
But he can’t possibly mean all of that the way I want anyway. He’s just flirting, and that is something I can do. I turn to him and slide back against the counter, letting my hip touch his. “I’ll have to make sure I give you something extra good as a thank-you, then.”
His grin is sultry, and he leans in close enough I can smell a faint whiff of his soap. “Can’t wait to see what that is.”
I lick my lips. “You’ll be so happy, but…” I start to feel a sudden pang of insecurity, and I ask the question I was meant to be keeping inside. “Are you only showing up because I give great head?”
His eyes go sad for a moment, and then he laughs and reaches out, dragging a garlic-scented finger along the edge of my jaw. “No, Leaf. I show up because you’re the most exciting part of my day. Never know what to expect when I end up near you.”
I bite my lip and fight off a blush. Not exactly the answer I wanted, but at least my insecurity hasn’t sent him running. “Well, I’m glad I’m entertainment.” I peer over his shoulder. “What are you making me?”
“It’s a surprise.”
“I hate surprises. Have had too many these days.”
He smudges a kiss on my temple before leaning away. “This is a good one, I promise. Now, go sit down and relax. I’ll make you another drink.”
I do as he says, pulling a chair up next to him so we can continue to talk. He makes me another drink. This time though, it’s blue. It’s just as delicious as the previous one.
“I think I need you to teach me your ways.”
He laughs. “I can do that.”
“Good, because my pickle whiskey was terrible. Very hard to get down.”
“I thought you liked it.”
I grimace. “I lied. I’m very good at it.”
“Hmm.” His face does that complicated thing again, and he studies me for so long, I squirm. Then the mood shifts a bit, and he turns back to his food, stirring in some marinara sauce to the pan of simmering onions and garlic.
“Will I get to taste test this?”
He’s smiling again. “If you’re a good boy, then you can.”
I suck in a breath, feeling my dick perk up. “I can be a very good boy. I did very well in school, I’ll have you know.”
“I’m sure you did.” He looks at me out of the corner of his eye, his lips twisted up in a smirk.
I huff and finish my drink off, smacking my lips together as he offers me a spoon of the sauce. I pull it into my mouth, feeling his gaze on my lips as I lick and swallow. A bit gets stuck to the corner of my mouth, and I try to lick it away, but fail.
It’s very unsexy, but he must like what he sees because his cheeks darken, and the bulge in the front of his pants is obvious.
“Right, well, I’m going to add this to some chicken. Can I use the grill out back?”
“If you don’t mind blowing up. It’s definitely got like six leaks in the propane tube thingie.”
Instead of getting irritated that my place is falling apart, he chuckles and reaches over, pulling me to my feet.
He doesn’t give me any warning, just leans down and kisses me.
I gasp, my mouth parting for his tongue to sweep inside, tasting the sugar on my tongue. I moan into it, my fingers grasping his shirt and holding on for dear life. He just slants his mouth over mine a little more, deepening the kiss.
I take it all, the sweep of his tongue against mine, the way his breath travels down my throat.
I want to bend over right here. Fuck dinner. I want him to kiss me while he rails me against the kitchen table.
But he pulls away, looking a little flushed. “Right, sorry. Got distracted.”
I rock my hips against him. “You should get distracted a little more.”
He glances down at the tent in my sweats, licking his lips before looking back up at me. “Where can I cook the chicken without dying?”
“You’re actually thinking about chicken at a time like this?”
“I need to feed you.” He looks dead serious, and it shouldn’t be, but it’s so fucking sexy.
“Fine, if you think this is the best course of action.” I eye the kitchen and then pull something out of a box.
It’s an air fryer. “This doesn’t look used.
This should work without burning the kitchen down.
” Assuming the electric panel doesn’t fry.
The lights have been flickering a lot lately, but he doesn’t need to know that.
“Sounds good. Let’s set it up and see.”