Chapter 29 - August
“What are you doing?” Kate clasps my arm and glances from side to side, clutching the pizza box to her chest.
“Being morally orange.” I jiggle the side door with the old trick, and it groans like it remembers me, opening a crack. “Are you going to be this grumpy man’s naughty lady?” I extend my hand for her to take.
Her fingers lock around mine. “I’ll do anything if you quote Celine to me and kiss me like you did in the pizzeria.”
She’s back from the fade. Eighty percent, by my guess. Once I get some food into her, she’ll boost another ten. And I’ve got a plan to coax her all the way back.
I guide her inside. The games arcade is a relic from a distant childhood, where the only safe place in the world came with sticky floors and the smell of popcorn.
Dim light filters through the frosted window, catching the outlines of pinball machines and claw games that slumber, waiting for someone to switch on the electricity and pump life into them.
“This place is closed for autumn and early winter before the onset of ski season visitors.” I lead her through the back of the arcade where all the machines wait to be serviced or are retired.
“Kids sneak in here all the time to play the games. The owner lets them. Better to have them inside than out on the street, causing strife.”
We emerge into the main arcade, decked out in patterned carpet with stars and neon swirls, dulled by age, and relevant to the nineties.
“This is where I came all summer long,” I tell her.
“You hung out here?” She turns in a slow circle, taking it all in. Faded posters of superheroes, cracked plastic stools, the scuffed glass on the pinball machine, shelves of toys and prizes behind the counter.
“Lived here,” I admit, my voice rougher than it’s meant to be. “This was my shelter from bullies. Here, I could breathe and win at something.”
Kate’s expression softens as she passes her palm over an arcade cabinet, wiping dust from the memory. “You were picked on?”
“Yeah. Back then, I was all skinny elbows and no voice.” I stop at the Skee-ball lane, my hand resting on her waist. “The second I hit fourteen, I grew into my body and turned the tables on the bullies. Anyone they picked on came to me for protection.”
“That must be why you’ve got such a strong sense of justice now.” If only she knew.
“Sit. Eat. Moan at the best pizza in Shadow Lake.” I take the box from her to let her sit.
She balances on the edge of the game. “I’ll accept that dare, Grumpy.”
I sit opposite her, open the lid and take a slice, feeding her.
“You’re not eating with me?” The note of disappointment in her voice crushes me.
“Eat first. You’re low on sass.” A promise I won’t break.
She takes a bite and moans dramatically. “Okay. You win. This is illegally good. I see why you rave about it.”
I swipe my thumb across her lip to catch the cheese grease. “You moan like that, and we’re getting arrested for public indecency.” I’m fucking jealous of my thumb when I let her suck it clean.
The world outside doesn’t exist in this moment. No Romans. No ghosts. No masks or darkness. Just us.
Sticking to my promise to give her more of me, I remove my helmet for her, resting it on the inclined lane behind me. Stale air and dust motes floating in the air are heaven after being trapped in that thing.
Her eyes narrow and squint into the darkness. “I can’t see you. You’re a vague silhouette of angled jaw and squashed hair.” She tries to position herself to get the best vantage point to view me in the light or reflections in the machines.
I almost laugh. This spot is strategic. A corner hidden in shadow, the backlight of the front windows too far away to reach us. Where I hid from the bullies if they chased me here.
“I’m giving you small pieces, Glitter Bomb.” I lift the steaming pizza to her, and she knows to respect my boundary.
“One step at a time.” She pats her knees with both palms and accepts the food. “Thank you for taking it off, even if I can’t see all of you.”
The hollow ache in my chest ramps up. She’s not asking for more. Not pushing. Just letting me sit with the shadows I call home. The part of me that’s been holding back frays and snaps. I pull her onto my lap, and my mouth finds hers in a kiss that burns.
I pull away and trace the curve of her knuckle and lift the food to her lips. “You okay? What do you need? Comfort and cuddles? Silly anecdotes and jokes about penises?”
She chews and swallows. “I’m better than okay. I’ll never turn down the latter.”
That’s what I like about her. She doesn’t let the darkness smother her for long. Even when it’s wrapped around her ankles, she kicks it aside. Sunshine emerges from the clouds in the form of her humor.
Her smile falters, not in doubt or despair, but in what looks like sympathy.
“I kept replaying what Sally-Anne said over in my head.” She plays with the strings on her yellow hoodie, pulling them back and forth through the eyes like they’re threads securing her to something solid.
“She impressed me with how she rebuilt from the rubble.”
I abandon the pizza to squeeze her knee, grounding us both. Hearing the stories of the victims never gets easier, I just learned to live with it as a cop.
“Having second thoughts?” I ask gently, giving her the out if she wants it. “It’s okay to want to pull out. It won’t change things between us.”
She stares into the depths of my silhouette with the same fire I’ve met before. “Nice try, Grumpy. I’m scared shitless, but I don’t give in easily. If anything, her story reinforces my will.”
“That’s my little bulldog.” I shift the pizza box to the floor and curl my arm over her, her sunlight warmth thawing the frozen parts of me.
She leans against my shoulder, the scent of her shampoo and perfume filling my lungs. Familiar. Real. Addictive.
After a minute of silence and comfort, she twists to face me. “Feed me, Grumpy.”
I chuckle and tip another bite to my dark romance princess’ mouth, watching her lips close over the crust with a hum. Every groan of pleasure and cute smile while she chews carves something raw inside me. I take a bite after hers, sharing more than food, savoring her.
“You’re mine, Glitter Bomb,” I whisper hoarsely. “I’m never letting you go.”
I fucked up before and broke my beautiful diamond into a thousand pieces when I left.
I’m not screwing this up this time. She wears this facade because she doesn’t feel safe to be herself.
I’ll pick up every shard and fit them back together until she doesn’t need a mask, bright colors, or glitter to shine.
“Good. I don’t want you to let me go.” She clings to me, fisting my jacket, kissing me back with equal fire and heat.
My cock pulses in my riding pants, and I want to take this further. But her mental well-being trumps my libido, and I finish feeding her, rubbing large circles on her back, erasing all her hurt with every stroke of my hands.
When she polishes off three slices, and me five, I’m content she’s almost at one hundred percent Kate. Now it’s time for fun after the heavy traumatic crap. I think we’ve earned some downtime. We’re staying for the weekend, and I’m going to make the most of it with her.
“Show me what you’ve got, Glitter Bomb.” I slap my helmet back on, lift her and grab a basketball from the adjacent Pop-A-Shot game. “One kiss per basket. Land three, and I’ll sweeten the deal with a nipple pinch.” I tease her by pinching mine.
Her giggle is my favorite fucking song.
“You’re on, hotshot. I’ll probably lose this bet, given the amount of time you spent at this place.” She lobs the ball from palm to palm.
I love that she’s up for the challenge.
She wriggles her ass, then launches the ball, and it bounces off the rim with a hollow clang.
Miss Sunshine cheers anyway, spinning toward me with her arms raised.
I cover her eyes and lift my helmet off to give her a reward kiss before pulling it back on.
I spin a ball on my finger and sink a shot without effort.
She pouts. “Show off.”
“Nipple pinches weren’t enough motivation for you?” I pass her a new ball and move her into position. “Rack up one ball, and I’ll tell you a secret I’ve never told anyone.”
“My own personal Grumpy Daddy trivia.” The way she grins up at me, cheeks flushed, eyes gleaming with mischief, erases the bruise on my heart I’ve carried since the day I left her.
She tries over and over until she gets the shot, and I pat her backside.
“Good girl.” I pull her back to me and rock her from side to side. “I got in trouble for skipping class. Dad didn’t care as long as I knew how to build a fire, bait a hook, memorized every hiking trail, and could shoot game with a clean shot.”
She spins in my hold and brushes my helmet, and fuck, I want this thing off and for nothing to stand between us. “I love learning about you.”
I give her a helmet kiss to her forehead. “Let me guess. You were the top of your class?”
“Absolutely.” She grins and takes aim, shoots, and misses the net. “Mom and I didn’t have much growing up, thanks to my asshole of a father interfering in her job prospects.”
I take her hand and rub my thumb over it. “Do you want me to destroy him too or have mercy on him? I’m bound by my book boyfriend contract, remember?”
She chews her lip in a way that says she’s all fire but not bloodthirsty. “Can I decide later?”
“Sure.” I turn and throw another hoop.
“Were you a member of any clubs?” She dunks a second ball, and I paddle her ass in celebration, relishing the sweet hum of her laugh. “I was in debate club for a year and editor of the school newspaper.”
I bark out a laugh. “Nerd.” For that, she throws a ball playfully at me, and I dodge it. “I was in the outdoor and wrestling clubs.”
“Figures.” She passes another ball between her palms. “How about a free-for-all?”
We both go crazy and shoot as many hoops as we can until we tire and our stomachs ache. Rewarding her, I go over to the counter and grab her a plush teddy bear and give it to her. She smiles and crushes it to her chest, and mine pulls like my dead heart restarts.
“I’m going to win that rainbow squid.” She points to the row of stuffed toys behind the counter.
“Best of two minutes?” I lift my watch and click the time in.
“You’re on, Daddy.” She grabs us both balls.
We move on to Skee-ball and take turns rolling the ball up the incline into the numbered rings, counting our scores, and I let her win.
The arcade becomes our world, a cocoon of shadow, laughter, and joy.
The way she grins up at me, cheeks flushed, eyes gleaming with mischief, makes me forget our mission.
I get her the damn squid, and she’s like a kid, cuddling and showing off her trophies.
The next hour or more speeds in a blur of moving from game to game, hitting the Whack-a-Mole, the air hockey table, Space Invaders and pinball.
I let her win most of the time, adoring the way her eyes light up when she scores points.
Her laughter echoes through the arcade. Joy bursts out of me, sudden and raw, shaking all my hate and spite loose from my chest. I don’t remember the last time I had this much fun.
We duck into the ice cream parlor at the rear of the arcade.
Different scents hit me. Sugar, waffle cones, candy, chocolate balls.
Movie posters from the 80s plaster the wall.
Kate presses her palms to the glass case, nose almost touching the pane as she sizes up all the flavors of the kid’s kingdom.
She taps on the one she chooses. “I want the double fudge caramel ripple with sprinkles.”
I bark out a laugh at her obvious choice of color explosion. “Coming up.”
I move behind the counter and prepare her treat and serve it to her. Leaning on the counter, I indulge in watching her lap at the ice cream before she winks and I scoop out my own. Vanilla with M&Ms mixed in.
“Morallygrayvanilla,” she teases me as I come and join her.
“Shut the fuck up and taste my ice cream, Glitter Bomb.” I hold it out for her, and she licks some off.
We sit on the floor, back-to-back, and I take off my mask to claim the spot she marked and taste them both. Then I insist she has more.
Her first bite prompts a hum that lights me up inside. “Okay, stalker boyfriend. What else do you like? Give me something current.”
I lick my dessert and take a few beats to consider what I tell her.
“I like early mornings in the woods when I can afford them,” I admit. “The quiet before the world wakes up. I like watching you when you sleep. My favorite is when you laugh and forget to be afraid. Show the real you. The one no one but your friends, dog, and I get to see.”
Her body stills against me, and she reaches back to clasp my hand. I want to turn and look at her and see the glow lighting her face that wrecks me.
I nudge her. “Your turn, Glitter Bomb.”
“I like midnight snacks.” She reels off the first of her many lists. “Bubble baths with sexy, masked men.” I laugh at that one. “I really like it when you cook and spoil me and Josh. Even if you replaced his favorite dick plushie with a more innocent one.”
Fuck. She noticed that.
I snort. “He likes the new one better. And you said to keep it PG for the kid.”
Her laugh warms the air frosted by the ice cream freezer feet away. “You got me on that one, Daddy. I guess you’ll have to punish me for corrupting the dog with bad habits.”