24. Down bad for her
DOWN BAD FOR HER
Ro
She’s amazing. Absolutely incredible.
I can’t help smiling the whole time, even though I probably shouldn’t. It makes me look like I don’t take the charges seriously, or so my attorney says, but come on. How am I supposed to not smile when Lor is only feet away from me?
And the way she owns every single answer, and has evidence to back herself up while on the stand is so impressive.
I mean, I know my attorney helped prepare her just the same as she helped me, but still.
I’m thrilled to see Lor in person after two weeks of no contact, and I don’t care one bit that she’s lying to help me.
In fact, my inner demon is delighted at her manipulation of the system.
I have no idea where the “evidence” of my bike outside her apartment all night came from, because it sure as hell wasn’t there even once that night. I keep that to myself though, obviously. I’ll ask her later, when I’m out of here.
After hours that pass in minutes, thanks to my gorgeous distraction, I’m declared not guilty, and taken to retrieve my belongings before I’m released back into the general public.
The fresh air has never felt so crisp, and the sun never felt so welcoming.
Perhaps it’s a bit of a dramatic thought, but I indulge myself in it regardless, as I close my eyes and tip my head back.
I can’t believe I got away with that.
After everyone has dispersed and I’ve thanked my badass attorney, my eyes land on Lor.
My smile hasn’t dropped since we came back from the recess, yet somehow it gets even bigger now.
My nails have almost no paint left on them, and I wasn’t afforded any makeup during my brief stint in jail, so I feel a touch out of place as I ruffle a hand through my hair.
She doesn’t seem to care though, as I jog over and sweep her into a hug.
Lor lets out an “oomph” at the contact, and her muscles are tense for a long moment before she relaxes into my hold.
“What were you thinking?” she hisses in my ear.
I set her down and immediately palm the back of her head to pull her into a kiss. The surprised noise she makes as she melts beneath my lips is music to my ears. I figure it’s probably not the place for a make-out session, so I pull back much sooner than I want to.
“I missed you,” I say, swiping a strand of silver hair out of her face.
I cup her jaw between my palms and let my eyes feast on her. She’s so fucking gorgeous it makes my heart hurt.
Lor’s lips twitch into a small smile, and then she steps out of my hold.
“Come on,” she says. “Since your bike isn’t here, you can ride bitch on mine.”
I cackle with delight, and she spins away, but not before I see the answering grin stretch across her face.
I swing on behind her and she revs the engine, handing me my helmet.
“How’d you get this?” I ask.
“You’re not the only one with some tricks up your sleeve.”
Honestly, could I be any more in love?
I band my arms tight around her, pleased when she doesn’t protest my viselike grip. She’s literally perfect. Smart, fierce, strong and resilient, loyal. I’ve always heard perfect isn’t possible, but obviously whoever said that hasn’t met Lor.
The wind whips around us as she tears out of the parking lot, and I let out an exhilarated, laughing whoop as I throw an arm out in celebration. I set a warehouse on fire, threatened Lor’s ugly, blackmailing boss, and got away with all of it. I just hope it made a difference.
Lor twists around at a red light and pushes her visor up.
“I know you haven’t been home in weeks, but,” she grimaces. “I have to…”
She gestures toward her chest and her nose wrinkles, then she looks to the horizon. Ah, her star-chaser magic.
“You feel it?” I ask, pressing my palm to her sternum.
Lor nods, and the light turns green, but she doesn’t go yet.
“Let’s go then,” I say, jerking my chin forward.
“You don’t want me to drop you off?”
I scoff. “Do you know me? I’m not leaving your side if I don’t have to.”
Lor rolls her eyes and flips her visor back down.
Soon enough, we’re shooting down a country road to the middle of nowhere, and then she’s off the bike, stalking through a section of forest until she finds what she’s looking for.
Her hair shimmers in the dappled light beneath the trees, and the peaceful sounds of the forest surround us as I stumble over roots in her wake.
Then she’s collecting more stardust. My heart trips, and I wonder if I didn’t succeed in protecting her.
“Lor?”
“Yeah,” she says absently.
“Did it work?”
Lor pauses sifting through the dirt and leaves to look up at me, her brows scrunched. “Did what work?”
“My fire. Are you still working for that man?” I don’t know why I’m so nervous, but it kind of feels like I’ve done something wrong and am about to get in trouble for it.
Lor stands and walks over to me, dusting her hands off on her pants.
“Ro,” she says, her words slow and deliberate. “Thank you for protecting me, but if you ever pull something like that again, I’m going to chop. Off. Your hands.”
My eyes go wide as she speaks, then I sag with relief at her last words.
“Why the hell do you look relieved?” she exclaims.
“I thought you were going to say my dick!”
Lor snorts a laugh as she turns away. “Nah, I enjoy that too much to chop it off.”
A manic grin spreads over my face as I skip after her. “Oh yeah? You like my cock, do you?”
“Are you fishing for compliments, Ro?”
“From you? Always.”
Lor stops and turns to me again. “Yes, you’ve got a great cock, and you know how to use it. I certainly like that. But what I like more is you, Ro.”
She places her hand on my chest, and it feels like she’s the one with fire. My smile drops as I take note of her serious tone.
“When I got that phone call…” she trails off, then swallows hard. “I’ve lost everyone in my life that I’ve ever cared for, Ro. Everyone.”
Her eyes bore into mine, like she’s trying to will my understanding. My stomach plummets when I realize what she’s saying. She thought she lost me too.
I drop to my knees and scoop her toward me, banding my arms around her thighs. Lor’s body is rigid with tension, and I press my forehead to her bare stomach.
“I’m so sorry, Lor. I wasn’t thinking about getting caught. I just needed you to be safe, and when I saw him threatening you… I’m sorry.”
“I know, I understand,” she says. Her fingers thread through my hair, then she sinks to her knees in front of me. Her dark grey eyes meet mine, and I hate how heavy they are.
“I would never abandon you. Never, Lor.”
I take in her wary posture, the way she seems to be fighting against her own instincts. Her hard swallow and jerky nod. The glassy sheen to her eyes.
“Starfire,” I whisper, cupping her cheek. “I would sell myself to hell to keep you safe. I’d burn down the world for you.”
“Please don’t,” she whispers, her words choked. “Just stay with me. That’s all I want.”
I press a soft kiss to her forehead, then pull back with a tender smile. “Don’t you know? I’m yours. I’m hopelessly in love with you, Lor.”
Her glassy eyes round and she starts to pull back, but I scoop her up and cross my legs, then plop her into my lap.
“And neither of us is going anywhere. I don’t expect you to say it back, not ever if you don’t want to. But Lor…” I trail off, waiting for her to gather the courage to meet my eyes again.
When she does, I grin extra wide, showing way too many teeth, and her eyes turn the slightest bit wary.
“I’m so fucking obsessed with you, you couldn’t get rid of me if you tried.”
I smirk, then bite my lip ring. Her eyes fall to it, then fly back up to mine and… there’s the heat I’ve been waiting for. I lean forward, brush my lips along her cheekbone, and then whisper in her ear. “Stalker, remember?”
I pull back and wink, and finally the tension drains from her slender body. She huffs out a husky laugh, and my cock hardens beneath her ass at the sound. Lor glares at me, then rolls her eyes, all while trying to hold back my favorite smile.
That’s okay, I remind myself. It’s a work in progress, and soon enough she won’t have to be afraid of smiling anymore. I’ll be here every second to prove it to her.
We go back to my place instead of Lor’s this time, since I haven’t been home in ages. I’m a bit surprised to realize it’s the first time I’ve had her over. She takes in my colorful, eclectic aesthetic with wide eyes.
“Wow,” she says, turning in a circle. “This is… a lot.”
I glance at the multi-colored frames decorating the wall she’s starting at.
“Are you surprised?”
Her eyes meet mine and her lips twitch up with a small chuckle. “No, I guess not.”
“Make yourself at home, I’m gonna go—” I wave a hand up and down my body, then glare at my horrendous nails. “Fix all this.”
Lor’s tentative smile cracks into a real grin, and it sends warmth cascading down my limbs.
I grab the first set of fresh clothes I see—a cropped t-shirt with a massive pink daisy on the front and a pair of ombré purple/pink sweatpants—before slipping into the bathroom.
I rush through my shower, even though I haven’t had this luxury in weeks, then swipe on some eyeliner before grabbing my eco-friendly nail polish remover and an old washcloth.
The whole time I’m in here, my skin itches to get back to Lor, so as soon as I step out and see her sitting on my mustard velvet couch, I stride over and plop down beside her.
Then I loop my arms around her waist and haul her into my lap.
She lets out a surprised squeak, and I chuckle as I nuzzle my nose into the back of her neck.
“Needy,” she grumbles.
“Mhm.”
Then I angle her body so I can reach around it, grab the nail polish remover, and get to work on my nails. Lor huffs and attempts to wiggle out of my hold, but I don’t have to fight very hard to keep her there.
I don’t think she really wants to get away, she just wants to know she’s wanted.