CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
STRAY
What the hell was I thinking? I stared in the mirror at my reflection, running a hand through my hair. It was still slightly damp from the shower. Maybe this was all a huge mistake.
Taking Codie on a date had been a stupid idea. I woke up thinking about her. About how she looked tied up, unable to bitch at me or hurl insults my way. She’d had no choice but to be utterly at my mercy, and I loved every fucking second. Too much.
My obsession with her was starting to take over my life.
Taking her on a date was normal. Mundane and possibly even boring.
It was the only thing I could think of to prove to myself that I had no real feelings for her.
That anything I felt was tied to this dangerous game we’d been playing.
Without the freaky sex, would I even feel anything for her at all?
She and I had never really talked to one another.
Nothing more than banter and insults. Maybe a chance to get to know each other would help us both walk away from this with a clean conscience.
To cut ties without regret. She kept saying that she wanted nothing more to do with me.
I didn’t believe her. For some reason, she was holding back. Trying to keep me at a distance.
Perhaps it was better that way for both of us. That’s what I intended to discover tonight. If all we had between us was hot sex and a dangerous game, tonight would make that abundantly clear.
I slipped my leather jacket on over the black T-shirt I wore.
Stuffing my phone into the pocket of my blue jeans, I headed for the door.
Unfortunately, I had to pass Auryn on my way out of the house.
He hung out in the living room near the front entry, sprawled on the couch, stuffing his face with nacho chips.
“Where are you going?” He eyed me suspiciously, like I was hiding something.
“I’m going out with Codie. I probably won’t be too late.” I pulled open the door, ignoring the whip cracking sounds he made as I exited. One day that asshole would fall in love, and I would be right there to throw it in his smug face.
Those words echoed in my head as I walked down the front step toward my car. Fall in love. Wait a minute. Was I in love with Codie? Was that even possible? She sure hadn’t made it easy to get close to her. And yet, I couldn’t keep myself away.
Would I even know what love felt like? I’d never been in love before. I bounced from girl to girl, never dating seriously. How would I possibly know?
Shoving that thought aside, I got into my car and turned the music up loud. One of the many metal bands on my playlist blasted from the speakers. I only turned it down when I reached Codie’s street and pulled to a stop in front of her building.
I fully expected her to ghost me. To leave me sitting there like a jackass while she lounged around upstairs in her apartment. She surprised me by stepping out of the lobby.
Wearing a black skirt that hung shorter on one side and longer on the other with a pale blue top and knee-high boots, she was both stylish and sexy as hell. Her long black hair cascaded over her shoulders in curls, begging me to sink my hands into it and pull hard.
Codie jerked open the passenger door, tossing her black bag in first. She slid onto the seat, pulling her hair over one shoulder as she buckled the seatbelt into place. “I’m here. Happy?”
“Surprised mostly,” I said, hiding my smile. “Where do you want to go to eat? Do you have any favorite restaurants?”
She gave me that stare again. The one she’d given me when I pulled her aside and told her we were going on a date. Like she didn’t believe the words coming out of my mouth.
“I don’t know. There’s a little diner just off Willow Drive that has pretty good food. It’s not usually too busy. I don’t think a lot of people know about it.” She gave me a brief once over. “How do I know you’re not going to pull a weapon on me and force me to suck you off or something?”
I chuckled, pulling the car away from the curb. “You don’t. Although that’s not a bad idea. I wouldn’t say no to some road head.”
She made a noise of disgust, even though a small smile tugged at her lips. “You’re an animal, you know that?”
“I’ve been called worse. Probably by you, actually.” I poked her in the side, succeeding in making her laugh
“It’s all true,” she said, her laughter fading as she stared out the side window. Something shifted in her energy. Something fell off more than usual.
I noticed that the shirt she wore had long sleeves. To hide the marks the rope had left on her wrists. I should’ve felt bad about that. Instead, I only felt satisfied. I wanted Codie to always bear marks that proved she was mine. That told the world she belonged to me.
She was right about the diner. It turned out to be a cute little restaurant nestled away on a side street away from the busier locations.
Even though the menu had typical diner food, everything was delicious.
We shared a plate of fries and gravy before ordering a burger for me and a personal sized pizza for Codie.
Never in my life had I enjoyed a milkshake as good as the one the waitress sat in front of me.
“How did you find this place?” I asked, stirring my milkshake with the straw. “It’s so much better than typical diner food.”
“Ripley and I came across it one night when we came out of a movie at the Cineplex down the street. It was the only place that didn’t have a lineup or a waiting list. We gave it a chance, and it’s been one of our favorite places ever since.”
Even though it was a small detail, I enjoyed learning more about her.
She’d always struck me as the fancy French restaurant type of girl.
Watching her chow down on a margherita pizza while sipping iced tea gave me a new appreciation for Codie.
There was so much more to her than the outward persona she showed the world.
I found myself wanting to discover everything about her.
Which was exactly the opposite of what I had intended for this date. Goddamnit.
“Have you ever tried that Mom and Pop burger place on the edge of town? By the Ford dealership? Best burgers in town. Hands down.” I caught myself watching her as she sipped from her iced tea, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. Such simple motions that held me captive.
Codie shook her head, nibbling a bite of pizza. “I haven’t. Maybe you’ll have to take me sometime.”
As soon as she said the words, she froze, like she couldn’t believe they’d popped out of her mouth. That made two of us.
Since I didn’t want to make things weird, I forged ahead. “What made you want to take legal studies? Are you planning to go into law?”
She paused for a minute, glancing out the diner window at the street beyond.
“I thought that I’d want to. My dad is a lawyer.
He’s always wanted me to follow in his footsteps and join the family firm one day.
I’m not sure it’s for me though. I’ve been thinking about trying something different. Maybe fashion and design.”
“I could see that. You definitely seem like the fashion and design type. You should do whatever makes you happiest. Life is too short to do something you hate.” Even though I’d been taking investigative studies, I didn’t always see myself pursuing it all the way.
Sometimes I thought the Graveyard Kings would be my entire life.
Not the most honest of incomes. Right now it worked for me.
We continued to make conversation about school and our families. I learned that she had two younger siblings, a brother and a sister. Both parents still together. The way Codie told it, she had a typical upbringing.
I couldn’t help but wonder why she had such a strong interest in dangerous activity until she said, “I bet you’re trying to figure out why I’m such a freak, as you like to put it.
Honestly, I’ve been trying to figure that out as well.
Sometimes I think it’s because my life has been so typical and boring.
I need to find the excitement somewhere. ”
Keeping my voice low so the passing waitress didn’t overhear, I snickered and said, “You know I’m always happy to excite you.”
Codie’s cheeks grew pink. Her eyes dropped to her plate as she shook her head. “I’ve noticed.”
“And I’ve noticed how much you enjoy it. I’d say we’re a pretty good match.” Why the fuck did I say that? I sounded like an idiot.
She grew quiet then. Awkward as she avoided direct eye contact. Her gaze darted around the diner. Out the window. Anywhere but at me.
“Sorry,” I said. “I probably shouldn’t have said that.”
“It’s cool. No worries. So tell me about your family. Do you have any siblings?” With a tight, forced smile, Codie did her best to steer the conversation in a different direction.
Ignoring the pit of disappointment that opened up inside me, I went with it. “One brother. Ryker. He’s graduating high school this year. Parents are divorced. My dad was an abusive drunk. Mom left him five years ago. Definitely not your typical happy TV family.”
I took a bite of my burger, having nothing more to say about that. My brother still lived with my mom in a townhouse on the other side of town. I dropped by to see them every few weeks. I hadn’t seen my dad since the divorce. Sometimes he tried to call, but I never answered.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories. This conversation seems to be going off the rails. I guess I suck at the whole dating thing.” Codie offered me another forced smile and a half shrug.
“It’s not your fault. I forced this whole thing on you anyway. This is on me.” Seeing that she’d abandoned the rest of her pizza, I added, “We can leave if you’re done here. Do you want to go for a walk or something? Emerson Park isn’t too far from here.”
I wasn’t ready to take her home. There was something she wasn’t telling me. I felt it. Something that had her more on edge and guarded than usual.
“Yeah, a walk in the park sounds nice.”