Twenty-Five
I held my phone in my hand while I ran and had Alv’s message on my home screen, reminding me that she was safe and sound.
My brother called me at least a hundred times after I took off, but I didn’t pick up.
I sent him a message from my watch that I was okay and ran straight to the shop.
I was okay because she was still here. She didn’t leave, and she better not be fucking thinking about it.
Because, if she does, I swear to fucking God, I’ll throw her ass over my shoulder so fucking fast. I’ll bring her home with me, lock her up in my room, and tie her ass to my bed so that she can’t run from me again. Fuck it, at this point, I should just do it anyway.
By the time that I reached the front door of the shop, I was winded. I’m in peak athletic form and can run for miles at full speed, no problem, but here I am literally gasping for air on the sidewalk.
Then I saw her through the front window, sitting at the desk with her pretty head tucked behind a silver laptop, and I was able to breathe again. Because there she was.
And here I am. I never want to face the uncertainty of not knowing where she is again. I don’t want all of these unknowns when it comes to her. I want her secrets, her hiding places, and to be her safehouse. I’ll run with this wild little thing all over hell as long as it means we’re together.
I pull open the door, and the bell chimes overhead.
It grabs her attention. Her pretty face shoots up over the computer screen, and those dark eyes widen when she sees me.
She hops off the high-top chair and tracks me as I stomp toward her, taking giant steps to close the distance between us once and for all.
She’s not running from me anymore. She’s only gonna run toward me from here on out.
“Don’t you dare, fucking run from me again, Ed,” I tell her while my hands cup her cheeks.
“I can’t fucking take it.” My thumbs stroke over her jawline, and I tip her head up so that she’s staring up at me.
I want her to see the sincerity in my eyes and hear the distress in my voice as I plead, “Promise me.”
Her little hands grip my wrists, and she tugs me forward until my forehead rests on hers. She closes her eyes, confessing, “I don’t know if I can. I’ve never promised anyone anything. I’ve only ever made promises to myself.”
“Then promise yourself that you’ll let me in, even when you want to shut the world out. Promise yourself that you won’t hide from me, Ed.” My thumb swipes over the dimple in her chin as I hover my mouth over hers. “Promise us,” I whisper while gently kissing my words into her lips.
She ever so slightly opens her mouth to deepen our kiss, and my fingers spread over the back of her head, burrowing into her black hair. She’s letting me touch her and starting to trust me. I feel it when she tilts her head into my hands and plays with my tongue.
And when Mr. Cock-blocker Alvi loudly clears his throat, she gets spooked and jumps into me. Her hands and arms tuck in between our chests as I wrap around her like a human shield.
“You dick, you scared her,” I snap at him from over my shoulder just as she peeks her head out from under my arm, and I tighten them around her. I like her there. She feels like she’s right where she belongs.
“You trying to eat her face is gonna scare my next client away,” he says while checking the time on his phone.
“She’ll be here in five minutes, so either go in the back or control yourself until it’s after hours.
” I grab her hand and try to pull her away from the welcome desk and into the office, but she doesn’t move.
“What am I supposed to be doing when someone walks in for an appointment?” Nothing, all you're supposed to be doing is making out with me and letting me take your clothes off. All the blood in my brain is heading south, and I’m not entirely sure if that thought stayed inside my head.
“?Pinche, cabrón! Eres un idiota! (Dammit, asshole! You're an idiot!” She says, narrowing her eyes at me as she climbs back into the high-top chair. “What is wrong with you?” I’m guessing I didn’t use my inside voice after all.
“Just let me know when Penny gets here. I’m gonna go have a smoke in the back,” Alvi says and turns around to leave us alone. “Keep your paws to yourself, Hunt.” She avoids looking at me while her cheeks turn beet red, and she ducks her chin into her chest while signing onto her laptop.
“I hear those things will kill you. Want me to grab you a few more packs at the mini-mart?” I shout back at him, and her eyes pop out of her head as she concentrates on the screen.
“Why don’t you go and get her some snacks and grab yourself some Tic-Tacs?”
“Haha, funny guy.” I can tell she’s biting the inside of her cheeks to hide her smile as her fingers jump from the keyboard to the mousepad.
“Okay, lover boy.” I hear him say before the back door slams shut. I might have to murder him just to put him out of his own misery. His jokes are fucking terrible.
“You two done yelling now? Damn,” she snaps, and now I’m wondering if she does need a snack. “I’m trying to do something here.” I look at her laptop and see Payton’s name all over the screen. She’s got several tabs open, plus a doc where she’s cutting and pasting info into.
She’s doing a deep dive, and it’s confirmation enough that they know each other. Or Payton knows ‘Valentine.’ And as much as I’m tempted to ask her about it and find out who she really is, I'd rather have more of Edison. Valentine can wait.
“So am I, Ed, let’s get back to doing what we were doing before he interrupted us, hermosa. ” Her eyes darted to mine, and I didn’t let them go.
I want her attention, and I want her to give it to me. I want to distract her big, beautiful fucking brain from whatever it is she’s digging up. She’s gonna stay right here with me until I have her blushing. I drop my gaze to that freckle on her mouth. I fucking want it.
“Yo quiero más besos. (I want more kisses.)” I tell her with a wink before adding, “Yo quiero más de tu. (I want more of you.)” The pretty pink in her cheeks drips down her face and into her neck, and all I wanna do is suck on the heated skin that covers her throat.
“When did you learn Spanish?” she asks with questioning eyes.
“I took it in high school, so I already knew a little bit. And today I downloaded a translator app and Duolingo.” I grab the back of her chair and twist her body away from the desk. I want her to face me.
“I see. Well it's, ‘ quiero más de ti ,’ you said ‘ de tu ,’” she adds.
“I know,” I say and feel fucking victorious again.
“Then why’d you say it wrong?” she asks while staring up at me with her big black eyes.
“So you’d say it back to me,” I tell her, and the smile on my face is bigger than if I were to score a tie-breaking goal in OT.
“?Oh sí?” she says. I step closer into her space. Our knees are touching, and she doesn’t flinch away. I lean in, taking advantage of her being at the perfect height.
“Yeah, Ed. What do you think about that?” My face is inching closer to hers, and I lick my lip. I’m coming for her. I wanna bite that fucking freckle.
“Hmmm, how about…” She covers it with her pointer finger and taps her lips.
“How about what?” I nudge her finger away with the tip of my nose. It’s blocking me from her sweet-ass mouth.
“ Vete a la chingada, wey. (Go fuck yourself) .”
“What’s that mean?” I ask while gently grazing my mouth against hers. My cock is steel in my pants, and I’m holding on by a fucking thread. She’s so close and I want her so fucking bad.
“Go fuck yourself.” I pause and grin. This girl’s such a menace.
“You’re a fucking demon, you know that?”
“ Si, yo se, (Yes, I know),” she says before pushing her sassy mouth into mine. Her lips are harsh, and her tongue is fucking sharp. And I love it, because it’s her… It’s so Ed.