“I don’t see anyone else around to help out.”
“Exactly. What are you doing here?”
“I do own the place now.” As if that’s a good excuse. We both know it’s not.
“I’ll get the subway…” she begins. Even as she says it, she doesn’t sound convinced.
“Like fuck you will.”
Nina is silent for a moment, her shoulders hunched as she sits in the driver's seat and glares at me.
“Did you do this?”
“I don’t know the first thing about cars.”
It’s not a lie. I don’t. I have people for that.
“If I did, I would fix it for you.”
Now, that is a lie.
I have her exactly where I want her and I wouldn’t change a thing about this situation.
Now that Nina is back in my life, it has opened up the floodgates. I got used to being without her. I told myself it was for the best. Now I curse myself for everything I’ve been missing out on.
Some people might call it unhealthy, the way I react to her.
The sweet smell of her. The way she frowns. The arch of her eyebrow when she’s annoyed at me.
Every part gets burned into my brain until it’s all I can think about.
I yank open her door, and she gets out uncertainly. I know she wants to argue with me again.
I walk over to my car and open the passenger door.
“You need a ride home. I have a functioning car. Get in.”
Nina doesn’t move, standing across the parking garage from me. She looks so defiant with her hands on her hips and her plush lips pressed together in a perfect pout.
“I don’t know how you did this, Art, but I know my car didn’t spontaneously break. It was at the garage for an oil change last week.”
“Get in the damn car,” I growl.
Her eyes say: “Make me.” So I do.
I stride back over the floor to where she’s standing.
Nina squeals in outrage as I swing her over my shoulder.
Every muscle in my body aches to do more than just carry her to the car.
This is the closest I’ve been to her in years. I want to throw her onto the passenger seat, yank down her jeans and slam inside her, where I belong. I’m getting hard just from the feel of her in my arms again.
But I’ve waited five goddamn years. I’ve got more self-control than that. I might not be willing to wait another year, but I’ve got enough pride to want her to want me.
And I know she will.
Because Nenoka is mine, all the way through.
