“How about I drop you off at the end of the street or something?” He puts his hand over mine, stilling the mindless fidgeting I’m doing. “It kills me to watch you get onto that damn bus.”
“Gale’s actually a really sweet lady. She’s been driving me to work since I was a kid.”
“A kid? How old were you when you got your first job?”
“Thirteen.”
He studies me for a second, and I meet his eyes, worried I’m going to see pity in them, but instead a soft smile plays at his lips and I swear there’s a glint of pride in them. It’s not at all what I was expecting. Squeezing my hand, he says, “You’re a fighter, Evie.”
I remember all the times I ran to my room in fear and hid under my bed. “Yeah, I’m not so sure about that. Enduring isn’t the same thing as fighting.”
“You do more than just endure. You work hard, you always have, and you haven’t let it make you hard and mean.” His fingers stroke my bruised cheek. “You haven’t let him break you. There’s a sweetness in you that I’ve never seen in anyone else.”
I grab his hand and kiss the palm before standing up. He’s about to make me cry, and that’s the last thing I want to do right now. I look out at the ocean one last time and dig my feet in the sand, letting the breeze whip my hair around.
“Your brother is lucky to live here.”
He grabs the basket and blanket and stands next to me. “I’ll bring you back anytime you want.”
I look up at him, somehow always surprised by how much taller he is than me. “You can drop me off close to where the bus stop is,” I say, even though it makes me nervous to do it. I can’t hide where I come from. He’s going to find out eventually if we’re going to keep seeing each other, and I can’t bring myself to break things off with him, even if that would be the smart thing.
He smiles and kneels down, turning his back to me. “Hop on.”
Happy for any excuse that lets me touch him, I wrap my arms around his neck and laugh when he stands up. Hooking my legs around, he grabs my thigh with one hand while I take the blanket from him. I keep my face pressed close to him and kiss the tattoo on his neck.
“I like your tattoos.”
He laughs and starts walking us back to the car. “I’m glad you do. Nikolai, the guy you met the other morning is a tattoo artist. He did most of mine.”
“Do you have a lot?” I ask, already picturing a naked Valeri and wishing like hell I could see it for real.
“I do,” is the only answer I get.
I kiss his neck again and breathe in his scent. His cologne is mouthwatering all on its own, but underneath it is all Valeri, and that’s the smell that has my thighs clenching even tighter around him. He pats my thigh before setting me down by the trunk of his car so we can get our shoes. I laugh when he grabs my shoes and socks and squats down, reaching for one of my feet. I lift a foot, laughing harder when he runs his hands over me, getting all the sand off.
“Ticklish?” He looks up and gives me a wink. “I’ll have to remember that.”
He slips my sock and shoe on and then does the same to my other foot before putting his boots on. Grabbing my hand, he opens the door for me, and I stare out at the beach until he gets in and starts to drive us away.
“I want to take you out for your birthday. Do you think you could get the night off?”
“This Friday? I can try. I’m sure Jerry wouldn’t mind. He’ll probably be thrilled. He hates when I work my birthdays.”
“Do you have someplace you want to go? I’ll take you anywhere you want.”
I think about it, but I already know where I want to go. I’m sick and tired of watching it from the outside. “I’ve never been to Inferno,” I say. “I see it from the library, and it’s always so packed. I’ve always wondered what it’s like inside.” When he hesitates, I quickly say, “We don’t have to go there, though. I’m happy with whatever you want to do.”
He brings my hand to his mouth and kisses it. “If Inferno is where you want to go, then that’s where I’m taking you.”
I’m about to ask if he’s ever been, but he says, “I hate to bring it up, but I won’t be able to see you tomorrow morning. I’ve got some stuff I need to take care of.”
“That’s okay. I actually have an eye appointment after work, so I wouldn’t have had much time anyway.”
Once we get to the library, I give him directions to my house, getting a little more nervous the shorter the distance gets. He parks against the curb near the bus stop, and even though I know he can’t see my house, just knowing how close he is to my dad is making my hands sweat. My eyes keep scanning around, making sure I don’t see Lyle on his motorcycle, but the road is deserted and quiet. I grab the coveralls from my bag, and he doesn’t comment when I unbuckle and start to slip them on. He does give a soft laugh when I have to awkwardly wiggle my ass into them before putting my arms through and zipping it up.
Before I can tell Valeri thanks for the amazing morning, he’s cupping my face and pulling me closer, pressing his lips to mine in a hungry kiss that immediately wakes every part of me back up. All my fears drip away when he’s near, and even though I know how dangerous that is, I can’t bring myself to care. Instead, I kiss him back, losing myself in him once more.
Chapter 6
