The rest of the ride was quiet until we reached the outskirts of New Gothenburg. Nerves skittered through my stomach along with a strange peacefulness. I’d been homesick, of all things. Even though my apartment didn’t exist anymore, I’d missed the city. We drove along toward the west side with Lake Ontario sparkling on our right. The traffic was light at this time of the afternoon, just past dinner hour and too late for the after-work rush. If things were different, this would be a perfect drive on an inspiring spring evening. But they weren’t. I found myself wishing for a tornado to pick up the car and drop it in the lake.
“Out of curiosity, where am I taking you?”
I glanced at him.
He cut a look at me and then back to the light traffic ahead of us. “Don’t. Don’t use the sad eyes.”
“I don’t have sad eyes. I’m not one of those guys.”
He huffed out a laugh. “You are.”
“I’m not doing it on purpose.”
“If you were, it wouldn’t be as effective. I’m immune to bullshit.” He straightened in his seat and adjusted the rearview mirror. “I’ll take you to Lane. He’s been paying for you all this time, so I doubt he’d just dump you into the gutter now.” He nodded at himself and used a finger to smooth down one of his already perfect eyebrows before he went back to staring straight ahead.
I slouched down on the seat, and embarrassment had me wanting to fling the door open and roll out like an action hero I definitely wasn’t. I put my hand on the door and decided I’d probably just hurt myself beyond repair. I almost leaped anyway. “I can’t. I owe him money.”
“Why not?” Demchenko sounded just this side of done with me.
“I… like to sleep with him.”
Demchenko hit the brakes and then gave me a look before he accelerated again. “I kinda figured that. I also deduced he must like your cock right back. Why else would he be doing all this?”
“But… I can’t owe a guy like him money.” I hated the very idea of it. I’d fucked him, gotten off, and it was fantastic. More than anything, I wanted to be with him again. It was an ache, I wanted himso badly. But how could I ever do anything with him if I owed him money? And it had been two long fuck-free months in jail. I’d spent a lot of nights thinking about Stormy and what I might like to do with him when I was out. But without any money to pay him…. It was too depressing to contemplate. “Fuck, I’m in the hole right now.”
“Ha! That’s what he said.” Demchenko’s smirk was dirty. His nose wrinkled, and I wanted to punch him.
I rolled my eyes. “Really? These are the jokes you have?”
“Yeah, I went there with it.”
“What are you, fifteen?”
He snorted out a laugh that went on far longer than my jangled nerves could handle. It was a relief when he pulled up outside of Stormy’s apartment building. He drove into the small parking lot, and I groaned and ducked down as much as I could when I noticed Andrew Wysocki from the paper standing around on the sidewalk near the building. He was on his phone, yakking away. “What is that piranha doing?”
“Waiting for this, no doubt. Your release was in the paper. Somehow it got out. Smile at him when he sees you. If he corners you, make sure to lay it on thick that you’re going to stay with your boyfriend. Make him lose interest. Be open and forthright. All that stuff you’re terrible at.”
“Fuck.”
Demchenko sighed. Thankfully Wysocki didn’t notice us until we were almost to the building, and we were able to walk to the door faster than the reporter could follow us inside. Once we passed the man at the doors, I let out a sigh of relief. He wouldn’t let Wysocki follow us. The elevator ride had me biting the inside of my cheek. What the fuck would I say to Stormy when I saw him? Obviously I’d have to thank him for all the money he’d spent on me.
“Why did he do it?” I asked Demchenko, who’d been checking his phone.
“What?”
“Pay for you. Taking care of things. Why did he do all of that for me?”
Demchenko flicked a disinterested gaze toward me. “I assume he likes you. Unlike your friends, who are busy trying to put out the ongoing fire at city hall. I’m sure they fucking hate you. I certainly would in their positions.”
“Thanks.” I restrained myself from saying anything more.
“My pleasure,” he said with another one of those dazzling smiles. He was a handsome man, but how anyone would ever be able to fucking stand him was beyond me.
When I walked along the short hallway and finally got to Stormy’s door, I stopped. Demchenko ended up reaching around me to knock. I glared at him and shuffled my feet.
“I don’t have all day” was all he said, and then he grinned when Stormy jerked the door open.
“Oh, you brought him. Thank you, River!” Stormy was beautiful. My heart nearly stopped. He was always fucking hot, but his hair was glossy and longer than he usually wore it, with dark roots growing in. It was very punk. A cloud of deliciousness engulfed me as he stepped forward and hugged me tight. He smelled like vanilla in the rain, and his body heat and friendly arms were everything I’d been missing. I sagged against him, and it was his strength that kept me on my feet, even though he was slimmer than me. I made myself stop leaning on him. Beautiful, clean mint from his breath tickled my senses as he let out a happy noise and gave me a tighter squeeze. “I was worried when you only called me once while you were in there. Did you get hurt? Were you in a lot of fights or something?” He straightened, and there was such worry in his pretty copper eyes that I groaned.I don’t deserve this.
