“Hmm.” She considers me briefly. “What’s he like?”
“He’s terrible. Seriously, he’s the worst person ever. I can’t stand him. He bulldozed his way into my life. I didn’t say he could. He didn’t even ask me if it was okay to wreak this kind of havoc. He just did it.”
She looks mildly perturbed. “What did he do?”
“He made it so the thought of fucking anyone who isn’t him is repulsive to me. Just the thought of it makes me feel sick. That’s what he did.” I let the full weight of the self-pity I feel seep into my voice. I’m glad Lacey’s here. She’ll understand. She’ll give me the sympathy I richly deserve. “He’s the fucking worst.”
“Oh, Boo,” she sighs. “You’re so pretty but God, you’re dumb.”
“Me? Dumb? Seriously?”
“You are dumb if you don’t realise what’s going on. You’re dumber than a box of rocks if you don’t realize you’re falling for this guy.”
I’m aghast. What she’s suggesting is preposterous. Absolutely outrageous. So outrageous that I start to feel panicky when she mentions it. “It’s, it’s not like that. It’s casual. Just fucking. Really, really hot fucking but still, just fucking. You know I don’t go around catching feelings. I have this thing called self-respect, and self-control, and something else that starts with self, that I can’t think of right now.”
“Really? Well, in that case, I’m sure you won’t mind if I stay over tonight. I’ll keep you company. We can eat ice cream and catch up on TV. It will be fun. It’s been too long since we did that.”
Normally, I love the nights we stay home together. And she’s right, it has been too long since we really caught up. Unfortunately, the way I feel right now, it feels like it might cause me physical harm to stay here and not to see Saint.
“I kind of have to…We kind of made plans…”
She sighs and shakes her head as if she’s dealing with a really, really sad headcase.
It occurs to me as I rush to my car; she very well might be.
Chapter 26
Saint
Fuck,thelittleshitis keeping me waiting. It’s past midnight, and he still hasn’t turned up. I wish I could go to sleep and forget him. I can’t though. I already tried that. Didn’t work out. Tried reading. Didn’t work out either. I’m in a major book slump. Can’t seem to find anything that holds my attention.
It’s twelve o’ nine when I hear something at the door. I wait. Nothing happens. I drag myself up off the sofa and yank the front door open. I half expect to see nothing. There was nothing there the two other times I’ve done this tonight.
I can’t tell if I’m relieved or surprised when I see him leaning against the wall opposite my door. Both hands are dug deep into his pockets, making his chest look slightly hollowed out. He has one foot leaning against the wall. His head is tilted back and angled at its usual, sarcastic slant. In short, he looks hot as all fuck.
“You coming in, or what?”
His lips twist into a smile I haven’t seen before. “Dunno. You going to let me top you, or what?”
I’m taken aback. It’s the last thing I was expecting him to say. “I mean, I, like...”
“Yes, or no, Saint. No maybe about it.”
I want to take my time and string him along, but his new smile is sexy and threatening as hell. “Fine, yes, I want to. I just didn’t know you were into that.”
He blinks at me in indignation. “You didn’t know I was a blouse?”
“A what?”
“A femme top, dumbass.” I shake my head and unsuccessfully attempt to stifle a laugh. “Guess you don’t know everything about me after all, huh?”
“Guess not.”
With that, he throws himself at me. The full force of his weight hits me right in the chest. He winds his hands around my neck and pulls me down to his mouth. He kisses me hard. Hungry. His tongue searches for mine. He does it roughly, taking my mouth in a way that’s so base and raw, I’m breathless in seconds. He walks me back into my apartment and kicks the front door shut behind him. He jerks at my T-shirt, lifting it as high as he can, getting it caught on my chin and dealing with that by simply yanking harder. He tugs at my belt, pulling it tight enough to pinch as he undoes it.
“Turn around,” he hisses. “I want to see this.”
He peels my jeans down slowly until they rest just under my ass cheeks. He leaves them like that, exposing nothing more than cheeks and a hole. He runs his hands over my flesh. Squeezing it. Testing it. Lifting both cheeks and parting them slightly.
