“Hey.” I curled her against my side and paused, once we exited the Sangamon County courthouse.
“Wh–what are we…? Where are we going to live?” She blinked
“In the house I’m going to buy.”
Her pretty, blue eyes focused on me, she wet her lips like she was about to say something profound, but nothing came out. She shifted her head in a nod, bit her lower lip, and started down the stairs.
“Babe.” I rushed after her.
She paused and looked up at me, her lower lip quivering as she let go of it and whispered, “Don’t fuck with me.”
My eyes tightened, not really understanding her upset, or the pain in her voice. I reached behind me and pulled the wad of borrowed money from my pocket. I slid a couple of hundred dollar bills out to get me through the week and wrestled with her to force the rest into the pocket of her sundress.
“I’m not fucking with you. You’re going to make your appointment and do whatever you need to feel confident in that wedding dress. I’m going to go speak to a realtor, and in a few days, we’ll do this.”
She blinked, and though no tears spilled, I noticed her wet lashes when she stopped resisting.
“I’ve never lived in a house.” Her lips twitched toward a smile that never bloomed. “That bedroom is probably the nicest thing I’ve ever laid my head in, even with the stress that comes with it.”
“You’re about to forget all of that. That’s not your life anymore. That’s not our life.” I felt the tension in her jaw when I slid my hands along either side of her face and kissed her.
I didn’t stop until I felt her completely relaxed. I kissed the tip of her nose, wrapped my arms around her and kissed her forehead.
“You’re mine now.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Steel Cages
Anthony
I dropped her off at her apartment, and since my phone was dead, I took hers and placed myself in her contact list.
“Where am I going to work?” she asked, taking the phone back, and absently dropping a hand to the wad of money in her pocket.
She kept clutching and checking it like she thought it was going to fall out.
“I told you, I own a club.”
“And you’re going to let me dance in it?”
“Who the fuck else is going to be my prized act?”
She smiled and glanced toward the back door that she preferred. Her roommate was standing with her arms crossed and a heavy scowl plastered on her face.
“Shit,” she whispered, “that’s Tindra…”
“Who?”
“The leaseholder. I should get going.”
“Yeah? Well, at least you won’t be coming home to that for much longer, hmm?” I smiled, and she shot to her tiptoes and kissed me before darting toward the building.
The woman had a face like a dragon. She did nothing to help Crystal get the door open. Once she managed, the woman’s face contorted and I could tell from a distance she was bitching.
“Jesus,” I mumbled, firing the bike up.
I hated leaving her like that, but I had a hard time wiping the victorious grin off my face as I pointed the bike toward home. It didn’t fade until I reached the club house. Bikes were lined up out front like something serious was going on.
