His amber gaze met mine. “Is your ass hairy?”
“See…” I said, pointing my finger at him. “This is the real Jordan Slade, right here. Not that fake, mumbling, confused version you have parading around, but this one. The one with a spark in his eye. A pep in his step. Fucking balls between his legs.”
Jordan shrugged. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I’ll prove it one day, just so you know,” I said matter-of-factly, throwing a sheet over my bed.
“Is that your way of dodging my question?” Jordan countered.
I chuckled. “My ass isn’t and never will be the subject of conversation between us, but no, it’s not hairy. Happy, princess?”
“Thrilled, pumpkin.”
Joking around with Jordan Slade wasn’t on my agenda for the day, but I had to admit that it felt good. First, we were in a dire situation, and our chances of leaving this place in one piece were in decline. Second, if it weren’t for my visceral reactionto Jordan, I would have enjoyed his company. This admission would shock everyone in the LD, but it was the truth. Jordan was clever, funny, and perceptive. I knew it because I’d been watching him like a hawk and hanging on his every word since he came to the LD. Also, it wasn’t as if I could choose my conversation partners in this fucking cell.
Speaking of conversation partners, this situation made me think of Rusty, my old dog. I found him roaming the streets of Smitsville years back, starved and abandoned. I took him in, and soon he became my best friend. Hell, he was the only friend I ever had. I’d talked to him all the time as you would talk to a human being. I joked with him, and in return, I would get a joyful bark and a wag of the tail. After he got sick and passed away, I cried like a baby. Bottom line, Rusty was smart, attentive, and high-spirited, just like Jordan. Not the fake version of the man, but the real one that I could see from time to time.
While I made the bed, I could feel Jordan watching me.
“What?” I said with a sigh. “Spit it out.”
“You’re different here,” he said, sounding hesitant. “You’re acting differently.”
“We’re in an extraordinary situation, if you haven’t noticed.”
“Yeah, but still. You cracked a joke, and it’s unheard of. You also didn’t call me a weirdo, not once.”
I smirked. “Do you miss it, weirdo?”
“No. I hate it when you call me that.”
“I know. That’s why I keep doing it.”
Jordan’s eyes never left me, but after we exchanged a few civilized words, I didn’t mind him watching me anymore. And yes, I knew it was my fault the civilized part didn’t happen sooner, but I was wary of people. Keeping the distance seemed safer to me, especially from Jordan Slade. He made me feel itchy.
“I like this side of you, by the way,” Jordan added.
“Yeah, well, I don’t like this side of me,” I said, opening the hygiene pack they gave us.
“What did we get?” Jordan said, walking up to me.
He stood so close to me that his citrusy scent filled my nostrils, but somehow, it didn’t bother me anymore. I probably got used to it on that bus.
“Bare necessities,” I replied dryly. “A bar of soap, a toothpaste, a toothbrush… a shampoo, a deodorant... oh, and a disposable razor, which I don’t know how we will use since we don’t have a mirror.”
Jordan chuckled. “So, I’m supposed to shave you?”
“Not funny.”
“Incidentally, you look good with a stubble,” Jordan said, yawning.
I looked at him sharply, making a mental note to shave less often. “I do?”
“Mm-hmm. I, however, shave every few days. I don’t have much facial hair, or any other hair except for the one on my head.”
“We’re talking about body hair again.” I couldn’t help but notice. “It’s kind of disturbing.”
“What will disturb you even more is that I need to pee.”
