She's so polite. Jesus.
I wonder if she's this reserved in bed. I hope not. If she is, I'll be fixing that as soon as possible.
"No problem." I tuck her under my arm—she really fits so perfectly against me—squeezing her shoulder, and trailing my hand down the soft skin of her upper arm to settle somewhere above her elbow as we make our way through the parking lot. Once at the car, I open her door just as her phone pings. Watching her slide in slowly, I keep my hand on her arm at the wince of pain that crosses her features. I wish she’d let me put the ointment on her like I offered.
And then I also wish I would have kept my tongue to myself because now I'm wondering if I crossed a line with her that she won't let me come back from.
Once she's healed, I definitely want to see where this can go between us.
To my delight, she doesn't seem in the least bit bothered by how inappropriate I was.
“Hey, I got approved!” she says excitedly. “I just gave her that application like ten minutes ago!” Pulling off her sunglasses, her eyes narrow as she reads through the email. “It’s a contingent based on my payment,” she mutters almost to herself, “which is fine. It’ll take all my savings,but I don’t care!Who needs furniture?”
She turns her face to me and smiles brightly.
A spark of joy enters her eyes. Yet, I keep my smile to myself, not bothering to tell her I bought her furniture packet. Somehow, I know she won’t like that. I muse it over in my head, deciding I'll contact Christopher and Jerome and let them know so they won’t be bothered with trying to get anything from that asshole’s house.
Pulling out my phone, I do just that, texting them in a group chat as I round the car to get in on the driver’s side. I see Johnathan messaged me back.
J. Dawg: YOU licking someone you just metyesterday?How utterly interesting. Wait, like licked herhow?I’m having lunch with Ally at her school Monday. Can we do after work on Wednesday, 7p.m.? Maybe we can meet up at your boxing venue for a round or two?
I'm pleased with the reschedule because I didn’t want to leave Sarah alone. She should be moving into her apartment on Tuesday; surely, she would be okay with staying with me until then. I can't have her sleeping on that poor excuse for a couch in her office or an air mattress.
“So, I think that Ishouldbe okay to move in sometime next week, it looks like," Sarah says, looking at her phone as I drive off. "I know my payment will go through, and I havejustenoughwiggle room to pay up my rent on my office building one month.”
Turning my head, I accidentally see her banking account information and immediately become so pissed my foot hits the pedal too hard, causing my engine to rev.
“Alex!” Sarah's sharp scream pierces my ears as we shoot forward.
Her hand yanks on the grab bar above her window and a look of pure panic fills her face, making me feel so shitty I slow us to almost ten miles under the speed limit to make it up to her.
Fuck, I curse to myself.
“Sorry. The car is a bit…touchy,” I say.
I put a hand to her leg and squeeze before placing my hand back on the wheel. Little pants sound out, her hand is slightly pale because of her death grip, and her eyes are wide as she stares out the windshield making me feel even worse. I'd never want to scare her. She’s had enough of that the last few weeks.
My jaw ticks in displeasure when my thoughts go back to her account. When she said she would be using all of her savings to pay for the apartment, she’dmeantthat. She would only have maybe eighteen hundred left over after paying what she needed to…but she'd also just said she would be paying up her rent on her practice.
Theoretically, realistically, she's going to have nothing.
Nothing.
If she was living with that fucker for four years, then how did she not have money? Did he not pull his weight in bills?Fuck that, why didn’t he pay all the damn bills?My fingers tighten even harder on the steering wheel, but I manage to keep my speed steady.
After a minute, she calms. I listen carefully as her breathing regulates and purposefully keep my expression the picture offocus when she gives me an unsure glance before going back to her phone.
“What’re you feeling like for lunch?” I ask absentmindedly. Stretching my leg out, I put my left arm on the ledge of the window and my fist against my lips, contemplating.
“Alexander, Ijusthad a scone, and besides that, I have a car I can always drive—“
“Negative.No, you cannot, missy,” I interrupt sharply, glancing at her over the top of my sunglasses. “Jesus Christ, you’rehardheaded,aren't you?” I tease, trying to remember what restaurants are in this area.
Drawing a blank, I pull up local eateries in the area. I just can’t think straight when she's around.
“Okay! I know how to doordash, so can I order food to your house just for today?"
"No." I chuckle. "What are you in the mood for?" I repeat.
