“Here?”
“Right here.”When did we get so close?Somehow between the snapping at each other and frustrations, we’ve gravitated towards each other and now… Now she’s closer than I’ve been able to be to her in weeks. I can smell her shampoo. I can feel her body heat.
I want her so badly it hurts.
“Roxie,” I groan her name under my breath and she shakes her head in frustration.
“Fucking spit it out, Ty, I’m not letting you leave this room until you tell me.”
I clench my fists at my sides to try to keep myself grounded, but everything in me is screaming to reach out and grab her. Pull her to me and never let her out of my sight again.
“Stop pushing it. Maybe if you’re a good girl, I’ll tell you when I’m ready,” I say roughly under my breath and push past her, grabbing one of the energy drinks that Asher must have kept stocked for me from the fridge.
Roxie purses her lips at me like she wants to argue…but I catch a little bit of heat flare in her eyes as soon as she registers that I’ve called her a good girl. All too soon that little bit of warmth goes out with the space I’ve forced between us.
“You’re such a dick,” she grumbles and I nod. I know I am.
Popping open the top to the drink, I’m immediately hit with the spray as the carbonated sticky syrup explodes in my face.
“Fuck!” I yell, both startled and fucking annoyed now. The sugary drink drenches my face and shirt and I just know my skin is going to be sticky for the rest of the day, no matter if I shower or not.
“Oh no,” Roxie says, completely deadpanned from the side, and she picks up the bottles from the table. “Man, that sucks. It’s like someone shook up your drink. Who would do something soinconvenient?” She cocks an eyebrow at me, a smirk gracing her beautiful pouty mouth. The look in her eye is begging me to start something, to say something.
But I’m sticky with sugary neon liquid dripping off my face, watching her walk out of the door with a victorious smile.
I love her.
CHAPTER 38
TWO MONTHS LATER
This istorture and I’m so sure Roxie’s doing this on purpose.
I grit my teeth as I watch the new flavor of the week kiss her in a way that’s not decent for the daytime, up against the shop window so hard it’s like he’s trying to push her through it.
A heavyclangsounds through the quiet shop as I set my cleaning supplies down with more force than necessary. I wish I was setting this metal tray down across his stupid head. As I smack him across the temple with it.
His hand slides down to her ass and she pushes him away, that confident, sexy smile on her face. The one I don’t really recognize anymore.
I’m not trying to look into it but I can’t help it.
She never looked like this when we were together. And I can’t tell if that’s a good thing… or a bad thing.
“Goddamn it,” Asher groans when he walks by me, seeing where my eyes are glued. “Get a room!” He yells loud enough that there’s no way she can’t hear us while so pressed up against the glass.
Roxie turns and rolls her eyes at the glass as if she knows we’re watching her, but turns and faces the young buck who’s fallen for her and dismisses him quickly. He doesn’t walk away though.
“This one’s not letting her boss him around quite so much,” Asher says, noting it at the same time I do and we both stand still, waiting and watching to see what he does.
Roxie says something, but she’s too muffled from the glass. Just based on her body language, she’s pissed. Her shoulder’s rise and her back straightens as if she’s preparing for a fight.
The dude’s love-drunk expression turns sour and cruel as he spits something at her, and while I don’t hear it, I can see his lips moving around the two words that fucked up my life.
“You’re nothing,” he snarls and I move.
“Ty, Ty, wait, this isn’t a good–” Asher’s voice sounds like it’s coming from underwater. I barely register it.
I don’t care if it’s a good idea. I don’t care if she’s pissed off later. I don’t care if my heart hurts more.
