Page 28

Chapter twenty-eight

Ashia

‘Come and Get Your Love’- Redbone

Three Days Later

Serena and I are sitting at the end of the bar, on different sides of the corner and away from the other patrons crowding the middle. We don’t normally hang out at the bar across the street from the shop, but she had a bad day at work and didn’t want to go far. Its nice enough. The floors and walls are in good condition, it doesn’t automatically smell like booze when you walk in, and they have a pretty good snack menu. Serena will most likely be staying at my apartment again. I can tell from her sad and reckless drinking. She’s already two shots of tequila in, and we’ve only been here for ten minutes.

She lost three patients this morning. One only being sixteen, and she’s taking it really hard. A car accident killed the teenage boy, his older sister, and their mother. From what she said, their injuries were extensive, and she was shocked that they kept them alive as long as they did, but it always hits her hard when she loses a patient. Especially as young as that boy.

I'm trying to pay attention to her and help her through today but she’s using a lot of medical terms that I don’t understand. I try to keep up as best as I can, and make sure I listen. Even if I don’t know what she’s talking about, but I can’t help but let my mind wander as she talks, and I can't help but think of Damien. I just can’t get him out of my head. It’s like I can feel him here with me. The warm, soothing presence engulfing me no matter where I go. His smell constantly fills my nose, and I long to snuggle up against him again.

Ser takes a break from talking to order another shot, and I take the opportunity to look around. I scan the room to look at most of the drunken customers talking, slurring, and swaying. As I'm about to turn my attention back to Serena, I find two electric blue eyes staring back at me. Complimented by a grin that could have Satan’s whore on her knees. My eyes playfully roll because, of course, he’s here somehow. I can’t help the smile on my own face that forms as he mouths “ hi .” I mouth the same back to him, and he proudly nudges his friend and points in my direction as I can tell he says ‘ that’s her’ . His friend waves, and I lightly wave back.

“Who are you waving to?” Ser asks curiously and turns to look at them. When she turns back to me, her eyes are wide and her mouth is hanging open. “Oh my God! Is that him?” I nod my head excitedly and bite my lip. She looks back over, practically doing a triple take and gawking at my boyfriend. “Jeez, did you tear him out of a Rolling Stone’s magazine?”

“Nope, but he sure does look like it.” I say proudly, watching him lick his bottom lip as he looks me over from across the room.

“My, my. He’s a big boy.” She says in a funny, stringy tone. Over-pronouncing the ‘b’ in both words. “I want one of those.” She cocks her head sideways as she looks back over to him.

“Well, you can’t have that one.” I giggle as I look down at only my first drink. “That one’s mine.” That one’s mine? Who the hell am I? I meant what I said, but still. Since when do I say things like that?

“Are you sure about that?” Scrunching my eyes at her condescending tone, I look up and over to Damien to see a lighter brown-haired woman talking to him. With how comfortable she clearly feels with him, it makes me feel like someone punched me in the stomach. She is beautiful. There's a lighter caramel color weaved through her hair, and it’s waved to perfection as it stretches down to her shoulder blades. Taller than me, by A LOT. She’s probably about five foot ten inches, even without her heels and perfectly toned, long legs. Glowing tan skin, and a curvy shape, barely covered by a tight blue dress that’s making me rethink my sexuality.

I may not be the most secure person in the world, but I never thought seeing another woman near him would affect me like this. A cold washes over me, causing me to feel light headed, and I can’t help but pick at my fingers. Suddenly feeling anxious. She’s talking to Damien. Very comfortably. She keeps stepping closer to him, and I watch as she takes the pool stick out of his hands and she takes one last step. Right up to him.

“I'm going outside.” I say quickly, and look away before I have to watch anymore. Ser reaches out and grabs my hand.

“Ash, come on I'm playing around, they’re just talking.” She squeezes my hand reassuringly before taking her shot. “Or they fucking better be.” She jerks her gaze back to watch. Turning her whole body and watching the scene unfold knowing that I can’t.

“Yeah, I know. I'm not mad.” I say, the shakiness in my voice giving away my lie. Looking over one last time, I see her put her hands on his chest. She leans in closer to him with a sly smirk on her face and moves to press her body against him. I think I see him gently move her away, but I don’t stay to watch. I get down off the stool and begin to make my way outside. Each step in the floor feeling like another hit to my gut.

That is the type of woman I’d expect to see him with. Someone as beautiful as he is should be with someone as gorgeous as her right? I figured that was more his type. Confident, alluring, legs for days. Probably good in bed. Anyone with half a brain would ask why he’d be with someone like me when he could have someone like her.

Once I get to the outdoor patio and the cool breeze crashes on to my face, I lift myself up and sit on the wooden railing since there’s no seating out here. See, I bet that woman wouldn’t have had to jump as high as I did to sit up here . People normally come out on the patio to smoke and sometimes throw up, but I'm grateful that no one else is out here right now.

This feeling is something I've never really experienced before. I feel sick. The sight of how she smirked at him, the lust that shined in her eyes, made my stomach turn. Who the hell is she? Does he know her? Does he like her touching him like that? I was so focused on her that I didn’t really look at him. Of course he liked it. She looks like someone that walked off of the runway.

I look down at my clothes to look at my hot mess self. Just plain jeans, black Vans, and plain, black, fitted, V-neck shirt. She looks gorgeous in that small blue dress. I don’t think I’ve dressed like that a day in my life. I don’t care about my hair or makeup, and she’s done up looking like a millionaire’s wife just to go a bar.

“What’s a beautiful woman like you doing out here by herself?” I look up to see the striking man I’ve come to like and care for and his piercing eyes staring at me from the doorway.

“I’m just getting some air.” I say as flat-toned as I can. Trying to mask my insecurities. He walks over and stands next to me. Pulling out a cigarette pack and lighter, lighting one of them then putting them back in his pocket. I raise an eyebrow. “You smoke? I figured, I thought I've smelled it on you before, but I just haven’t seen it.”

“Normally only when I drink, after missions, or I'm stressed.” He says as he looks down the alley way that runs beside the patio.

“Well with your life I'm sure you're stressed a lot.” He shrugs his shoulders as I nervously chuckle.

“Not really.”

“So you've been drinking?” I furrow my eyebrows.

“Nope.” He says popping the ‘p’. Though his tone is anything but playful.

“Did you have a mission?” He shakes his head, moving that gorgeous hair.

“I do later.”

“Then why are you smoking?” He looks over to me, leaning towards me until his face is only a couple of inches away from mine.

“Because you're upset and I'm worried about it.” He states.

“I'm not upset.” I say shyly.

“Yeah, you are. You saw Mikaela and now you're upset.” He forces a small grin on his face.

“Who? The tall, tan, model that had her hands on you? Didn’t even notice.” We chuckle as he takes another puff before blowing the smoke away from me. He looks back to me. Right in the eyes so I know he’s serious.

“Mikaela and I hooked up about six months ago and she thought she could touch me. I told her to back off.” He says confidently.

“I know, I thought I saw you push her away.”

“Then what’s wrong?” He looks at me confused, and I shake my head softly.

“Nothing, I said I'm fine.”

“Ashia.” He hardens his gaze at me and those piercing eyes practically cause me to melt.

“She’s just really pretty. Beautiful, actually.” I look back down to my hands.

“Not near as beautiful as you.” I scoff as I look back at him, and he rears his head back like I tried to slap him.

“Please, she’s probably on a poster in every teenagers’ room.”

“Not my room, I'm not into that.” He smirks, and I can't help but giggle. Understanding his self-deprecating joke that he’s still a teenager. He’s told me he’s twenty-seven, he’s just a damn goofball.

“Oh yeah? What are you normally into then? Obviously, you liked her enough to have sex with her.” He takes one more inhale of the smoke before he puts the cigarette out in the ash tray a few feet away, and walks close to me. Settling himself in between my legs as he places both hands on my thighs.

“I like five foot four, long black hair, enchanting brown eyes, soft skin…” He leans in close to my ear. “tight pussy…” He whispers and stands back up. “Snarky attitude.” I giggle. “I like you. She was just a one-time thing. It meant nothing. Every time means everything with you.” He grins as he runs his thumb over my jaw. My muscles relax and my lungs breathe easier. The sickness in my stomach starts to fade.

“One time?” I ask quietly.

“One time. Long before I ever set eyes on you. The moment I saw you, I knew there would never be another.” I find myself holding back a smile.

“But why would you want me when you could have someone like her?”

“Because women like her are superficial. They have no idea what life is really like. They have everything handed to them, and even with everything they have, they’re grateful for nothing. She doesn’t truly enjoy anything. Not like you. She doesn’t take in every sense as she walks down the street, or find beautiful places behind the beaten path. Women like her don’t shoot straw wrappers or laugh at bad jokes. She’d never let go and fling her head around in a crowd full of people, and her brain couldn’t possibly comprehend the hidden lessons in media like horror or science fiction. They find our sense of humor crude and wrong, when you try to find enjoyment out of anything. You're so sweet and caring, when women like her don’t love anything past themselves. So why you? Because I. Want. You.” He plants a gentle kiss to the tip of my nose.

“I'm sorry if I made you doubt that.” My eyes widen. I didn’t expect that. I'm being insecure, and he’s apologizing? I thought I saw him push her away, what else could I want him to do? Scream at her and humiliate her in front of the entire bar? Hell no, he’s too sweet for any of that, and I’ve been in that position. I’d never want that for someone else.

“You didn’t. I'm being insecure. I just have a hard time believing someone as great as you could want someone like me. Especially with better options like her. I have nothing to offer you.” I say truthfully.

“There is nothing better for me than you. You really think you have nothing to offer? I've already told you. Your irresistible body, your complex mind, and your beautiful soul. Anything she could possibly offer me? I don’t fucking want it.” He takes his hands, and gently cups my face. “She, and anyone else before you, are nothing compared to you in my eyes. You just remember, little wolf, that while you may be mine, I am also yours. Everyone else is beneath you.” I look up and focus my eyes on his, losing myself in the various blues colliding together. Feeling the butterflies in my stomach fly around vigorously, and my body becomes weightless. “Don’t look at me like that with those big brown eyes.” He says, barely loud enough to hear.

“Why not?”

“Because if you don’t stop, I won’t make it to my mission.” He smirks at me before planting a soft kiss, gently gliding our lips together for a moment too short before pulling away.

“I'm sorry. You can go back to hanging out with your friend. I shouldn’t have distracted you.” I say softly.

“You’re not a distraction. You think I came to the same bar as you as a coincidence?” He smirks as I shake my head. “When I saw Serena texted you to meet here, I couldn’t resist. I was hoping you'd ask me to stay.” I feel my cheeks flush and heat rise to my face. My full smile now impossible to hide.

“Well that depends, how important is this mission?” He shrugs, acting like warehouse raids and all of the other things he does is no big deal.

“There’s a big deal going down tonight. We were going to crash it.” He says nonchalantly. Is it really not that important or is he playing it down so I won’t feel bad about asking him to stay?

“That sounds pretty important, why would I ask you to sit that out?”

“Because whatever you need is more important to me. So if my girl needs me, I'm staying.” I swallow my nerves, reach up, and gently kiss his cheek.

“I’d never ask you to stop what you do. We’ll have plenty of time after.” He smiles at me. The warmth from his grin radiating off him. “I need to get back to Ser. Wake me up when you get in tonight?”

“Always.” He kisses me again. This time with a heat and sense of longing. I pull back, knowing that if he keeps kissing me like that, I will ask him not to leave. As I hop down off the railing and go to walk around him to head back in, I see Serena standing in the doorway with her arms crossed and her left hip poked out. The scowl that’s on her face could make birds fall from the sky.

“Hey, Ser.” I say nervously.

“Are you going to introduce me to your stalker or am I still supposed to act oblivious?” She says with anger lodged in her tone. I squint my eyes at her, and tilt my head in aggravation.

“Ser, you know he’s more than that now.”

“I don’t care.” She says blankly and shoots me a look before cutting her eyes back to Damien. My heart drops to my stomach as he steps up to her, but then he surprises me and reaches his hand out to her. His palm facing out like he wants to shake her hand.

“I’m Damien. It’s nice to meet you, I've heard a lot about you.” He says to her confidently. Clearly putting in an effort like he promised.

“Yeah, I've heard a lot about you too.” She says as she forcefully grabs my hand and tries to lead me back inside, but I stop her and turn around. Facing his perfect features once again.

“Be careful?”

“Of course.” He manages to wink at me before she yanks me inside. Once we get back to the bar she angrily sits down. Flopping on the stool like I stomped on her foot or something.

“You don’t have to be such a bitch, Ser. He was trying to be nice.” I plant my hands on top of the bar, so she can see how serious I am. I understand her frustration as my friend, but it’s not like I haven’t been keeping her in the loop. She knows how I’ve grown to feel about him, and everything he’s done for me.

“Well, I'm sorry, I'm not just going to forget how he was stalking you and then murdered your ex in front of you.” She squints her eyes and shakes her head back and forth in that attitude she keeps close.

“I get it, Ser, you don’t like him, but I do, and I love you. So I need you to at least try and tolerate him.” I plead.

“Why would I do that? The last time I did that, your abusive boyfriend tried to keep you from me and almost killed you.”

“Damien is not like that!” I yell. Immediately regretting it. I shouldn’t get so upset with her. Knowing that she's just trying to protect me. Taking a deep breath to steady myself, I calmly sit down on my assigned stool. “I told him that if he wanted me, you were part of the deal. He understands that you are in my life, and you’re not going anywhere. Can’t you do the same?” She softens her gaze at me.

“You told him that?” She asks in a questionable tone. Almost as if she doesn’t believe me.

“Of course, I did. He knows how important you are to me.” I take her hand in mine and gently squeeze. “Six years ago, I promised you I would never let that happen again. I meant it.” I never told her that the fight with Cooper, that led to him trying to kill me, started over her. He told me to cut her off, said she was a bad influence and that he could never change with her disapproval always hanging over his head. I was young and stupid then, and did everything to convince myself that I could see his point. I didn’t talk to her for a week, and that was all I could handle. I felt so bad, and realized then what hold he had over my mind.

So, I snuck off to see her, and then the next day she came to the shop and hung out with me there. She ended up meeting a guy, and Cooper saw her with one of my clients when he showed up to my work. I'll never forget the look of pure rage on his face. “It’s been hard for me to accept, but he's not Cooper, and I like him. Really like him. He's good to me, Ser. Please, try to get along. It’s going to suck if I have to live with you two hating each other.”

“Oh. So he hates me too?” She exclaims.

“No, Ser. In fact, he told me he was glad I had a friend like you. Someone that cares about me and loves me the way you do.” Her gaze softens and she looks down at the bar to fidget with a napkin. “I won’t pick a man over you, ever again, but the best thing about him is that he’d never ask me to.” She looks back at me with droopy eyes. The begging tone in my voice obviously affecting her.

The mood of the entire bar seems to lift from our tense argument as an older, catchy tune plays over the speakers. Deep beats and twangs of an old string instrument fill the room and echo off of the walls. Whoops and hollers come from the patrons, causing me to look up. Damien and his friend walk towards us, or towards the exit behind us, I should say. Nonchalantly, almost as if he was going to ignore me completely.

Then he lunges and wraps his arms around me, causing me to shriek and flinch as he lifts me off of the barstool. My embarrassing squeal quickly turns to laughter as he carries me to an open area by the dining tables and sets me on my feet. He looks down at me with an endearing curve of his lips.

His hand gently grazes my arm before grasping my hand and pulling me to him. Resting his other hand on my hip, he guides my body lightly to move with his. A sweet sway back and forth, quick enough to match the rhythm of the song. Once my hips move on their own, he stretches our arms straight up and looks at me with that affectionate, hungry stare.

“Bear with it, baby, ‘cause you’re fine, and you’re mine, and you look so divine.” He sings loudly as he sways his knees and drags his hands down my body. I can’t help the laughter or flush to my cheeks. My entire body tingles as my stomach flutters. I'm not worried about who’s staring. Not Ser, not Mikaela, and not even Damien’s friend. My thoughts are completely on him and his sweet gesture.

As he stands, he wraps his arms around me again, and we continue dancing. Swinging our hips side to side and allowing our hands to roam over each other. While I can feel the stares of all of the other customers, I don’t care. The way his body moves with mine is so natural and compelling that I can’t turn away. Not that I want to.

He grabs my hand and spins me around in a cute twirl. My eyes catch a glance at Mikaela, but he almost instantly he grabs my chin lightly and directs my gaze back to him. He’s staking his claim and allowing me to lay down mine as well. A primal and jealous feeling washing over me like a blanket, encasing me in it.

I turn in his hold, my back pressed to his chest and sway my way lower and lower as my hands slide down from his sides to his hips, and down his legs. My gaze remains on him as his hands travel up my sides, over my shoulders and up my neck into my hair. One of his hands grasps the strands, pulls me back up and turns me back to face him.

His lips crash into mine as he bends me backward. Arching my body and dipping me as a finale before he pulls me back up. Raking his hand down my body, his arm snakes around me again, lifting me as if I were a feather, and carrying me back to my barstool. I can feel my face flush as applause erupt through the room, but I don't try to hide my face.

“We have to head out.” He says as he sets me back down on the stool next to Serena. A playful smirk is still plastered on his face, but the tone in his voice sounds slightly more concentrated and shakier. Almost as if the fun is fading away and worry is replacing it.

“Okay, be careful.” I say as my face softens, picking up on the change in his demeanor.

“I will. Are you going home after this?” It sounds more like a statement than a question, but I don't push it. Why does he sound so worried?

“Yeah, we’ll go back to the apartment when we’re done. Do you want me to text you when we get in?”

“I’d like it if you did, I just want to make sure you get in okay.”

I nod, reassuring him.

“Yeah, I'll text you.”

“Okay baby, I'll see you later.” He kisses me again. Quick and soft, as if it was the easiest thing to do. He then looks at Serena briefly. “See you around, Serena.” He goes to leave, but she looks back to him and half smiles.

“See you around.” She says back as he and his friend leaves. I look back to her and squeeze her hand. A goofy grin sprouting on my face.

“Thank you.” I say happily.

“Mhm.” She says with an attitude. “That was really fucking cute, but I still don’t quite approve.” I giggle and kiss her on the cheek.

“You don’t have to yet.” I sit back down at the bar and smile at her before ordering one more drink.