Page 91 of Pretty Broken Wings

“Sure more passionate shower sex won’t do that for you?”

I try to keep the anger off my face. “You know,” I pretend to consider. “On second thought, maybe just sharpen them to points.”

Axel wiggles his eyebrows. “Already blind, babe. Poking my eyes out isn’t going to help much.”

“How do you get them off?” Gage is still rolling my fingers around, then picks at my nails.

“You have to grind them down.” Axel reaches over, grabbing my hands.

“Don’t touch me,” I snarl, ripping my hand away.

Axel raises his in surrender, then starts explaining the process to Gage, talking while pointing at different parts of my nails. As soon as I put my hand back in Gage’s, I feel the sweatiness of his fingers, and there’s a slight tremble. He asks, “Won’t it hurt?”

“Not unless you’re a dick about it.”

Gage clears his throat, and I’d be upset about all this, except Gage seems more nervous than I am. He keeps having to dry his hand on his pants. And for some reason, that calms me. Although I’m concerned Axel is going to start calling Gage out on it, so when Axel isn’t looking, I slide my right hand under the table and pat Gage’s knee. His gaze shoots up to mine, then the look calms, and he continues with a little more coolness.

During the entire session, Axel sends me secret little smiles, and when we’re done and my fingers finally feel normal again, I escape the table as fast as I can.

Axel follows me. “Such a shame.”

“What is?” I try to play it cool, stalking toward the laundry room to get my clothes from the dryer.

He just chuckles. “You’re both such bad liars.”

I refuse to look at him.

I can still hear the smile, his voice a dash of confidence. “Come to my room if you want a real dicking down.” Then, he’s gone.

CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT

I slam the car door. Axel is insufferable. Quite possibly the worst person to ever exist. He’s been harassing me all day long, eventually prompting me to practically beg Gage to go to the bank with me.

When he agrees, I fly to the car, and once Gage gets in on the other side, I start driving before he’s fully shut the door. I needto get this money and go. Just get the damn money and get out of here.

Gage is quiet for some time, not even commenting when I blow a stop sign. I know he sees it because he still has the glasses.

Then, his voice breaks through my steaming thoughts. “We fought a lot as kids.”

We’re at a red light, and I glance briefly over at him, but Gage doesn’t look at me.

“You and Axel?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh, so he’s always been this unbearable.” I can barely keep the tremble out of my voice.

Gage huffs. “Oh yeah.”

When the light turns green, we go, and I turn right. I enjoy the feeling of not having uneven acrylics. It feels like I shed an old skin.

“We could stop by your place if you want. Get anything you need.” Gage’s voice is quiet.

Get anything I need. Almost like I’m moving in with him.

Because I kind of did.

My chest tightens. Little does Gage know that I already have everything I need. All packed up and ready to go. The more I move, the less I have.