Page 15 of The Souls We Claim

“Where’s your car?”

“About a mile from there. The radiator went in a big cloud of steam.”

“Fuck me, Arianne. No plan. Defective car. And a hike in heels to the ceremony. Cunt of a husband. You’re a walking hazard.”

She sighs and smiles sadly, looking down at her feet that are now covered in sneakers. “I forgot I switched into my sneakers to walk to the service. So, it’s just no plan, shit car, and the husband I need to figure out.”

My cock stirs. I love playing with brats. Sassy mouths. Pouts. Sulking and spanking.

“Where exactly is your car?” I ask, forcing myself to look at something other than her lips.

She pulls something up on her phone. A map. “It’s here.”

I lean close to look at the map on her phone. She smells good. Warm and sweet. Her pulse beats beneath the skin of her neck.

“I know the intersection,” I say.

“There’s a small lot off to the side of the road. I made it into there to park.”

“Keys?”

“In my bag. My luggage is in the trunk.”

This catches my attention. “Luggage?”

She gestures in front of her face. “Thiswas because Patrick didn’t want me to come to the funeral. Said my sister was a bad influence, even though I haven’t seen her for a decade.”

Which puts her at twenty-three. A decade younger than my thirty-three. Which makes me feel like a dirty fucker for the thoughts I had about her tits earlier. And the way I’m imagining those lips around my cock.

“You’re leaving him?”

“If I said I don’t know, would you think me pathetic?” she asks.

Eyes that are almost too big for her face look up at me expectantly, as if my answer matters. I can’t help but reach out and touch her unblemished cheek. “Nah. I’d give you a high five for considering.”

She holds my gaze for a moment and then looks away to the wall of the windowless room. “Like you said. No plan. I get paid soon, but I guess that’s going to have to go to fixing my car instead of finding a place to rent and groceries. Do you know any cheap places I could stay tonight?”

“I have a suggestion that might help you out. Dad’s house is empty until I can sell it. You can use it until then. It’ll take some cleaning up because Dad and Mercy weren’t particularly good housekeepers. Today was a lot. We’ll get you some food. You can sleep. And tomorrow, I’ll come over so we can figure out the rest.”

Tears swim in her eyes. “That sounds really good, Halo. Wait, what’s your real name? It’s not really Halo, is it?”

“It’s Jackson. Jackson Flynn. Everyone calls me Halo, or you can call me Jax.”

“What’s the ‘Halo’ for?”

“My road name. High altitude, low open. It’s a kind of parachute jump I like.”

She studies me for a minute. “You like risky things, Halo. Parachutes. Being a part of this life.” She taps my name patch. Her touch is soft.

“Some things are worth risking everything for.”

A loud bang outside in the bar makes her jump, breaking whatever was just building between us. It’s enough to remind me she’s a married woman and the answer to my prayers when it comes to Lola; I need to convince her to stay, not scare her away by hitting on her.

“It’s okay. You’re safe here.” Just to taunt myself, I lift her down from the table, but I do my best to hold her away from my body, because, honestly, one brush of those tits against my chest and I think the mild chub I have will turn into something a whole lot more noticeable.

“Wait, who paid for Mercy’s funeral service? I should probably figure out how to repay them.”

She needs her money more than I do. “I’m not sure. I’ll ask around for you.”