Page 62 of With Spite

I got up on my knees and looked into the drawer, praying that I wouldn’t find what I knew I would find.

And yep, there it was.

Pink Lambo 4000 with the six speeds and the twirling beads for the best G-spot stimulation, right there for him to see.

I cursed and covered it up with the novel that was resting beside the bedside.

When he came back inside, he tossed the Maglite in the drawer and shut it with his knee before sitting on the bed and kicking off his boots.

“You need better trash cans,” he said. “Fuckin’ bears ransacked it. I’ll help you clean it up in the morning.”

I sighed. “That’s the fourth time in a month that they’ve hit me. Last week I had to pick up used tampons all over my yard.”

“Gonna have to get some metal cages for them. The bearproof ones are shit, anyway,” he said as he swung his legs back over. “Press Play.”

I did, and his hand came back to my leg, though this time it was at knee level.

That was how we stayed until my eyes became so heavy that they were drooping.

I dropped my head to the bed and watched as long as I could.

I’m not sure when I fell asleep, but as I did, I knew that it was the warmest I’d ever been in my life.

Fifteen

You’re giving off hot dog water vibes right now.

—Bernice to Hux

Hux

Creed called twice, and on the third round I finally managed to free the phone from my sweatpants pocket and hit answer. “Yeah?”

“You asleep?”

“Yeah.”

No denying it.

I was fucking wrecked.

I’d only gone to bed what felt like minutes ago.

“It’s noon.”

Okay, so I got six hours.

It didn’t feel like it.

I felt like I was fucking drugged.

“So?” I asked.

“You’re never asleep this late. You’re also usually at work. I have a deer at your door. Come open it for me.”

“I’m not in my apartment above the shop,” I grumbled. “There’s a keypad. Same code as the clubhouse. Gut it and skin it, then hang it up in the freezer to the left. Don’t leave a mess behind. And don’t use any of my knives.”

The words sounded garbled, but I knew that if I didn’t specify, he’d hang it up wherever, and I had a fucking system.