Page 11 of Malice and Surrender
Mutt nodded. “Um, can I ask one thing?”
Wow, this guy didn’t know when to quit. “What?”
“Can you cut me loose? They aren’t going to be here for a few days,” he said.
I groaned. Why did he have to say that? Why couldn’t he just keep his mouth shut? Some people didn’t know when not to look a gift horse in the mouth. Now I was tempted to kill him again.
No, be good. Go home. Get fucked. Get some sleep. My inner voice chanted as the part of me that loved to kill sat up and grinned wickedly in my mind.
“You know, Mutt, you owe me one.” I turned to face him. “One day, I’m gonna collect a favor from you because that is how this life works. When I do, you’ll do exactly what I ask when I ask you to do it, or you will end up worse than your buddy, Vic. Do you understand?”
Mutt nodded; his lips pressed tight together. I walked over to where I’d piled their crap, grumbling to myself the entire time. Snatching up the phones, I made my way around the blood to Mutt and laid them down. Mutt’s hands were tied behind his back, but he could still reach the phone. It would take him a few tries to get it open, kind of like a game.
At least he was smart enough to keep his mouth shut this time as I marched for the door and pushed my way out into the sun. A few sweetbutts would be in early, getting the club ready for later. My cock had a date with one, and then I needed some sleep.
I was getting too old for these all-night parties.
Avro
“I can do this,” I mumbled and got out of the car. “You’re just asking her to go to the beach as a friend. Nothing wrong with that.”
Other than the fact that you’re completely in love with the girl, the annoying voice in my mind retorted.
No one asked you. I grumbled to myself.
Wiping my hands off on my track pants, I stared at Raine’s front door. It was a pretty shade of blue, with little pots of flowers outside—nothing too much or overstated, like her. The lawn needed some tending unless she was going for the dirt look.
We’d been working together and friends for four years, and all that time, I managed to keep my feelings under wrap. Raine reminded me of a deer. If you moved too quickly, she would startle and take off. I knew that sensation all too well. If it weren’t for Jace, I would still be like that.
“You’ve got this. Just act like your normal self,” I whispered under my breath as I knocked hard on the door.
I heard the sound of feet on stairs, and Raine called out that she was coming. The thin curtain beside the window moved, and my heart skipped a beat when my eyes locked with Raine. I smiled and waved.
Okay, that felt stupid.
The door swung open, and there she was, looking like she belonged somewhere other than Florida. She wore a thick sweater and yoga pants like it was freezing outside when it was almost ninety, yet she pulled it off and was as stunning as ever. Her big blue eyes shone, and her short platinum-blonde hair looked adorable. I was staring at her lush lips as she nibbled on her bottom one and had to force myself to look up into her eyes.
“Avro, is everything okay? Nothing is wrong with the bar, right?” She peered out the door like she could see the place from here.
“No, no, everything is fine. I just stopped by to see what you’re doing today. I mean, other than work later?” I swallowed the lump in my throat and prayed that it didn’t sound as lame as it did in my head.
“Um…well.” She crossed her arms. “Not much. I have to pick up a few groceries this weekend.”
“Great. Do you want to go to the beach with me?” Her face blanched. “Just to hang out. I hate going alone. I mean, I will, and I’ve done it before, but I was hoping to have someone go with me for a change. They have a belly dancing festival going on. I thought it might be cool to check out,” I said in one long rambling breath and promptly wanted to smack myself on the forehead. Could I sound any more lame?
Raine sucked the lip she’d been nibbling on into her mouth, and I stuffed my hands in my pockets to keep from wringing them.
Please say yes, please say yes.
“If you don’t want to hang out with me, then…”
Her face morphed into a horrified expression. “No, it’s not that. People and I don’t exactly get along, and that sounds like a lot of people.”
My brow lifted, and I couldn’t help the laugh from escaping. “You do know what you do for work, right?”
A vivid shade of pink spread across her cheeks, making her look more adorable. Raine was this unique combination of sexy and adorable. She had no idea what the hell she did to me.
“Okay, I guess one day won’t kill me. Come in, and I’ll go grab my stuff.” Raine took off upstairs. I stepped over the threshold like it was the holy grail. This was the first time I’d ever been inside her space. In all this time, we’d never been to one another’s homes. Until a year ago, I couldn’t even get her in my car, and she still turned me down more than she accepted.
