The Girl Who Always Wins (Soulless 13)

“True. That’s not going to change anytime soon.”

“Good.” She smiled. “Because I kinda like it.”

“Oh, I know.”

“Just the way you like it when I’m being a crazy-ass bitch.”

I pressed a kiss to her shoulder. “Can’t get enough of it.”

The intercom buzzed from the other room.

“Yes!” Right on cue, her stomach growled again.

Naked, I left the bed and hit the intercom so the delivery guy could get into the elevator. My clothes were pulled on, and I grabbed some cash from my wallet to give him a tip. When the doors opened, the exchange happened, and then I set the food on the dining table.

She came out a moment later, dressed in my clothes, pulling it off like lingerie. “Mmm, smells good.” She dropped into a chair and opened her container so she could get to work on her feast.

I sat across from her and did the same.

“What are you doing?” She looked across the table at me, disappointed.

I stilled before I pushed my container toward her, assuming she wanted some.

“No.” She pushed it back. “Why’s your shirt on?”

A smug grin came over my face before I pulled it off again.

“Ahh, there.” She stabbed her fork into her food as she checked me out.

We fell into comfortable silence, eating the hot food that had been delivered, a view of the city lights behind her. I’d stared at those alone so many times, felt the loneliness in my soul as the darkness consumed me. When my divorce was finalized, I’d stood at the window and looked at the world that felt out of reach. Now I looked at it with her in the foreground, beautiful and perfect.

“Why didn’t you tell me the truth?”

Her question brought me back to reality.

“You said you didn’t want kids. Why didn’t you tell me you couldn’t have them instead?”

I took a few more bites, thinking of my response. “I didn’t want your pity. Pity makes people feel obligated to stay.”

“I wouldn’t say that…”

“Whether I want them or can’t have them, the outcome is the same, so I didn’t think it made a difference. Besides, what kind of person wants to admit something like that, especially a man?”

“This situation is painful to everyone. It’s not gender-specific.”

“Yes. But it’s still emasculating.” I kept my eyes on my food, not wanting to talk about this anymore. I was happy. That was all that mattered now.

She seemed to pick up on my mood because she didn’t make another comment. “I have a tournament in a few weeks in Atlantic City…if you want to tag along.”

“Yeah? I can sit in the front row and watch you kick ass?”

“Yes. But more importantly, you can fuck me when I’m off the clock.”

“Ah, my real purpose.”

“Exactly. You’re my one and only groupie.”

“Well, I’ll take it. Sounds like a good time.” I wondered if her ex would be there because I’d love to meet him face-to-face—and tell him to fuck off. He’d had his chance with my woman—and he blew it.

I was exhausted.

Was up pretty much all night.

But I couldn’t call in, not today, not when I had so much shit to do.

Dr. Hamilton walked in wearing a hoodie and jeans, pulling on his lab coat as he went to his station across from me. His goggles were placed on the table beside him, and he lifted his gaze to give me a glance. “You look a lot better.”

“I do?” I asked, wondering if he could see the bags under my eyes.

“Yeah.” He took a seat and opened his notebook. “You and Daisy worked things out?”

“Yeah, we did.” She woke up beside me that morning and stayed in bed while I hit my home gym. When my alarm went off, she kicked me under the sheets then rolled over and went right back to sleep.

“Good.” He gave a nod then opened his notebook, getting to work like the conversation was over.

“You’re okay with this?”

“With what, exactly?” He looked up as he grabbed his pen and clicked the end of it.

“That she wants to be with me even though I can’t…you know.”

He stared at me blankly, as if he didn’t understand my meaning. “I support whatever decision my daughter makes.”

“But you must have talked to her about it.”

“I did,” he said with a nod. “I tried to make her understand the weight of the decision before her, what she would be giving up if she chose to be with you. I told her my experience of having her with someone I loved…and it’s indescribable. I did my best to make her understand the sacrifice she would be making, a sacrifice that may not seem important to her right now, but will be important to her later. She said she was fine with it. I did my job.”

“So, you were trying to talk her out of it.”

“No. I was trying to protect you, actually. I didn’t want you to be with someone who would change their mind later, so I told Daisy she has to be certain. And she was.” He looked down at his notebook again, as if we were discussing the weather, not the future of his only daughter.