“You’re banging the best man.” She smiles full-on. “You slut. I fucking love it.” She hops up from where she was seated next to me. “No wonder you don’t let me hook you up. I didn’t know you needed a Castile to get in there.” She motions toward my vagina. I roll my eyes. It’s not about the money. I don’t care how much money Cullen has. I am in this for the dirty hot sex. That’s not saying that I don’t have some standards. Of course I want a man that has a job but he doesn’t have to be a millionaire. I don’t have to tell Kimmy that, though. She’s only messing around. Stealing a chance to tease me about something.
“Those Castile’s aren’t only loaded, but they are hot as shit and not assholes. They’re unicorns.” She’s right. They are. “You and your sister took the Castile brothers off the market. I think I just heard the cries of the thousands of women who will never have a chance at them.” She wipes a nonexistent tear from her eye. That makes me laugh and roll my eyes at her at the same time.
I should tell her Cullen and I aren’t a thing, we are only sleeping together, but I decide that I’ll keep it to myself. If people are already talking about Cullen and me, then why not let them think he’s not single anymore? There goes that jealousy shit again. I glance down and wonder if Cullen went back to my place.
I can head out whenever I want at this point. I am done for the night, but still I sit here, not wanting to face what might be an empty house. I am nervous that when I go home he won’t be there. No one will be there. I don’t know why that scares the crap out of me so much but it does. Probably why I caved to Cullen so quickly on his idea of staying with me. It was totally that and not a silly crush. I don’t do crushes. I’m not a teenage girl. Not that I ever got to be one of those. I’m feeling sorry for myself. I need to put my big girl panties on and take my ass home so Cullen can hopefully remove them from my body when I get there.
I gather all of my things before I say goodbye to everyone and make sure I thank them for a job well done tonight. My cooking may be the star but I wouldn’t be as successful without the help of each and every one of my co-workers. Each time we work together I make it a point to show them my appreciation. I push the back door open, feeling the cool breeze on my face. My body has felt unsettled since everything went down with Cullen today. I’m glad I have a little walk to get to my car. It will give me time to clear my mind before I head home to the unknown.
“Crap.” I mumble when I remember my car is still parked outside of where my sister was stalking her fiancé. Damn it. I turn to head back inside to take the front exit. I pull on the door but a hand comes down, stopping me. My body knows instantly it’s Cullen.
“Need a ride?” he asks. Yeah, a ride is definitely what I need. In more ways than one.
Chapter 10
Cullen
MJ looks tired and frustrated. I have a solution for both.
“Yeah, I guess so,” she mutters.
Another guy would’ve thought she sounded ungrateful, but I hear her pride leaking through. This is a woman who was forced to raise her little sister when their mom took off. MJ was only eighteen at the time. She’s been on her own for a long time and she probably feels weak if she has to rely on someone else. It’s been a while since there’s been a shoulder for her to lean on—if she ever had one.
Guess it’s time for her to learn that having a partner in life can ease all your burdens. It’s why there are two detectives who work a case—two heads being better than one and all that jazz.
Plus, I think she needs a little danger in her life. It’ll help her realize that being in control at all times isn’t as fun as she makes it out to be in her head.
“This way.” I take her hand and lead her into the shadows created by a shoulder-high brick wall that separates the back of Golden Spoon from its neighbor, a dry-cleaning shop. The lights are off in the shop. It’s the perfect place for me to address her frustration.
“Where’s your car?” she asks, looking around.
“Out front.”
“Why are we back here then?” She starts to leave but I drag her back and push her up against the wall.