“Yeah, well, I left early. Had something I needed to do.”
“And did you?”
“Nope.” That’s the problem. Everything went wrong, every single damn thing, tonight of all nights. A night that’s bad by default.
Except for Amber finding me and putting her hand in mine. Yeah, that’s the only thing that gives me hope, though for what, I can’t imagine.
The rest of the way I turn the night’s events over and over in my head until it hurts like a mother, and I barely notice when she stops at a building entrance and unlocks.
That’s when I realize she hasn’t led me to my apartment, but to hers.
Thank fucking God.
“Have you eaten anything tonight?” she asks, and I take a moment to figure out she’s talking to me, too distracted by her scent and the warmth of her skin against mine as we go up the steps.
“Don’t think I have.” As a matter of fact, I can’t recall eating anything after a hurried breakfast. Had to leave early for the shop. Taking on Seth’s shift means I don’t go running as often as I’d like to, but hey, cleaning is a decent workout, I guess.
“Come on in.” She tugs her hand free of mine to open the apartment door, and I resist the urge to snatch it back.
“Kayla in?” I amble into her living room and switch on the lights. It’s tidy and clean and smells of some floral cleaner.
“She’s out.”
“Just you and me, then, kitten?” I flash her a grin when she turns to give me a look from where she’s hanging her purse on a hook behind the door.
“Cut it out, JJ.”
Still not taking my shit. I almost reel with relief. Back on solid ground after a night of spinning like a damn merry-go-round.
“I know.” I wink at her and lick my lips. “I’m a big dick.”
Doesn’t stop a flush from rising to her cheeks, and I grin wider.
Gotcha.
I love getting under her skin. Fuck, I love getting skin-to-skin with her even better, but after our last encounter and the way it ended… Because of my knee-jerk reaction to anything having to do with Helen and my past.
“I wouldn’t know the size of your dick,” she deadpans, slipping off her sandals and padding quietly across the room to close the curtains on the two windows facing the street below. “But from your need to talk about it constantly, I’d guess it’s very small.”
“What?” I sputter and cup my crotch protectively. “This is small? Who the hell said that?”
“So you’re big. Just how big are you?”
I gape at her, even as my dick starts getting interested in the proceedings, hardening against my palm. “Big.” I can’t believe I’m having this conversation with her, with Amber. My gaze strays to the swell of her tits under her tight, green top and my dick jumps under my hand, making me hiss. “Big enough.”
“We’ll see about that.” She winks at me heading to the kitchen, and I choke on my inhale.
What the fuck just happened?
What happened is I walked right into that one. Shit, that’s a first. This girl’s messing with my head, throwing my teasing back at me.
That’s a first, and damn if I don’t like it.
***
“Is it good?” She pushes a glass of juice toward me as I inhale the last of the spicy tuna rolls she put in front of me less than a minute earlier.
“Terrible,” I say with my mouth full and lick hot sauce off my fingers. “A health hazard. I think you’re trying to poison me.”