Out of Love(40)

“I’m sick of this.”

He tossed the napkin down along with thirty dollars cash and scooted out of the booth. “Poor boy … must be exhausting having that sweet piece of ass suck your dick all night.”

I stiffened.

As he started to dawdle past me to the restrooms, he rested a hand on my shoulder. “It’s fine. You’ve earned it.”

That rubbed me all the wrong fucking ways but acknowledging it would have only proven his point that I wasn’t emotionally ready to deal with knowing everything.

*

As soon as we got home, Jericho ran to the back door like he knew something I didn’t. Of course, he did.

“Did you already eat?” Livy sat on the back step looking like the life I would never have, hot as fuck in a low-cut tank top, cut-off denim shorts, and partially dried hair—long, blond, and so fucking gorgeous.

“Been playing in the waves?” I lifted a brow, sidestepping her and the pizza box on her lap to unlock the back door.

“Duh …” She stood.

“I gave you a key. Why did you leave it on the table?”

“Didn’t think I’d need it since I knew I wasn’t staying, but I’m rethinking that.” She followed me into the kitchen, bringing fennel and cheese aroma with her.

“Too late. It was a one-time offer.” I tossed my keys onto the counter.

She ignored my verbal jab, which made her exponentially more attractive. While I didn’t mind keeping an eye on her, I didn’t want to deal with a twenty-four-seven damsel in distress.

“Beer?” I held out a bottle with the fridge door open.

“No. I don’t drink.”

“No?” I closed the door and opened my bottle of beer.

“After my mom died, my dad drank. A lot. I had a shitty relationship with alcohol before I ever graduated from high school.”

“I see.”

She blew out a long breath. “So … what class are you struggling with the most? That’s where we should start tonight.” She set the pizza box on the counter and hopped up beside it instead of sitting at the table.

I wedged myself between her legs and grabbed her wrist, redirecting the slice from her mouth to mine. She frowned as I took an overly indulgent bite. Her thumb wiped the side of my mouth.

“I think we should do something different. I think I should teach you some self-defense skills.”

She snorted. “I’m good. I could probably teach you a few things.”

As if there weren’t seven other pieces of pizza in the box, I stole the rest of her slice after she managed one tiny bite. “Because your dad teaches people how to use pepper spray?” Folding it in half, I stuffed the rest of the slice into my mouth.

She scowled at my thievery. “No. My Aunt Jessica has taught me a few things. In fact, she’ll be back next week, after my dad leaves, to train me.”

“Train you?” I failed at hiding the amusement in my tone. “Is your aunt close to your dad’s age?”

Livy nodded. “Really close. They’re twins.”

“Is she a martial arts instructor or something?”

“No. She’s an actuary.”

“An actuary? For the mafia or something?”

She chuckled. “No. But she was … attacked many years ago and learned to defend herself. She’s a total badass.”

I took another slice of pizza, and she grabbed my wrist, like I did to her, and took the first bite, grinning at the same time.

“So are you going to show me your moves?” I asked.

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

“I’m not too concerned.”

“It’s not like I’m ready to snap anyone’s neck or anything like that. Jess said that’s a ways down the road. I need to work on my strength before I can do that.”

I released something between a cough and a laugh. “Wow … she’s going to teach you to snap someone’s neck? That’s … interesting.” I stepped back. “Hop down. Show me your moves.”

“Why?”

“Because I want to know that she’s not giving you false confidence.”

On an eye roll, she hopped off the counter. “Okay. Attack me.”

I grinned. Slowly and gently, I grabbed her arm to jerk her toward me. In a flash I ended up with a bloodied nose. She didn’t break it, but fuck … it stung a bit as my eyes watered. I wasn’t expecting it. In fact, I went out of my way to not hurt her.

“Oh shit! I’m sorry. I … I didn’t know how to show you without actually doing that to you. Wylder … I’m so sorry.” She grabbed the towel from the counter and ran to the freezer to get ice.

I pushed her hand away when she tried to blot the blood and hand me the ice. “I’m fine.” Taking the towel from her, I dumped the ice into the sink and blotted my nose. It wasn’t a lot of blood, but I couldn’t hide my shock that she drew blood. And really fucking quickly. If I were fighting a bear, I’d come prepared for a bear. This was like going to pet a kitten and a goddamn mountain lion appeared out of nowhere.

“Wylder …” Her nose scrunched.

I held the towel to my left nostril. “Good girl.”

Her concern slowly morphed into a tiny smile. “Yeah?”