Slow Agony (Assassins, #2)(40)

“Maybe.” She scrutinized herself in the mirror, messing with her wig. “I told him he wasn’t being fair to you.”

“Maybe he is, though.”

“He agreed with me,” she said.

“He did?”

“He knows this is partly his fault,” said Sloane. “He actually blames himself a lot.”

“Well, he did disappear.”

“Exactly.” Sloane grabbed my hands. “Hey, listen. He loves you. I can tell. He just hasn’t figured out how to process all of this. He doesn’t know how to feel.”

“Seemed to me like he felt really freaking mad.”

“Well...”

“I knew it.”

“No, it’s okay. You guys need to be alone together. It’s the right thing, I’m sure of it. If it’s meant to be you’re going to work it out.”

“I don’t know,” I said.

“You can’t ever know,” she said. “The future is unpredictable. Hell, we could all be dead tomorrow. The longer we’re on this road trip, the more of a possibility that seems.”

I laughed. “That’s true.”

She hugged me. “I’m pulling for you guys.”

When we left the bathroom, Griffin was wearing a wig too. He had a dark ponytail like Silas did. And Silas had on a skull cap. Up close, it wasn’t too convincing, but from a few feet away, he did look like Griffin.

Silas wound his arm around Sloane. “Hey, sis.”

She rolled her eyes. “Ew, is this how you treat your sluts? No thank you.”

“I’m being Griffin,” he said. “Act like Leigh and pretend you like me.”

She leaned close.

Griffin and I didn’t touch, which was actually a mercy. We said our goodbyes to the twins, and we were all back on the road.

*

We traveled in silence for hours, scanning for new radio stations when the last ones went to static. We might never have talked at all if my bladder hadn’t interfered. At first, I told myself I could hold it. But as time passed, and Griffin didn’t seem to be going to stop any time soon, I finally had to speak up.

“Sure, we can stop,” he said. “We’ll get some food too.”

So I ended up in the bathroom at a Jack in the Box, a fast food chain that Griffin and I had been to on our trip to Texas to see his family last Christmas. We’d both been pleasantly surprised by the restaurant. There weren’t any on the east coast. We liked that there were actually jalapenos as a regular condiment. It was a sure sign that we were close to Texas.

But being here reminded me of the way Griffin and I had been last year. That Christmas trip was probably the last time we’d been truly happy. Before that, problems had been starting to surface, mostly centered around how often we made love.

The frequency of our lovemaking had been dwindling. And it made me feel like Griffin loved me less if he didn’t want to get busy with me every night. He pointed out that having sex every day was exhausting, and maybe he was right. Maybe I didn’t need it every day. But the fact that it had decreased at all made me scared. I felt like I was losing Griffin.

So, of course, I’d handled it in the worst possible way, by freaking out and yelling at him about it. Which had so not put him in the mood to have sex.

Things had been strained from then on out.

But that trip, we’d gotten away, and we’d been free, somehow. Being on the road, it was where we’d really gotten to know each other. And it seemed like the trip had allowed us to rediscover our relationship. After Christmas, everything was better.

Until New Year’s Eve.

I emerged from the rest room to find Griffin standing near the counter, looking up at the menu. “You want that Sourdough Bacon Jack thing you had last time?”

“I didn’t have that,” I said. “That was you. I had the thing with jalapenos.” I squinted at the menu. “The Hot Mess Burger.”

“That’s what you want?”

“Yup,” I said. “And curly fries. And those mini churro things for dessert.”

He arched an eyebrow. “You’re hungry.”

“I know,” I said. “Recently, I’ve been really hungry.” I must be getting over you, I thought. But I didn’t want that to be true. Not really.

He stepped into line, and we waited to place our order, which Griffin got to go.

Back in the car, I handed his burger to him.

“Thanks,” he said. “And give me a napkin so that I can put the fries in my lap?”

I got out a napkin. “Here, I’ll put it on your lap for you.” I unfolded the napkin, but as I was spreading it out, I realized how close I was to his crotch.

I may have lingered for a minute.

Griffin cleared his throat. “Maybe I should do it myself.”

“Sorry,” I said.

I looked at him, and he was blushing. He was so adorable when he blushed. “You don’t have to be sorry.” He grinned at me, and there was a hint of wickedness in it.

Damn. I suddenly had the urge to jump him right in this parking lot.

He tore his gaze away from me. “Don’t look at me like that, doll.”

I went back to the bag and got out my own burger and fries. “Sorry.”