Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 72154 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 361(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72154 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 361(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
“It’s a few weeks away from Christmas, and a Wednesday. We can’t be going out like that. It’ll be busy as balls,” she commented.
“I’m not sure ‘busy as balls’ is a good euphemism. Balls don’t really do all that much,” I pointed out.
She waved it away. “Why are you here again?”
“Because I heard you screaming about your burning lips,” I told her. “And before I knew it, my body was already standing in your apartment door.”
Her lips twitched. “Did you try knocking?”
“I did the first few seconds, but then you didn’t answer and I got in using the keys you gave me.”
She was pissed then. “Well, that was just rude.”
“What, did you want me to leave you over here when there could be a possibility of something really bad happening?”
Then another look passed over her face, one that let me know just how haunted she still was—even when she tried to hide it.
“I really don’t want to go…”
I pulled her hand and guided her out of the apartment.
Once it was closed and locked behind us, I guided her over to my place and pushed inside.
Carmen met us at the door and stared, unsurprised that I’d gone and gotten her kind-of-maybe new friend. Carmen hadn’t totally decided yet. However, I was sure that she was getting to the point where she was becoming curious. She wanted to be touched by my pretty neighbor, and one of these days I was going to give her the extra push she needed…just not today.
Today, I was going to take Kayla to get tacos. Today, I wasn’t going to sit idly while also seeing those nightmares in her eyes. I just wouldn’t, and couldn’t, do it. I had to make her feel better…and I didn’t know why.
Chapter 11
If I ever offended you, I’m sorry…that you’re a little bitch.
-Parker to Rafe
Parker
It was instant.
One second she was sitting in her chair, blankly staring at the wall, and the next she was dancing.
What, you ask, was the miracle that made her frown turn upside down?
It sure the fuck wasn’t me.
It was the queso.
It was really quite comical.
Her eyes were far away, her mouth was set in a permanent frown, and she was idly drumming her fingers on the table as the waitress took our drink order.
“And for you, ma’am?” the waitress asked Kayla.
Kayla shrugged. “Water.”
I rolled my eyes. “Don’t bring her water. Bring her sweet tea, and a glass of wine if you have it.”
Kayla didn’t say a word.
The waitress shrugged and walked off, but I called her back. “Can you bring us a bowl of queso with some flour tortillas, please?”
She nodded once, seemingly peeved that I had stopped her, and headed in the direction of the kitchen.
I turned back to see that Kayla hadn’t so much as taken notice of anything since we’d arrived. She was literally stuck in her own head, and it didn’t appear that she’d be coming out anytime soon.
At least, that was what I thought.
Then the queso and our tea, as well as her glass of wine, arrived.
I watched as she watched, with barely contained annoyance, as she was jostled when all the plates and drinks started arriving.
When the waitress left, Kayla huffed.
I pulled out a tortilla, rolled it up, and then dipped it into the gooey cheese. Then held it up to her mouth.
“Bite.”
Kayla blinked, looked at me in surprise, then leaned forward and took a bite of the tortilla.
Cheese dripped onto her lips, and I licked my own in reaction.
That’s when she closed her eyes in pure bliss, opened them again, and stole the tortilla from my hand that was still outstretched in her direction.
I watched as, before my eyes, she transformed back to the woman that I was growing dangerously close to falling for.
I wouldn’t ever allow it…but the thought that I could possibly fall for her was there.
“Gosh, this sure is good,” she murmured. “Ohhh, wine!”
Then she started to drink her wine, and eat her cheese, and everything else was better.
My lips twitched.
And an hour later, once all our food was consumed, we headed back out to my bike.
“We rode your bike here?”
I burst out laughing. “Yeah, we rode my bike here. You don’t remember that?”
She shook her head.
“No,” she paused. “I’m fairly sure that I’d remember that.”
I shrugged. “Your head wasn’t in a good place.”
She looked away. “This killer being here is freaking me out. It’s what I dream about every single night, and it’s really fucking me up…plus it’s that time of year. With Christmas being in just a few weeks, I can’t help but think about my dad and grandma. Wish that they were here.”
I wholeheartedly agreed.
“What are you doing for Christmas, anyway?”
She shrugged. “I usually get roped into going to Janie’s Christmas. It’s not that I don’t adore them, but sometimes I’m forced to participate and put on a happy face when I’d rather just have a quiet day inside. But they’d never allow that. Not that I blame them. I’m part of their family. But…we already spoke about that.”