I sat up, snapping my head in her direction, a frown taking over my face. “You’re seething. I can feel it. I’m just reminding you that I’ve been doing, I am doing, everything you asked, so don’t cross me.” How did we go from her holding my hand while she slept back to her threatening me? “You’ve been angry for ten minutes. I’ve been sitting on it for ten years.”
I gulped past the lump in my throat. God, I was a fucking asshole. Taking away her pain and her anger because the truth about Cameron and why she made it her mission to kill him caused my blood to boil. “Annie,” I whispered, standing and walking toward her, but she held her hand up to stop me. A scathing slap from her palm would have hurt less.
“Don’t. Kill. Him,” she gritted out between clenched teeth before spinning on her heel and leaving me in her wake.
I sunk onto the bench once more, running my hands through my damp hair. I sat there, thinking about her words for too long. You’ve been angry for ten minutes. I’ve been sitting on it for ten years.
I couldn’t imagine what it felt like to be Annie, at any point in the past ten years. She was a child when her mom died, feet away from her, even longer since she saw her mom hurt by the hands of her killer. When my mom died, I was sad. But I didn’t have to wait long to avenge her death. Before we even laid my mother to rest, my dad tortured the life out of the person who took her away from us. I couldn’t imagine not having my dad, growing up alone, and working tirelessly on my mind and my body to prepare myself to take a life.
I shouldn’t have been angry about Annie’s truth. I should’ve been kneeling at her feet in awe of the strength she possessed.
I tossed my head back, brushing my hair out of my eyes, regret filling my lungs. I walked out of the gym, not sparing a second glance toward the kitchen where I knew she would be. I headed directly upstairs and into the shower.
Twenty minutes later, I dressed and headed downstairs. Annie sat at the kitchen table, her eyebrows arching once catching sight of me. I ignored her, wordlessly making my way into the kitchen. I didn’t dress in my normal plain crew neck t-shirt and jeans, instead trading it in for a pair of deep blue slacks, a crisp white dress shirt and a pale yellow tie. It didn’t escape my attention that the colors I wore reflected the woman sitting a few steps away from me.
I had to apologize for my behavior. And I knew I had to wait until tonight to do it because she was due at work today. “Do you want eggs or do you want me to make you something else?” I asked from behind the fridge.
“Neither. I already ate.”
I glanced from behind the refrigerator door to see her pulling a jean jacket on. Today, she wore tight black jeans, a slit on each knee exposing a few inches of her skin, and a plain white shirt with the sleeves cuffed. “What do you mean you already ate?”
“Just that. You were working out all morning, Hector. Have you even looked at the time? I’m late for work.”
I pulled out my phone and blinked at the time. It was a few minutes after twelve. “Shit. I’m sorry. Do you want me to stop on the way and get you something?” I put away the eggs and reached in the dish bowl for my car keys.
“I’m good but can we go? You can stop if you’re hungry. Matt’s cool with me being late; he’ll just make me work later than usual.”
I followed her out to the car, not answering her question but a million questions swirling in my own head. We were quiet through the drive in the city. “Annie?” I asked, once we were only a few blocks away from the shooting range.
“Hmm,” she murmured, tearing her gaze from the window.
“Why’d you never tell Matt?”
She bit her lip. “What makes you think he doesn’t know?”
I knew he didn’t know. He’s the reason we met. I didn’t say that, unsure if I’d ever speak those words. “I got the feeling, last night, that I’m the first person you ever told.”
She nodded her head slowly. “That makes sense because you were.”
She didn’t offer up anything else and we spent the rest of the ride in silence, some of the tension leaking out of the car after her admission. “I’ll call you when I’m ready,” she said, opening her door.
“Okay. If I’m not able to make it, Nolan will pick you up.”
“How about you just pick me up,” she said, narrowing her eyes at me for the second time today. I was not fond of her eyes pinning me that way.
“I will if I can. I have meetings all day,” I said. I had a night to plan. For her, to get back in her good graces. To try and get her to hold my hand again while she slept. God, I sounded like a lovesick teenager.
I could hear her teeth grinding together but I’d make up for that later, too. Once the door slammed shut, I switched gears from park to reverse. I looked toward the entranceway of Philly’s Range, frowning when I found Annie nowhere in sight.
“Hector.” The sound of her voice startled me and I whipped my head to where she sat, her arms crossed over her chest, glaring at me. I barely held back my groan of frustration. “Promise me.”
“Promise you what?”
“Two things, actually.”
I nodded, waiting for her to continue.
“Promise me that you’ll pick me up and promise me that you won’t touch him today.”
She didn’t have to say his name for me to know who she was talking about. My next stop was Hank’s. I planned on heading straight for the basement, a beautiful woman’s colors, a suit of armor on my body as I headed into battle, beating the piece of shit who tore her world apart ten years ago. I’d never kill him, as much as I wanted to, because she was right all of those nights ago. He was hers to kill.
I knew I needed to give her my word but I really wanted to make that bastard bleed today. I rested my head against my seat, running my fingers through my hair. The sound of her seatbelt clicking back into place brought my eyes back to her. “What are you doing?”
“Promise me or I’m going to be stuck up your ass all day.”
I groaned, watching her cross her legs, making herself comfortable. I closed my eyes while I relented, used to the feeling of surrender when it came to her. “I promise you I’ll be the one to pick you up and I won’t touch him.”
I didn’t open my eyes to see her reaction. I didn’t even open my eyes when I heard her seatbelt unclick once more. I did open my eyes when I felt her nails scrape against my scalp as her fingers slid through my hair. She gasped when our eyes clashed, a sound shooting straight down to my groin. I sat there frozen, wanting to close the distance between us to feel those lips in a way I’d only had the pleasure once. I wanted to trace every inch of her lips with my tongue, so I would never forget how they felt. I looked from her wide blue eyes down to her parted lips. The things I would sacrifice for her to close the distance.
Her other hand closed around my tie in a tight fist, yanking me closer. Not close enough. My eyes swung back to meet hers. “Such a good boy,” she cooed at me, her lips breaking out into a shit-eating grin.
Gritting my teeth to keep from smiling, I snatched her hand from my head and placed it in her lap, glaring at her the entire time. She slid back to the passenger side and opened the door. She threw her head back, the laugh she’d been holding back escaping her as she hopped out of the car, not looking back the entire way she swung her cute little ass into work.
As soon as Annie disappeared from my line of vision, I pulled out my phone connecting it to Bluetooth before making my way back to New Hazle. I dialed Nolan’s number at a red light along the way.
“Boss.”
“What’s on the agenda today and what can be cancelled or replaced by with you?”
He emitted a small grunt. “Annie,” he guessed correctly.
I could still feel her fingers wrapped around the fine strands of my hair, her mouth impossibly close to mine. “Yeah,” I admitted blatantly.
“Four meetings today with stockbrokers but I can take care of them all.”
“Are you sure you can handle everything?�
�� I wanted to take his word for it, but I knew my best friend like the back of my hand. His social anxiety would catch up to him after a day filled with meetings and I didn’t want to deal with the aftereffects of him being a moody asshole while he recovered. “You can cancel two of them and I’ll make sure my schedule is cleared tomorrow.”
“I got it, Hector,” he uttered, his voice hardening.
“Okay, but don’t expect me to rub your back and buy you fried ice cream.”
A laugh boomed out of him. “Fuck you.”
“Did you kill him?”
My eyes fell shut at the sound of her voice. “No, Annie. I didn’t even see him.”
She didn’t offer me anything back, silence filling my ear for a long moment. “What are you doing, then?”
“Calling you to see if you’re done with work yet.”
“Yeah,” she whispered, her voice softening. “I’m going to shoot around until you get here.”
I hung up, grabbed my keys, and weaved through the light traffic to bring her back home. She was posted outside when I pulled up, immediately kicking off of the wall when she spotted me.
She climbed into the car, leaning over the middle console, eyeing me suspiciously. My lips twitched as I fought a smile. Satisfied with her inspection, she leaned back and buckled up before I pulled out of the parking space.
“You really shouldn’t wait outside for me when you work this late,” I said, knowing she’d probably get pissed at me.
She huffed, but to my surprise, her usual annoyance at my protectiveness lacked. “I know Jujutsu.”
I looked over at her to see her expression serious. “You’re not lying,” I said dumbly.
She smiled at me, her tongue flashing out as she bit it softly. Oh, fuck me. “I can teach you if you want.”
I coughed. “No, thank you.” Close combat and Annie didn’t seem like a good combination for me unless my endgame included some serious blue balls.
Annie’s eyes were glued to the city lights until the trees replaced them. My mind drifted to what waited for us at home.
I pulled into the drive, anxiety coursing through me. My heart racing as fast as it did this morning as I lifted four hundred pounds.
Warmth around my wrist snapped me out of my head. I looked down to see Annie’s pale fingers wrapped around my dark skin. “You’re much more beautiful when you’re not angry,” she whispered, immediately looking away.
I clasped onto her wrist before she could break the connection. Her eyes darted back to me in the darkness. Her face illuminated by the outside lights set up around the house. I wanted to kiss her so bad. “I could say the same about you, bonita,” I told her just as softly, as close as I could to admitting the truth. My truth. Her eyes opening every day became a blessing and a curse. A blessing because I’d get to soak up as much of her time as she’d allow. A curse because I couldn’t put the peace that illuminated her face while she slept when her eyes were open. Life hardened her too much and no amount of love I could ever offer her could be enough.
I let go of her and we came together in front of my car, walking side by side to the house. “I hope you plan on cooking because I think my stomach’s starting to eat itself.”
I placed my hand on her lower back, spreading my fingers to feel the most of her. “You’re in luck,” I whispered into her ear and grinned when her neck flushed red and goosebumps rose on her perfect skin. “I made your favorite.”
She grabbed my hand from her back and shoved it in my direction. “Then, open the door. What are you waiting for?”
I chuckled and did as I was told.
She hung up her jacket while I headed for the kitchen. “What do you want to drink?” I called over my shoulder.
I grabbed a beer for me and waited for her response, but it never came. She stood frozen at the head of the table, looking at the meal I prepared. “What is all of this?” she breathed, stepping forward and picking up one of the flowers that I scattered across the table.
Morning glories. A perfect resemblance to her in botany form. The deep blue of the petal a perfect match for eyes. The yellow sprouting from the stem an uncanny match to the color of her hair. I closed the fridge, ambling my way to her.
Her words froze me mid-step. “My mother used to grow these as much as she could. She’d set one on my nightstand every morning before I woke up. They always died by nightfall but I never knew because she replaced them.”
“Annie,” I croaked out, feeling the pain behind her shaky voice pressing against my breastbone. Her glossed eyes darted to mine. “I’ll get rid of them,” I rushed, closing the distance between us and reaching for the one she held.
“Hector, wait.” She lowered into her normal seat and started to collect each flower. I stood behind my chair, hands gripping around the wood. I watched as she positioned the flowers until they shaped into a ‘M.’ “One time she forgot to replace them and I woke up to an old brittle thing instead of the fresh flower I’d grown accustomed to. I ran downstairs crying, wailing this poor flower in my hand. She picked me up and placed me on the counter, helping me dry my tears before explaining to me how flowers worked. ‘Beautiful things die’ she had told me ‘and there was nothing anyone could do about it.’
“She reached behind me where my new morning glory sat in water. She tucked my hair behind my ear and followed it with the flower. ‘I love this flower because it’s beautiful like you. It makes you happy each morning.’ She bumped my nose with her knuckle. ‘And you make me happy each morning.’”
She finally looked up from the flower to me. “My life hasn’t always been scarred, Hector. I was happy for a lot of it.”
I nodded, remembering my own short time with my mother. Her stomach growling snapped us both out of the silent conversation our eyes held. “Do you want me to grab you a beer or something else?”
“Just a water,” she answered distractedly, uncovering the plates on the table. She looked up at me, smiling. I winked before turning around and pouring her a glass of ice water. Instead of sitting in my normal spot, I walked to her side of the table and pulled out the chair next to her.
I cracked open my beer as she scarfed down her first two tacos. “Do you have room for more?”
She wiped her face with a napkin before looking at me with a quirked eyebrow. “I made salsa for you.” Her eyebrows shot up. “I’ve never made it before without thinking about a weaker taste bud.”
She jabbed me in the stomach with her fist. “I tasted a little bit but I’m afraid it might be too strong still. You want to try it on a chip first?”
She nodded. I unwrapped one of the final plates she abandoned once she found all of the toppings she loved. A chip sauce with cream cheese, the toned-down salsa, and mixed shredded cheese on top. I moved it between us and grabbed the plate of tortilla chips I baked. She grabbed a chip before scooping up some cheese and salsa.
She moaned around her mouthful. I grabbed a tortilla and started making her a third taco, this time adding the salsa on top. She took it wordlessly while I pulled at my beer and watched her devour the food I spent the day preparing.
She leaned back after one more taco, her hands resting on her bloated stomach. Her eyes closed. “You’re making me so fat. I’m going to need new jeans.”
She peeked one eye open, catching me staring. She didn’t sit up and I didn’t look away. I reached up, my fingertip tracing the smooth skin along her cheekbone. “I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I’m sorry for taking your pain and making it about me.”
“It’s okay. If our roles were reversed, if someone dismantled your life, I’m not sure I would be able to hold myself back, regardless of the consequences.”
Someone did dismantle my life. I was looking straight at her. And I didn’t want to take action against her. I wanted her to do it over and over again. I wanted her to ruin my life every day until I forgot how I lived each day without her.
“Do you have room for dessert?”
She closed her eyes o
nce more, letting out a dramatic sigh. “What is it,” she cried out softly.
I stood from my chair and fetched two bowls of vanilla ice cream from the freezer. I heated up the bowl of my homemade caramel. Bringing all of it to her, I sat next to her again, our knees brushing. She held her hand out for a spoon and I obliged.
“What is this?” She peeked into the bowl of hot caramel.
“Dulce de leche,” I supplied, electing the Spanish term in favor for the one she would know. I hid my smirk behind my hand as I watched her cross and uncross her legs, before shoving a spoonful of vanilla ice cream into her mouth.
I drizzled the caramel across the remainder of her ice cream before doing the same to my own. It had been a long time since I made a batch of caramel and as soon as it hit my taste buds, I melted against the seat, my legs spreading farther apart, knocking against Annie’s knee.
Her hands gripped my thigh and my eyes jolted open to find her head thrown back in ecstasy. Now, it was my turn to readjust my thighs. “That is so good, Hector. Damn.”
Once she recovered from that first taste, she dove back in, not stopping until no trace of caramel or ice cream remained. She turned to me. “That is my new favorite.”
I smiled. “You say that every night.”
“You know what to do in the kitchen.” Her eyes filled with praise but my eyes snuck away, trailing down to her lips, a dab of caramel sitting on the corner.
Two months ago, she sat in that same exact chair with milk dribbling down her chin and the urge to kiss her had been so strong. That feeling returned ten fold. I wanted to kiss her back then. Now, I wanted to devour her until I forgot both of our names.
I reached over, wiping the sauce away, not allowing my touch to linger. “Do you want to get a shower?”
She nodded. “We can clean up first.”
I shook my head. “No, you go ahead. I’m tired. We’ll clean up in the morning.”
She stood up, relenting. She turned toward me to get out. She bent down and I tilt my head back to look up at her. Her hands came over my shoulders. I felt all of her body weight leaning on me and my hands twitched to grab at her waist. I tucked them underneath my thighs to avoid temptation.
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