Learning to Forgive (The Learning Series) (12 page)

“So you think I’m sexy?”

“Do I have a vagina? Duh! Did you know Tara Sivec has a girl code? Va-Jay jay’s for life.” I even attempt to show him the hand signal Cory showed me earlier but fail epically. “Shit! I gotta find Cory.”

“She’s with Ryan. Now let’s go.”

“No!” I say as he pulls on my arm. If I leave this dark corner, I know this vision will vanish, and I won’t be able to kiss him like I want. Because when the liquor leaves me, I won’t feel like this.

“What the fuck do you mean
no
?”

“No. I’ll not leave until you do something.”

“Do what?” he asks with pure exasperation in his voice. How can he make my body hum when he’s annoyed?

“Kiss me.” His eyes widen before that smirk comes back. I try to put some sexiness in my voice. “Kiss me and I’ll leave.”

Then he says something I wasn’t expecting. “What if I don’t want to kiss you?”

“Huh? You did the other night.” Now my feelings are hurt. Even my vision just turned me down. And I’m supposed to be in control of this hallucination, too. Swallowing back my rejection, I shove his very real feeling shoulder. “But… but why?”

He stares at me before he leans down and inhales deep. He’s smelling me, and it’s so damn hot. I feel like squirming and rubbing my legs together, or better yet, wrapping them around his imaginary waist. And I’m certainly glad he’s not real because I’m sure I’ve smelled a lot better before I sweated out Jose on the dance floor.

“Because Red. When I do kiss you again, and it will happen, I want you to remember
every fucking detail.
Every caress of my tongue as it slides in. Every scrape of my teeth on that sexy, plump bottom lip of yours. And everything you feel inside as I do it.” He sucks my earlobe between his teeth and a moan escapes on my next breath. “Because after that, I want to be all you fucking think about. Understand?”

No words form. All I can do is grab his shoulders and hold on before my legs give out. Between the alcohol and the heat I’m feeling from my
very
overactive imagination, I’m not feeling so good. When I lay my head against the cool wall, I close my eyes before slipping into darkness.

Point of No Return

~Lyric

“What the fuck are you doing?”

I barge in my front door with a wasted Red in my arms and look at Hyde. “It’s my fucking house so don’t worry about it. I’m handling it.” I walk down the hall and kick my bedroom door open.

“Fine. Handle it, but put her in my room. I’ll sleep on the couch.”

The thought of her wrapped up in his sheets makes me furious, possessed even. I will not have her in his damn room where he jacks off at night. “She’s sleeping in my bed.”

“Are you su–?”

He stops his argument when a fucking growl erupts from my chest. I don’t know why the fuck I brought her here when I sent Cory home with Ryan, but I just couldn’t let her go yet. And still can’t. Even after she threw up on my best fucking boots, I didn’t let her go. And even as she blew chunks in Hyde’s car, I didn’t let her go. But I know I need to. And I’m not just talking about now.

Placing her on my king size bed I look at her limp form before I start to undress her. I’m aware what an asshole move this is and shouldn’t, but I need to make her comfortable here. In my home. I slip off her black flats before I gently slide her pants slowly down her long legs. The whole time I watch her face, no matter how much I want to look down. But my hands love the feel of her cool skin as they skim down every inch.

I wish she was awake and asking me to kiss her again. Her flirtatious attitude was enough to cause my dick to harden earlier, but now with her pale and clammy skin I just want to take care of her. She doesn’t look good and hasn’t moved a muscle for the past half hour. She must be dehydrated from all the fucking liquor she drank and all the vomiting.

Without hesitation, I make the decision to continue breaking the rules. I walk in the kitchen and go to my locked pantry. Inside is my storage unit of guns, ammo, bulletproof vest, grenades, and some medical shit in case I ever need stiches or intravenous therapy. I grab a bag of fluid and the IV kit before heading back to the room. I like to keep myself prepared in case I’m ever shot again. I also have several pints of A negative blood on hand.

“You’re seriously gonna stir shit up if you give her a fucking IV man. She’s going to know something’s not normal. I mean, who in the hell has this type of medical shit in their house or has the training to do this shit? Not a mechanic who plays guitar.”

Hyde's right. I could earn myself a bullet, but she looks too damn pale for me to care. I continue to ignore him as I head back to my room to be the rule breaker I’ve always been.

After she’s hooked up, I sit in the chair across from her and wait in the dark. She hasn’t stirred or made a noise, but her breathing is steady, so I’m sure she’ll be fine. I hear a knock on the door and stand to go answer it. Hyde stands there with a cup of black coffee and a red folder. He doesn’t say anything just passes it to me and walks back down the hall.

I open it and see a picture of the guy Red was dancing with, along with an arrest record. His name is Alex Bishop, and he’s twenty-eight years old from Atlanta, Georgia. He’s been charged with D.W.I’s and domestic violence. He’s also been caught running drugs. He recently had all charges of abuse dropped when his ex-wife stated she was using and was confused. I seriously find that hard to believe. Then I see some surveillance pictures of the fucker talking to someone in a suit and sporting a fucked up ponytail. The image is blurry, but I know exactly who it is. Polesky.

I sit and wonder if it’s just a coincidence that Red and this guy talked most of the night, or if they actually know one another. I knew he had eyes in Mobile, and I’ve been waiting patiently for a chance to run into one of them. But I don’t want to interfere with that Russian bastard coming to Mobile. I want my chance to take him down. I don’t think Red has any ties to Polesky, but the coziness these two showed on the dance floor could be from more than the alcohol. Another question surfaces. How did Hyde know to pull these files? Fuck if I know. I haven’t slept in over twenty-four hours, and my mind needs some damn rest.

Standing, I stretch my body to release the kinks while trying to be quiet. My eyes open to a sleeping redheaded vixen, and my body automatically makes its way to stand by her. She looks at peace like this. No worry lines around her eyes or mouth. Not like someone who works for someone willing to do harm to the innocent. I pinch the skin around her wrist to check her hydration level. Relief fills me when it shows improvement. My fingers linger longer than necessary as I take this private moment for granted. Even though I seem to break the rules every time it comes to this girl, I know there’s one I can’t break. I made a promise years ago, and I plan on keeping it, come hell or a redheaded distraction. One thought is in my brain when I exit the room, and it causes my stomach to knot up. If she is involved with that bastard in any way, I know I’ll have to kill her.

Hyde’s on the couch with his computer, and when I walk in, he shuts it. “How is she?”

“Fine.” I sit across from him and analyze the guy before me. He’s smart and knows more about me than most because he witnessed it. The beatings. The humiliation. The kills. And as far as I know, we’re on the same side. “How did you know that guy Alex worked for Polesky?”

“I recognized him. That’s why I left early. I needed to get his file together to show you when you got home. I was in Atlanta for a bit after my release and knew he spent his time kissing Polesky’s ass. Likes to flaunt the dirty money he makes with his clothes and his black Corvette.” He stops and scrutinizes me. Then his eyes travel to my bedroom door, and I know exactly what he’s thinking before he says it. “You know. She seemed pretty friendly with him. Do you think…?”

“No!” I yell, agitated from the whole fucking situation. She’s innocent in this shit. I pull at my hair, take a deep breath, and slowly let myself calm down. Getting worked up over assumptions is dangerous. I’ll get proof, and then we’ll see who’s on whose side. After a minute, I open my eyes and look at him in all seriousness. “No. She’s not part of this. She was just drunk. And drunk girls get friendly, you know that.” At least that’s what I want to believe.

He just nods his head and stands up. “You know if she is and you can’t do it, I will.” Then he heads into his room and shuts the door.

“Ah!”

A high pitched scream coming from down the hall wakes me, and has me jumping up, grabbing my gun, and heading in that direction. When I bust through the door, I see Red sitting up and clutching my gray sheets to her chest.

“What the fuck is going on?” she yells and looks from me to the gun. Her face pales, and she looks like she might vomit again. Thankfully the I removed her IV earlier.

I let my eyes roam the room and see no danger, so I put my Glock back in my holster. “Mornin’. Or should I say evening.”

She looks around and then at me again. “Where am I and why do you have a gun?”

“My place. And I carry a gun with a permit to keep the crazy fuckers away. People will rob you for a piece of gum if they’re hungry enough.”

She lays her head back on the pillow. “Ugh! Why do I feel like total shit?”

I walk over and take the glass of water and aspirin off the dresser. “Take this. You’ll feel better.” She looks at me with one mascara-smeared eye. “Here, take it. I don’t have all day.” Grudgingly, she sits up and slowly takes it from my hand. I ignore the shock waves that travel up my arm, but when I look in her widen eyes, I’m sure she feels it, too. “Now to answer your question. You decided to try and drown yourself in tequila last night. It’s called a hangover.”

“Why am I here?”

“Well, I could have left you passed out in the hallway of a strange place, but I’m not a complete dick.”

She says something under her breath and hands me the water back. “I need to call Chris to come get me.
Shit!
And Janet. I’m sure she’s so pissed I didn’t show up for work.” She tries to stand, but she’s weak and unsteady, so she grabs the corner of the side table. Then I watch her eyes widen when she notices her pants are gone, and she’s wearing a pair of basketball shorts that are four sizes too big. She sits and covers herself back up. When her cheeks become pink, I can’t help but smile. For someone whose every move screams sex, her actions couldn’t be more innocent.

“I called Janet already. She was fine with it. She wanted me to tell you that you’re off for the week. She knows how tomorrow night is Halloween.” I’m waiting for a reaction, but I don’t get one. Tomorrow will be a year since her brother’s death. She doesn’t realize I know this, though. “I’m taking you home after you rest.”