“You haven’t changed,” he said in quiet words.
“What do you mean by that?”
Jericho bent down and his mouth brushed against my ear. “Still sexy as sin and making me protect you.”
Goose bumps erupted over my arms. “No one said you had to protect me. I’m not the shy girl you once knew.” My heart raced. The inflection in my tone wasn’t as harsh as I’d planned it to be, my words breathy and unsure.
His warm body pressed against mine and when I stepped back, I bumped into a wooden post that pinned me to him. Tingles raced through my body uncontrollably, and I lost the ability to think rationally when I smelled his cologne. Men never had this kind of effect on me. His power slid down my body like hands against my naked flesh.
Jericho had a smile that aroused, and combined with his voice, it became an aphrodisiac.
Or maybe it was the way his callused fingers lightly stroked the back of my neck, as if I were an instrument. As he played me, memories flooded my mind, and I shoved him away, panting and trembling.
Jericho worked his jaw in a frustrated manner, his brows slanting down with a look of disbelief. He shook his head and then backed up.
A brunette appeared out of nowhere in a revealing top that displayed her breasts like cookies in a bakery: warm, tempting, and something you’d regret later.
“How’s my sexy man?” she asked, tucking her fingers possessively in his jeans and nipping on his arm. “You want to go have some fun?”
His eyes stayed locked on mine as he circled his arm around her waist and pulled her against him. She moaned playfully as he squeezed her hip, testing if I had my temper under control.
So I played his game.
“Can I get you a drink, honey?” I asked her. “Maybe some milk in a dish?”
Sometimes I could spot the cats. It was all in the purr and the way they slinked their bodies.
“No, thanks,” she replied. “I have something else in mind I want to put in my mouth.”
When she stroked his crotch, I blinked in surprise. Not just because she had the audacity to do that in front of me, but the fact that Jericho tilted his head and gave me a “so what?” look.
So what?
Maybe he was right. All that connected us were five amazing years, and that was a lifetime ago. Seeing him made me raw again. Those feelings caught up with me like a shadow that had never let go. Part of me wanted to squeeze him tight and tell him how much I’d missed him—because I had. Jericho had shown me the private side of himself he never gave to others, and I’d done the same for him. Another part of me wanted to hate him for the anguish he’d put me through. And yet, I couldn’t help but feel elated knowing that despite his insolence, Jericho wasn’t lying in a grave as I’d imagined. He’d somehow assembled his life into something meaningful and gotten a grip on his demons.
Meanwhile, my demons were currently on the rampage and waving pitchforks.
So I said cutting words that hurt because I meant them, and yet I didn’t.
“I wish I’d never met you.”
Chapter 6
At four in the morning, I swapped out my work clothes for loose jeans, flip-flops, and a thin sweatshirt. My feet had survived another brutal night in my new shoes. I stuffed the black heels in my locker along with my work attire. Lockers were assigned to all the employees to store our personal belongings. Without a home to go to, I had no access to a washer and dryer. What I really wanted was a shower to erase the smell of cigarettes and spilled beer, but I didn’t have that luxury either.#p#分页标题#e#
I’d temporarily split with Hawk, and I’d have to stand by that choice, even if it meant smelling like a barnyard animal.
I also had a psychopath human shadowing me, and I didn’t feel safe sleeping in my car. This put me in a predicament. I’d slept on the streets in my younger years, but I’d long since left that vagabond lifestyle behind. Hawk had pocketed my first night’s worth of tips, saying I owed him. Reno’s tab maxed me out for the night. We still had a week before payday, and I didn’t have a place to stay.
“Bye, Rosie. See you later tonight.”
“Drive safe,” she said, yawning and sleepily looking at her watch.
I headed out the main door and strolled across the dark parking lot. When I reached my car, I leaned against the door and wondered where to go. The girl I came to Texas with had joined a pack, but you didn’t just roll up to a Packmaster’s door and invite yourself in to crash with them for a little while. That was a big no-no as you could only stay by invitation. We hadn’t spoken in a month, and frankly, I didn’t know her all that well.
“If you stand out here much longer, you might grow roots.”