“What are you asking me to do, exactly?”
“Get me a key. Or leave one of the doors unlocked. I don’t care how you do it, but find some way for me to get in.”
“No way. I’m not helping you rob the place I work. It’s too dangerous.”
I moved across the room and dropped down to one knee in front of her. “Listen to me, Becca. This isn’t just for my sake, it’s for yours and my mom’s and your dad’s. I’m in deep with these people, and I need to get the fuck out before things get worse.”
She looked taken aback, but I felt my anger and sadness and frustration spilling over. I grabbed her hands and held them hard, loving the feel of her skin against mine.
“Can’t you just leave?” she asked softly.
“Not if I’m going to keep you all safe too.”
“Why can’t you just walk away?”
“I owe them money. A shipment went wrong and now I’m buried in it. Plus, I’m a good smuggler, and I know too much about them. They’ll never let me just walk. But this can save us all.” I paused and looked into her eyes. “You have to trust me.”
“How do you know all of this? I mean, how are you going to rob them and not get caught?”
“You don’t work with the mob for years and not learn some things about being a criminal.”
“They could kill you.”
“They’ll kill me if I don’t do something about it either way.”
I could see her mulling it over. I moved closer to her, sitting on the bed. Our legs touched, skin against skin, and I breathed in her smell.
“This is a lot,” she said softly.
“I need you, Becca.” And as I said the words, I knew it was true.
“Just a key?” she said after a second.
“Just a key.”
“When?”
“As soon as you can.”
“I work tomorrow night.”
“Okay. That’ll work.”
“What if I get caught?”
“You won’t.”
“But if I do?”
“Then we’ll run away, get far, far away. We’ll tell our parents everything. But we don’t need to do that just yet.”
I could see her fighting with herself for a few seconds. Finally, she spoke.
“Okay. I’ll do it.”
I let out a breath. “Fuck, I’m so sorry I’m bringing you into this.”
“It’s okay. I’m just happy you’re telling me what’s going on.”
“I never wanted this,” I said. “I never wanted any of this.”
“You did what you had to do.”
I reached up and touched her cheek, pulling her chin toward me. She took a short breath, her eyes wide.
“There’s more that I need to do.”
“Reid, your mom’s downstairs.”
“Her car pulled out five minutes ago. Didn’t you hear?”
“Reid—”
But I cut her off. I crushed my mouth against hers, sick of walling everyone off, sick of pushing everyone away. I needed her because for the first time in my life I felt like somebody actually gave a fuck. I felt like someone wanted to see the shit that I kept hidden from the world.
She melted into my kiss. Our tongues touched and lips explored each other, my hands wrapped around her waist, her arms linked around my neck. We kissed deeply, and there was something there I hadn’t realized, something locked deep in my chest. I felt it beginning to shift and grow.
I pushed her over, pinning her down on the bed. I leaned back and pulled my shirt off. She smiled up at me and put her hand flat on my abs.
“Like what you see?” I said, grinning.
“Don’t be so cocky.”
I moved down close to her. “Only cocky because it’s true.”
She went to protest, but I pulled her shirt off, muffling her words. I began to kiss her neck, unhooking her bra.
“I’ve missed you,” I whispered into her ear.
“I missed you too. But I’m still mad at you.”
“Good. Take your anger out on my cock.”
“Reid!”
I pulled her shorts down over her hips, revealing her pink and white panties. I reached down and touched her spot, kissing her neck, and found her already soaking through the cotton.
“Your pussy can’t lie.”
“Oh my god.”
“You’re soaked through for me.”
She moaned softly as I put my hand under her panties and worked her wet clit.
“Shit, I want to call you an asshole, but that feels so fucking good,” she said.
I laughed as I kept working her, rubbing her spot and kissing her.
After a second, she reached out and fumbled with my shorts, unbuttoning them.
I stood up then, climbing out of bed. She looked at me, frowning. “Where are you going?”