Nox’s smile falls right off his face. He looks stunned. Leaning forward over the table, he stares at me wide-eyed. “Never been kissed? What do you mean never been kissed?”
Oh man. Me and my big mouth.
Trying to shake it off, I shrug. “No big deal. I didn’t exactly have a lot of opportunities to meet people, namely guys living under the lock and key of my father now, did I? Just one of those things. So I guess I sucked at it, huh?”
Nox frowns, leans back and away from me. He looks up as if in thought. “No. Not bad. A little sloppy. But I couldn’t really judge because I stopped you both times after a few seconds. And I was tempted to take a photo of you molesting me as blackmail material, but I didn’t…because I’m a gentleman.”
At the gentleman part of his mini rant, I burst into laughter and it hurts my entire dehydrated and hungover body. “You are so not a gentleman, Nox! Whatever made you think that? You’re like anti-gentleman. You’re rough and scary and downright mean sometimes. You’re jaggedman not gentleman!” I guffaw.
He scowls at me but doesn’t say a thing. Immediately, I feel like an ass and try to soften the blow that I didn’t expect would strike him. “Look, it’s probably just because of the job you do. I’m sure you can be a gentleman if you tried, Nox. Really.”
Someone stumbles into the kitchen. We both look over at Boo who looks worse than I did this morning. Nox opens his mouth to say something, but she cuts him off with a swipe of her hand. “No.”
Boo glares at me. “God, you suck. Remind me never to drink with you again. You’re like a freakin’ bottomless pit. You just kept guzzling.”
I shrug. “I’m Irish.” I say that as if that should explain my drinking ability.
Boo cringes and hisses, “Ssshhhhhh!”
I chuckle quietly. I hadn’t even spoken loudly. Nox grins at her. “You better get your shit together today, Boo. I won’t let you sleep in tomorrow. You’re lucky I let Rock look after you today. He should be on ground patrol.”
Boo snorts. “Look after me? The ass is asleep, Nox. Didn’t lift a finger when I rushed myself to the bathroom to throw up, just snored and turned over.”
Nox scowls, “That fucker. He’s pulling a double this afternoon.”
Boo grins in victory. I love the relationship she and Rock have. It’s unlike any relationship I’ve seen or read about. It’s almost like they’re in constant competition with each other but never drastically, only playfully. It’s a sweet rivalry. I smile wistfully.
They must have a lot of fun together. Lucky them.
I’ll be lucky if I ever get a boyfriend. Knowing my luck, it’ll never happen. I’ll be the old, plump, spinster that knits covers for everything I own. Throw in a few cats for companionship and that will be my life. I mean, I can’t even remember my first kiss and it only happened last night.
Nox and Boo chat while she pours herself a cup of Joe. Unintentionally, I find myself looking over at Nox’s full lips and my brain wanders.
What would they have felt like? Rough or soft? Maybe he uses chap-stick.
I fight the urge to scoff out loud. Nox does not use freakin’ chap-stick, brain!
Okay, scratch the chap-stick. Did he kiss me back? Would his kisses have been sweet and gentle, or demanding and possessive?
Holy shit, I’m making myself antsy.
Well, he did say he stopped you after a few seconds. Why didn’t he stop you immediately?
Well…because…that…that is actually a good point. Why didn’t he stop me immediately?
Because he wanted you to lay one on him, of course!
No way, brain. You’re crazy. Which means I’m crazy.
Well, I am having a conversation with my brain. I’ve officially lost it. Bravo, Nox. You win. I need to stop reading erotic romance. It obviously fills my head with sexual thoughts…all the freakin’ time.
“Lily?”
I shake my head and look up to see Nox and Boo both staring at me and looking concerned. “How long was I out of it?”
Boo grins. “A while. Been callin’ you for a solid minute, hon.”
Nox’s lip twitches and I glare at him as if this is all his fault. I tell him pointedly. “I am never drinking again,” then throw my head down on the table with a bang.
Chapter Thirteen
Your knife. My back.
Lily
It’s been weeks since I slept in my own bed, but every day I stop in at my old room to get a change of clothes. And today is no exception. Walking into my room, I stop dead in my tracks when I see a small white box on my bed. It’s pretty damn small, so I’m ninety-nine percent sure it’s not a bomb.