Page 166 of Unhinged

“What?”

Her hands go to her mouth as her eyes water. I notice she’s not wearing a lot of makeup, which makes me smile. “Those. Why?”

I shrug. “Just slaying some demons, baby.”

Still covering her mouth, Simone walks over and hugs me. She muffles her voice against my coat. “I’m so fucking proud of you. You’re so strong.”

“They’re pants.”

She shakes her head. “They’re more than that.”

Letting go of me, Simone dabs her eyes with her fingers and giggles. “Those are the shoes you wore with me at the gym when scoping out Ricky, but not really.”

I laugh. “Yeah. I still can’t believe you scammed me like that.”

Simone smiles through her tears. “I did. I wanted you bad. I even ran on a treadmill for you! Not cool!”

“But you looked hot.”

“That’s because I was melting right in front of you! All you did was laugh at me, Rodwell!”

“It was cute until you started flirting with Officer Fuckbag. It bothered me, and I had to walk away.”

“That’s why? I thought it was because I got on your nerves.”

“Only the nerves between my legs, buttercup. I haven’t been to the gym here since you showed up. I need to go back.”

“I’ll go with you sometimes. You can help me check out hotties again. It was fun. We make a good team.” She giggles at my frown as I pick up her suitcase. She then follows me out to the truck and smacks my ass.

Her smile is bright and breathless. “Damn, you fill out those pants nice. All over.”

My gaze falls to her tits in her green sweater. Is dinner over yet? “Maybe later you can see them on the floor.”

“Oh, I will.”

In the truck, I think about what my mother had said about my future with Simone. Interrupting my thoughts, Simone grabs my hand on my thigh and intertwines our fingers. Her wedding ring knicks my fingers, and it’s a damn turn-on, which is now more apparent in sweats. I need to remember that shit. “So, uh, after graduation, what do you plan to do?”

“I don’t know. Look for a job. I have the feeling I’ll have to look elsewhere for one. Your mom works for a small practice. There’s not a lot of wiggle room.”

I don’t want to tell her I know that for sure. “Well, she’ll help you find a job. Don’t worry about that part.”

“What about you? You can’t work at your aunt’s bar forever. I worry it’ll affect your drive. You’re so smart.”

I laugh, rubbing her fingers between mine. “My mom doesn’t want me there, either.” I glance at Simone. “Aren’t you more worried about our money situation, though?”

“Yeah, but I want you to be happy.”

“I definitely wasn’t before you showed up. Now, it’s bearable. So please come back. At least until you get another job.”

“Of course, dumpling.” She grins, and I smile, squeezing her hand.

I hesitate before saying, “I was thinking of maybe going back to school too.”

Simone shifts in her seat, looking at me. “Really? You’re a paralegal. What would you do?”

“Well, I always wanted to do more, and I should have, but I chickened out like I do.”

“What kind of more?”

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