Page 102 of The Ones We Fight For

A half hour later, every crevice of the fridge was clean, andit gave off the scent of a sterile hospital instead of a murder shed. Walker disposed of the garbage in the large communal dumpster in the parking lot, and they spent the next ten minutes airing the room out and plugging air fresheners into every available outlet. Talia pranced around with her spray bottle, filled with the same flowery scent, inhaling the air as she danced to her grunge playlist. She’d probably get cancer from whatever chemicals were in the bottle, but at least her nostrils wouldn’t have to be cauterized to get rid of the rancid stench from Labyrinth that had taken over Walker’s apartment.

When they finally sat down on the ground in the kitchen, breaking into fits of laughter about the fact that they came there for sex only to end up doing the most unsexy thing ever, Talia leaned her head against Walker’s shoulder and sighed.

“I didn’t even know that you liked honeydew.”

“No one likes honeydew. That was a watermelon.” Walker grinned, trying to hold back another laugh.

Talia’s eyes went wide with disgust. “It was light green! And bumpy!”

“You have no idea. When I picked it up, it kind of fell apart in my hands a little bit.”

The only viable response to that was the gagging sound that left Talia’s mouth as she grabbed her phone to shut off the music. A new message from Amala happily looked up at her on her home screen, and she tapped it open to read the whole thing.

Amala: 10:36 PM

I’m going to assume that I should not look at the recent security footage tomorrow?

Grinning, Talia started to type back her response.

“Who is it?” Walker leaned his head over his shoulder and smirked at the message. “Is there any way I could get a copy of that video before you delete it? For research purposes, of course.”

“Right.” Her eyes flashed over to him. “For research.”

Talia: 10:37 PM

I wouldn’t unless you want to see me having the time of my life. I’ll swing by tomorrow to get a copy of it before I delete it from the server.

“The time of your life, huh?” Walker asked, seductively running his hand up Talia’s arm. Three dots appeared on her phone, and they waited impatiently for Amala to finish typing back.

Amala: 10:37 PM

Nope. I don’t want to see that. And a copy? Dirty. I approve. Have fun. Tell Walker if he doesn’t treat you well, I’ll kill him.

“She’s so aggressive.” Walker shook his head. “But at least we have her approval. You can tell her that I’m not so sure I’ll be alive tomorrow.”

“Mm-hmm.” Talia laughed, typing out a reply before pocketing her phone. “God, I need a shower.” She patted the bag of toiletries they’d picked up from her house on the way back from their late night shopping session at Lydia’s. “I have like ten pounds of bleach on my skin, and I don’t even want to know what other substances could possibly be on me.”

“I’ll show you where the bathroom’s at.” Walker hopped to his feet and held out his hand. “Stupid question, but are we—do you still want to…?”

“You’re coming with me, if that’s what you’re asking.” Talia gave Walker a flirtatious smile, and his eyes darkened as they made their way down the hallway.

The bathroom was simple, nothing like the extravagance of the Hartrick house. The tile floor and the laminate countertops made Talia feel safe. Immaculate houses, with their perfect furniture and all white carpets, made her feel naked, though the Hartrick house had a way of making her feel at home despite its expensive furniture and fixtures. Paisley was clearly a master at interior design. At her old apartment with Clifford in New York, she always felt like her bathroom was prettier than she was undressed.

“So, the question is, do you like your water to burn like the fiery rivers of hell, or be lukewarm like… I can’t think of anything that’s lukewarm.” Walker turned on the faucet in the glass shower and turned to face Talia with his head cocked.

“Definitely hell. I like to burn my skin off.”

“Makes sense.” He grinned boyishly at her, and she narrowed her eyes for an explanation. Was he alluding to the fact that she was a Satan worshiper? “You’re really hot.”

“Oh.” Talia blinked.

“You don’t believe me?”

She didn’t respond, unsure of what to say.

“Hmm,” Walker hummed and turned the knob higher to test the heat of the water before pulling up on the switch to the showerhead. The crashing sound of the water against the clear glass and white tile made Talia’s nerves sting with anticipation. Walker slipped Cole’s wedding band off his left, middle finger and carefully set it on the edge of the sink striding over to her. Her body was begging for him by the time he came to stand in of her.

“Tal, how come you don’t know you’re beautiful?”

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