Page 126 of Easy Out

Carlos texts me back instantly letting me know he’s on his way home. Now that he has a phone with unlimited minutes he’s always on the thing.

ME

Carlos said he’s going home. Come over.

LAUREN

I have a few more things to do. I can be at your place in a few hours.

ME

You are not staying there alone.

LAUREN

I’ll be fine Hart. I’ve been here by myself before.

Exactly. Before.

Before she was physically attacked.

Before she had me.

Eventually she will understand that she will never have to be alone again.

I don’t even bother texting her back. I talk to Coach Lawson for a moment and say goodbye to the guys then head straight to the rec center.

The security guard at the front desk is leaning back in his chair sleeping. And she thinks she’s safe here by herself. Shaking my head, I continue upstairs thinking of all the ways I plan on punishing mi brujita.

I expect the door to be locked, but when I twist the handle it opens right up. Lauren must really enjoy testing my limits.

The music drowns out my entrance. Not that she would notice me anyway. Lauren is completely in the zone. If I wasn’t so irritated with her, I would be content watching her dance all night. I locate her phone on the table and pause her music.

She startles and stops mid spin. I crowd her from behind. Strands of her hair are pasted to her skin with sweat. I remove them from her shoulder and drop a kiss in their place. Her skin is salty and delicious. Lauren angles her head giving me more access to her neck.

“You didn’t even lock the door. Anyone could have come in here and hurt you.” I wrap my arms around her bare stomach. The sports bra and sweatpants she’s wearing are doing a good job showing off all her curves I have memorized.

I run my nose down her neck until my lips find the top her other shoulder. “I’m having deja’vu.”

“I don't need to lock the door. No one ever comes in here.” She spins out of my arms. “It's fine. I’m used to being here by myself.”

“Get unuse to it.” I gently brush sweaty strands of hair off her angry face. Damn she’s cute. “You aren’t alone anymore. Especially when you still haven’t learned how to properly lock a door. Roll those pretty eyes all you want, cariño. I won’t apologize or back down from wanting to keep you protected.”

“I’m not your burden or obligation, Hart.” Her defensive walls are up again. Her past seeps through every word.

“If I wasn’t a burden, they would keep me”. It’s something she’s said before in conversation. She will never have to worry about this with me.

My fingers curl around her neck. I cradle her face in my palm. Her eyes sparkle in the light. “You are a lot of things to me, but a burden will never be one of them. This is a privilege. An honor. Now, tell me what you have to do so we can go home.”

I’m tired. After a long game, the last thing I want to do is stand around a dingy room while Lauren blocks out a dance routine.

But I do it anyway.

For the last hour I’ve watched as she jumped and spun around me while I got positioned in different places around the room. I’m pretty sure Lauren has been intentionally fucking with me every time she bends over right in front of me.

Then she has the audacity to tsk me when I put my hands on her. What does she expect me to do?

She’s teasing me. The smile on her face tells me she knows exactly what she’s doing too. If she doesn’t hurry up, I’m going to push her up against the mirror. We’ll see how private this place really is.

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