Page 37 of Savage Spades

“No, I was going to attack the intruder with a lamp.” Cam flipped on the hallway light and blinked a few times for her eyes to adjust. “I thought you weren’t coming home until the morning.”

“We were, but most of the guys ended up leaving, and it’s scary out in the woods alone. Plus, I wanted to shower.”

“Maybe call next time?” Cam suggested.

Jen nodded. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Cam walked past them into the kitchen to grab a cup of water. Her eyes flashed to the clock on the wall. It was only 10 o’clock. She barely remembered falling asleep. After drinking her water, she left the kitchen. Jen and Hugo had retreated to Jen’s room, so Cam went back into her own.

*****

She sat at the kitchen table with papers surrounding her. After class, she came right back to the house to get caught up. Jen was closing the bar tonight, so she had plenty of time to work on the homework that was piling up. Her phone vibrated next to her. Kit’s name flashed across the screen. She pressed ‘decline’, to ignore the call. Jen had offered to drive her to and from class today, so she hadn’t seen Kit. She was only able to focus on her homework for another minute before her phone started to buzz again with his phone call. She set her pen down and answered.

“Yes?”

“You didn’t need a ride this morning?” he asked.

She usually called him if she needed a ride or texted him the night before. It was still strange that she was regularly asking him for rides, but she didn’t have much of a choice. Kit said she’d get her truck back by Monday but he was obviously dragging his feet. She didn’t want to ask about it since he was fixing it for free.

“No, Jen drove me.”

He was quiet for a moment. It sounded like a garage door opening in the background.

“Are you at work?” she asked.

“About to be. Wanna come hang out with me?”

She looked at the table in front of her. “I have a lot of homework.”

“Bring it. I’ll pick you up.”

She let out a sigh. “What are we doing?”

Their relationship was turning into more than him just watching over the bar, but she couldn’t blame him for that considering she was the one that apparently tried to convince him to go skinny dipping.

“Let’s not make this complicated. Either you come here, or I’ll come over there.”

“Don’t you have to work?”

“I own the place. I can work when I want.”

She laughed. “I bet your customers love you.”

“I’m on my way,” he said before hanging up on her.

She looked down at the holy t-shirt and pajama bottoms she had changed into after class. She shouldn’t care, but for some reason, she didn’t want Kit to see her as a complete slob. Fuck. She got up from the couch and went into her bedroom. Laundry had piled up so she was limited on clean clothes. Choosing her typical shorts and t-shirt, she was able to change, apply a bit of makeup, and pull her hair up in a ponytail before the doorbell rang. She took a deep breath before opening the front door. Kit stood on the other side, just as tall and muscular as always. She doubted that he did anything to get ready to come over besides roll out of bed and get dressed. It wasn’t fair.

“Are you going to invite me in, or do I have to stay out here?” he asked.

She opened the door wider and waved him inside.

“It’s small, but it works for us,” she said to Kit as she led him through the house. It was strange having him in her personal space. He looked out of place next to their feminine decor.

“Why is it so fucking hot?” he asked as they got to her bedroom.

She sat on the edge of the bed. “Landlord hasn’t fixed the air conditioning.”

He removed his cut. “How long has it been like this?”

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