Page 9 of Hot For Her Ex-Con

“I don’t need to know you to know that I?—”

My big moment. My one-time show of feelings is sliced in two by the blast of a car’s horn from behind us.

“Hey, asshole! Move yourself, the train's long gone. What are ya waiting for?”

Allison jumps a little at the sudden sound but nuzzles closer once it’s clear I’m not gonna cause any more trouble for her tonight.

“Guess we’d better…” I smile to myself, gladder still when Allison keeps as much of herself and her hands on me as I clear my throat a little and get us moving again.

We drive in silence for a while, something I’m used to, but I can feel her mind swimming with a million questions. About me, about my past, like how in hell I ended up at her mom’s in the first place.

But she surprises me by taking the lead, letting the flat of her hand run up and down my thigh. Dangerously close to what I know she really wants another peek at.

I saw the way she looked at me on her bed, ready to pop and all because of her. For her, really. Everything I do from now on is for her.

“You still feel like killing someone?” she teases me, gnawing her lip playfully this time, but I can see she means it.

I guess I forgot. Most people don’t spend eight years living for the moment they can set the world right again. In my case, that means killing Trap. But right now, right this second?

Allison’s wide eyes look up at me from the dim light strobing us both. Me knowing she’s the only thing that could ever still the rage in me.

That and the fact I think we both know biologically what we’d both rather be doing right now. Starting with a few more of those kisses she's so clever at planting on me.

“I guess that can wait,” I drawl, smiling to myself. Happy to feel her relief that I’m not gonna do anything stupid. Not tonight.

“You wanna…” I venture after some more silence, but Allison’s head is already pumping nods of agreement. My eyes scan the highway ahead for a place to stop. Someplace nice, if there is such a thing out here.

But not everything has changed since I’ve been inside. A gaudy pink neon sign winks in the distance. The kind of hotel that takes cash and asks no questions. It’s not five stars, but it feels like Allison’s as eager as I am to get to know each other without being bunched up in a car that’s getting hotter by the minute.

“You sure about this?” I ask her, gripping her wrist gently before she gets out.

There’s a flash of hurt in her eyes, but only until I make my case clearer for her.

“I meant what I said, Allison. About this being destiny.”

“I know,” she squeaks, still unsure about my curious habit of sounding like a mental case who’s eaten a crossword puzzle. She sets me at ease with a gentle but greedy peck on my lips.

She’s learned fast how to tame me, but there’s more than just kisses I want from her. Destiny is a forever thing, but where are my manners?

We haven’t even checked in.

The interior makes me cringe with an almost apologetic glance to Allison once we’re at the front desk. Front cage, really. The thick security grille and the equally thick-looking manager kinda remind me of somewhere I’m all too familiar with.

And if it wasn't for tonight being courtesy of Mr. Dipshit from number sixteen, I’d probably wince at the prices too.

“Thirty bucks per half hour or two hundred the night. You mess it up; you clean it up. No guns, no drugs.”

I hand over the money gladly. Even if it was mine, I’d pay a thousand times that for a night alone with Allison.

There’s no doubt in my mind she feels the same way.

So… What if she says no? What if she just wants to kiss?

Okay, so there’s always an elementof doubt in my mind when it comes to handling people, but Allison’s different. I just know she is.

“It’s nice!” Allison squeals, covering fresh nerves with pretend excitement once I let us into our ‘deluxe’ double suite.

“Trust me,” she reassures me, making a beeline to check out the attempt at a bathroom adjoining the wood-paneled room. “This is fancy compared to where I was staying. Before I?—”

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