Page 28 of Spike

I choked on mycoffee.

“Needless to say,I’ve always kept them apart as much as humanly possible.”

“I can see why youhad me meet you around the corner.”

Trixie frowned.“What do you mean?”

“Well, if yourfolks are that picky about who you spend time with…one look at me and you’dcatch hell for a year.”

She shook herhead. “That’s not it.”

“Really?”

“First of all, I’dcatch hell for the rest of my life if they saw me with you, but I don’t care.I’ve never really cared what my mother, or anyone else had to say about me.”

“What is it,then?”

“I like you,Spike. I liked you the second I met you. And I guess I just don’t want to shareyou. It’s why I never told Gemma about you, or my brothers. It’s almost likeyou’ve been my dream guy for as long as I can remember and if I tell anyoneabout you, you won’t be real.” She met my eyes. “That sounds really dumb, huh?”

“Not even a littlebit.”

“So, now that I’vebared my soul, I do need to know your real first name. I know your last name isKane, but did your mother really name you ‘Spike’?”

I chuckled. “It’sJesse.”

“Of course, itis.”

“You don’t like it?”

“No, the problemis, I think I like it a little too much,” I admitted. “I was kind of hopingyou’d be Myron or Cletus or something like that to take down the sexiness alittle. Unfortunately, I’m just not that lucky in life.”

I couldn’t stop alaugh.

“So why do theycall you Spike?”

“It’s kind of along story and we’ve been here a while—”

“Oh, no youdon’t,” Trixie interrupted. “I’ve been waiting since the night we first met tohear the origin story of the mysterious Spike and I’m not going to wait anylonger.”

I cocked my head.“This whole time we’ve been getting to know each other, you haven’t asked whatI did to get locked up.”

“Don’t change thesubject,” she protested. “You’re supposed to be telling me about your name.”

“I am. I promise.The two stories go hand in hand. So how come you haven’t asked me why I was inLakewood?”

“It’s none of mybusiness,” she replied.

“You’ve askedplenty of other personal questions, why not that one? Aren’t you curious?”

“Of course I am.But I’m also…”

“Afraid of what Idid to get locked up?”

She nodded.

“Tell you what.” Itapped my fingers on the table. “I’ll tell you my story, and at the end of it,if you want me to fuck off down the road, I’ll leave skipping.”

Trixie laughed.“Now, that I’d like to see.”

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