Page 13 of Ox

Kayla

Feelingdirty all over after my run-in with Ghost, I jumped into the shower for the second time that day. When I got out, I put on some lotion to soothe my skin. Dressed in fresh sleep shorts and a tank top, I met Ox in my living room.

“Hey,” I greeted, feeling a little naked in front of him, though it had nothing to do with what I was wearing or my lack of makeup. I hated being vulnerable in front of others, and Ghost had thrown me into that position tonight. “Did you talk to your Brothers about what I should do next?”

Ox was sitting on my couch, long legs stretched out in front of him. As big as he was, he made my living room set look likedoll furniture. “I did. We’ve got a couple of options, depending on what you’re comfortable with.”

I sat down beside him and curled my legs underneath me. “Okay, I’d love to hear them.” I didn’t have any ideas of my own, so I wasn’t about to turn away his Club’s at this moment.

“Option one,” I stay here for a few days while my Prez reaches out to Ghost’s president. If Ghost doesn’t listen, there’ll be major repercussions,” Ox said, intentionally ambiguous on what those repercussions would be.

I nodded, waiting for the alternative.

“Option two,” Ox revealed, leaning back and looking me in the eye as he closely watched my expression, “you come down to Nevada and stay with the Club for a bit until we sort out Ghost ourselves. I know this isn’t very convenient for you, as you’re in college and have a job here, but it’s what I think is safest, given Ghost’s obvious mental instability.”

Chewing my lower lip, I carefully considered what he said. “I could leave my job, but I’ve worked so hard toward my nursing degree. I can’t give that up. It would just destroy me.”

“And you shouldn’t have to,” Ox agreed. “Do you mind if I crash here for a few days then? See if Reaper could work things out on his end?”

Mind? I’d love having this hunk of man staying with me for a while. “I’d be really grateful if you’d stay here. I wouldn’t feel safe without you.”

Ox smiled and it made my stomach flip inward on itself. “I guess you just got yourself a new house guest then.”

My heart beat a little faster and my body tingled all over with excitement. “Let me go get you some blankets so you can be warm tonight.”

As I rummaged through my linen closet, I cobbled together enough materials to make up Ox’s “bed”. I was a college student on a budget, so it wasn’t fancy. But it would get the job done.

Ox aimlessly flipped through the channels as I fitted the sheets into place. “Got any movies we can watch?” he asked, giving up and setting the clicker to the side.

“I don’t have many,” I said, kneeling down at the plastic container near the TV stand. “Just a few left over from when I lived with my parents.”

“Let’s hear my options,” Ox said, getting comfy on his bed.

“Let’s see,” I began, filtering through the choices. “I’ve got Aladdin, Forrest Gump, Saving Private Ryan, and Newsies.”

Ox thought it over. “What’s Newsies about?”

Surprised he hadn’t jumped right to the war film, I said, “It’s about a group of street kids, with the will to survive, selling newspapers at the turn of the century. You game?”

“Sure, pop it in,” Ox said with more enthusiasm than I expected.

“It’s a musical,” I warned, checking to see if that would seal the deal on one of my childhood favs.

“Bold choice,” he teased. “Got any beer?”

Though I didn’t usually have beer in my house, I had a few left over from a friend who liked fancy microbrews. He’d left them behind when we’d been pregaming one night, and I shoved them to the back of the fridge to make room for everything else.

“Yeah, I think there’s a six pack in there still,” I said, rising to head into the kitchen. “You want a snack, too?”

“Sure,” Ox called back, as I gathered our goodies.

Placing a bag of popcorn in the microwave, I grabbed some napkins and bowls. “You like extra butter?” I called out, needing to know before I piled it on top.

“Who doesn’t?” he shouted back.

I smiled as I heated some butter and drizzled it on top. I came back into the living room with the beer, popcorn, and hot sauce. The hot sauce was for me. I loved it on my popcorn. Thesalty, tangy, spiciness just added a kick that I craved whenever I indulged in this particular snack.

Ox eyed my hot sauce. “I’m assuming this is for you?”

---