Page 46 of All Jacked Up

Did one have a funeral for someone when you didn’t know who to invite? I’d chosen cremation because Ransom was right. It was much cheaper. But a ceremony where the only friends she’d had weren’t truly friends but addicts seemed pointless. No one would come except me, and I had nothing good to say about her. Although I didn’t say it quite that way to the funeral home director, he seemed to understand. He hadn’t acted surprised at all that I just wanted cremation.

Ransom hadn’t said much, but his being there made it easier. I hadn’t felt alone.

When he was inside the truck and the door was closed, I looked over at him. “Thanks for that.”

He cut his eyes at me. “I didn’t do anything.”

Oh, he had no idea.

“Yeah, you did. You were there.”

He sighed and leaned back in his seat. “And to think, you didn’t want to get in my truck earlier.”

I rolled my eyes, but the smile spread across my face anyway. “Don’t gloat.”

“I love a good gloat. Don’t take that from me. Now, where to, Shakespeare?”

I knew I needed to deal with the trailer and her things, but I wasn’t letting him go with me there. That I was doing alone. I preferred to do it alone.

“Back to my rental car. I need to go check in at the hotel.”

His brows drew together. “What hotel?”

“A Marriott in Jackson,” I replied.

“You don’t have anyone here to stay with?”

I laughed at that. “Did you forget high school? I didn’t have friends.”

He was quiet for a moment before saying, “I was your friend.”

Smirking, I met his gaze. He was serious.

“Ransom, you were a senior I tutored. You never spoke to me outside of tutoring sessions. We communicated via text. I was a loner.”

He winced, but he didn’t disagree with me. “I was a stupid teenage boy. My main focus was finding a tight cunt or mouth to sink my dick into. I didn’t realize then that the reason I was texting you was because you were different. You heard me. You weren’t trying to be the next girl in the bed of my truck. You were smart and fucking witty. But again, I was a kid. I had growing up to do in order to appreciate it. I just knew then that I wanted to talk to you.” He paused. “And as for the not talking to you in person, that was partly because if I had singled you out and talked to you, then you’d have been attacked. I stopped the bastards who had been harassing you, but the bitches would have been a harder lot to shut down.”

I tilted my head and studied him for a moment. He was beinghonest—or he was an excellent actor. If that was the real reason he’d not spoken to me in high school, then I understood. It wasn’t like his attention or acceptance would have shot me up the popularity poll. My appearance wasn’t going to change for a couple of years back then. I had to get out of Madison for that to happen.

“You don’t have to explain. I credit that season in my life to a major part of my success. I was used to rejection. It didn’t scare me the way it did most people. I also had something to prove. I wanted to have a reason to be proud of myself.”

A crooked grin curled his lips. “Yeah, well, you fucking did that and more.”

I shrugged. “I think being a late bloomer was a blessing. I hadn’t been distracted by the drama of relationships in high school.”

He chuckled, then leaned forward to start the engine. “If you’d have bloomed early, we’d not be sitting here today.”

“Why is that?”

Ransom glanced at me with a smirk. “I’d have fucked you. Then I’d have missed out on ten years of a friendship I needed, even though I hadn’t known it back then. But I do now.”

And my body went off in many different ways at the wordsI’d have fucked youcoming out of his mouth.

Simmer down, Noa. It was past tense. He isn’t planning on fucking you now.

“I’ll admit that I have always been a little smug about the fact that I’m the only female that Ransom Carver didn’t toss aside,” I told him.

He laughed and nodded his head. “That you are, Shakespeare.”

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