Page 4 of Sloth

“You still live at thesame place?” Arlo asked, keeping his hand wrapped firmly around my upper arm.

“You know I do.” He had been tracking me foryears. Ever since my daddy died. Arlo had promised him before he died, that hewould spend the rest of his life taking care of his daughter. If my dad knewthen that I had lost my virginity to his best friend, he would have had himkilled instead. But that little secret had stayed between Arlo and me eversince. Ever since I seduced him. Ever since he gave in to what I wanted. He couldn’tresist.

“Tell me where you’re going from here.” Arloreleased my arm and linked his fingers with mine instead. Under normalcircumstances, I would have pushed him away. But at the moment, I craved histouch. I actually craved more than us just holding hands, but it would take alot of determination on my part to get Arlo to fuck me.

“I’m going home, taking a bath, and having abottle of wine. Not exactly in that order either.”

“You should come back to my home. Our home,Bunny.”

My jaw clenched, my teeth grinding down hardagainst each other. “I’m going back to my father’s place.” Was all I said.While Arlo thought his home was mine and maybe it was, I couldn’t stay there.Not on a continuous basis anyway. I always left when he got too close, and Ifelt suffocated. It didn’t make sense when I did actually love him, but Icouldn’t help the weight resting on my damn chest every time I had been in hisbed for a couple of days.

Arlo grunted, tightening his grip on my hand.Something was on his mind. Something more than just what happened tonight. Hewas a hard one to read but I found that I liked it that way. It made thingsmore exciting becauseheliked it when I begged him for information.

“What is it?” I asked, keeping my gaze straightahead. If I looked at him, looked deep into his eyes, I would fall and I didn’twant that to happen. Not tonight. I already spent part of my evening having someof my control taken from me.

“This will get out, Ginny.”

A sour taste filled my throat whenever he used myreal name. It usually meant he was pissed at me or he was trying to get hispoint across. But this…this moment was unlike him.

“I know. You don’t have to tell me that, Arlo.” Iwent to pull my hand from his grip but he was having none of that. He pulled meinto another alley and pushed me up against the nearest wall.

“I know you can handle yourself, Bunny. I do knowthat. But you don’t have to do this on your own either.”

I stared up at him, the moon casting eerieshadows over him. Even though he was older, much older than my twenty-five, hewas beautiful in a rugged sort of way. Silver was coming through the darkstrands of his hair and I found that I couldn’t wait to see what he looked likecompletely gray. His strong chiseled jaw was covered with a few days’ worth ofscruff. He was old enough to be my father. If he had me at fifteen anyway.

I didn’t have daddy issues. My father and I gotalong as well as a father and daughter should. Even with the power he had. Iwas never raised to be the daughter that stayed behind the scenes. He didn’texpect me to play with Barbies or do girly things other girls my age had done.It was one of the many things I had appreciated about him. Even now that he wasgone, I thought of it often and how he didn’t make me feel like the lesser sex.

Arlo had been the same. He taught me everything Iknew and kept me safe after my father had been murdered.

“What are you thinking about in that beautifulbrain of yours?” Arlo slid his hand from mine and lightly ran his fingers up myforearm. The gentle touch sent a shiver down my spine.

“Just thinking about my dad,” I confessed.

Arlo tilted his head, giving me a curt nod. Hepulled away from me and left the alley, stopping at the entrance.

I joined him and we continued walking. My eyesscanned the vacant street in front of us. It was pushing two in the morning ona Friday night. Even though we weren’t downtown, this place was still usuallyquite active, especially on a Friday. But not tonight and it didn’t make mefeel good.

“He would have been proud of you,” Arlo muttered,his voice trailing off.

“Maybe.” I followed his gaze, watching as a largeblack SUV sped past us.

Arlo stepped in front of me, shielding me fromsomething that could very well happen. When it didn’t, both of us let out abreath of relief.

“Paranoid?” I teased, trying to make light of thesituation when it was anything but.

“Nope.” He grabbed my arm, a little too tightthis time, and all but dragged me down to the end of the street. When we turneda corner, he led me to a blood red sports car.

I pulled from his grasp and walked to the car.Arlo followed behind me. He watched me and it made my skin tingle.

When I stood near the ’67 Shelby Mustang, I ranmy hand across the top of the beautiful car. “I missed you.”

“I forgot how much you loved this car.” Arlo cametoward me and unlocked the door for me. Like a gentleman, he opened the doorfor me and waited.

He didn’t forget but he didn’t want to make itseem like he was pining after me either. Our relationship was odd. The agedifference being the least of our problems. My dad asked for him to take careof me and while he had, he felt that it was too weird to build anything morewith me. At first. I didn’t believe him, but I never pressed either. I threw atemper tantrum and ran away. Which was something I had always done whenever Ididn’t get my way. I was an only child, so I was used to getting spoiled.Especially when it had only been me and my dad for most of my life, I couldn’thelp but crave that attention.

I missed what we did in the car more than Imissed the car itself. But that had been another life. Long before I had goneon my own and Arlo went rogue.

Instead of letting myself get lost in thosememories, I slipped into the passenger seat and waited for him to join me.

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