Page 31 of Crazy Love

It’s quiet for several beats, Kali staring down at the floor. She’s not herself right now. If she has been drugged or even spiked with extra alcohol, she needs to get somewhere safe to sober up. Having this conversation when she’s not in her right mind isn’t fair, as much as I might want her to open up.

“Want me to take you home?” I ask.

Kali’s eyes flash to mine, a heat behind them that wasn’t there before. Like maybe she’s had a moment of clarity or entered another realm of wasted. “No.” She steps forward and palms the front of my shorts so unexpectedly, a choke hisses from my throat.

I grab her wrist to stop her. “Kali, you’re not yourself right now.”

“So?” She reaches up into the crook of my neck and gently bites my earlobe. My dick strains against the fabric encasing it.

I grab her shoulders and steer her back. “I just scared off a guy for taking advantage of you. I’m not about to do the same.”

Kali pouts, running her hands over my chest. Her fingers trace over the curves beneath my t-shirt, lingering on the swirls of ink creeping up my neck. “I could lick you from head to toe,” she murmurs.

I groan. “Jesus, Red.”

Her brow scrunches as she rests her hands over my heart. “Your heart is racing.”

“That happens a lot when I’m around you.”

Her gaze meets mine and her playfulness vanishes. Her body tenses, her eyes searching, as if she’s checking my eyes for any sign of deceit.

“What if he did slip me something?” she whispers, fear evident in her voice. “I had two cocktails and a glass of wine. Some of it’s already a blur.”

Pain spasms in my gums as I grind down on my teeth.I’m going to kill that motherfucker.

“Why did you say yes to a date with this guy, when you didn’t want to?” I ask.

“I was going to cancel,” she insists. “But you wouldn’t text me back. You ignored me.” She shrugs with one shoulder and a steam roller of guilt slams into me. “I don’t know why I said yes in the first place. I do that a lot. I go on dates when I don’t always want to.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know.” She glances up at me with her big brown eyes. “I’m … I guess I’m …”

Any remnants of anger and jealousy dissipate as I watch her struggle to find the words to express herself. The way she’s staringintome almost hurts. “I’m broken,” she whispers.

“Kali …” I reach for her hand on my chest and our fingers intertwine. “You’re not broken.”

“You only call me Kali when you’re mad,” she mumbles, staring at our hands. “Or when you’re serious.”

I want to stay in this bubble, with Kali’s vulnerability, but it’s not right that I’m asking her these questions and having this talk with her when she probably won’t remember any of it tomorrow.

“Let’s get you home,” I mutter. “I’ll lock up.”

Disappointment flits across Kali’s face and I wonder if she feels the energy between us snuff out like a light. She nods in agreement as I steer her into the camping chair.

I sensed the shift was happening before tonight, but now I’m certain. It’s clear as day. I want to know everything she’s thinking. I want to jump inside her skin and let her spill her secrets onto me. I want to connect on every level, every vulnerability, every thought.

I want to know more about Kali than I ever thought possible, and it’s got nothing to do with the stupid bet.

18

KALI

A hot-searingpain shoots through my skull and smacks me behind the eyeballs. A groan escapes my cotton-dry mouth as I force my eyelids open.

I’m in my room.Thank God.

I dare to peer to my left to see if anyone is next to me – empty. I can’t see any clothing that’s not mine strewn across the floor, but when my eyes snap to my bedside table, my heart sinks a little. A glass of untouched water and an empty aspirin packet sit there laughing at me.

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