Page 52 of Untouchable

“Oh. Yeah, okay.” I don’t know why I’m discouraged. If there’s nothing to do then I understand why they wouldn’t want to stay here. I guess it just feels like this trip is moving rather rapidly and I’m not ready for it to be over.

“I think you’ll like our next stop.” I look up at Ace, curiosity burning in my mind over what he means by that. But he never looks my way. He simply throws his arm around my shoulder and continues toward his bike in the parking lot. “Trust me, Reaper?”

More than most.

CHAPTER 29

Ace

“SELF-INFLICTED TORTURE”

What the hell am I doing? The question repeats in my mind every time I bother thinking about Katarina in ways I know are damning. Whether it be taking the time to sketch her, getting irrationally angry at my best friend every time he fuckinglooksat her, or wanting to drag her back to our shitty motel and demand she shows me what she bought in that lace-filled sin trap of a store. My self-control should be studied by scientists. The real kicker is the fact that no one batted an eye when we got back to the motel and my things were in Katarina’s room. They went off and did whatever the hell one does to kill time in Omaha, while Kat and I slept. She silently nuzzled herself into my chest, and I willingly let her. After checking out early and grabbing a bite to eat, we hit the road again. I think she’s getting upset, or at the very least bored, of moving around non-stop with no actual activities involved. Which is why I’ve planned our next stop to last a little longer and be a little more adventurous.

We pull up to the house I rented for the weekend in South Dakota, and I instantly realize the pictures on the app hardly didit justice. The place has a view unlike anything I’ve ever seen, and by the look on Kat’s face when she takes it all in, I’d say she probably agrees.

“You rented us a cabin?” She looks at me with excitement.

“I figured we were all getting pretty tired of sharing beds and shitty motel rooms, thought it was time we started to have a little fun.” Her face falls and I realize my poor choice of wording. Instead of trying to cover my tracks, and possibly make a fool out of myself, I walk to the door and unlock it with the code I was sent by the owner this morning. When the door opens I hold my hand out to guide her in.

“You get the first pick of which bedroom you want.” She gives me a forced smile and I’m suddenly worried that this may have been a mistake. We fill the doorway as Katarina moves through the house, slowly taking in her surroundings. It’s a cabin but with a modern spin to it. Black trim and natural wood, a log fireplace, three bedrooms, and a hot tub out back. She walks up the stairs, finds the master bedroom with the attached bathroom, and drops her bag on the floor.

“I’ll take this one. That should give you all the space you need.” I frown at her remark and it’s like I can practicallyhearthe look Bodine and Mikey are giving each other behind my back right now.

“Katarina—”

She cuts me off, crossing her arms over her chest. “Do I have time to shower before we do whatever is next on the agenda?”

“Yes, you have time.”

“Great.” Then she disappears from the landing, and all I want to do is go after her. So I do the smart thing and head back out the door.

Looking out over the land this cabin sits on makes me think I wouldn’t mind living like this. I walk the property a bit, seeing if there’s anything worth sketching, before heading back to theporch. I walk in and see Mikey sitting on the couch scrolling through his phone.

“Where’s Bodine?”

“Upstairs with Kat.” Almost immediately I hear her laughing and my feet are moving up the stairs before I even know why I’m going up there. He’s walking out of her room as soon as I make it to the top, his eyes widening as soon as he sees me.

“Hey, Papi?—”

“Outside. Now.” I practically drag him out the back door and slam it shut behind us.

“Alright, what thefuckis going on with you and Kat?” I practically spit the words out. He smirks and it makes me want to punch him in the face repeatedly.

“Dude, calm down.”

“I will knock your teeth out if you say that to me again. You know she’s off limits, so why the fuck do you keep pushing things with her?”

His face twists. “I’m notpushinganything, except maybeyourbuttons.” He presses a finger into my chest, making my nostrils flare with frustration.

I slap his hand away. “You didn’t answer my question.”

“Why don’t you ask Kat?”

“Because I’m askingyou.”

He shrugs, tucking his hands into his pocket. “Nothing’s going on. We’re just friends.”

“Bullshit. You flirt with her every chance you get, she comes looking for you when she can’t sleep, she comes looking for you inmybedroom because she thinks it’syours. That sure doesn’t look likenothing. So you wanna try that answer again.” I’ve never spoken this way to my Bodine before and I hate that it’s happening now.But I can’t seem to stop myself from getting pissed off every time I see, or hear, them together.

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