Page 20 of Cinder
Not to mention all the blood rushing south.
I’m amazed I can still stand.
Not that she notices. She picks up the shot and drinks down the tequila, then sucks on the lime wedge.
A burst of citrus floats between us.
“Your turn,” she says, licking the lime juice from her lips.
She sprinkles salt on her hand and offers it to me, so I make eye contact with her as I take her hand and slide my tongue along her skin.
Heat flares in her eyes, and her smile wavers. But it quickly returns when I take the shot glass and tip the tequila down my throat. The lime I could do without. But I do it anyway. To please her.
Our eyes meet again.
“I saw that in a movie once and always wanted to do it,” she says.
“Another?”
“Oh no, I’ll do things I regret if I have another.”
“Which I highly encourage.”
A slow smile touches her lips. “I bet you would.”
“Life is too short to play it safe. Sometimes you’ve got to just say fuck it.”
“And what would me saying fuck it look like tonight?” she asks.
I take a step closer. “You. Me. Exploring where those tequila shots take us.”
She leans an elbow against the bar. “You’re very self-assured.”
“Among other things.”
She shakes her head and laughs, tucking her hair behind her ear.
My gaze drops to the watch on her wrist.
It seems out of place. Because this firecracker is all biker girl with her wild hair, high boots and a tight dress that shows off an impressive rack. But the elegant piece of jewelry suits her.
I nod toward the watch. “Interesting piece of jewelry.”
“It was my mother’s,” she says.
“It’s beautiful.”
“She wore it all the time. My father gave it to her the day I was born.”
Her eyes get that distant look in them when someone recalls something that hurts. I know, because I’ve seen that distant gaze around here a lot.
Frowning, she lifts her lashes and brings her gaze back to me, along with a self-deprecating smile that’s all dimples and cute. “Well, that’s a story for another time.”
“Baby, I’ve got all the time in the world,” I say.
She cocks another eyebrow at me. “Baby?”
“I don’t know your name.”
