Page 29 of Sparks
He outright laughed, making his eyes crinkle as he surveyed me. When his amusement finally settled he responded, “I work on the docks in the port, along with various side jobs.”
I knew it! Side jobs! Code for cooking meth.
He chuckled again as he sipped his drink, muttering, “Chef.”
I glanced over at Beth, who was sandwiched between two of the guys. She stood between the legs of one who was sitting, her hand rubbing down his arm, and the other was behind her with his hands on her waist. That escalated quickly. But unlike me, she was living her best life with a huge smile. The dude between us was scrolling on his phone and hadn’t looked up since the introductions and shot.
Rick tapped the bar and gave the bartender a nod. “Six more shots.”
I made a face. “I probably shouldn’t. The first two went straight to my head.”
“It’s all good,” he said. “Something tells me you can handle a little more.”
I sighed, because the vodka was the only thing keeping my nerves at bay right now, and I knew I could handle another. I just didn’t want to get crazy and lose my inhibitions with possible cartel members. What I needed to do was get to the heart of Rick and break the stereotypes that were freaking me out.
“So,” I said. “How much do you love puppies?”
Once again, he chuckled and shook his head. “Girl, you fucking crazy.”
“Does that mean you love them a lot?”
“I’m not really a pet person.”
“Okay.” I took another drink. “What would you say is your life goal?”
“To get rich and stay rich. What’s yours? Lemme guess. White picket fence. Starbucks in your hand with a man telling dad jokes as you raise your two point five children.”
“Ooh,” I said. Damn. I wasn’t the only one rocking the stereotypes tonight.
The next round of shots hit the bar and I took mine, biting into the lemon and letting the sour zing fill my mouth. Sour like my current mood.
“I guess we’re not very well-matched, huh?” I said.
He shrugged and grinned, unbothered. “I mean, I’d fuck with you if you were willing to take a walk on the wild side, but I don’t think you’re down for that.”
His words lit a blaze inside of me. This guy, right here, would have sex with me. He and I could get completely naked. He would be nothing like Don—Rick would be rough and wild. My body at that moment was stuck between aroused and terrified. If we had sex, I’d probably be scared to death the whole time, which wasn’t conducive to the orgasm I really wanted.
Damn it.
I was officially the most boring loser in the metro area. Why was I so fucking boring? And why did he have to go and get a face tattoo? His eyes really were nice. And his sideways grin was cute. A warm buzz overcame me as I surveyed him. As he watched me, waiting, my inhibitions suddenly fell off the muddy side of a hill and slid down sloppily. I leaned forward and kissed him.
Rick took the back of my head and our tongues met, his velvety smooth. Hello tongue ring. He smelled like metal and smoke and cologne. Everything about it felt edgy, especially when his hand tightened in my hair enough to pull my scalp and make me whimper. I pressed my hips upward automatically and felt the tingle. Holy shit. He pulled back enough to look in my eyes. “Want more of that, babe?”
Yes. But no. It felt good, but his voice and vibe were scary as hell. My non-answer made him chuckle. “You ain’t ready.”
“No,” I whispered. He nodded and pulled back, turning to face the bar and his drink as if I weren’t there. It took me a full minute to catch my breath and calm down, and then Beth was there, her bright eyes beaming at me. I noticed the four guys standing, pulling on jackets and coats. Oh, thank God.
“That kiss was so hot!” she whispered. “I’m proud of you!”
“Oh. Thanks. I mean, no.” I shook my head.
“You ready?” one of the guys was at Beth’s shoulder, leering down at her with drooping eyelids.
“Yeah,” she said, then looked at me, practically bouncing on her toes. “We’re going into the city.”
“Huh?” My brain must have been fuzzy. “Who? Wait…no.”
Her head tilted in annoyance. “Don’t be like that. What do you have to do tomorrow? Nothing. Let’s go have some fun.”
