Page 25 of The Hate We Breathe
A muscle tics beneath my jaw as I glare at the woman. Handsome? Who the fuck does she think she’s calling handsome whenI’msitting right here?
After the waitress leaves, Gio snickers and I whip around to let him feel the heat of my glare. “What’s so fucking funny?” I demand.
He grins back at me before sliding closer across the bench seat. “You, Prep Girl.” His arm moves around my shoulders and he tugs me close. I turn my head away and grit my teeth.
“Fuck you.”
No sooner have the words left my lips than I’m gasping as Gio nuzzles into the side of my neck and something wet sneaks out and licks up my throat. Whirling towards him, I slap a hand to my skin and glare.
“What the fuck, Gio?” I hiss, glancing around to make sure no one had witnessed it.
Gio has no shame, though, and he sidles closer, gripping my hips and pulling me into his lap. “Calm down, Prep Girl,” he says, nuzzling against the back of my neck now instead of the side. He sweeps my hair out of the way and presses a kiss to my nape. “These booths are private.”
“Notthatprivate.” While it’s true that the booth walls are a bit taller than what you’d normally find in a restaurant, there’s still a clear view over the top of them and out of the opening to the table across from us. I growl and grab one of his wandering hands on my thighs and dig my nails in.
“We’re still in the center of the damn club and we can see the other tables, which means they can see us.”
“G, don’t push her,” Lex says, voice quiet.
In response, Gio groans and his wandering hands go slack against my skin. He sets his chin on my shoulder, staring over it to where Lex sits on the other side of the short table.
“I’m horny,” he whines. “I’m not used to going this long without sex and you’ve been hogging her at night.”
Twisting my head so I can glare at him, “You are such a manwhore,” I inform Gio. “I should’ve had you tested before we fucked.”
“Oh, don’t worry.” Gio grins back at me. “Lex had us all tested.”
“What?” I turn to look at Lex, who’s now lookingveryinterested in the flat surface of the table. “Lex?”
I narrow my eyes when all he does is shrug and sink back against the booth. The moment I open my mouth to demand an answer, the waitress returns. She plunks the virgin mojito down on the table between us before turning her attention to where Gio was originally sitting. I press my lips together in amusement when she realizes where he is now.
“They’re fine,” I tell her.
She bobs her head and disappears towards the bar without another word. I watch her go, waiting until she’s out of earshot before I lean forward and grab the drink.
“Why a virgin?” I ask, taking a sip of the minty soda water. “You were drinking the last time you came here, weren’t you?”
Gio shrugs and wraps his arms around my waist, pulling me back more fully against his chest. “Yeah, but we have fake IDs. Do you?”
I grimace. “No.” Good fake IDs are expensive and the one I did have was left behind in the house when the cops seized all of my parents’ assets.
“Virgin drinks it is, then,” Gio says. “Besides, we shouldn’t be drinking if we’re working today.”
“Thisis you working?” I lean against him, turning my face in his direction and arching a brow.
He presses a chaste kiss to my mouth so quickly that I barely feel the heat of his lips on mine before they’re already gone. “You can’t tell?”
“We’re collecting payments,” Lex says, drawing my attention around to him once more.
“Oh, right.” I stir my drink, staring into the bubbly liquid and crushing one of the mint leaves inside with the end of my straw. “I suppose that explains how he was able to threaten Ma-Ri to get rid of me.”
Gio’s arms tighten and when he speaks again, the playful teasing tone is gone. “Sorry, Prep Girl.”
I roll my eyes and plop my glass back down on the table before taking one of his hands and pulling it off my waist. I slide from his lap and onto the cushioned seat of the booth. “Oh, hush,” I tell him. “We both know you aren’t any more responsible for your shitty dad than I am for mine.”
He turns his hand over, weaving his fingers through mine before lifting them to his mouth. I watch, rapt and caught in his gaze, as Gio’s mouth opens and he presses a new kiss to my knuckles. Then, he turns my hand over, opens his mouth, and licks a path straight up the center of my palm. Just like he would if he were lickingotherparts of my anatomy. A shiver moves through me.
“Horndog,” I accuse lightly.
