Page 20 of Skid
I was so spun up by his beautiful green eyes and sexy dimples that I’d almost forgotten why I was there. Then, I looked down at the money in my hand, and the heat returned to my chest. I walked down the steps and extended the money toward him as I said, “I’ll get the rest to you as soon as I can.”
“Whoa.” He looked down at the money with a frown. “What’s this?”
“It’s the money for the power bill.” My voice shook, more from emotion than anger. “You had no right to do that. I didn’t ask for your help.”
His eyes were trained on mine as he took a step closer. “I didn’t do it for thanks.”
“Good,” I snapped. “Because I’m not thanking you.”
“So, you’re pissed.”
“Of course, I am! I made it clear that I didn’t want you to get involved, and you stepped in anyway.”
“They should’ve never cut off your power, babe.” The way he called me babe made butterflies erupt in my stomach, but it wasn’t enough to counter my anger. Skid crossed his arms, making it clear he wasn’t backing down. “You have a kid, and you were just a couple of days late. That shit’s on them.”
“Doesn’t change the fact that they did, and it doesn’t change the fact that you went against my wishes.”
“I was trying to help.”
“I didn’t ask for your help.”
“You are so damn stubborn.” He shook his head. “You don’t have to fight every battle alone. You just have to be willing to let me help.”
“Just take the money.”
“Not taking it.”
“No one asked you to play hero…”
Before I could finish, he reached up, cupped my cheeks with his hands, and pulled me close. I could smell a hint of cologne mixed with motor oil as he leaned in and pressed his mouth against mine, silencing me with a kiss.
It wasn’t soft. It wasn’t careful. It was the kind of kiss that made everything else—my anger, my embarrassment, and everything in between—fade away. It was just him and me, and to my surprise, I didn’t resist.
I stood there, and not only did I let him kiss me, but I kissed him back.
7
SKID
“Things between you two seem to be gettin’ serious.”
“You could say that.”
“Been with her every day this week.”
“Didn’t realize you were keeping tabs.”
“Just looking out for you.” Dad’s voice was riddled with concern as he asked, “You thought about this? I mean, really thought about it?”
“What’s to think about?” I shrugged. “I like her.”
I wasn’t lying. I did like her. I liked her a lot. It was impossible not to.
She was incredible, and the past few weeks with her had been better than I could’ve hoped for. Don’t get me wrong. We had a rocky start. She was pissed about me paying off her electric bill, and I damn near lost her before we even got started. She was prideful and determined, and she’d thought I’d overstepped.
And in all actuality, I did.
But after some convincing, I managed to talk her down from the fence. That was only after I’d agreed to let her pay me back a little each month. Once we got all that out of the way, she agreed to another night out, and that led to another date andanother. They were your typical first dates where you worry about what you should or shouldn’t say, but strangely enough, that awkwardness didn’t last long. We just hit it off.
