Page 36 of Bullet
“You ready to head out?” I ask.
Harlee looks over at me and smiles. “Yeah, if you don’t mind. My phone died, and I’m kind of tired. It’s been a long day.”
“I’ll see you guys later. Make sure you get home safe,” Wrath says before he walks away.
“Come on, let’s get out of here.”
I rest my hand on her lower back and usher her toward the door. Periodically stopping to tell people bye as we make our way outside.
When we finally get to my bike, I hand her the helmet that is specifically for her. Feeling her climb on behind me has relief filling me. She’s still here. At least for a little while.
We make the fifteen-minute drive to her house without incident. When we get there, I follow her inside.
“Are you staying?” she asks.
“I planned on it. Unless you don’t want me to. I can send someone else to stay with you.”
I watch as she bites her lower lip, and I fight the instinct to reach over and free it. I want to be the only one who bites that lip. I push the thought away. It’s not like that between us. Not now at least.
“Are you okay?” Harlee asks as she studies me.
I clear my throat. “Yeah, I’m good. Hey, I actually want to run something by you.”
“What’s up?”
“Wrath was just telling me that Midnight is hiring at the tattoo shop. What do you think about working there? At least until you’re ready to leave. If you still plan on leaving.”
Her nose scrunches. “I don’t know, I’ve never had a job before and I don’t want to disappoint him…”
“Why do you think you would disappoint him?”
“Because I’ve never worked a day in my life.” She laughs. “That and I don’t know the first thing about working at a tattoo shop.”
“Do you think Lainey had any idea about how to work at a tattoo shop when she was hired?” I tease, making her laugh.
When Midnight hired Lainey, he did it as a favor to her. She didn’t have the first clue about tattoos, let alone working at a tattoo shop. She caught on quickly and then captured his heart too. I’m happy to see him so in love.
“Very true,” she muses.
“So what do you think? Are you at least willing to try?”
Harlee takes her time answering. “You know what, why not. If you’re sure he’s okay with hiring me, then I’ll do it.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah,” she says softly.
We stare at each other for a moment. All I want to do is pull her into my arms and kiss her.
I push the thought away. It’s not like that between us, I remind myself.
I clear my throat, breaking eye contact. “Cool, I’ll find out when he wants you to start. Sound good?”
“Yeah, it sounds good. Thanks, Jacob. You didn’t have to do this, and I hope you know I appreciate it.”
“It’s not a big deal.”
Doesn’t she know I do anything for her?
