Page 39 of Bullet
“Well, I mean…I don’t judge, but I am firmly into beautiful women like yourself.”
She blushes a bit more. “I’m Adalyn.”
“Jake. Nice to meet you.” I tell her a nickname of my name I almost never use.
It feels wrong giving her my real name. I don’t want to know her, and I don’t want her to know me, but we both seem stuck on a path that neither of us can change.
“Well, I think the section you are looking for is down there.” She points around the corner where there is indeed a sign that says “Sci-Fi.”
“Oh. Thank you. I should leave you alone with your books.” I nod my head at her.
“Or you could stay and chat?” She sounds so hopeful, which makes me feel like shit.
If I were any other man, this woman would be a dream come true, but my heart has long since been claimed. I feel dirty just talking to this woman, even if it’s for club business.
Still, I stop and turn to her.
“Yeah. I could stay for a bit.”
Her phone dings then, and her face pales. I don’t like the fear in them, but she covers it up before she looks up at me.
“I’m sorry. I need to go. Um, can I give you my number?” she asks.
“Yeah. I would love that. Here,” I tell her, handing her the burner phone Trigger gave me.
She types her number in, then smiles when her phone dings.
“I texted myself so I know it’s you. I hope you won’t wait three days to call me.”
I laugh. “Never make a beautiful woman wait. That’s what my mom always told me.”
“Smart woman. I’ll see you later then?”
“For sure.”
I watch as she walks to the front and checks out. She blushes when she looks back one more time to find me watching her. When the door shuts behind her, I expect Harlee to come out raising hell. It scares the hell out of me when she walks out with a box of books and goes back to stocking.
“Can we talk?” I ask her.
She looks up at me with a forced smile. “What about? We are just friends. You can flirt with whoever you want.”
That hurts more than if she had yelled at me. I did tell her we were friends, and really, that is all I can ever be to her, but it doesn’t stop me from wanting there to be more. For wanting her to fight for us.
“Harlee…”
“Stop, Bullet. You have your orders. I get it. I don’t like it, but I get it. Honestly, it’s for the best. She’s really pretty, and I’m sure she will look great on your arm.”
I grab her arm, turning her to me. “She means nothing. I don’t want her.”
“You don’t want me either. I have to let go of this crush I have on you. I’m finally getting my life back on track, and I can’t lose you, too. So if it means we are friends, then we are friends. You wanted me to grow up. This is what that looks like.” She says the last bit in a whisper.
I cup her cheek, letting my forehead fall to hers. “It’s not like that. It’s club business. She means nothing. She might be a pretty face, but her beauty doesn’t hold a candle to you.”
She swallows hard. “Are you going to defy my father and the club rules?”
It’s the first time she has acknowledged what keeps me at a distance from her. She really is growing up.
“If I do, I forfeit my place in the club and possibly my life,” I tell her.
