Page 65 of Play Fast (Brooklyn Dawn 2)

He hurt your feelings by wanting you to dress like a video vixen yet you’re wearing the same getup to seduce him?

Oz might’ve been riding on fury to begin with, but I also knew he’d been trying to protect my honor. I had no doubt of that. The photographer had given me a lascivious look and said some truly shitty stuff, and Oz was a possessive man. I still hadn’t worked my way around to understanding how he’d come to be possessive of me in such a short time, but I also wasn’t adept at this whole sex thing. Maybe it was a natural consequence of being that close to someone. Sometimes the feelings lasted, sometimes they didn’t.

Looked like I’d be learning how all of this worked.

I took off my makeup and my bandage and took a quick shower, bracing my hands on the tile wall while I tried to get my bearings. My shoulders ached from tension. I’d slathered my hands with sanitizer at the police station until my palms were itchy and dry. I’d forgotten to bring my travel bottle to lunch, so I’d had to buy a bottle at the store down the block from the station.

When I felt out of control, the more I did stuff like that. Just like Oz pounded on things.

Or people.

A couple of tears slipped out, washed away in the warm water. If I hadn’t followed him this weekend, none of this would have happened. He wouldn’t have accidentally hit me coming out of his dream. He wouldn’t have had to kick a would-be robber’s ass, which would naturally be included in coverage of today’s unfortunate event, because they had to make the story as salacious as possible to sell copies. And he wouldn’t have felt compelled to attack the guy who’d probably seen me with my tits one breath from lingerie explosion.

Ugh.

Too late now. I had come here. Mistakes had been made, yes, but we’d also made

a little magic too. We couldn’t go back. So, we had to go forward.

I climbed out and dried off, then did my hair as best as I could with no hair dryer, curling wand or paddle brush. I should’ve bought some of those things at the store, but I’d been obsessed with makeup.

And later on, hand sanitizer.

First, I put a new, smaller bandage on my arm along with some Neosporin. Already, the cut hurt less. Small steps.

I dressed in the lacy red getup and tried not to wince at the big bruise on my cheek now that I’d scrubbed down. It wasn’t as horrific as I’d feared it would be, but it definitely required more than a little concealer. I added some lipstick and went au naturel otherwise. He’d seen me naked. He’d also seen me when I was a kid with no visible eyelashes to speak of—thanks, blond hair and fair skin—and problem skin and pigtails. I wasn’t going to pretend to be anyone else with him than who I was.

And tonight, who I was was a chick in red lace and red heels with lime green toenails.

I felt exposed without a layer of gloss over my imperfections, and I would’ve preferred the purple set over this one. I was getting a serious chill. But I wanted to help Oz forget, just as he’d helped me last night by holding me while I fell asleep. For a guy like him who avoided emotions, he’d jumped in with both feet.

So was I.

After a quick look up and down the hallway, I left the bathroom. The coast was clear, but I could’ve sworn I heard some tinny country music playing down the hall. It had to be Noah’s choice, because no way in hell would Oz ever listen to that.

I smiled. Good ol’ Johnny Cash. Though I really hoped Noah had those AirPods handy.

Just in case.

“One Part at a Time” was my soundtrack as I approached Oz’s closed bedroom door. Wasn’t exactly a club banger made for seduction, but I would make it work.

Three knocks later, Oz finally opened the door. He didn’t look at me, just stared off into space above my head. “I’m not hungry.”

“Glad to hear it, because I don’t have any food for you. Is the word woman synonymous with food provider in your male-sized brain or what?”

He still didn’t look at me. “Just assumed. I made food for you.”

That he had, and he’d also just made me a fat guilt sandwich. “Yeah, I didn’t think of it. Sorry. I haven’t eaten tonight either. Wasn’t really in the mood.”

Surprise, surprise there.

“Look, I’m not really in the mood to talk.”

“Funny, me either.” I braced a hand on the doorjamb. “Oz.”

He finally glanced my way. The quick bob of his Adam’s apple said everything his mouth didn’t. “I don’t think this is a good idea.”

“Noah has noise-cancelling headphones. Hopefully, he’ll use them. But if you’d rather go outside, I bet that swing on the porch might be fun.” I wasn’t sure it would hold both of us, especially if we were at all vigorous.

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