Page 44 of Risks of Temptation
"I will. You, too."
She rubs my back then freezes. She murmurs in my ear, "Are you not wearing a bra?"
"It's dirty and smells like sweat."
She pulls back and glances down at my chest.
"What? Don't get all judgy."
Her lips twitch. "I'm not."
"Did you want me to wear my stinky panties, too?"
She holds her hands in the air. "I'm not judging."
Andre and Malin come over. Andre puts his hand on Naomi's shoulder. "It's time to go."
We hug again, and she turns to Malin. "Please take care of her."
I groan inside. I'm not a child.
"I will," he adamantly states.
We embrace again and wipe our faces.
"I'll see you in a few days," I bravely say.
She nods, and they leave.
I watch her go, and dread fills me.
It must be nerves about being alone with Malin. Everything will be fine. Andre will protect her.
I don't know Andre, but something tells me if anyone tries to mess with Naomi, they'll get a bullet to the head.
"You okay, ma belle?" Malin asks.
Be brave, don't be a crying baby.I turn and smile. "Yep. Are you going to tell me what's going on?"
His jaw clenches. "Let's talk about that later."
All I ever hear is later.I tilt my head and cross my arms.
He glances at my arms and his eyes linger.
Maybe I should have worn a bra, I think, suddenly self-conscious. If I were home, I would never go anywhere without one.
When his eyes meet mine again, there's a new look in them. I recognize it. It's how Andre's been looking at Naomi.
My butterflies take off.
"We need to go, ma belle."
We say our goodbyes to Axel and Penelope.
"You'll find your daughter. If I can do anything to help, I will. Hopefully, it won't take long to get wherever we are going, and I'll see you in a few days," I tell her.
"Thanks." She embraces me tighter.
