Page 84 of Lust

She’s not wrong. “Or some chicken wings,” I add.

“You know what I miss?” She stares into space, lost in a memory. “Ribs! Barbecued ribs and a bottle of bourbon.” She sighs.

I reach down under my bed. “I can’t help you with the ribs, but here.” I pull out a bottle and toss it to her. She catches it with one hand and stares at me.

“Consider it a thanks for the donuts and something to wash that shit down with.”

She holds the bottle of bourbon up. “Do you have a glass?”

“Nope. I usually drink it straight from the bottle.”

She hesitates for a second, then unscrews the cap and takes a long swig. “This is good. Why do you have a bottle of bourbon under your bed?”

I take the bottle back and suck down the dark liquid before passing the bottle back. “Anthura is easier to deal with when I’m drunk, so I keep a stash handy.”

“I hear you.” She smirks. “Anthura would drive me to drink. Course, I’m not fucking her.” She raises an eyebrow.

I bite back a bitter smile. “Yeah well. She made it pretty clear that she thinks I’m disgusting, so I don’t think that will be happening any time soon.”

Rowena runs her thumbnail over the edge of the bourbon label and begins to peel it off. When she speaks, her voice is quieter. “Yeah, it’s not nice when people call you disgusting, right to your face.”

Shit.“I’m sorry.”Fuck. I instinctively raise my hand to my face before remembering it’s barely there.

“Two apologies in one week,” she says, handing back the bottle. “Can I borrow your coat?”

I look up at her, confused? “What? Why?”

A sly smile curls at the corners of her lips. “Hell must be freezing over.”

“Tou-fucking-che. I’m an asshole.” I take the bottle from her and raise it in a mock toast, downing more of the bourbon than I should.

“Just leave some of that for me, Barclay. It’s been a really awful week.”

I wipe the top and hand it to her.

She sits thoughtfully for a second. It gives me a chance to study her profile. She’s actually not that bad looking in a weird sort of way. If she didn’t wear those ridiculous flowery headbands and styled her hair in a more modern way, she’d actually be fuckable.

Damn.I need to curb it on the bourbon. I don’t like the direction my thoughts are taking me.

“Do you know anything about Hades or Twila?” She finally asks. “Has Anthura mentioned where they are?”

“Is this why you’re really here?” I mutter. “To ask about your friend?”

She shakes her head. “Self-pity isn't your style,” she observes, her tone contemplative. “I've already told you my reason for being here. Yet, you've managed to avoid my question.”

“Anthura doesn’t tell me shit,” I spit out bitterly.

“I meant about why you saved me yesterday.” The bottle shakes as she holds her finger up to me. “And don’t give me any of that crap about me being in the way. The Felix Barclay I know would have bulldozed me out of the way to get to safety.”

I suck on my teeth in discomfort. I honestly don’t know why I saved her. Instinct? “I just did. Can we drop this?” I grab the bottle back from her and take another swig.

I feel dizzy with the medication mixing with the alcohol. I hand the bottle back to her. “The rest is yours. I don’t want any more.”

She gives me a curious look. “Why? You’ve hardly had any.”

Embarrassment coils within me. “Because last time I did, I ended up with a black eye.”

Her eyes lock onto mine. “No,” she asserts firmly. “You were completely sober when you kissed me.”

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