Page 92 of Brittle Heart

I chuckle, striding back toward the bar area, where I find Clay still charming the blonde girl. He spots me coming and gives me a raised eyebrow. I simply nod and head toward the exit.

He wraps up his conversation quickly and joins me outside. “So? How did it go?” he asks, glancing at me sideways.

“Good,” I say. “She agreed to let us pick her up after her shift.”

Clay whistles, “Nice, man. That’s progress.”

“I know,” I say, a grin spreading across my face. “Let’s get some coffee. We’ve got half an hour to kill.”

* * *

Carolina

Already having closed everything up, I’m waiting outside the bar when a police car pulls up in front of me.

Josh gets out and opens the back door for me. “My lady.” He grins as I slide in.

“How was your night, kitten?” Clay asks from the driver’s seat.

“Long,” I say, thinking about the rollercoaster of emotions I went through. “Yours?”

“Pretty entertaining, like a kitten scavenger hunt. Although I must say, some bars around here are just plain dirty.” I don’t miss the cringe in his voice.

I huff. “I bet Donny’s is the worst.” We quickly arrive in front of my building, and Josh gets out to open my door for me. “Bye,” I say to Clay, looking at him through the rearview mirror.

“Take your time…” he winks at me, “… and don’t forget, your tongue has to move counterclockwise.”

“What?” I blurt out, my eyes widening.

Clay turns in his seat to look at me. “I could give you some lessons so Josh doesn’t think you kiss like a dead fish. You know what happened with the guy who was into Sophia.” He’s obviously teasing, but a pit of worry sits in my stomach.

Josh leans in and gently grabs my hand, pulling me out of the car. “Don’t fill her head with your bullshit, Clay,” he says, closing the car door with too much force.

He guides me to the door with his hand on my back before he pulls me in with one arm and kisses my forehead, lips brushing against my skin. “Don’t listen to him. I fucking loved kissing you. I could kiss you all day. In fact, I think I promised a goodnight kiss.”

He takes my head in both his hands and brings his lips to mine, lingering for a sweet moment in a tender kiss. Then, he tilts my head a bit more and lets his tongue glide over my bottom lip. I open for him, and our tongues meet. I try to remember what Clay said about clockwise, but Josh breaks the kiss and pushes me against the door with his body, his knee pressing between my thighs.

“When I’m kissing you, I’m the only one you think about,” he whispers before diving back in, kissing me harder and more passionately than ever, making me forget everything. I’m dizzy when he breaks the kiss again, giving me one last peck before whispering, “Sleep well, my Carolina.”

“Night,” I manage to breathe out.

CHAPTERTHIRTY-SIX

Clay

On my way to Xander’s shop, I collect coffees and bagels for everyone. It’s eleven in the morning, but I know he’s tattooing a friend of ours today, so I figure it won’t be a big deal to drop by.

I couldn’t sleep, and I’ve debated for a while if I should do this, but I have to do something, or I’ll go insane.

Since Carolina started dating Josh, I’ve been feeling, I don’t know, jealous? Not in a way that I’m not happy for them, but it’s just that Carolina is completely occupied with him now. Whenever we’re together, she’s always talking to or looking at him, smiling and laughing like she never did with me before. It bugs me, and I miss our banter. I know it’s stupid, but I consider her my new best friend and miss spending time with her.

So, I’m just going to ambush her while she’s working at Xander’s shop. At least she can’t run away from me there, and Josh is still at home sleeping, so nothing will distract her.

I walk into the shop, and the door dings, signaling my entry. Carolina is leaning over the counter, jotting something down on a notepad. She glances up with a customer service smile, but the smile disappears as soon as she sees me.

“Oh, come on. Don’t give me that vacant zombie look, or I might think you’re out to eat me,” I tease, smirking at her.

“Zombies eat brains, so you’re safe,” she says before returning her attention to her work.

---