“I didn’t know you were out.”
Not stopping my pace, I squint my eyes and face forward.
We’ve stepped out of the shopping area. I might add it was a lot easier to make my purchases this time than last time because asshole rent-a-cop must have had a day off.
“You live locally?”
He doesn’t ask if I am back with my druggy mother, even though I know that’s what he wants to know.
Again, I don’t answer him.
“August, can you stop, so I can talk to you?”
I huff. Stop. Then turn to face him. Not speaking.
Sully scratches his head and gives me a sort of smile. “Thanks, man. I’ve been trying to see you.” It’s a lie, but I don’t want to argue about a moot point, so I turn around and keep walking. “Fuck, man, I have.”
“You don’t owe me anything, Sully. Now, fuck off.” I hear his footsteps stop, but I don’t slow down. As I walk down my street, I see a very attractive woman sitting on my bottom step. When she notices I am there, I swear I see a glitter in those dark eyes.
“Rich girl.” I smile because I simply can’t help myself. She is perfect. And a very nice sight after Sully.
“Hey, hope you don’t mind I popped around. I left my jacket here.”
“Come in,” I tell her, opening the door and stepping inside. I nod to where her jacket is on the back of the couch, and she reaches for it, then turns back to face me.
“You went shopping?” she asks, surprised.
“Yep, a man’s got to eat.”
She nods.
“You want to stay for dinner, rich girl?” Her dark eyes fall back to me, and I smirk at her.
“I mean… you do owe me.” She places her jacket down again and heads over to the counter. I open the fridge and hand her a beer. She takes the bottle from my outstretched hand, opens it, and places it to her mouth.
Damn, the things I could do with that mouth…
“You sure Anderson won’t get upset you’re here?”
“No. There’s no more Anderson.”
Well, fuck, her words surprise me. I raise an eyebrow, and she simply shakes her head.
“So now you can spend your time with the less fortunate,” I say, playing with her. She opens her mouth to defend herself against my words but shuts it and takes another drink instead.
“I want you to kiss me,” she blurts out.
“I don’t kiss girls like you.”
“You have,” she says defensively, holding her head high, the beer clutched firmly in her hand.
I smirk and shake my head as I get the pasta out and put some water on to boil.
“No, I did it to amuse myself. That wasn’t a real kiss. That was nothing more than a child’s kiss,” I answer. When I turn back, she is assessing me with her brows scrunched together, her eyes stuck on me but not really seeing me.
“You don’t want to kiss me?”
I drop the pasta in boiling water and move around the counter until I’m standing next to her. She turns ever so slightly and tilts her chin up.
“It’s not those lips I would kiss.” Her face turns bright red, and she quickly turns her head away, bringing her drink to her lips. I lean in, so I’m close to her ear. “And we both know you don’t want me to do that. Not a dirty man like me,” I say to her with a bite of venom in my voice. I watch her shudder before I resume cooking.
“Paige been around this week?” she asks, changing the subject.
“What are you doing here, rich girl. You got no friends?” My voice is harsh, and I don’t check for her reaction. “Am I the only one who puts up with you?”
“You offered to feed me, August,” she bites back.
“Okay, yeah, you’re right.” I focus back on cooking. I hear her finishing off her beer and she grabs another one.
“Who taught you to cook?”
“The internet,” I tell her truthfully. The things my mother taught me to cook are not what a child should be anywhere near.
“You aren’t close to your mother?”
I dish up our food, after adding bacon and garlic to the pasta, then slide hers over to her.
“Why are you asking so many questions?” I bite back as she puts her fork in the pasta and twirls it around.
“How come you don’t like sharing?”
“Eat your food and leave, rich girl. I’m sure you have places to be rather than here, annoying me.” I glance up to see her pushing her plate away. She’s finished half of it.
“I do, actually. I need to move. You free tomorrow?”
“Are you requesting my services or telling me to make myself available?” My head drops to the side. “Because you’re shit at asking.”
She shakes her head with her eyes slightly closed before she stands and walks around to my side of the counter. She steps to me, only leaving a foot of space between us as she smirks. “August, I would love your manly help tomorrow to move all my big items.” She flutters her eyelashes at me.
I know she’s doing it as a joke, but my cock appreciates all that effort.
“Sure.”
She claps her hands together, kisses my cheek, and quickly turns around. Grabbing her things, she throws her bag over her shoulder as she heads for the door. “I’ll pick you up.”
Chapter 11
Rylee
August lifts my mattress, and I can’t help but stare at his bulging muscles. I really should be doing something else besides watching him carry all my things inside.
I really should.
But it’s so hard to look away.
So I don’t.
Anderson never had a body like this. Sure, he was fit, but not to the point you could see the veins in his hands whenever he moved them.
I like veins in men’s hands now.
I like a lot of new things.
August being the main thing.
Like the side stink-eye he gives me every time he catches me watching him. He never speaks of it, just continues on with whatever he’s doing.
August said a quick, gruff hello, and that’s all I have gotten out of him all day since I picked him up. He’s dressed in dark blue jeans with a light blue shirt that continually rides up, giving me an eyeful of his toned stomach, every time he picks up something new.
I have carried all my small things up already, and now it’s just the bigger items that need placement around the place. I offered help, but he turned me down.
So I lean against the back of my borrowed truck and simply watch him.
“You really should remove your shirt. It’s only getting in the way,” I tell him, bringing the straw of my drink to my lips and taking a sip before I let anything else slip out.
August’s hands go to his shirt, and in a quick movement, he has it off and over his head, then he throws it at my face. I giggle as I pull it away and see him already going on to the next thing.
“Oh, I didn’t know we signed up for a strip show. Noah, you should do that, too.” I turn to see Noah shaking his head at my sister as he walks by helping August.
August speaks to him, not in any manner he speaks to me, and I watch, fascinated.
“Ummm, what’s going on?” Rhianna asks, and I turn to see her staring at me.