I grabbed a sweatshirt from my closet. “This is warmer than anything you have at home.”
She took off her jacket, put the sweatshirt on over her head, and zipped her jacket over it. She tucked her nose under the front of the sweatshirt. “It smells like you.”
“It’s my favorite. I wear it a lot.”
She pulled her face out and smiled. “I know.”
“Are we gonna talk about your stank ass all night, or are we gonna get going?” Billy barked.
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, come on.”
“Where are you taking us, Garin?” Kyle asked, walking a bit behind me.
We went down the stairs and out my front door, passing Kyle’s and Billy’s apartments on our way out of The Heart. “I’m taking you guys to the diner ’cause we all could use something to eat. Then, we’re going someplace where we can have some fun.”
I’d have to call Mario when we got to the diner. He let me use his indoor pool and hang out in his basement arcade whenever I wanted, but I needed permission to bring my friends. And then I’d have to have a talk with Billy. I’d never brought him to Mario’s before. I was afraid he’d steal something. I needed him to promise that he wouldn’t. Billy wouldn’t break a promise—not to me anyway.
“I’m down for some fun,” Billy said.
I waited for Kyle to say something. When she didn’t, I slowed down, so she could catch up to me.
“What about you?” I asked her.
Her smile was even bigger than it had been in my bedroom even though she was shivering now. “Of course I’m up for it.”
“Good.” I stopped walking, the three of us forming a tight circle.
Kyle’s teeth were chattering loud enough for Billy and me to hear. I had to get her out of this cold.
“You sure you can’t run, Billy?”
“Ahh, fuck. I can always run if I have to.”
I grabbed Kyle’s hand, and we took off.
“Then, start running!” I yelled at him from over my shoulder.
Once Kyle was sipping some hot chocolate at the diner, she finally stopped shaking. The three of us wolfed down bacon cheeseburgers with extra orders of fries and onion rings and headed over to Mario’s.
I knew Kyle had a good time at his place; she didn’t stop smiling or laughing the whole night. Mario even let us make eggs for breakfast and gave us a ride to school. Kyle fell asleep on my shoulder before Mario was even out of his neighborhood. I didn’t want to wake her when we pulled up in front of the school. She needed the sleep. But, when I did, I liked the way her eyes looked when she opened them real slow and rubbed the corners with her small fingers.
Shit, I liked it a lot.
But there weren’t many more nights like that one—the three of us together, sober, earning on the streets and celebrating with our shares. The nights that followed weren’t fun at all. They were tragic. Devastating.
They were really fucking dark…
If you would like to keep reading, click HERE to purchase Prisoned.
Coming Soon: The Lawyer
Releasing September 28, 2021 and live on pre-order now is an all new super steamy, stand-alone Contemporary Romance in The Dalton Brothers Series.
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