I felt like I had spun a bottle all my life and its neck had always come to a stop, pointing in the wrong direction. I guess I had unknowingly spun the bottle again, and once more, I’d been pointed the wrong way. I wanted to mean something to Torin, not just a passing steamy as fuck night four years ago that I had been unable to forget. I knew he’d cared, and I felt he still did, but he was pushing me away, and I didn’t know why. He had been the one; the one I would have spent the rest of my life with—made babies with, but that dream had died the same day as he had. I had tried to move on with other men, to forget, but I just hadn’t been able to—none had ever measured up, none had lit the spark Torin had. That night in the pickup with Rook on the way to the hospital, I had forgiven Torin of the hurt he induced within me by hiding the fact he was alive. I had spent the last month in his presence, yet he had never once let on who he truly was, and I didn’t understand why he had left the SMOS or why he had left me. It had fucked with me, hard. However, when I had thought I was losing him again, everything I had been so mad about, had become such insignificant things. Now here I sat, trying to find meaning. Trying to understand. Trying to find purpose.
Heaving a breath, I pushed off the ground and climbed to my feet. The mosquitoes had decided I tasted divine, and the little blood suckers were harvesting their nightcap off me. I didn’t like killing any creature, and that included spiders, but a mosquito? Yeah, I’d squish the damn thing in a heartbeat. June bugs? Yeah them too—they were both bugs straight from hell as far as I was concerned. Swatting at the ones on my arms, I hurried toward the bomb-shelter and pushing the door open, I ran through it. Rook just happened to be heading out as I was coming in, and at the look on his face at my mad swatting, I rolled my eyes, breathing, “Demons,” before continuing on my way.
A grin stole across my lips, when from behind me, I heard him mutter, “What the fuck?”
As I stepped further into the common room, I did a quick glance around, then my steps came to a stop, before continuing across the floor. When I reached my destination, I grabbed a hold of miss rub-one-out’s arm and jerked her off Torin’s lap and onto the floor. When she made to stand up again, I placed my hand on her head, holding her down as hissed, “Stay down, rubber, Torin and I have business. Now, if you have something to say when he and I are done, come look me up.” Afterward, I turned a pointed eye at Torin, growling, “Get your ass up, we are going to have that talk you mentioned a few weeks back!” If he was strong enough to have that skank sitting on his lap, he damn sure was strong enough to talk to me. I’d been giving him excuses, but no more, I was done.
I continued to stand in front of him, my hands on my hips, waiting. After a few seconds, he grunted, grabbed the cane that was helping him walk while his leg continued to heal, then stood, and without looking at me, he walked past me. It didn’t phase me, because I had my mind made up. We were so doing this.
I followed behind Torin all the way to his room, and as he came to a stop in front of his door, he turned to look at me, then raising an eyebrow he asked, “Something crawl up your ass, Princess?”
“Don’t you princess me,” I spat. “There was only one man I allowed to call me that, and he died!”
I watched shock roll across Torin’s face, however, he never said a word. Best he didn’t!
I’d swore Hell would be waiting for him when he came to me, but seeing as how that didn’t appear to be happening, I’d packed it in my pocket and was bringing it with me. So, when Torin just continued to stare at me, I reached my arm out before him, and grasping the door knob, I twisted, afterward pushing the door open, I snapped, “Either you walk in that room yourself, or by God, I’ll drop-kick you into it.”
With a snort of a laugh, Torin turned and walked into his room, then promptly shut the door in my face and locked it. MOTHER FUCKER!
Oh hell no! Reaching in my pocket, I pulled out the key I’d stashed in it earlier. Ya know, it pays to have a friend who knows how to make keys.
Then, with an evil grin spreading my lips wide, I inserted the key in the knob and turned it. “Stop me you evil shit,” I breathed.
When I stepped into the room, Torin had his shirt half over his head, and it gave me a momentary pause, before flying across the space between us, I grabbed the shirt, and holding it in place, I made sure he couldn’t lift it any further or wiggle away from me.
“Marl,” he growled, “let go.”
“Nope, don’t think so. Not happening,” I returned. “I got you right where I want you and you’re gonna listen for once.”
“Oh really" You think so?” he quipped back in response.
I gave a laugh, “Oh yeah, I know so,” I murmured.
“You sure of that?” he asked.
Thinking it over, I grinned, “Yeah, pretty damn sure.”
The next thing I knew, I was lying on my back, and looking up into a set of eyes dark with hunger, before head swooping down, he covered my lips with his.