Page 21 of Are You Gonna Run?
I don’t miss the subtle change in his voice, the deep timber instantly reminding me of what this man is capable of. It makes me almost too excited for what’s to come.
“You’re on, Eris. You’re on.”
Eleven: The Skeleton In My Closet
Eris
“Fuck off, I don’t care what you dicks think.” Shoving my brother, I flip off the other one for good measure as I struggle to carry the twelve foot skeleton to my truck. “You’re both just jealous I got a girl.”
“Do you, though?” Enzo teases. “Pretty sure she said it was too soon earlier this week.”
Why do I tell them anything ever? Plus, it’s a new week, and although I don’t plan on asking her again so soon, I know every day I force myself into her bubble she lets me in a little more. It’s scary for her, and tobe honest, I thought it would be scary for me too. But really it just feels right. She’s mine, she just hasn’t admitted it yet. “Whatever. Tell me how Tinder’s going for you. I deleted the app after having it for five days, you two assholes are running out of options.”
“There are always options when you look like us,” Evan argues. “You can’t talk shit to us when you’re the one that got whipped after your first date.”
There’s that word again.
It makes me laugh because it doesn’t land the way they want it to. I don’t care if I seem whipped — I am. She’s the only one I want to fuck and I don’t understand why guys get all offended at being called out for it. It’s like you’re less manly if you’re not fucking as many girls as you can.
Usually my brothers aren’t so immature about it, but if I had to guess why they’re acting like this, I bet it’s because they know it has the potential to be real. Maybe it comes from a fear of losing me too? “I can’t understand you. Can you try speaking with less jealousy?”
They help me get the giant bastard in the bed of the truck in spite of our shittalking, and then after a few more minutes of pointless bickering, I leave to go to Rowyn’s.
The nerves of being rejected lessen with every day I show up uninvited, but I still feel them when I pull into her driveway and make my way to the door. Knocking, I fidget a little as I wait for her, and when she opens it with a smile, all those negative fears dissipate. For once, I already showered at home, and am fully ready to start our weekend together. “I have a surprise for you, but you have to let me cover your eyes and walk you to the truck.”
“Surprise, huh?” she asks skeptically, but steps out and closes her eyes all the same. “I like surprises.”
“I know, you loved that blanket.” I cover her eyes and take a second to check out her ass, then lead her over to see what I brought. “Gonna need a little help getting him out, but...”
I move my hands away so she can see the gangly monstrosity up close and personal, and the giant smile on her face makes me forget the rest of the world even exists.
She lets out a squeal and climbs up into the bed to hug the damned thing, then yells, “His name is Ralph!”
“Yup,” I agree. I’d seriously name this fucker anything if it kept that damn smile on her face. “Where should we put him?”
Rowyn trips and falls right into his lap as she tries to hug him tighter, then peeks her adorable purple head over the side of the bed. “In the front yard, but facing the house. He’s for me to look at, not everyone else. He can moon the people passing by.”
I think I love you.
Wait.
Oh, thank fuck I didn’t just say that out loud.
“You got it, sweetheart.” It takes us about ten minutes to get Ralph exactly where she wants him to be, and when she stands on her porch to stare at him, I move in to hold her from behind. “Should we keep him in the living room in the off season? I’m sure a pressure wash would have him looking as good as new. Or maybe in your basement so he can keep you company while you work.”
“The ceiling is too low in the basement, but we could have him sit in the corner. Ithink I want him upstairs though. I could make him his own bedroom.”
“For sure. Shit, what about a Halloween themed room so you have somewhere to go when you miss fall? We can put up spider webs and have little ghosts all over.”
She turns to look at me like she’s never seen me before, then throws her arms around my neck and kisses me deeply. It’s the kind of kiss you can’t fake. One that overshadows all her fears, and when I lift her up by her thighs, I know she feels what I do. “Kissing me like I just earned a blowjob,” I tease, but she nods enthusiastically as she bites my lip.
“You definitely did. Go inside.”
I don’t hesitate.
I may not make the smartest decisions all the time, but when a beautiful woman is ordering you inside for a blowjob, you don’t fucking argue. That’s just Life 101.
In all honesty, I didn’t bring Ralph for anything in return but her smile, but she’s not going to hear an ounce of an argument from me as I take a seat on her couch and grind against her before she can move off my lap. “Missed you today.”
