"Love you too, Mr. Snuggles."
Like every other time, my stomach squeezed painfully when I spied a piece of paper under my windshield wiper. Kill walked behind me, and I began to panic the closer we came. Kill's eyebrow rose when I yanked it off my window and stuffed it into my back pocket.
“Coupon for this new coffee shop I wanted to try; I forgot to take it off my windshield,” I said, wincing at how guilty I sounded.
I could tell he wasn’t buying it, but thankfully he shrugged it off. “Have a good day at work.” He traced his finger down my cheek.
I wanted to let him scream our relationship to the world. My heart was sick of hiding us, while my brain kept slamming me with the reality that we didn’t have much time. It felt like I was in a perpetual bungee jump, plummeting toward Kill. It was exhilarating, but the yank back by reality, reminded me he wouldn't be around much longer.
“I'll see you later, Slick.” He winked at me, melting me into a puddle of lust as he walked away.
When I parked in the back lot of Ray's, I plunged for the letter in my back pocket. It had burned a hole in my jeans the entire drive to work. It had one word slashed angrily across the paper in red.
MINE
I stared at the blood-colored word until it blurred, and then shoved the fucker in my glove compartment.
As the night went on, I found it harder and harder to push the note to the back of my mind. The boys cheered me on as they always did during my karaoke number, giving me a tiny reprieve.
Amy was stuck at work, and Jet moped around, missing his partner in crime. Jessie was avoiding Van, and I had to clamp my jaw shut as I watched his eyes track her every move.
Bambi was unusually chipper making the whole night seem wrong. Ryan stared at her with suspicious eyes as I made my way to the bar. "I think someone slipped something in her drink." Ryan wiped the bar down as she spoke, but her eyes never strayed from Bambi.
"Well, if that's the case, we need to start doing it every night," I told her.
Ryan threw her head back and laughed. Most of the men at the bar stared at her with lust in their eyes. She had dyed the pink streaks in her hair a dark blue, making her look more mysterious. Her brown eyes even more prominent behind the black eye-lined rims. Her snug black tank-top hugged her body, barely connecting with her tight red leggings. She was hot. "You're right. How can we do it?"
While we were trying to figure out how we could keep Bambi in her happy drugged stupor, a gorgeous man in a blue shirt and jeans walked into the bar. Bambi ran to him and threw her arms around his neck screaming at the top of her lungs. He spun her around, hugging her tightly.
I turned to ask Ryan if she knew who he was, but stopped when I saw her staring slack-jawed at the guy Bambi was wrapped around. Her eyes were wide, a slight red tint to her cheeks—something I didn't think I would ever see on the badass bartender.
The boys rose from their table and headed toward the guy, who was extricating himself from Bambi. He was close to Kill's height, the muscle tone evident under his form-fitting shirt. His dark-brown hair was shaved close to his head, intense hazel eyes scanning the crowd, his lips smiling when he saw the boys coming toward him.
Kill reached him first. When Bambi moved away, Kill grabbed the stranger, giving him a hug which involved pounding him hard on the back. All the guys followed suit with this weird guy-hug, ensuring their groins didn't brush against one another. I thought it was highly amusing that Ryan still hadn't moved, watching the new guy’s every movement.
“A bug's going to fly in your mouth if you don’t close it,” I said, nudging her with my hand to break the spell.
Ryan blinked and glanced at me, her cheeks turning an even brighter shade of red. “Do you know who that is?” she asked, tracking him with her eyes as they went toward their table.
I shook my head. Kill snagged a chair as they made room for the newcomer. Bambi was practically shaking as she followed him. She snaked her arm around his waist, begging for attention. He looked down at her, laughing at whatever she was babbling on about.
“It figures that she would have her hooks in him,” Ryan grumbled. Her voice was filled with venom, and it caught me off guard. She glared at their backs as they embraced.
“I'll be right back,” I said. Operationfind out who the fuck this dude iswas in full swing.
“So, how long are you here for?” I overheard Kill ask the new guy.
“I leave tomorrow. I went to visit my grandma and only had time to come back for one night,” new guy answered.
Bambi sniffled, and he leaned down and kissed the top of her head. “Don’t worry Bambam; I'll be back before you know it.”
I was stunned to see her eyes fill up with tears as she stared at him with what could only be described as hero worship.
“Hi,” I said, scooting close to Kill. I was able to draw comfort just being near him. I wondered what it was going to be like when he was gone from my everyday life.
“Hey, Slick,” he said locking eyes with me. Just for a moment, we were the only two people in the bar.
Jet broke the spell when he opened his mouth. “Hey, you were so fucking sexy up there. Are you going to sing again? Maybe we could do a duet. I'm bored without my Amy.”
