"Please, let Ryan tell her why he's staring at her. I'll give you all the tips I earned tonight," Denise begged.
"You two are evil," I said as I watched Ryan's eyes light up at the suggestion.
Jessie had remained unusually quiet, avoiding Van whenever he came near.
“Ready to go, Slick?” Kill asked, slinging his arm around me when the bar was all shut down.
I nodded my head, my anxiety ratcheting up in expectation of the conversation we were going to have. As much as I tried to avoid drama, it seemed to keep popping up. We said goodnight to everyone and went toward the back door. Just when I thought we were in the clear, Bambi sidled up and placed her palm on Kill’s chest. She completely ignored the fact that Kill's arm was over my shoulders.
“When you're done slumming, I won’t hold her against you. Once you regain your senses, I'll be here waiting for you.”
My mouth unhinged and dropped to the recently-swept bar floor. Kill’s arm moved off my shoulder as my brain tried to jumpstart from the shock it had just experienced. I tried to catch his hand and keep it where it lay, but he moved faster than my brain was working. He plucked Bambi’s hand off and dropped it hastily, as if touching her had burned him.
I chanced a look at Kill, wanting to gauge how pissed off he was. His dimples dented deeply into his cheeks, and his face wore a look of disgust. There was nothing I could do for her, not that I wanted to, but his expression told me he was beyond all reason.
“As a matter of fact, I am done slumming.”
Bambi’s face lit up with triumph. For the first time, she acknowledged me by looking at me as if I stood in her place. For a split second, I almost felt sorry for her, but my pity didn't last long.
“I promised your brother I would look after you while he was gone. That's the only reason I’ve been so willing to help you-because I respect Matt. You must’ve been blind if you didn’t see me with all those bar skanks hanging all over me, knowing I was taking them home to warm my bed before Faith came along.”
I flinched when he mentioned the bar skanks. He must have felt it, because he hugged me tightly into his side.
“But remember this; even with all the girls I went home with, you never were and never will be one of them. You need to take a hard look at yourself in the mirror, because you're not a good person. Now, excuse us. I'm taking my girl home, and if I have anything to say about it, she'll be the last girl I ever take home again. Go home and grow the fuck up, Bambi.”
He led me past her, her face turning a brilliant shade of pissed-off-red. Right before we walked out the door, Bambi screamed at our retreating backs, “Fuck you, Kill.”
Kill stopped her rant before it could get started. “Never going to happen.” He slammed the door firmly closed. I felt the tension rolling off him as we backed out of the parking lot.
“So, do I still get my milkshake?”
He blinked, and I watched his mood shift, the anger melting away. A smile graced his face before he leaned over and gave me a big kiss on my cheek. “Anything you want, Slick.”
"I'll take that," Amy said, confiscating my milkshake when I sat on the couch. She took a big drink, the straw screeching a hollow sound as she did. "It's empty." She pouted, getting up and throwing it away.
"Come on, Candy; let's go get you a milkshake," Jet said, following her to the kitchen.
"Wait for me," Van called out.
"Well, that's one way to clear the house," Kill said, coming up behind me and nibbling on the back of my neck.
I shuddered as he continued kissing down my neck. He picked me up and ran upstairs.
"Are we going to talk about Bambi?" Kill asked as I cuddled into him later.
"I really don't want to."
He inhaled sharply as if he were getting ready to argue with me.
"You put her in her place tonight. It doesn't matter." I couldn't help the smile that formed every time I remembered the look on Bambi's face when Kill told her he wantedmeevery night.
"About the bar skanks," Kill began, rubbing a hand over his face.
"It's your past, and I really don't want to talk about it. Just like I don't want to talk about mine. It's over, and we are past all that now," I told him, rubbing my hand over his taut stomach.
"I hope you mean that, Slick. Don't let what happened before destroy what we have now."
My stomach pitched forward. Instead of continuing down a road that would most likely lead to a fight, I let my hand trail up his chest, resting it above his heart. The rapid beat pulsed steady under my palm. Leaning up, I kissed him, feeling his heartbeat speed, ending our conversation.
