Page 10 of Bullet

“Just a thought, if he was pissed, he could come back and bother Amelia. He’s got her address on file,” Risk points out.

“He’s not that stupid,” War mutters.

“Did you see him? He’s totally that stupid,” Roscoe counters.

“Fuck! I should have thought of that.” I take out Freddie’s invoice, since Sal’s still using old invoices with the original owner’s name, and see that right on it are Amelia’s address and phone number. “Guess I’m spending the night on watch.”

“Guard will want an update. You take the first shift, and I’ll have a brother come by to help, and a couple more to relieve you later,” Risk tells me.

I wait for the guys to drive out of sight before I knock on Amelia’s door to give her the good news about getting her money back. I’ll keep how we got her money from Freddie, or should I say Sal, out of the story.

Six

A Good Night

Amelia

“You’re back,” I say when I open the door to find Bullet standing there. “I thought it was Crush coming to let me know he’s done for now.” I’m rambling as I peek out behind him to see the van and his friends are gone.

“Crush and Risk did all they could for now. Are you going to let me in?” he teases. I feel all flustered, but Puss and Boots are all about showing Bullet love as they slither around his ankles, meowing to get his attention. He swoops down and picks them up.

“They’re usually very shy. They like you,” I tell him.

“What about you, Amelia? Do you like me?” His voice is deep and smooth, his blue eyes are mesmerizing, and I get a warm ache in my belly when he says my name. He doesn’t wait for me to respond. He gently nudges me back so he can come in, closing the door behind him. He reaches into his jacket and hands me a stack of money. “Courtesy of Sal, a.k.a. Freddie. Owner’s name is Sal. He bought the place from Freddie, and instead of getting new signs and shit, he kept everything as is.”

“I—I don’t understand.” I shake my head in confusion. Bullet cradles my kitties in one arm and takes my hand in his, then leads me to my sofa, where we both take a seat. Puss crawls between us and settles, and Boots has decided she likes to sit on Bullet’s lap.

“He cheated you out of that money. The repairs he made were just enough to get the car working. He replaced some parts, but mainly with used parts that wouldn’t have a long life expectancy. This is how he gets repeat business. He charged you for new parts, and the labor cost was way too high. I called him out on it.”

“And he just gave the money back?” I ask incredulously. I’ve met Freddie, or the man I thought was Freddie, and he doesn’t seem like the kind who would be easily intimidated. At the time, Sal’s shop was the closest mechanic, and I was in desperate need of having my car serviced. Like an idiot, I took a chance.

“Sal needed a little coaxing, but eventually he saw it my way.” He gives me a sly expression, which means there’s more to the story than what he’s telling me. It’s the same look Robby Alner, a seven-year-old in Mrs. Milner’s class, has when he’s gotten into mischief. He is the most adorable little boy, but I think that because he’s such a bright child, schoolwork doesn’t stimulate him. When he becomes too rambunctious in class, he comes down to see me in the principal’s office. He has the same expression as Bullet has right now. It’s cute, that is, if you could call the most gorgeous man I’ve ever met cute.

I don’t reprimand Robby. In fact, we play chess, and once he’s relaxed, Robby tells me what’s going on in his head. With two other siblings, he doesn’t get much attention at home, and he craves it. Since we modified his work to give him more of a challenge and praised him for his efforts, his visits to my office have become less frequent.

I’m not sure if I want Bullet to come to visit less often.

I’m shy. Being a principal, I must talk to teachers, parents, and board members, but that doesn’t mean it comes easily. I’ve worked on becoming more social and interactive. But when it comes to men and dating, I’m very shy.

“I have a feeling there’s more to the story than you’re telling me.” I reach out and caress his cheek. “No marks or bruises.”

He covers my hand with his, and our eyes meet. “I’m going to kiss you, Amelia. I’ve wanted to since the moment I met you.”

My mouth goes dry, and I lick my lips. I want his kisses. His eyes drop to my lips as he draws closer. My eyes drift closed as his mouth meets mine. At first, it’s a light touch of our lips, then his tongue teases my lips open, and it becomes more insistent and needy. Suddenly, I’m off the couch and in his lap, while Boots is scooted aside to sit with her sister, Puss.

All I can do is hang on and enjoy the ride. My arms band around his neck as I press tighter to his chest. Bullet fists my hair, and the gentle tug feels good. He carries on kissing me for a good long while, then slowly moves his lips over my cheek, nips at my lobe, then my neck.

When he finally pulls back, he says, “We’ve got to slow this down.” His voice is raw and raspy.

“Why?” I answer breathlessly. I don’t want to stop! If anything, I want to stay like this forever.

“Babe, you’re the girl I want to get to know. I want to take my time with you. It would feel so good to bury myself deep inside you, but I want more. I think you do too. Am I wrong?” He slides my hair off my face, moving it behind my ear.

“No,” I whisper, still breathing raggedly.

He grins. “Right. Then let’s chill and watch a movie, and you can decide how to spend that newfound money,” he teases.

It’s so incredibly sweet that Bullet wants to take things slow, but it’s been a very long time since I’ve felt this way about someone. I feel all warm and gooey inside.