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Typical scene in our house. Didn’t have to be the weekend. Could’ve been any night. I took another hit from the joint, then passed it back to Jin.
Knuckles still throbbing to the same beat as my pounding head, I went into the kitchen to grab a can of beer—both for my head and the knuckles. I stood there, leaning against the counter, alternating between holding the cold can against my injured hand and chugging back the bitter liquid inside.
Ben wandered in, blinking in surprise at my presence. “When’d you get home?”
“Uh…” I rubbed the back of my neck. “A little while ago. Just needed to take the edge off before I attempted to socialize.”
“But why are you here?” he pressed.
“’Cause I live here? Am I missing something?”
He shook his head. “No, why are you here,here, when your girl’s waiting in your room?”
I jerked upright. “Tali’s here?”
He chuckled, opening the fridge and peering inside. “Yep. Been here a couple hours. She finally got tired of our shenanigans and said she was going to read in your room.”
Beer can slammed down on the counter, I exited the kitchen like it was on fire.
Tali was here.
The only person I wanted anything to do with was here. In my room. Waiting for me. And I was a stoned, beat-up mess.
When I opened my bedroom door, she was on my bed, legs curled to the side, a thick textbook in front of her on a pillow, and a yellow highlighter tucked behind her ear. It took her a second to look up, but when she did, my heart stopped.
Her smile didn’t start with a seed. It was a full fucking garden of blooms in less than a second. Her lips, her eyes, her cheeks, all smiling, thrilled to see my face.
“Hey, Jude.”
Closing the door behind me, I kicked my boots off and tore off my work shirt, leaving it carelessly on the floor. Next came my jeans, stained with someone else’s blood, dropped to my feet by the bed.
“Hey, Stripes. Come shower with me.”
She quirked her head. “Are you high?”
“Yep.” I plucked the highlighter from behind her ear. “I had no idea you were here.”
She held her hands up. “Surprise!” Then she climbed out of bed. “Did you get dirty at work?”
“Filthy.”
My bedroom must’ve been half a master bedroom originally, because my closet-sized room had an attached bath. It wasn’t anything special—the tiles were pink—but it was clean, and had a shower big enough for two, so the rest were details.
Tali went into the bathroom first, leaning over the tub to turn on the water. She straightened when I came up behind her, pressing against her ass. Arms wrapped around her waist, nuzzling her neck, she sighed and leaned her head back on my shoulder.
“The water’s good now. Get in and don’t wipe your filth all over me.”
She said it with a smile, but she was right. I was covered in sweat, spit, and blood—a lot of it not my own—so I let her go, pushed my underwear off, and climbed into the shower. With the curtain shoved aside, I watched her undress. First her T-shirt, then her thermal shirt, jeans, and cotton underwear, which she neatly folded and left on the closed toilet.
Tali stunned me, every damn time I saw her, whether she was dressed or not. I’d never seen skin as smooth as hers. She looked like she’d been airbrushed, but no. She was completely real. And when she climbed into the shower with me, she pressed those miles of smooth, tan skin against me.
“Are you okay, Jude?”
Arms circling her waist, hands resting at the top of her ass, I rested my forehead on hers. “Tired. Regretting how high I am right now.”
“I should’ve called, but I was sitting in my dorm, attempting to study, and all I could think about was you. I didn’t know what time you’d be home…”
“I’m happy you’re here, Stripes.”
