Page 78 of Prince of Lies


Font Size:  

Before I knew it, I was on my back on the pristine white sofa with a very possessive, very aroused Bash looming over me. “Absolutely fucking not,” he growled. Then he proceeded to thoroughly prove his point.

In the end, I liked to think we both won.

In the back of my mind, I knew this was all too good to be true—that Bash had never mentioned anything long-term, and we were once again on borrowed time—but I forced myself to stay in the moment, to enjoy every single second of him while I could.

On Tuesday morning, when Rachel was out of the office, Kenji was busy working on something for Silas, and the stress of waiting to hear back from the investigator had started getting to both of us, I convinced Bash to leave the house and visit a thrift store with me.

“The white and beige is hurting my brain,” I insisted, looking over at the boring living room from my spot at the kitchen table. “I’ll think better after shopping. And we won’t spend much, I promise.”

“What if I told you I like neutral tones?” he said grumpily.

I nudged his leg with my toes. “I’d say you’re lying. You hate it more than I do.”

He snorted and shoved a bite of toast in his mouth.

I sipped my second cup of coffee and scrolled through my phone, reading a string of texts Joey had sent.

Joey: Dude. This Sandwich Shark guy is like a fucking Visa card—he’s everywhere I wanna be.

Joey: I park the truck for the Monday lunch rush? Guess who shows up a minute later and parks right beside me.

Joey: I go to the Glass Elephant Tuesday night to meet Chloe for a beer? Sandwich Shark’s already drinking with his friends.

Joey: I park the truck in the lot last night after the longest day in Burrito Bandito history? Fucking Sandwich Shark’s there, too, and he hands me a Chicken Parm with extra mozzarella, WHICH HAPPENS TO BE MY FAVORITE, and it’s still warm.

Joey: And he says… get this… he says, ‘Sleep well, Joe.’

Joey: Like, WTF is that even? Fucking diabolical, that’s what. How can I sleep with his song in my head?

Joey: BTW, what kind of lube do gay guys use? Just curious.

Joey: Also… how do you know if a guy likes you? I mean, the kind of like where he wants to rail you into a mattress? Everyone says girls are hard to read, but dudes are waaaay more complex.

I tried hard not to connect these dots to form a picture… and failed.

The texts from my parents were a whole lot less amusing. And in fact, I found myself stifling a groan.

“Problem?” Bash asked. “Something from the investigator?”

“No, no, nothing about that at all. Just messages from my parents.”

“Ah. They must miss you.”

“Maybe. My mother’s worried that I’ve joined a cult or ‘fallen in with a bad crowd.’ Dad says Bobby needs another guy at the Tech Barn, and he’s talking about hiring one of our neighbors.” I clicked my phone off and slid it into my pocket. “I need to call them, but not right now.” That would pop this bubble instantly. “Wanna go?”

“Yeah.” Bash carried our dishes to the sink.

“No second thoughts?” I teased.

“About letting you have your way?” He shook his head as he walked back to me. “I know what I’m in for. Remember, I’ve seen you in a bunny bow tie, pulling rainbow-colored hankies out of your pocket at the MoMA.”

I stared at him. No doubt my face was turning scarlet right before his eyes. “You… you saw that? Oh my god. I was so embarrassed. Stupid Joey and his stupid magician tux.” I took a breath. “At least it was colorful.”

Bash’s bark of laughter made my heart skip several quick beats like a smooth stone skipping brightly over still water.

This. Him.

Him.

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
Articles you may like