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“Probably because I have different relationships with them.” Kind of obvious, but she didn’t comment on that. Instead, she squeezed my thigh. We’d almost completed the circle when the phone rang.
“Go,” I said when I answered.
“You’re clear,” Bones said. “Alphabet swept the place for bugs when we got here, and I just did another electronic sweep. You’re clean there too.”
Little Bit gave a little start, but I covered her hand with mine. “Thanks, guys. Going radio silent unless there’s an emergency.”
“Enjoy yourselves,” Bones said. “We’ll be here, keeping watch.”
They kept watch as I parked, and Little Bit waited for me to get out and circle the car to open her door. A soft smile flirted with her lips as I tucked her under my arm and got her inside. Weirdly, I hadn’t been at the apartment much in the last few weeks.
Not since Freddie went home. As it was, a forgotten blanket lay on the sofa. The pillow he’d been using was also still at the head. The kitchen was clean and all the dishes were done. The interior smelled a bit musty, more from the air not moving.
I kicked on the air conditioner to get the fan on so the air would circulate. In the kitchen, I pulled out a couple of beers and popped the bottles open before heading back to the living room.
She wasn’t…
“Little Bit?”
“I’m back here,” she called. “I was going to use the bathroom, and then I got nosy.”
The bluntness of that admission made me smile. But the sight of her sprawled on my bed wearing little more than her bra and panties stopped me dead. The gun was on the side table, and she was sprawled in the middle of the black comforter like it had been laid out for her.
Honestly, it probably had been. Crossing the room, I nudged the door shut with my foot and set the beers down before I unstrapped my holster and settled it on the nightstand.
Like this, I could see her Vandals ink and the ribbon of birds and words on her abdomen. I’d seen them before, but I hadn’t really been in a position to appreciate them. And at the funeral, I’d been further interested in fucking her and giving us both a lot of pleasure than just admiring her.
“Hi,” she said softly when my gaze reached hers.
“Hey,” I said, then eased down onto the edge of the bed. “Comfortable?”
“Maybe,” she said, then laughed. “You wanted to talk, so I thought about the few times we’ve really talked. Clothing was kind of optional.”
Nodding slowly, I traced my fingers down her leg. The muscle rippled as she lifted her leg then slid it across my lap. It was easy to forget just how strong she was. Maybe too easy.
“Mickey…”
I flicked a look up at her.
“Whatever it is…I’m not going anywhere.”
The corner of my mouth kicked up. “Even when you should cut me loose and kick me to the curb.”
“Well,” she said, curling her toes against the comforter before sitting up and reaching for one of the beers. “We tried that too. Then you changed your mind.”
“Yeah,” I said. “Have I apologized for being a bastard to you yet?”
“Yes,” she said. “But I won’t object to hearing it again.”
“Good girl,” I murmured as she drank her beer. “Make me work for it.”
“You did say…” A blush touched her cheeks. “And a part of me genuinely does want to make you work for it…”
“Let’s circle back to that in a minute,” I said, running my fingers up and down her leg. “Let me say again how truly, deeply sorry I am for having been a raging jackass at you. Making you come in that bathroom was a moment I really enjoyed until I turned it around and used it to push you away.”
Head tilted, she studied me.
“And my greatest regret is I didn’t see how badly it hurt you. I thought—a little pain now would be better than a far worse one down the road.” Blowing out a breath, I wrapped my hand around her ankle. “Milo had just gotten out of prison, and he was—not in a good place. It shifted the balance all the way around, and you were struggling.”
