AllFreeNovel
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“Trust me, I won’t melt and it’s barely sprinkling now.” She looks me over, not even wincing at the sight, but I quickly grab the shirt off the back of the couch and maneuver it over my head.
“Look, I know this is a stupid question, but are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” I growl, realizing too late how harsh I sound. I’m shit at keeping it hidden. Clenched jaw, white knuckles at my sides.Is this what I always do? And it’s just that no one else points it out?
Libby gives me a flat look. “Riker, if you don’t want to talk about it, I’ll shut up and pretend not to notice, but you don’t have to push yourself for me.”
I hide the scars.
There’s only so much of the effect I can hide though.
“My shoulder is just angry today. It’s going to hurt whether I’m here or out there.” At least out there I’m doing something productive. I soften my tone and my stance. “I have to push myself to get out of bed because I barely sleep or to put on clothes because the sensation of fabric on my skin is torture some days. At least if I push myself for you—”
I don’t finish. Anything I can think of would sound too wrong. And yet, she’s always unabashed when it comes to teasing me.
“I want to hear this,” Libby says, tilting her head and wearing a smile to match her teasing tone.
Of course she does. “Well, it has perks.”
“Perks, huh? I’m all in for perks.”
Are we talking about the same thing? She’s something else. Used to dealing with a bunch of men, I imagine.
My jaw loosens when my focus shifts from my shoulder to her. She doesn’t seem to have expectations, and I don’t know what to expect from her. She’s sexy and keeps me off balance.
“Is there anything that helps… with the pain?”
“No, not really. Some days it’s just about waiting it out, so I try not to think about it. Putting up with you might be the only thing that takes my mind off it.”
“Oh.” Libby flips her hair over her shoulder. “You are such a sweet talker. You must have women tossing their dentures at you everywhere you go.”
My jaw drops, for an instant. Everything that comes out of her mouth is a shock. “Well, at least I’m not a walking calamity who got their bank account frozen while on vacation.”
“No.” She gives me a smug smile. “You’re the idiot who’s letting that calamity in your car.”
What is it about this woman? It’s like the first time I’ve felt like me in a long time. No expectations. No skirting around topics, I say I’m being nice, coffee, dinner, playing taxi but like some teenager with a crush, I’d do just about anything to keep her company. And if there’s something wrong with that... well, fuck it. Fuck it all, because for a few days I’m going to feel like a normal human being. “It’s a rental and the rest of the state will be grateful I’m keeping you off the streets unattended.”
“You are such a jerk.”
Damn, I love her crass. And her ass.
Stop thinking like that.
“And you’re loving every minute.” I try to remember the last time I laughed like this but give up when I realize I don’t care about the last time. “Where do you need to go?”
Her face deadpans, and she shrugs. “I have no idea.”
Just as I’m about to ask for clarification, she holds up her phone, showing a little red dot on a map. It’s in Brunswick and I know exactly how to get there.
“I’m going to owe you a really nice dinner after all of this, aren’t I?”
“And coffee.”Actually… “Let’s stop for coffee on the way.”
* * *
After the bank, we stopped at a grocery store to pick up drinks and ordered a pizza for dinner. By the time we get back to the condos, I’ve forgotten about the pain in my shoulder. It’s still buzzing like someone’s connected a TENS unit and cranked it up to ten, but the awareness is neatly tucked on the back of my mind.
While I pop open a beer, Libby stands over the counter cutting up a lemon for her whiskey lemonade concoction. “You’re really going all out for that drink, aren’t you?”
