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Neil shrugs. “Worth it.”
We kiss again, making out for so long that I lose track of time. I don’t even hear Bunny, Doc, and Kendrick enter the café until Bunny squeals and claps excitedly.
“Ooh! I knew it! They’re so cute together!” I look up, and she’s bouncing on her heels, her arm in a sling. Doc smirks beside her, and in the back Kendrick scowls. He wouldn’t be happy unless Neil and I were gone, but that would make Bunny sad. Kendrick may be a jerk, but he’d never disappoint Bunny by kicking us out.
Looks like Neil is here to stay, then.
Excellent.
Chapter 12
Bunny
Seeing how adorable Keys and Neil are together almost makes me forget how much my shoulder hurts. Bullets aren’t any fun when they’ve been in me.
At least I took out one of the Vipers before the other guy put me out of commission. Temporarily out of commission, I might add. This dinky little flesh wound won’t stop me for long. As soon as Doc even hints that I won’t rip my artery open if I swing my bat, I’m going back out there. Maybe sooner; I do have guns, after all. I prefer skull cracking, but sometimes a girl’s gotta improvise.
Bat-swinging is out. Patrolling is out. Exercising isextremelylimited. And worst of all?
Sex is out!
Doc’s afraid I’ll pull something if I go overboard. Withanyof them! What’s the point of having four live-in boyfriends if I can’t partake? It’s total bullshit. Everyone’s getting laid but me!
He’s even gone so far as to forbid self-love. I am a walking tinderbox of pent-up sexual energy, and none of the guys will even touch me. For being such a submissive dude, Doc can put the fear of God in ‘em like nobody’s business when it comes to my health. I am one hundred percent S-O-L until this shoulder heals, and it sucks.
I run into my current nemesis, Doc, while pacing the hallways in search of some kind of release. I greet his betrayal with an almost feral growl, one worthy of Kendrick-level ferocity. Doc steps back reflexively then narrows his green eyes at me. “Nice try. I’m not budging on the restrictions.”
Okay, since the vinegar isn’t working, maybe some honey will. I bat my lashes and look down at my feet. “I’m sorry, Doc. I know you’re just looking out for me.”
“Still not budging!” he shouts over his shoulder as he continues on towards the clinic.
Damnit.
I go back to pacing, but that quickly bores me. I needaction. I need to get out of here and do something. I’m a caged wildcat, and I suck at domestication. Isn’t there something I could do that wouldn’t possibly injure me?
Frustrated, I stalk off in the direction of the control room. Maybe Keys needs some help with coding or something … not that I know how to code but bugging him is the only entertainment I can come up with at the moment that doesn’t involve moving my shoulder. Maybe I’ll get lucky and walk in on another steamy make-out sesh between him and Neil.
No such luck. The two men are together, but the clothes are on, and they’re sitting in separate chairs. No funny business.
“Whatcha doing?” I ask as I walk up behind them. Neil turns to greet me, but Keys just grunts and sucks on his lolli.
“Keys was telling me how you guys fund this operation. It’s pretty cool. I never would have had the balls to hack corporations and blackmail them for hush money. I’m too scared of being caught.” He blushes, and Keys rests a hand on his knee. “Okay, I’m too strait-laced, too. Aside from some minor coding hacks forBattlemages Unleashed, I’ve never really broken any rules, and certainly never any laws.”
“Welcome to the dark side,” I say, making what I hope is a cool enough geek reference for him. I may not be able to sleep with Neil right now, but I still want him to like me.
He chuckles and pats his leg, offering me a seat on his lap. I take it, though to be fair I also run my fingers through Keys’ hair. Can’t play favorites. “So, Keys, need a hand in here today? I can, like, push buttons or something. With my good hand,” I add, rolling my eyes for effect.
Keys raises a brow and rolls the lolli in his mouth. “You’re offering to help with the computers? Bunny, sweets, you’re a doll, but you suck at this stuff. I mean, you do all right at BU, but that’s just button mashing. Actual coding and hacking take skill, talent, and functioning fingers. Even Neil here can’t really help much today since he’s still bandaged.”
I give Keys my best pout, which is about as effective as batting my lashes at Doc. Once again, I’m shut down. Keys says Doc threatened to start an I.V. on him when he least expects it if he lets me break protocol, so nothing I do will change his mind.
Kendrick is out playing The Muscle with a corporate bigwig, some CEO that Keys discovered was pilfering from his employees’ retirement fund. Sometimes I get to go on those trips, but not today. Too damn risky. I hate this shoulder!
Fine. I see how it is. Bunny’s on her own.
Since no one will play with me, I go to the theater and pick out the bloodiest, explodiest movie we have on our drive. If I can’t enjoy the activities in real life, then at least I can pretend.
I manage to work the microwave and pop some popcorn without burning it, but when I try to open the package, I get fluffy, buttery kernels all over the floor. I screech in anger and stomp a few pieces of popcorn, but the crunch doesn’t satisfy my need to inflict violence on something to improve my mood.
