“I’m not,” I say in defence, although really, I might well be. “I just want to help.”
“By ruining my one job that will help to pay off my debts. Yeah, it’s going great so far.”
“How much do you owe?”
“Enough for him to come calling for it.”
“How much?” I ask again.
“It doesn’t matter. Even if it were fifty quid, I wouldn’t be borrowing it from you.”
“I’ve got some money, Kas. Plus, the second this gets back to Zach, you know he’s going to hand over whatever you need.”
“I don’t need anything from either of you,” she seethes. “This is my problem, not anyone else’s.”
“How’d you end up in debt to a man like that in the first place?”
“That’s a story for another day,” she mutters, no longer making eye contact with me.
It frustrates me to no end that she keeps me shut out, but then I’m not sure why I expected anything else. She’s not wrong, I did drag her off that stage last night without much thought and probably ruined any chance of Dakota allowing her back.
“Come on, let’s get out of here and we can get you set up at home.”
She nods, and after saying goodbye to Nina—who, like always, refuses to accept any money for our short stay—we climb back onto my bike and head for my flat.
5
Kas
I hate the way he looks at me while trying to dive into the disaster that is my life. In truth, I’d fucking love for someone to hand me a pile of cash so I can get that arsehole off my back. But even if they did, I wouldn’t accept it. It’s my problem to deal with, not anyone else’s, and certainly not Spike’s. He’s already done too much.
The second we’re through the front door of his building, another door opens and a woman with a young child attached to her hip appears.
“Louisa, this is Kas,” Spike says, gesturing between us. “And this cutie is Freddie,” he says, reaching over and tickling the small guy, who giggles in delight.
Glancing at Spike, I find his eyes are softer than I’m becoming used to as he laughs at the little man before him.
He said earlier that he wasn’t a romantic, but from just the limited amount of time we’ve spent together, I don’t believe it for a second. Even more so, now I’m watching him with a kid.
“Hey,” I say when I remember I was introduced to someone.
When I look up, I find the woman’s eyes locked on Spike. There’s something a little more than friendly within them, and I wonder what the story is there. I won’t ask, though. I don’t want to look like I care.
“Kas is moving in for a bit. Thank you for taking her stuff in.”
“No problem. There’s not much though, so I’m not sure if it’s all arrived yet.”
“It’ll be everything,” I mutter sadly.
She allows Spike to step inside the door so he can collect my belongings, and before long, he’s saying goodbye to his obviously interested neighbour and gesturing for me to go ahead and up the stairs.
“I can carry some of that myself, you know.”
“I’m aware. But for once, just accept the help.”
“Just this once. It goes against everything I’ve ever done in my life.”
He doesn’t respond, but I feel the sadness oozing from him.
When we reach the top, I’m forced to stop and wait for him to open the door.
“I’ve got a spare key inside. I’ll find it for you in a bit.”
I nod. All I want to do is get inside and curl up on the comfortable bed I passed out in last night. I might have been off-my-arse drunk, but it was still the best night’s sleep I’ve had in… probably my life, to be honest.
The second he opens the door, I march through to what I’m assuming is my bedroom.
“I think Titch has taken everything, but if you find anything, just give it to me and I’ll take it to work for him.”
I nod, unzipping my suitcase the second he places it on the bed and rummaging through to find some clean underwear.
“Do you need me for anything or…” He glances down at the thong hanging from my fingers and his words falter.
“I think I can manage showering myself.”
“Okay, that’s… good. That’s good,” he says, stumbling over his words.
“Great. Do you mind?” I ask as I take a step toward where he’s now totally blocking the doorway with his wide frame. He stands aside, but not enough, and as I pass, I brush up against him.
His breath catches the second we connect, and a small smile twitches at the corner of my lips.
“The woman downstairs wants you,” I point out as I walk down the short hallway. He doesn’t reply, and when I look over my shoulder, I discover the reason is me. His eyes are locked on my legs. “And it seems that you might need to get laid, so maybe you should pay her a visit at nap time.”
“Huh? Oh… um… no. We’re just friends.”
“Well, trust me, she doesn’t want to be ‘just friends’,” I say, mocking his deep voice.
“Too bad. I’m not interested.”
“And here I was thinking the rumour about you fucking anything that moves is true. Is that just a story to make you look good?”
“Louisa is my friend. Not only that, she’s got a baby and is looking for forever after being screwed over. That’s not my thing.”
“No? So what is your thing?” I ask, turning on him and making a show of running my tongue along my bottom lip.
“I make no promises. To anyone. Especially not a single mother who deserves someone to take care of her.”
“Who burned you?” I ask, narrowing my eyes at him.
“Who says I was burned? There are plenty of guys out there who don’t want to settle down.”
“Yeah, there are. But you’re not one of them.”
He opens his mouth to respond, but no words come out.
He might think I’m young and
