“So, what are you waiting for? Show me to your lair.”
Shaking my head, I follow her before pulling my keys from my pocket and letting us both in.
Sadly, we don’t have a lift, so I guide her toward the staircase and we make our way to the top floor.
“Whoa, the penthouse too,” she mutters once we reach the top.
“Don’t get your hopes up, I’m not some secret millionaire.”
“It’s more than what I’m used to,” she says so quietly that I’m not sure if I’m meant to hear it or not.
Swinging open the door, I gesture for her to enter first.
I watch as she comes to a stop in the centre of the room and spins, taking everything in. I might have only met her a few times since she arrived, announcing that she was Zach’s half-sister, but tonight she’s different to what I expected. When I’ve seen her around her ‘family’ she’s been shy, nervous. But tonight, she’s confident, sure of herself, sassy.
I’m not quite sure how to handle it.
My flat isn’t much, a relatively small two bed, one bath that Titch and I have shared for a few years. It’s not exactly what you’d call a dream home, but it has everything we need, plus a bakery below and a strip club within stumbling distance. Life could be worse.
Dropping her bag to the kitchen counter, I pull the fridge open and grab a can of beer. The buzz I had from the whisky seemed to vanish the second I saw her up on stage, and I could really do with it back if I’m going to manage to rid myself of the images of him and what he was about to do to her, and the fact that I’ve allowed her to convince me to walk away.
The music I’d clearly forgotten to turn off before I left earlier plays away happily in the background.
“Do you want a drink?” I offer, but when she doesn’t answer, I turn and look at her.
She’s still looking about the place, her eyes wide.
“A-are you okay?”
She spins my way. “Why did you bring me here?” The shy girl I’ve previously met makes a momentary appearance.
“Because it was the right thing to do. You nearly just…” I trail off, not wanting to say the words out loud.
She stares at me, her face hard with her anger before she drops her eyes to my can.
“Do you have a real drink? One from a bottle.”
I want to refuse and get her a glass of water, but after what she’s been through tonight, I guess a decent drink is the least she deserves.
Spinning for the cupboard with the spirits, I pull it open and grab the bottle of vodka at the front.
I hold it up to her. She nods and releases one of her arms from around her body.
“Don’t you want a glass?”
“No.”
With a shrug, I pass the bottle over.
She opens her mouth to argue when she sees it’s an unopened bottle, but after a beat she just releases her ruined top and twists the cap.
I should look away, I know I should, but the second the fabric parts I’m unable to rip my eyes away from the strip of skin it reveals.
It’s no secret that she’s an ink fan. They’re visible when she’s clothed, but the fabric reveals more, and I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t want to find out what she was hiding. In more ways than one. She lifts the bottle to her lips and swallows a generous amount.
I know she’s aware that I’m staring at her. It’s impossible for her not to be, seeing as I’m only a few feet away, but still I’m unable to stop.
She’s one of my best friend’s sisters—my boss’ little sister. I shouldn’t be looking. Hell, I probably shouldn’t have even brought her here. She’s too young for me, too young for me to be looking at the way I am.
I lift my hand to my hair, sweeping it back from my face and tugging until it bites, punishment for everything I shouldn’t have done tonight.
She pops her hip, resting her free hand on her waist, waiting for me to get my fill.
“I need that job, Spike. You can’t just storm in and ruin it for me just because my brother won’t like it.” Thankfully, her words are enough to drag my eyes up.
“You don’t need that job,” I counter.
She lifts the bottle again and the fabric moves, revealing more of her skin.
“Ah,” she says, as if she’s figured something huge out. She lowers the bottle and stalks toward me. “This isn’t about rescuing me, is it? You’re not trying to be the big man, trying to protect me from myself.”
I swallow, her sweet scent hitting my nose as the heat of her petite body seeps into my front where she’s so close. “W-what do you mean?”
“If you wanted a private show, old man, you should have just said.” She stares up into my eyes, her light blues holding me captive as my heart damn near beats out of my chest.
After long, excruciating seconds where I’m unable to find any words, she lifts the bottle once more. She swallows two huge mouthfuls without so much as a wince before slamming it down on the counter. “What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue?”
My lips part but no words pass as she closes the space between us. All I manage is a step back that has me bumping into the counter behind me.
“I would offer you mates’ rate, but seeing as I’ve got debts to pay, I’m going to have to ask for my full price. I hope you’re good for it.”
She shrugs off the ripped fabric that’s doing a shit job of covering her, and I watch as it flutters to the floor.
“If you ask really nicely, I might even do extras.”
“What! No,” I say in a
