“You know that’s not true, Goldi. I see strength in everything you do.”
“I don’t feel it,” she whispers.
“I think that’s normal.” I lean forward, tangling our fingers together and resting them on my knees. “Do you want to talk about it?”
She shakes her head, looking at our hands. “Not really.”
I don’t push. I promised she wouldn’t have to say anything. But I hope that one day she will.
Mondays are always busy, and today is no exception. We’re wrapping up the renovation at Tiny Dancers. As long as we stay on target, we’ll be done next week, and while I’m happy things have gone smoothly, I can’t help the disappointment that’s filling me up. Being done means no more weekday Goldi. No more tight skirts and hidden corners where I can kiss her breathless like I’ve been doing every chance I get today.
I head back to the office. It’s the end of the day and I want to let Goldi know I’m leaving and see if she wants to come over for dinner. She’s pacing the room, her cell up to her ear.
She turns when I walk in and smiles. “Yeah, that sounds good, Jax.”
Jax.
Bitterness sours my stomach. We’ll inevitably continue to run into each other. He’s best friends with the love of my life. But he was my best friend first. The loss of that friendship is something that still haunts me. I understand why he protected her the way he did, and as hard as it is for me to admit, I’m grateful she has him. But I can’t help that part of me feels betrayed. It was just so easy for him to drop me. Even all these years later, it stings.
I walk toward Goldi, backing her into the wall. She pushes against my chest, pointing to the phone, her eyes widening.
I widen mine back at her. “I don’t care,” I mouth.
I kiss my way down her body and drop to my knees. My hands caress her curves. These fucking skirts of hers are going to be the death of me. I lick my way up her thigh.
“Let me call you back, Jax.” Her phone clatters.
She grabs my hair and pulls. “Just what do you think you’re doin’?”
“Checking up on your multitasking skills. They need some work,” I tsk.
She breaks into a smile, smacking my shoulder and pushing me away. I fall back, laughing.
She walks behind the desk. “Regina’s on her way, so I’ll be stuck here a while. You leavin’ for the day?”
I stand up, dusting off my jeans. “That’s a shame. I wanted to have the taste of you on my tongue for the drive home.”
Her cheeks bloom. I love all the ways I can make her blush. I step into her and her arms wind around my neck.
“I could come over later if you want?” she says.
“I’d love that.” I kiss her deep, not wanting to leave because she feels so fucking good in my arms. “Guess that will have to hold me over.”
There’s a spring in my step when I leave, excited I’ll have her in my arms again in just a few hours. I start up my truck, groaning when I realize my gas tank is sitting on empty. I hate getting gas in Sweetwater—the price is higher than back home—but I don’t think I have enough to make the twenty-minute drive. There’s a station before the entrance to the freeway, so that’s where I stop.
I walk in, looking back to see which pump I’m on. There’s nobody else here except the guy working the register. I grab some water and go up front to pay.
“Do I know you?”
I glance at the cashier as I place the water on the counter and dig in my wallet. Is he talking to me? “I don’t think so, man.”
“Huh. You sure? You look real familiar. I never forget a face.” He taps his pointer finger to his head like he’s a fucking savant.
I look at him closer, seeing if I can place him. He’s skinny—almost too skinny, with pockmarks on his face and gaudy gold chains around his neck. There’s something about those chains. His hair is short with frosted tips. My brows furrow, a buried memory pricking the back of my mind.
“Don’t matter, I guess. This all for ya?” He reaches down and scratches his stomach.
Lightning strikes my entire body, bolting me in place. The memory of a skinny, pock-marked guy in a run-down house, with an unconscious Lily, slams behind my eyes.
Motherfucker.
I’m over the counter in less than a second, grabbing him by the chains I’m tempted to fucking murder him with.
“Yeah. You know me, you fucking bitch. Lily Adams. Ring any bells?” This time it’s my pointer finger jabbing into his head.
His eyes widen and he squirms, trying to escape my grip. I pull his chains tighter, twisting them.
“Oh, fuck. You’re that brother, right? Listen… I got nothin’ to do with her now, I swear!”
He’s panicking, his fingers clawing at my hands. “There are cameras, man. Just so you know. You hurt me, you won’t be gettin’ away with shit.”
I smirk. It’s touching how he thinks I give a fuck.
“I will pull you over this counter and revel in the last fucking breath you take, smiling at the cameras once I’m done. So if you know where she is, if you know anything, you better tell me. Right. Fucking. Now.”
He jerks away, but I yank him back. The chains cut into his skin, a trail of blood dripping down his neck. I’ve been waiting a long fucking time to get my hands on this prick. He’s not going anywhere.
“Man, come on. I don’t know! She ain’t lived here for years. Last I knew, she was gone to Arizona.”
“When was this?” I hiss through my teeth.
“She called a buddy of mine a few months ago... ow, quit!”
The door chimes and it distracts me long enough for
