“How long are you back in town for?” I asked, pulling back just enough to see her face.
She grinned down at me. “Just the night.” Emily didn’t look away for several seconds. “You look...tired.”
As if on cue, I yawned. “I am.” I pulled away completely to close the apartment door. “I had another double shift last night then early morning classes.”
My muscles ached as I ambled into my small kitchenette. I was tired, both physically and mentally, but I knew I had limited time with Emily, so I pushed it all aside and grabbed my last energy drink.
I popped the can open, turned, then leaned against the counter.
“So…” Emily bit down on her bottom lip, her bag already half open. “Does that mean no going out?”
I raised a brow. “Hell no.” I pushed off the counter. “It’s Emily and Kloey time.” Grinning, I bopped her on the nose. “Get ready. We’re going out.”
A bead of sweat dripped down my temple as I jumped up and down on the spot. The music pumped through the dark club, and pink neon lights flashed around the edges of the dance floor.
Emily was right next to me, her body fused to a random guy’s, but every time someone came close to me, I pushed them back.
I knew when to take risks and when to back away. And when alcohol was in the mix, I always backed away.
Emily moved her head closer to the guy’s and I knew it was time for me to get off the dance floor. We’d been here for hours, it was late, and I was starting to lag. No matter how many times I told my body to stay alert, it was ready for sleep—ready to pass out in its bed.
I stepped toward Emily, tapping her on the arm to get her attention. “I’m going to get some water!” I shouted, pointing behind me.
“What?” I couldn’t hear her, but her lips moving were enough for me to make out what she was saying.
I pointed behind me and lifted my hand to my mouth to signal drink. She threw her thumb in the air and said something else, but I couldn’t make it out because she was turning back to face her man for the night.
The crowded dance floor was hard to get through because of the sweaty bodies, elbows, and flapping hands. But as soon as I made it to the bar, I felt like I’d just walked ten miles.
My breaths were heavy, my hair stuck to the back of my neck, and now that I was out of the packed section, all I wanted was to leave.
But I couldn’t. Not until Emily was finished. So I slipped onto a barstool, ordered a glass of water, and waited.
Goosebumps covered my skin the longer I sat there. A burning sensation making me turn around, as if someone was trying to get my attention.
But there was no one there. Not that I could see anyway.
I wasn’t sure how long I sat there searching for something, but when someone touched my arm, I jumped. My heart pumped harder in my chest as I turned.
“You okay?” Emily asked, the guy attached to her back and not acknowledging me in the slightest. Not that I cared. He was a one-night thing—they all were.
“Yeah.” I smiled up at her. “You?”
She winked. “Yeah. We’re heading out.” She licked her lips and I couldn’t help but chuckle at her. She was going to eat him alive, and he had no idea what was coming. “Wanted to put you in a cab first though.”
I glanced around the club. There were less people in here now, so I knew it must have been near closing time. “Okay.” I hopped down off the barstool and held my clutch purse closer to my chest then led the way to the main doors.
My ears thrummed as we made it out into the cool night air. Cars lined the street, most of them cabs. I halted at the edge of the sidewalk and turned to face Emily. Her attention was focused on the guy.
I cleared my throat. “So... I’ll see you in the morning?”
She hummed in the back of her throat, and I couldn’t help the smile on my face. I was so used to Emily being like this. She’d flit in and out of my life, but I knew she’d always be there if I needed her.
I extended my arm in the air to hail a cab, and one pulled up right in front of me within seconds.
I took one peek back at Emily then pulled open the back door, knowing that if I said anything to her she wouldn’t acknowledge me because she was too wrapped up in the guy.
The inside of the cab smelled like a mixture of mint and leather. A warmth I wasn’t expecting wrapped around me as I closed the door, and I couldn’t help but slide lower into the seat, my tiredness taking me over full force.
The cab moved into the road. I stared out of the window, mentally calculating how long it would be until I was in my apartment and able to burrito myself in a blanket.
My shoulders slumped, my heavy eyelids threatening to close. I tried my hardest to keep them open, but it was a losing battle, one I couldn’t seem to fight any longer.
Chapter Nine
Nixon
My hands gripped the steering wheel tighter, my knuckles turning white at the force.
She’d gotten into the back of my car without a second thought. I didn’t have a cabbie sign on the roof, I didn’t have an ID badge pinned anywhere. She hadn’t even given me her address, and yet I was only ten minutes away from her apartment.
And now…
Now her eyes were closed.
She’d let her guard down, and the rage was building inside me to impossible heights. All I wanted was to pull
