Page 5 of Sweet Girl

“Not at all, angel. Complete opposite. Now tell me, how’s the writing going?”

Her face lights up at my interest in something that clearly makes her so happy. The perk of living with Dom and Aidan is that I get to know Emma just by listening to her conversations at the house. I’m not a huge talker, but I observe everything. She may not have told me directly that she’s writing a book, but I’ve overheard her talking to Dom about it on more than one occasion.

“It’s going really well, I’ve felt pretty inspired lately. Just hoping I can break into the dark romance genre. It’s so saturated.”

“Dark romance, huh? What’s that exactly?” I ask, genuinely curious.

“It’s romance, but with darker themes. Usually explicit scenes, violence, power dynamics, obsessions, BDSM . . . those kinds of things,” she educates me without a hint of embarrassment or discomfort.

Well, fuck me. Now I’m really interested. She’s speaking my love language.

“And you’re writing about those themes? Tell me about it.”

“You really want to hear about my book?”

“I do,” I tell her honestly.

She spends the next twenty minutes going into detail about the novel she’s writing while I finish off my coffee and listen to every word. She’s so passionate about it that I can’t help but get sucked into her vortex, enraptured by everything she’s saying. When she briefly skims over the sexual dynamics of the couple in her book, I don’t press for more information, even though I’m fucking dying to know what’s going on in that creative little brain of hers.

“You should be proud of yourself. You sold me. I want to be your first customer, so you better let me purchase a book once it’s published.”

“Thanks for saying that, Cruz. I wish my parents agreed with you,” she says with a sigh.

“Fuck ’em, angel. Do you. You only got one life, you gonna live it trying to make everyone else happy? Living by anyone’s standards but your own is gonna make for a sad life full of disappointment.”

“Damn, aren’t you wise.”

“Not wise. Just determined to live for myself. I was born to a shitty-ass family in a world that doesn’t give a shit whether you drown or not.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re here. I know Dom is, too.”

“I wouldn’t be if it wasn’t for him,” I whisper the confession, giving her just a little piece of me that I keep locked up tight.

* * *

Walking outside, a devious plan hits me as I stand in front of Emma’s little bug. I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to her, but when she got a phone call from her mother, I excused myself to give her privacy.

Checking my surroundings to make sure there’s no one around, I open her driver’s-side door and pop the hood, saying a quick thank you that she’s just like everyone else in this God-forsaken town and trusts too easily. I quickly disconnect the battery, slamming the hood shut. I return to the entrance of the shop, pulling a cigarette from the pack in my pocket and lighting up.

A few moments later, Emma walks out and rolls her eyes when she sees me.

“That’s gonna kill you, ya know.”

“Nah, angel. It’ll take something more exciting than cigarettes to take me out. Plus, there’s still so much pleasure I want to experience,” I say, raising my eyebrows suggestively.

Emma’s hand comes hard and fast, but I just happen to be a trained fighter and have dodged hits since I was a toddler. My fingers curl around her dainty wrist before she has the chance to make contact with me with what was going to be a decent smack. One small tug forces her to step closer into my space. Her other hand goes to my chest to push me away, but I don’t release her. My eyes flick down to her pink lips, and I’m desperate to know what they taste like. The only thing holding me back from swiping my tongue across her flesh and devouring her in a kiss that will leave them bruised and puffy, is that Dom is my best friend and we have a plan to stick to. As much as I want to say fuck it, I won’t.

Dom and I met at Knockout as kids. I was nine when he caught me eating a stolen hot dog from Jackson’s Hot Dog Stand in the alley between the gym and the chain link fence that borders the building and the edge of town. He brought me inside and gave me a safe place to hide away from my abusive father and alcoholic mom. Knockout became a sort of safe haven for me.

“Careful, angel. I like the pain,” I warn, applying pressure to her wrist, causing her veins to pulse under my thumb. “This’ll be your only warning. You’re lucky you’re getting that much.”

Those big eyes flutter closed at my words and my lips turn up in an unrestrained smile, something I don’t do often.

“You’re shameless, Cruz. Anyone ever told you that?” she nearly whispers, her breath noticeable in the cold winter air between us. I can feel the internal struggle she’s having between wanting me and her loyalty to Dom. If only she knew that soon, she won’t have to choose.

“No one butyou.”

Emma’s gaze drops to the ground in response to my words. “I really need to get going, Cruz.”

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