Page 20 of Little Wing
“And?”
“And?” I chuckled softly.
“Did you finally bang?”
I shook my head again. “No, we didn’t ‘bang’.”
“But something happened,” Reina prodded. “Something changed.”
Already feeling like I said too much, I picked up my bag and pointed to the door. It was already time for me to leave anyway, so I shrugged at Reina with a soft smile. That little bit would have to keep her sated until the next time I'd see her.
Even as Reina’s gasps and frustrated groans made me laugh as I left the store, I couldn’t help thinking the same thing.
Had something truly changed, or was it just in my head? And if it did, what would that mean for me?
Despite taking delight in the banter that made me feel more normal than I had felt in a long time, I continued my regular routine at home. Because while I tried to live a full life, the past was never truly that far behind. Luca was never far behind. I had been away from him for years now; how much longer would it be before he’d yank me back to him?
The thought didn’t unsettle me more than usual as I got comfortable on my couch after removing all my makeup to let my skin breathe. I would just have to continue my routine of checking each night for any new search results around my brother’s whereabouts.
There was still a tightness in my chest, the same as it had been the night I left Luca. I was thankful my tether to my maker remained unchanged.
While I checked each news network on my phone, including vampire outlets, I was startled at the feel of my phone vibrating in my hand. Kait and Reina were still at work as far as I knew. Typically, they wouldn’t be paying attention to their phones, so what was this?
I quickly pulled up the notification and stared as message after message began to arrive. After four texts, the sender stopped. My eyes scanned each one and I could barely hold back my lips from spreading. In the safety of my home, I didn’t hold back my fangs from peeking out.
Sorry I missed you today.
Hope you're not too upset that I'm texting.
I'd like to see you again. No steamy questioning. Promise.
I'll be at Little Wing HQ (soon-to-be) all week. 352 New Fairhaven Dr.
My fingers hovered over the text box, debating if I should say anything. Before either side of my internal conflict could come to a decision, I watched the three dots flicker before the message finally appeared.
This is Silas BTW.
I watched the message a moment longer, wondering if my phone would buzz again. As if on cue, I watched three dots flicker once more before disappearing. No new message appeared. After an invitation and a confirmation of the sender, I wondered what else he could have said. What other thoughts lingered that he wanted to get out before they were abandoned?
Perhaps he wanted to take it all back? Maybe it was the wrong number? But wait, I wondered, how did he get my phone number to begin with?
Once again, as if on cue, I watched a new message pop up, this time not from Silas, but from the apparent culprit who gave him my phone number.
Oh Reina…
YOU'RE WELCOME!!
The string of unanswered messages from Lotus continued to taunt me while I sat with my ass planted on the curb of the plaza where Little Wing would be. Our offer to purchase the space was finally accepted, so now we just had to wait for everything else to be processed before we finally received the keys. The moment that happened, we’d kick things into high gear to get Little Wing up and running as soon as possible.
While we waited, Mateo and I took the time to celebrate the only way we knew how—getting drunk on vampire booze. We had every freaking reason to cheer and drink. We had to cement that accomplishment into our history—our legacy! After all the rejections we received, this was the ultimate sign that Little Wing was worth the uphill battle.
Even without the keys yet in our hands, I spent most of my free time at the plaza with my laptop the moment the sun would begin to set. Whatever work needed to be done remotely, I could at least enjoy it in the presence of our future. I only had a few weeks left of the history course I was teaching before I would be able to commit myself to Little Wing full-time. At this point, I was counting down the days. But while so many things were moving forward in my life, Icouldn’t stop thinking about the woman who refused to answer my text messages. Unless the number I was given by her best friend was incorrect, which wouldn’t surprise me. I practically begged the lavender-haired woman at the bookstore to share Lotus's number with me because I was a blithering idiot and forgot to ask her for it myself. I just wanted to get in touch with her outside of the places she frequented, where nosy ears wouldn’t be around.
I’d have been a liar if I said I didn’t think about the kiss we shared. It played in my head on repeat, and every time I remembered the way her bottom lip peeled from mine it was like an instant jolt to my cock. Even now, I had to quickly busy myself with my work to keep my body from agonizing over her.
She wasn’t answering my messages anyway. I’d just have to catch her at the bar or at the store the next time I’d be in that area, and certainly not standing outside her apartment like the desperate man I clearly was. What was this woman doing to me?
Mateo and Quinn were out of town for a few days, already looking around for furniture that we could purchase for Little Wing, which left me with good amount of free time. Normally I would try to fill that time with drinks and casual hookups, but I didn’t even feel like entertaining the thought. The woman who felt so far out of my reach clearly had me in a chokehold. I smirked at that thought, imagining the woman who stood just a bit shorter than me, before returning my attention to the essays that were waiting to be graded.
