Page 67 of The Tomorrows After You
Riot
It took everything in me to stop from diving inside of her.Fuck,I wanted her. But it didn’t feel right after what had happened at the carnival. She was hurting and vulnerable and desperate for safety and comfort. And as much as I wanted to give her that, I couldn’t stand the idea of having sex with her as a reaction to something someoneelsedid to her. When I finally got to feel what the inside of her body was like, I wanted it to be about us and only us.
Still, it was a tough drive home. She kept casting side glances at me, a secret, knowing smile on her red, swollen lips. My fingers were raw from adjusting the zipper of my jeans all the way home. When I glanced over at her, she was squinting into her phone.
“Everything okay?”It was a stupid question. Nothing was okay but still, she looked perplexed.
“I finally got a note back from that doctor who consults for the DEA.”She scratched her chin.“Kind of bizarre that something as deadly as a heroin-meth hybrid hasn’t made the national news.”
She shot me an inquisitive gaze and the look on her face was fierce. I found her even more amazing. After everything she’d been through today, she was still curious.
“He said they had a task force that was investigating it a few years ago but it was too difficult to track because it looks and is traded just like meth. Except whatever they do to it in the production process renders it almost invisible on the standard urine drug tests. It can only be detected through blood samples so it became too expensive and the DEA cut their funding so theinvestigation went cold.”
I gave a humorless snort.“That’s convenient.”Nicolette regarded me, a question dancing on her eyebrows.“When I was getting released, there was talk about going to a halfway house but since my crime...”I cleared my throat. We had never addressed my conviction. Not directly and she’d never asked.“Since it wasn’t drug related they determined probation was good enough. But I had heard what it’s like at those halfway houses. Curfew is eight p.m. and they get drug tested every night with a urine sample. A drug that eludes urine tests would be pretty convenient.”
Her eyes bore into me, unasked questions lingering on her puffy red lips. Something guarded flashed across her expression before softening again.
“I have to figure out how it all connects.”She shook her head.
“You’re still going to do a story?”I asked.“After what those people did to you?”
Disapproval flickered across her face.“It wasn’tthosepeople that did it, Riot.” My eyes darted between her and the nighttime road ahead of us. “You know it was Katie, right? She must have loaded the file last minute.”
That thought hadn’t crossed my mind but the knot in my stomach was back. Did Katie have something like that in her? A sense of dread crept through me, knowing I’d have to confront her about it. I had several missed calls and messages from her but tonight was not the night to return them.
“Funny how it’s always thewomen…”she muttered before finding my quizzical look.“The guy from the tape? I’m fairly certain it was his mother that released it. She and Katie should meet. Together they could slut-shame women back a couple of decades.”
“I don’t know if it was Katie,”I said, and she bristled.“But whether it was or wasn’t, I’m sorry it happened to you.”I took a deep breath and kept my focus fixed on the road ahead.“And for whatever it’s worth… I won’t watch it. Not ever.”
Her eyes glistened and the gratitude I saw in the smile on Nicolette’s lips hit me in the heart. That primal territoriality made me want to wrap her in my arms and shield her from the world.
“That’s worth a lot,”she said.
How bizarre the world was. A few weeks ago I wanted her gone. I was desperate to ensure she didn’t get too close. Didn’t ask too many questions. The idea of her anywhere near my life terrified me. I was still terrified of her. But in such a heart-shaking different way. Now I didn’t know what I’d do without her and that thought hit me like a wrecking ball. Godot was no longer her home. She had always, and still likely did, plan to leave.
The idea of her being gone was too painful to think about so I pushed it far away and let myself bask in the warmth of her presence for as long as I could.
When we got home, we did an awkward little shuffle in the kitchen where we’d normally split into our respective bedrooms. I didn’t want to leave her alone but if we shared a bed tonight, I’d never be able to keep my hands off her and I needed to keep my word. She sucked in her bottom lip, peering up at me through her long, dark eyelashes and it went straight to my groin.
“What are your plans tomorrow?”I asked her, meandering to her sliding door.
She almost laughed.“Oh, you know, church in the morning, sex tapes in the afternoon.”She cocked her head, and I chuckled. I saw her eyes dip to my lips. She lifted her hand and caressed my cheek.“I really do like this,”she said, running a hand over my stubble.
“The scar doesn’t make me look like a psychopath?”I asked.
Her smile turned my insides to mush when she shook her head.“No.”She leaned in, running her nose along my jawline, planting a soft kiss on the scar. I held my breath.“It makes you look human,”she whispered. My arms wrapped around her and I inhaled that scent I had come to memorize as so devastatinglyher.
“Go to dinner with me tomorrow,”I said after I’d loosened my grip, resting mypalms on her waist.
She grinned and let her eyes roll.“You’re asking me out on a date?”She raised an eyebrow and heat rose to my cheeks. I lolled my head back but met her eyes.
“Yes, Nicolette Parker. I want to take you out on a date. I want to pick you up and bring you flowers. I want to open your car door and pull out your chair at some fancy restaurant. I want to bring you home and I want to get nervous about kissing you goodnight.”
She was trying to play it cool. Likeshe cared about none of those things, but her blush gave her away.
“Yes, Riot Asher, I’d love to go on a date with you.”She bit the edge of her lip, wrapping her arms around my neck, kissing me on the cheek. She didn’t pull away immediately. Instead, she pressed her body against mine and I could feel my clothes constricting. Her lips sent shivers down my spine, grazing my ear.“But if youdon’tkiss me tomorrow night, I’ll be very disappointed. Because until then? You will be theonlything I’m thinking about.”
Nicolette pulled away and smiled lasciviously before stepping into the screen room, sliding the door shut before pulling the curtain closed.
