Page 54 of Never Started
Jimmy and his buddies laugh when I hear Jimmy mutter, "That one there, she's something."
Misterr. Mysterious smirks. "Last time, you threw a drink in my face; this time, you're trying to pepper-spray me. You sure have one hell of a way of playing hard to get." Then he chuckles.
Fucking chuckles. His eyeballs are at my mercy and hechuckles.I remember that night two years ago. He didn't even get angry then.
Who the fuck is this guy?
I rush on, "If you're not some creepy stalker who wants to chop my limbs into pieces and serve to his pigs, then you better start explaining."
He lets out another laugh, holding my eyes. His face relaxes, and I can't help but notice how handsome he is. He looks like a clean-cut city guy straight out of a magazine. He isn't the typical kind of guy I go after.
"Can we possibly have this talk without the threat of you burning the fuck out of my eyes?" His voice holds no sign of anger. It's just smooth and downright sexy.
I raise an eyebrow in question and look at the mace that's still aimed at his face.
With a sigh, I drop my hand. "You have two minutes, and it isn't leaving my hand. Say one wrong thing, and you get sprayed." I huff, pulling the barstool further away from him. Then I take a seat, facing him with the pepper spray still held tightly in my grasp.
Most girls would run out the door, terrified.
I'm not like most girls.
I want answers, and I will get them.
So I say, "Now, the clock is ticking. Explain."
Chapter twenty-four
Maverick
August 2022
"Now, the clock is ticking. Explain."
Oh, she's a firecracker, for sure. I'm here for it.
When I first met her by chance all those years back, when I found her crying on the sidewalk in New Orleans, I was instantly drawn to her. Ihadto speak to her. Then, the lucky bastard I am, our paths crossed again two years ago at that shitty dive bar. Nothing about that night was planned or went as I expected it to. At the same time, it was every bit perfect.
There’s something about a woman who knows who she is and isn't afraid to take up space in the world. There’s something even more about a fearless woman who plays hard to get and plays it well that draws me in like a moth to a flame. I guess you could say that's my toxic trait.
I want precisely what I know isn't good for me.
I've never forgotten that night. How could I? The electricity sparking between us was palpable. I've never experienced it with anyone before her.
I always hoped our paths would cross just one more time, promising God, the Universe, or whoever or whatever the fuck is listening that I’d act on the opportunity. She keeps getting brought into my life as if it’s a sign she’s meant to stay in it. Now that I have my chance—fuck, maybe I should believe in fate.
I've never searched for her, but I thought of her constantly. Especially anytime I lay in bed with another woman who wasn't her, I found myself comparing them to each other. Hell, nothing sexual even happened between us. I denied her. I refused to be just another notch in her belt.
Something about the feeling when I looked into her eyes told me that we would bemoreone day, and I didn't want our start to be tainted by a one-night stand.
The following day, after meeting her in that bar, my contract in Arkansas ended, and I returned to Louisiana for work.
To my surprise, I opened my app yesterday and was hit with the sight of her picture.
First, my mystery girl. Then, my dream girl.
That's all she was after that night, a dream. The beautiful disaster that lived rent-free in my mind.
The girl who can fuck, but not kiss. The girl who isn't scared to put anyone in their place. The girl who can bring a man to his knees with the way she moves... right before she falls and passes out.
