Page 53 of Highball Rush
“I wish there was something more I could give you,” I said.
“It’s all right,” Harlan said. “You were just a child. I’ll tell you one thing, it’s a pleasure to no longer be investigating your disappearance. Now we’re finally focused on bringing down the monster who hurt you.”
I nodded. “Thank you.”
“All right, everyone, we need to clear out all this bad juju,” Nadine said, getting up from the table. “How about some pie?”
“Bad juju, Mom?” Cassidy asked with a laugh, and got up to follow Nadine into the kitchen.
“Y’all know what I mean,” Nadine said with a wave of her hand.
I glanced at Gibson and he met my eyes. There was a softness there—reassurance. It sent a warm, tingly feeling through me, chasing away the fear. I was still worried—about him, the judge, whether we could find enough proof. But when he looked at me like that, his gaze gentle, the corner of his mouth turned up in the barest hint of a smile, it was easier to feel brave.
And harder to keep from feeling a whole mess of other things.
17
GIBSON
Still blinking the sleep from my eyes, I poured myself a cup of coffee. I heard soft footsteps coming down the hall and my back prickled, like a cool breeze had brushed my neck.
Callie came into the kitchen, showing way too much skin in a little tank top and shorts. She gave me a sleepy smile, but it was hard to know where to look. The soft lines of her neck curved into her shoulders and a tendril of hair hung across her collarbone. Without really meaning to, my eyes dipped to her chest, to the tempting roundness of her tits.
I tore my eyes away, hoping she hadn’t noticed.Damn it, Gibson.
“Morning.” She grabbed a mug out of the cupboard and poured herself a cup. “Did you sleep okay?”
“Fine,” I muttered.
“Are you sure? Because I keep telling you, I’ll take the couch and you can have your bedroom back.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
She’d been here a little over a week, and she said that every morning. But I wasn’t having it. I couldn’t do much for her, but keeping her comfortable was something.
Besides, I kind of liked having her in my bed, even if I wasn’t in it with her. Made no sense, but a lot of things didn’t make sense since she’d reappeared. Like why I couldn’t stop seeing her every time I closed my eyes. And why those images kept turning to her getting naked.
I sat down with my coffee, but it was hard to be still. I had too much adrenaline in my system lately. Made me edgy. Truth be told, I was itching for a fight. A good fuck would do it, too, but that certainly wasn’t happening. I needed something to take the edge off. I had too much on my mind, too many feelings swirling around my gut.
Maybe I’d go to the Lookout tonight. There was always someone looking to start shit with me there. Sure, I’d be coming in hot, looking for trouble, but I just needed to feel my knuckles crunch against something solid. Maybe take a good hit across the chin. Taste a little blood. A little bar brawl among friends was a great way to blow off some steam.
Callie’s lavender scent reached my nose a heartbeat before she joined me at the table. God, that girl. She was riling me up in ways I was having a hard time containing. My eyes drifted across the smooth skin of her shoulder, imagining my lips there. My teeth.
I tore my eyes away. Again. Looked into my mug like my black coffee held the secrets of the universe.
“Have you ever thought about getting a dog?”
“What?”
She took a sip of coffee and grinned. “A dog. You know, man’s best friend. Loyal companion. Tail wagging all over the place.”
I was glad for something else to focus on, although it still felt like an effort to keep my ass on this side of the table. I wanted to toss her over my shoulder and haul her to my bedroom like a cave man. “I know what dogs are.”
“You seem like a dog person,” she said. “I’m kind of surprised you don’t have one.”
“I like being alone.”
“Do you, though?”
