Page 112 of Till The Sun Dies (Checkmate 2)

But worse, and more accurately, I see a dark club. And gross men who can’t land a girl on their own, so they’d rather pay and force.

Men like Skeeter don’t hook up with girls like me. And I don’t mean I’m vain and think I’m beautiful, but I said no because he creeps me out. He would have creeped me out before Graham ever entered my life, too. So when every last woman says no, men like him turn to clubs like Infernos and take a fist full of cash to buy what they can’t get on their own.

“Hey.” Jess reaches up and swipes a tear from my cheek. “Brush it off, Baby. You’re strong, you’re beautiful, you’re brave and capable. This trip is about freedom. Shake it off, then we’ll go sit in a shitty hotel room and eat your dinner.”

“You’re gonna eat my dinner?” I let out a watery laugh and clutch at my new necklace. I need the healing. I need the boost. “Get your own. I paid seventeen ninety-nine for this gravy fair and square.”

She snorts and pulls me in until we touch from toes to chest. “I won’t make you share your gravy, but I’ll send one of the guys over to bring back more.”

“Can you send Ang?” I’m so ashamed of myself. That poor man has been nothing but kind to me, and because I’m too cowardly to face him, I send him away. “This trip might have been a mistake.”

“No, that creep inside was a mistake. But don’t sweat it; he won’t creep on anyone else ever again. You’re a hero, Baby, because the second you stepped into this place and brought down the wrath of those guys, you made sure that fat shit won’t ever be a weirdo with another chick again. You’ve saved countless other women the trouble of him and his skeezy pick-up lines.”

“I’m a shitty person. He didn’t do anything wrong.”

“He didn’t back up when you were uncomfortable. We could see from across the damn highway you didn’t like him.”

“If he was a hot guy, everyone would think he was just flirting, but because he’s ugly and weird, it’s not okay?”

“I don’t care if he’s the next Sexiest Man Alive. He creeped you out. A real man would see that and he’d back the fuck up. Don’t be sorry for how you feel.”

The bell rings, announcing the guys’ return.

Ang rounds the corner of the building and says nothing about his red knuckles. There’s no talk of the crash we heard, or the wild look in his eyes.

“All fixed. We got two rooms.”

Kane stares into my eyes and doesn’t make mention of the death grip I have on his girlfriend. “Two rooms, side by side. I was being a jerk in the diner, I’m sorry. You girls can shack up if you’d prefer.” He presses a key into my hand and nods in submission. “Hell, all four of us can stay in one room if you wanna. I’ve never had a slumber party before. This is your choice, Twink. You choose which room you want, and the rest of us will make do.”

“Were there no spare rooms?” My eyes dart from Ang’s, to Kane’s, to Jess’. “We can’t get three? I’d feel bad about splitting you and Jessie.”

“No spare rooms. They got some line dance shit going on, so this place is all full now that we got the last two. Girls can bunk, boys can fight over the bed. The other one can sleep in the fuckin’ shower.” He turns to a silently brooding Ang. “I’m faster than you, motherfucker. I’ll shoot out your kneecap, then you can sleep in the ER.”

“It’s fine.” I step away from Jess before Ang can respond. Or before they can argue over who has to babysit me. “I’m sorry you guys have to negotiate rooms. I don’t wanna split Kane and Jessie up, that’d be shitty of me, so I can sleep in the car. I’ll pull the roof up… It’ll be fine.”

Ang scoffs. “No. Let’s go.” He points at Kane. “Don’t make it weird. If I hearanythingthrough those paper walls, I’m gonna shoot your dick off. Keep it in your pants, Bishop.”

“Nah.” Kane lifts a still wary Jess into his arms and swings her around. “I love keeping it in hers.”

Normally, she’d squeal when he tosses her around like this. She’d laugh and kick her legs out, then she’d make moaning noises when his lips drop to hers and remind her why being a Neanderthal is sexy.

But that’s not how it goes tonight.

Standing in the dark under a shitty light that attracts all the flying bugs, her eyes remain on mine. “Baby?”

“It’s fine. Go. Be quiet when you do it.”

Ang’s nose scrunches with distaste. “Or just don’t do it.”

“We’ll be out in the morning–”

“Oh-five-hundred,” Kane interjects. “Not a minute later. Tomorrow night, we sit on the beach. I’ll buy you ladies a margarita and we’ll toast to being fuckin’ awesome.”

As soon as they walk away, I drop my chin to my chest and sigh. “I’m sorry, Ang. This is turning out to be a shitty trip.”

“Not shitty for me.” Careful not to knock my gravy to the ground, he pulls my backpack off my shoulder and leads me forward. “Come on, let’s just go.”

“I can sleep in the car.”

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