Page 25 of Misguided
NINE
Dog
Inappropriate? Totally. Fair warning? Most definitely.
This girl makes me laugh. She smiles at me as though I bring light to her day, and best of all she makes me just want to hang with her.
I need to wife the woman, now.
She shakes her head at my suggestion; probably assuming I’m just fucking with her to get a rise as always. But I’m not. I totally meant it. I’d put a hundred on it right now, that by the end of the month she’ll know what it’s like to have me make her forget her own name.
“When do we start then?” she asks, palming that glass of Sprite.
“Fuckin’ or shooting?”
Yeah, I test the boundaries a lot.
All I get in response is narrowed eyes and a tight little smirk.
“Shooting, right? Aww.” I make a show out of pouting, my shoulders sagging as I return to my seat. “Tomorrow, I guess. Gotta go to the old man’s and get my rifle if you want to use the same gun we’ll hunt with.”
And after the fucking grilling he gave me last night, I’m going to need one on the sauce here to get me in the mood for another altercation with the asshole.
“Can I come?”
“To my old man’s?” Sure as fuck aren’t acting when I look at her confused out of my goddamn mind. Why would she want to do that?
“Yeah. I just …” She shrugs. “Never mind.”
“No, tell me,” I urge, struck with the need to know what’s on her mind.
“I thought it might be nice to get away from the place for a bit of fresh air.” She fidgets with the coaster under her glass. “I know I only just got here, but the place has too many memories right now.” She stares wistfully at the fucking sofas as though her old man is there giving her a smile right back.
“Yeah, okay. I’ll think about it.” What the fuck am I doing?
“Thanks, Dog.”
The bitch slides off her seat and wraps those scrawny arms around my neck, snuggling in close and reminding me I’m nothing more than her best friend.
I trap her right arm to me by lifting my hand to it, breathing in deep and relishing how fucked up it is that she smells sexy as sin wearing my body wash.
Is that how good I smell to chicks? Figures …
“You gonna be okay with how noisy it’ll be here later?” If she’s already twitchy about the place, the weekend wind down might be too much all at once.
“I’ll probably just hide out upstairs.” She pulls free and jams her hands in the pockets of the cargo shorts somebody’s given her to wear.
“Alone?”
Mel shrugs. “Used to it, ain’t I?”
I guess. Still doesn’t sit right with me that she’d be on her own after the two hell on wheels days she’s had since Hooch picked her up. “I’ll keep you company.” I smile.
“Dog.” She frowns. “Just give the pick-up lines a rest would you?”
Only I wasn’t saying it like that. Kind of fucks me off that she took it that way, but I’ve only got myself to blame, don’t I?
“Yeah, right. Sorry about that.” I slip off the stool and take two steps away before hesitating and turning back to her. “You’re really cool, Mel. I mean it when I say I’m fuckin’ glad you’re back.”