know. I guess because you never believe anything I tell you.” I frowned now too. The toxicity of her words wasn’t even noteworthy. I was accustomed to the sting.
“Get the fuck out of here then, and take your latest piece of ass with you.”
“C’mon.” I took Lace’s arm and led her out the same way we came in.
“War,” she said as soon as we were outside, and I stiffened, anticipating her pity. “I’m—”
“Don’t.” Moving directly in front of her, I saw the sheen of that stuff in her eyes, and it pissed me off. I retreated behind my wall, even as I walked her backward and pressed her into the window. “Don’t fucking feel sorry for me.”
“I don’t.” Her brow creased. “I just wanted to ask, was your mother who you wanted me to meet?”
“Yeah.” I nodded, but was rethinking bringing Lace here. I wasn’t cut out for this shit.
“She’s not very nice.” The words were spaced out as if Lace measured them carefully before speaking them. Her delicate brows pinched tighter together. “Why did you bring me here?”
“I wanted you to see her, how she is, so you would get me.”
“Get you how?”
“Get that this is me—a son his mother doesn’t even want.” I clenched my fingers into fists, where they pressed into the wall on either side of her pretty head. “Take me or leave me, Lace. I don’t care.” It was bullshit, but it was BS I’d been flinging my whole damn life. “But decide fucking now before this goes any further.”
I forced my fingers to unclench, and my hand shook a bit as I stroked her cheek. Her skin was soft and warm. Every part of my body tightened as I touched her.
“I get you.” Lace slid her slender arms around my waist and laid her cheek against my chest.
I let out the breath I’d been holding as I waited on her verdict. Drawing her closer, I buried my fingers deep in the satiny fall of her hair. “I like this.”
Acceptance. Warmth. Beauty. I lowered my head and kissed the top of hers.
“You sound funny,” she said. “Like you’re surprised.”
“Never held a chick like this.”
“Really?” she asked. Now she was the one who sounded surprised.
“Yeah. I get them this close, I just fuck ’em.”
“Oh.” Lace lifted her head, and after studying me a long moment, her golden eyes widened. “You’re telling the truth.”
“Fuck yeah, I’m telling the truth. Why would I lie?”
I tucked a long strand of her hair behind her ear. Then I slid my hands down her arms and wrapped her sexy body in my embrace. Now that I had her, with her knowing everything, I was in no hurry to let her go.
“You’re pretty, and you smell good,” I said without thinking, and then swallowed. I sounded like a douche.
“Thank you. It’s my vanilla lotion.” Her voice was lighter, like she was smiling. “You’re very handsome.”
“You think so?” I lifted my chin. She was smiling. “I look like the married asshole who lied to my mom so he could fuck her.”
“That’s terrible.” Lace’s smile faltered, and I wanted to kick myself.
Why had I said that? It was like I wanted to ruin the tenderness of the moment.
“What I meant to say was, thank you for the compliment, and for defending me today at school,” I said, wrenching the words from a deep part of me that barely existed anymore.
“Randy’s a jerk,” she said. “And I think you’re worth defending.”
“Not hardly.” But I was glad she thought so. Lace felt like a chance for me. A chance for something good. A chance I’d never had. But I shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal.
“I disagree.” She gazed through the plate-glass window of the Fast Mart a long moment, biting her lip. Her eyes were softer when she looked at me again. “Can we go somewhere else?” Going up on her toes, she pressed her lips to my cheek. “Please?”
“Sure,” I said, barely managing to choke out a reply with so much unexpected emotion tightening my throat. Lace was being sweet to me without me giving her anything, except a glimpse into my life, which was complete and utter shit. I changed my mind, no longer regretting bringing her here. “Where would you like to go?”
“You’re truly asking and not telling me?” she asked, her eyes dancing.
“Yeah, I am.” I lifted my hand to my cheek, where warmth from her lips lingered on my skin. Did she know she could ask me for practically anything