To Die For - Davidson King Page 0,23

for what was happening.

“Well, I didn’t hook up with Kirt, obviously, so the well-wishes aren’t needed.”

“Never say never,” Sparkles said as he pulled into the garage and parked. “Thanks for coming along. You didn’t have to but yeah, so.” He got out and opened the back to get his dog.

“Do you need any help?” I found myself asking.

“Again, he’s like a pound, and the bag of painkillers is less than that. I got it from here. Maybe Kirt’s free still? I mean it’s late, or early, whatever.” He tucked Tank close to his chest and the clip that was in Tank’s fur glittered.

“Nah. I think I’ll go home and crash. I hope he feels better.”

Sparkles gave a small smile. “Thanks, Max.”

I waited until he was in the elevator and the doors slid shut before walking over to my bike. I hadn’t told anyone I wasn’t working tonight, so me coming home at this hour at least wouldn’t be met with a million questions.

“He said you were aloof?” Atlas asked me later that night as I got the bar ready. I told him about everything, but he latched on to that just as I had.

“Right? I asked that too, but he just danced around it and talked about other things.” I filled the canisters with red straws all around the bar. Atlas was helping fill the little napkin holders while we talked.

“I mean you two tease each other, almost to the point of cruelty, but it just seems to be your way.”

I spun almost crashing into Atlas. “Our way?”

“Yeah, like flirting? You do know that what you two do is flirting? I suspect it’s more like ‘seventh circle of Hell’ sort of flirting, but, yeah.” He shrugged and went on filling the napkins.

I loved the back and forth with Sparkles. It was fun…mostly. I mean, when he told that guy a few weeks ago that touching me would give him a rash and the guy ran, that wasn’t fun. Flirting, though? I dunno, maybe.

“Sparkles lives to torture me. I gave up long ago that he’d want anything to do with me other than using me as a verbal punching bag.” I put the remaining straws under the bar and grabbed my rag to wipe the surface down one more time before we opened.

“You’re both idiots. I think you think if you slept together it would scratch that itch, but I think it would ignite you both. And damn, won’t that be a fire worth burning in.” He winked and left the bar area to do his last checks.

I couldn’t get what Atlas said out of my head all night. I did look for Sparkles, but I had a feeling he’d be staying in and taking care of Tank, so I focused best I could on my customers. Kirt did stop by, flirting not so subtly. He was hot with his sandy blond hair and chocolate-brown eyes, but whenever I thought of doing anything with anyone else, Sparkles popped into my head.

That man was driving me insane. Atlas was wrong. I’d asked Sparkles a million times to…hook up. Maybe I need to ask him on a date instead. Maybe he’d go for that? Did I want that? Why was this so hard?

“Two Heinekens,” a deep voice said, and I looked up into the eyes of one of the suits that was hanging with Sparkles’s new landlord.

I narrowed my eyes but got the bottles, slamming them onto the bar. The guy smirked, tossed me a twenty, and walked away with his beers.

I didn’t like those guys, and I knew that landlord of Sparkles’s was more than a landlord. But me asking him about it had turned into a fight. And the idea of a date sprung up again. Maybe he’d talk to me if he trusted me. I made a mental note to get a hold of Sparkles the next day and see if he’d like to grab dinner. If he said no, I’d really and truly drop it and then enjoy throwing it in Atlas’s face that he was wrong. But shit, if he was right, he would never let me live it down.

I shook off thoughts of Sparkles and finished out my night. My body was tired by the end, but I felt excited. I just hoped Sparkles would say yes.

Chapter Fourteen

Lane

I was in my office, trying on my wig for the charity show tomorrow when I heard Nolan’s voice echo through the studio.

“You are seriously a stalker or something.”

I placed