His face wasn’t hard to read anymore, at al . His eyes were glittery and his jaw was clenched. He said some stuff in Spanish then reverted to English.
“You’re a piece of work. You’l say anything to protect yourself even when you don’t know what you’re protectin’
yourself from.”
“So, you’re saying you don’t have a thing for Indy?” There was another jaw clench but he spoke through it and through his teeth too.
“No, I’m not sayin’ that. What I’m sayin’ is, what I felt for Indy disappeared the minute you dropped those f**kin’
cups.”
My mouth fel open and I stared.
“It was obvious to everyone who watched our idiot dance. The only one it wasn’t obvious to was you.” I didn’t have anything to say to that because he was right, it wasn’t obvious to me. In fact, it was news to me, news I didn’t know how to cope with.
“Christ!” He tore his hand through his hair and then fel to his back. “I even know you’re worth it and I’m wondering if you’re worth it,” he muttered and it was his turn to address the ceiling.
I lay there a moment and then, mindlessly, I got up and grabbed the t-shirt I slept in. I didn’t know where to go from there. I pul ed it over my head and just got my arms through when I was tagged around the waist and pul ed back into bed.
“What are you doin’?” he asked, again looming over me with me on my back.
“Getting up.”
“Why?”
I blinked. “You’re angry at me. I thought I’d go.” His eyes narrowed.
“Is this your new tactic, piss me off and I’l let you go?” It wasn’t, but it was a good tactic. I wished I’d thought of it. It was kind of the essence of the Bitch Strategy, but that was more to make him think I wasn’t worth the effort. Now that he thought he knew I was and he knew I couldn’t hold onto the Bitch Strategy for more than an hour and a half, I was looking for new ways to go.
He watched my face move with my thoughts and then he rol ed over me. His hands went in the shirt and swept it off faster than it took me to put it on. He arched up and tossed it, far, far away from the bed. Definitely not in arms reach.
Then he came back to me, opened my legs and pul ed them around his back.
Dear Lord.
“Eddie,” I said.
“I thought I wanted to hear what you had to say, but I prefer you bein’ secretive. Your friends and family wil tel me al I need to know and it’l be the truth.”
“Eddie,” I tried again.
“Chiquita, you come complete with bad guys after you with guns and knives, an ass**le father that takes you for a ride and puts you in harm’s way, a Mom you have to take care of a lot less than you think you do and a sense of self preservation that’s nearly impenetrable—”
“Eddie,” I tried to interrupt him but he was on a rol .
“You also have the prettiest smile I’ve ever seen and you’re the sweetest piece of ass I’ve ever had. I don’t know if that balances out, but right now, I don’t give a shit. You aren’t goin’ anywhere.”
“Eddie!” I yel ed.
“What?” he yel ed back.
“Okay! I’l stay, we’l see how it works out.” The minute the words left my mouth, my eyes grew huge.
What was I thinking? Had I lost my mind?
No.
No, no, no.