The fact that Kat was wasted that night is surely the only reason why she’s not figured it out. I might have been wearing a mask to hide my face, but I quite eagerly revealed the rest of my body to her and it’s not like my skin is free of more than recognizable ink.
At some point, I have no doubt that she’s going to put two and two together. Unless all of her memories are courtesy of Styx the morning after, when the selfish fucker took her all for himself to sate his little fantasy he’s been battling with for an embarrassingly long time now.
“I guess you’ve never got close enough, darlin’.”
“Then it’s a good thing we have today, huh?”
Her hands drop a little lower on my stomach. I’ve got no idea if it’s intentional to see what my reaction will be or if she’s just getting comfortable. My head says it’s probably the latter, but my dick certainly wants it to be the former, that’s for sure.
Turning the key, I bring my bike to life and gun the engine, earning myself a delighted shriek from my backseat passenger as I tear down the road in the direction of my favorite place.
* * *
“What is this place?” Kat asks in awe as we climb off my bike in front of the old abandoned building before us.
We’re on the very outskirts of Red Ridge, at the place I always go to whenever I need to get away when shit gets too heavy.
“It’s an abandoned mill.”
“Okaaaay,” she says, taking a step closer. “Not exactly what I was expecting.”
Pulling a grocery bag from the back of my bike, I tuck it under my arm before wrapping my other around Kat’s shoulder once more and guiding her forward.
“And what were you expecting?”
“A bar. I guess I thought you’d take me up on my stupid suggestion of giving me oblivion.”
“It wasn’t stupid,” I argue, understanding more than I think she probably realizes how much I crave the nothingness that a shit ton of liquor can achieve.
“So this place is totally empty?” she asks as we step inside the old red brick building.
All the windows have been long blown out, the roof mostly caved in. The walls are covered in old graffiti and the floorboards above are rotten and barely holding on.
“Yep. I’ve never seen another living soul out here. We could do anything and no one would know.”
She spins to look at me. “Anything?”
“Yeah, darlin’. Anything.”
“Wow, so many possibilities.” Her eyes light up with mischief.
She takes a step toward me, her intentions clear, and like a pussy, I twist the grocery bag around to my front and pull out a bottle of beer.
“I might not have taken you to a bar, but I brought a bar to you,” I say, uncapping it with my teeth and handing the bottle over.
“Beer?” she asks, looking at it like it might bite her fingers off.
“Alcohol isn’t the answer, Kat. But that doesn’t mean we can’t have some fun and get a bit of a buzz.”
Silence falls between us for a beat.
“I guess I should just be grateful you didn’t finish that off with ‘because your brother wouldn’t approve.’” She rolls her eyes and turns away from me, walking to the other side of the vast building.
“You’ve got a brother?” I ask innocently, following her like a desperate puppy. “I bet he’s a real asshole.”
Her shoulders shake, and despite trying not to react, a laugh falls from her lips.
“So where’s your favorite part of this place then?”