“Why would you buy me a gun? I didn’t buy you anything yet.”
Laughing, I pull her close and drag her toward Spence’s front door. “You bought chicken and coleslaw yesterday. And orange juice on Sunday.” I squeeze her shoulder. “We don’t have time to waste. You gotta focus.”
* * *
It’s only seven,but as we move further away from fall and into winter, it looks almost midnight. If I ignore the reason for being out here, if I ignore the gun resting against my back and the fact this woman scares me half to death, I could imagine Jess and I are out on a date. A casual stroll under the stars. Stolen kisses by the water, silly giggles as we flirt.
But my life isn’t about innocent dates. I don’t get the luxury of flirting or stealing kisses.
I steal.
I steal loads of shit.
I stole Jess, and I’m not sorry for it. But eventually, I have to give her back.
I help her over a stack of hay as we take a walking tour of the range. Spencer will do anything for cash and an owed favor, so with a handshake and a nod, I became the sole owner of his entire complex for the rest of the night.
I’m taking her on a tour after spending more time in the booth, and I don’t want anyoneaccidentallyfucking up and hurting her. So it’s just me and her, the stars, and five high powered pistols.
One of which is hers. She just doesn’t know it yet.
Every gun I own came off the black market. None of them can be traced back to me, and the one I got for Jess is the same. She could shoot anyone, and it’ll never be traced back to her or me.
If her cop friend finds out, she might get in a little trouble, but it’s better than paperwork leading back to her place if she shoots the wrong person.
“Alright, baby.” Leading her around, I keep catching her eyes wandering to my thighs. She has a thing for holsters, I think. “Hey.” I click my fingers. “You’ve gotta focus.”
Her eyes snap back to mine. “Hm?”
“Focus.”
“Why’d you wear camo today?”
I look down to my pants. “Why not?”
“Oh, come on! Ask any girl in the history of ever, and she’ll tell you camo is sexy. Add guns and muscles, and we’re a hot mess.”
“You like my pants?”
“Mm. Were you ever military? Is that where you got them?”
“No. I got these from Walmart.”
The way her shoulders drop is almost hilarious. My girl prefers designer. “That just ruined my fantasies.”
“You having fantasies?” I pull her around until we’re toe to toe, chest to chest, and her neck is bent far enough back that I could feast for days. “You thinking about me?”
“Mmm. Camo is sexy. Seriously sexy. You still have a viable career in dancing for women, you should know that. You just opened up a whole new avenue of possibilities. Last time I suggested this, it was just dancing. But now you can get some other guys in on it. Spencer’s sexy, and you said he’s ex-army. Add that guy from your building; he’s pretty sexy, too. What’s Jay look like?”
“What the fuck?” My head shoots back. “Are you fuckin’ insane? Stop fantasizing about them!”
“Remember that time you asked if I’ve ever been fisted?”
“Of course. And just for the record, I’ve never done that to anyone. I was playing.”
“Oh, I know.” She reaches up and slides her finger along the ink circling my neck. “But I’ve also never been fucked by three military guys at once. If you wanted to start that business, I could be the product tester.”
“Jessica!”