bail.
“It has to be this way, Stryker,” I said, touching his lip ring and remembering how nice it felt to talk to him and listen to him sing.
“But we can talk. And I can sing to you. And paint your nails, right?” he said.
I nodded. I’d miss those things too much.
“Good.”
Chapter Six
Stryker
After the group thing Katie relaxed her rules a little bit. I didn’t mind her constant rule changes because they never stuck for that long. She got mad when I asked her to write them down one afternoon while I was working on Zan’s present for Lottie, a 1970 red Datsun we’d bought for next to nothing.
“I just think we need to set some rules when it comes to sex. What is so crazy about that?” I lifted my head from the engine I was cajoling into both running and passing a state inspection. Katie’d been sitting in the driver’s seat with the door open, wrapped up in a blanket. November was turning out to be especially harsh in Maine this year.
“Because it’s just weird. It makes it into something that it’s not,” she said.
“Then what is it? To you?”
I took my gloves off and blew on my hands.
She shook her head, as if she’d changed her mind. “I don’t know. I was just saying.”
“No, I knew what you were doing. I find it interesting, Katie, that you can have casual sex, but you can’t really talk about it.”
“Whatever. Forget about it.”
“Like, for example what would you say if I wanted to go down on you? Or kiss your stomach? Or even just take it slow? Not that angry revenge sex isn’t great.” I’d tried all of those things, but she’d always stopped me.
“Angry revenge sex?”
I sighed and closed the hood of the car. I wasn’t going to get anything more done today until we got everything out in the open.
“You have sex with me because you’re hurt and you’re mad and you’re looking for a distraction. You even said so yourself. A physical distraction.”
“And your point is?”
I leaned on the door and stared down at her.
“My point is that just because you say you’re going to have casual sex with no attachment, that doesn’t mean it’s going to happen.”
She pulled the blanket tighter. “So, what? You want to be my boyfriend now?”
I shook my head. I’d really walked into that one. “I don’t know what I’m saying. Forget it. You hungry?” I grabbed my tools and started to walk back upstairs, but she stopped me.
“I can’t do non-angry revenge sex. I can’t. I can barely do…whatever this is we’re doing. Not after everything with Zack.”
I put the tools down and swung to face her.
“See? That’s your problem. I’ve told you. I’m not him. Stop treating me like I’m going to beat the shit out of you and leave you in a fucking parking lot. I’ve never hit a woman. Not even Trish. You think that everyone is going to screw you over. It’s a bad way to live, sweetheart.”
She glared at me. “Aren’t you? Aren’t you going to screw me over?”
“I might. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t let me in. You have some really good people in your life and all you do is wait for them to hurt you instead of enjoying it. God, I don’t know how you got started on this fucked-up path, but I wish I could kick his teeth in.”
“What about you? You show me your suicide scar and tell me that you’ve tried more than once? What the fuck is up with that?” We were both in each other’s faces.
“Do you really want to know? Because I thought we weren’t doing that heart-to-heart shit. If you want to know, I’ll tell you.”
She jutted her chin out and met my eyes.
“I want to know.”
“Fine, but let’s go inside. I’ll make you some coffee.” Her teeth had started to chatter.
She nodded and let me lead her inside. I got her on the couch with another blanket and a hot mug of coffee in her hands before I sat down next to her.
“So, where do you want me to start?” She swirled the cup and stared into
“It has to be this way, Stryker,” I said, touching his lip ring and remembering how nice it felt to talk to him and listen to him sing.
“But we can talk. And I can sing to you. And paint your nails, right?” he said.
I nodded. I’d miss those things too much.
“Good.”
Chapter Six
Stryker
After the group thing Katie relaxed her rules a little bit. I didn’t mind her constant rule changes because they never stuck for that long. She got mad when I asked her to write them down one afternoon while I was working on Zan’s present for Lottie, a 1970 red Datsun we’d bought for next to nothing.
“I just think we need to set some rules when it comes to sex. What is so crazy about that?” I lifted my head from the engine I was cajoling into both running and passing a state inspection. Katie’d been sitting in the driver’s seat with the door open, wrapped up in a blanket. November was turning out to be especially harsh in Maine this year.
“Because it’s just weird. It makes it into something that it’s not,” she said.
“Then what is it? To you?”
I took my gloves off and blew on my hands.
She shook her head, as if she’d changed her mind. “I don’t know. I was just saying.”
“No, I knew what you were doing. I find it interesting, Katie, that you can have casual sex, but you can’t really talk about it.”
“Whatever. Forget about it.”
“Like, for example what would you say if I wanted to go down on you? Or kiss your stomach? Or even just take it slow? Not that angry revenge sex isn’t great.” I’d tried all of those things, but she’d always stopped me.
“Angry revenge sex?”
I sighed and closed the hood of the car. I wasn’t going to get anything more done today until we got everything out in the open.
“You have sex with me because you’re hurt and you’re mad and you’re looking for a distraction. You even said so yourself. A physical distraction.”
“And your point is?”
I leaned on the door and stared down at her.
“My point is that just because you say you’re going to have casual sex with no attachment, that doesn’t mean it’s going to happen.”
She pulled the blanket tighter. “So, what? You want to be my boyfriend now?”
I shook my head. I’d really walked into that one. “I don’t know what I’m saying. Forget it. You hungry?” I grabbed my tools and started to walk back upstairs, but she stopped me.
“I can’t do non-angry revenge sex. I can’t. I can barely do…whatever this is we’re doing. Not after everything with Zack.”
I put the tools down and swung to face her.
“See? That’s your problem. I’ve told you. I’m not him. Stop treating me like I’m going to beat the shit out of you and leave you in a fucking parking lot. I’ve never hit a woman. Not even Trish. You think that everyone is going to screw you over. It’s a bad way to live, sweetheart.”
She glared at me. “Aren’t you? Aren’t you going to screw me over?”
“I might. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t let me in. You have some really good people in your life and all you do is wait for them to hurt you instead of enjoying it. God, I don’t know how you got started on this fucked-up path, but I wish I could kick his teeth in.”
“What about you? You show me your suicide scar and tell me that you’ve tried more than once? What the fuck is up with that?” We were both in each other’s faces.
“Do you really want to know? Because I thought we weren’t doing that heart-to-heart shit. If you want to know, I’ll tell you.”
She jutted her chin out and met my eyes.
“I want to know.”
“Fine, but let’s go inside. I’ll make you some coffee.” Her teeth had started to chatter.
She nodded and let me lead her inside. I got her on the couch with another blanket and a hot mug of coffee in her hands before I sat down next to her.
“So, where do you want me to start?” She swirled the cup and stared into
Similar Books
